Her Cowboy Groom. Trish Milburn

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      “Me, too.”

      Part of him was curious, but he wasn’t digging himself deeper into this emotional hole. Instead, he hopped out into the rain that had slackened a fraction and hurried around to her side of the truck. He opened the door and helped her out and hurried with her to the porch. He made sure she was safely up the steps before he ran back to the truck for her bags.

      When he reached the porch, he found her standing there waiting for him, her arms wrapped around her wet body, her hair dripping. Despite the fact that it was early September in Texas, he had the strongest urge to wrap her in a blanket to make sure she didn’t catch a chill.

      Reminding himself that Linnea was a grown woman and perfectly capable of taking care of herself, flat tires notwithstanding, he opened the door and motioned for her to precede him inside.

      It wasn’t until he followed her that he realized he should have gone first. Luckily, his dad and Garrett were kicked back watching TV, but one of them could just as easily have been strolling through the living room in his underwear. He didn’t think Linnea needed to be assaulted with that image, even if she hadn’t just had the worst day ever.

      “Linnea?” Wayne Brody got to his feet. Before he could say anything else, Owen shook his head a little where Linnea couldn’t see him. He saw acknowledgment in his dad’s eyes before his dad crossed the living room and gave Linnea a hug. “It’s good to see you.”

      Linnea pulled out of his arms. “I’ll get you all wet.”

      His dad laughed. “Honey, I don’t think a few raindrops are going to do me in.”

      Owen lifted Linnea’s bag a little higher. “You want to change into something dry?”

      Linnea met his eyes for a moment, then nodded. “Thanks.” She took the bag and headed for Chloe’s old room.

      No one said anything until the door clicked closed.

      “What’s going on?” Garrett asked from where he’d sunk onto the arm of the couch.

      Owen kept his voice low so Linnea wouldn’t hear. “Chloe told Linnea she could stay here for a few days, but they got their wires crossed somehow. I found Linnea on the side of the road with a flat tire.”

      “Why would she want to stay here?” his dad asked. “She and Chloe got wedding stuff to do or something?”

      Owen glanced toward the hallway to make sure Linnea was still in the bedroom. “She said the wedding is off.”

      “Off?”

      Owen shrugged. “That’s what she said.”

      “And Chloe thought the best place for her was here?” Garrett asked.

      “I guess ’cause there’s an extra bedroom here. At Chloe’s she’d have to sleep on the couch.”

      “And have to see happy newlyweds, the last thing she probably wants to see right now,” Wayne said.

      So maybe Linnea staying in the extra room here did make more sense. A heads-up would have been nice, though.

      After Owen went to change out of his own wet clothes, he noticed that Linnea hadn’t come out of the bedroom. Had she fallen asleep? Or was she just hiding? He had no idea what to do, if he was supposed to do anything. Maybe the best thing was to just leave her alone, let Chloe take care of things when she got here. But from the sound of the rain, that might be a while.

      The living room sat empty when he walked back in. He found his dad in the kitchen pulling a bowl of hot chili out of the microwave. Beyond him in the utility room, Garrett was shoving a load of dirty clothes into the washing machine.

      “Here, take this to Linnea,” Wayne said as he added a sleeve of crackers and a spoon to the wooden tray, part of a set Chloe had gotten them last Christmas for when they ate in front of the TV during football games.

      “Me?”

      Wayne cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah, she doesn’t bite.”

      But what if she was in the bedroom crying? “Shouldn’t we just leave her alone until she’s ready to come out?”

      “She might not come out tonight. And chances are if she’s upset she hasn’t eaten.”

      Owen bit down on the urge to ask why his dad didn’t take the chili to Linnea, instead grabbing the tray. Might as well get it over with. When he reached the guest room, he held the tray in one hand while he knocked on the door with the other. He heard movement inside before Linnea opened the door. Thank God she didn’t look as if she’d been crying, at least not recently. But there was evidence of earlier tears in the puffiness around her eyes.

      “Dad warmed up some chili for you.”

      “He didn’t have to do that.”

      “Wasn’t a problem. We tend to make enough to feed half of Texas when we cook chili.”

      Linnea smiled a little as she reached out and took the tray. “Thank you.”

      After an awkward moment, he nodded and started to walk away.

      “Owen?”

      He looked back at her. The unsure hesitance on her face was so unlike Linnea. She was usually full of life and buzzing around like a bee, always doing something. She and Chloe had been the perfect college roommates. Seeing her look broken and sad left him with the most helpless feeling he’d had in a very long time.

      “Thanks, for everything. I’ll get out of your hair as soon as I can get the tire fixed.”

      While part of him had no idea what to do with a heartbroken woman in his house, he got the oddest feeling that maybe she was just where she needed to be at the moment.

      “Don’t worry about it. The room is just sitting here empty. If you can stand being around us, you’re welcome to stay. You class up the joint.”

      When she offered him the hint of a smile, it made him happier than it should.

      * * *

      LINNEA KNEW SHE should leave the bedroom and be social, especially since she’d dropped in on the Brody men unannounced. But she just couldn’t make herself do it. She feared she’d lose her tenuous grip on her control and start crying in front of them. And despite the fact that they’d been around Chloe for years, she doubted they knew how to deal with an overly emotional female. No, it was better if she just stayed out of sight for a while. In fact, she texted Chloe that there was no need for her to get out in the rain even though the house she shared with Wyatt was only a few miles away on another part of the ranch. She’d just talk to her the next day, when hopefully Linnea would have more control over her heartbreak.

      She didn’t feel much like eating, but her stomach had other ideas. It was empty and demanding to be fed. She’d not eaten anything since breakfast, and honestly she was a little light-headed from lack of food. So she sat in the comfortable reading chair in the corner and took a bite of the chili. She thought she’d only be able to manage a few spoonfuls, but she ended up emptying the bowl and half the sleeve of crackers.

      Linnea СКАЧАТЬ