Her cheeks pinked. “Bathroom’s free if you need it. Or there’s an outdoor shower on the back deck.”
An outdoor shower. My brain went in all sorts of new and unhelpful directions. “Sounds like a storm’s coming. I don’t think an outdoor shower is a good idea right now.” A crack of thunder sounded as if to punctuate my point. “Come here.”
She stayed put. “Why?”
“Please?”
Everly rolled her eyes. “Because you asked so nicely.” She paused in the kitchen to pull a beer out of the fridge and pop the top. Then she made her way over to the couch, settling herself on the opposite side as me.
“How does your head feel?”
“Fine.”
I arched a brow.
“All right. It’s hurting a little, but nothing a good night’s sleep won’t fix.”
I reached out and tugged one of her bare feet onto my lap and then the other. As my thumbs dug into her arches, Everly let out a moan. The sound shot straight to my bloodstream, making my entire body stand at attention. I ignored it and kept up the ministrations.
“I’ll pay you a million dollars if you never stop.”
I chuckled. “You pushed yourself today.”
“So did you.”
“I’m not recovering from a concussion.”
Everly stared out the window at the dark sky with stars dotting the black. “Think Shiloh’s okay?”
My sister had more than pushed herself today, and she’d kept her distance from everyone while she did it, opting to run fencing alone instead of helping in any group project. “She’s processing.”
“I really like her. She’s not afraid of what anyone thinks about her. Just does what she needs to. And she’s kind.”
I switched my attention to Everly’s other foot. “Do you worry about what other people think about you?”
“I wish I didn’t. But I think it’s inescapable with my history.”
My movements stilled for a moment as I took her in, studying the shadows behind her eyes. “Was Seattle not a fresh start for you?”
“It was, eventually. But the few times Ian and Allen showed up…they made a scene. At Jacey’s house. At my school. The school was the worst. The cops were called. But I was young enough that kids were jerks about it. I already struggled to fit in, and there was so much I’d never experienced. I didn’t know the tv shows, the video games, popular music. It was all out of my reach. So, I was the oddball.”
A thick coating of shame swept over me as I realized this woman had dealt with even more than I knew, things I hadn’t given the first thought to. “I can’t imagine how hard that must’ve been.”
She shrugged and took a sip of her beer. “A lot of kids were worse off. I was safe and cared for. Once we moved to the new place, I never had to look over my shoulder.”
Even though Everly hadn’t needed to be on alert, I had a feeling she remained that way. That kind of thing was burned into you and was hard to let go of. “So why come back?” She stiffened a bit, but I kept digging my thumbs into the arch of her foot. “If you finally broke free, why come back here?”
“Because I wasn’t free. Not really. I…” Her gaze drifted out the window. “I was hiding. Doing everything I could to keep my family from knowing where I was, even though I don’t think they ever looked after those first few visits. I just needed to face it. To prove that I could. If I did, I thought maybe I wouldn’t be so scared all the damn time.”
“I think if you look at something dead-on, it takes some of its power away.”
“Exactly. So that’s what I’m doing.”
I leaned forward, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I think you’re damn brave for it.”
Everly laid a hand flat against my chest. “I can’t. Not right now. And not because I don’t want to. I just need to wrap my head around all of this. Make sure it’s wise for me.”
I leaned back in my spot on the couch and picked up her foot again. “I can give you time. Just make sure you’re not taking that time to talk yourself out of something you want.”
Everly blew out a breath, sending wisps of hair flying around her face. “You sure don’t lack any confidence, do you?”
“Not when it comes to this. Because I’ve lived some years, and I know one thing for sure: I’ve never felt how I did when I kissed you, Ev. I’ve never been so drawn in by someone.”
Her fingers drifted to her lips, and I couldn’t help the grin that spread over my face. She’d felt it, too. I just had to trust that the pull between us would be enough to make her take that leap.
“You’re up early,” Everly mumbled as she walked into the kitchen in bare feet, her hair a mess.
“Sorry if I woke you. I wanted to get a run in before work started today and see if there was any damage from the storm.” The wind had howled like crazy last night, thunder sounding like it had been right on top of us.
Everly bent to scratch behind Koda’s ears as he leaned against her legs. “You’re going on a run before we spend all day hauling, lifting, and hammering? Do you have some weird obsession I should know about?”
“Gotta make sure I can chase down the bad guys.” And I needed to burn off some of the fire running through my veins. I’d tossed and turned for hours before finally finding sleep, my mind unable to let go of the temptation down the hall. Then I’d been awoken from a dream so real it had required a cold shower.
“Whatever floats your boat, I guess. I haven’t ventured on any of the old trails around here yet, so I have no idea what kind of shape they’re in. Be careful you don’t get lost.”
“I was thinking I’d just stick to the roads today.”
“Probably smart.” Everly moved towards the front door. “Looks like the skies cleared. It’s the perfect morning for it.” She pulled open the door, leaving only the screen in place. “What in the world?”
She stepped out onto the front porch and gasped, looking across the way to where my truck was parked.
I was by her side in a flash, letting a slew of curses fly. “Stay back.”
My hand went to the holster at the small of my back, the one I wore for running because you never knew when you might run into wildlife that was less than pleased with your appearance. I slid my gun out and held it at my side, peering around the door.
Someone had smashed every single window on my SUV. The side mirrors, too. Tires slashed. This wasn’t simply anger. It was rage.
But I didn’t see any signs of life other than the trees moving in the breeze. “Stay here. Lock the door.”
I slipped out the screen door, holding it so it didn’t slam. I systematically made my way around the cabin, then the dilapidated house next door and the two new storage sheds that had gone up yesterday. I checked paddocks and piles of lumber to make sure no one lurked there. Whoever this was seemed to be long gone.
I started back towards the cabin, my steps faltering as I took in Everly. She stood in muck boots and those tiny-ass sleep shorts, a shotgun resting under one arm, surveying the damage to my vehicle. “I thought I told you to stay inside and lock the door?”