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She held his gaze, her eyes welcoming and innocent. Even though she had no memories, the intelligence and confidence in her eyes appealed to him. How this lady could’ve feared she was a murderer like her psychotic mother was beyond him. He could hardly imagine what she’d gone through today and hoped he’d helped not hurt. Him shooting the coyote hadn’t been his smartest move, but she hadn’t blamed him. Not his sweetheart Jacey.
He should comfort her after such a long day. His touch seemed to help. Lifting his arm, he slid it around her shoulders.
She sighed and cuddled into his side. Tucking her legs underneath her, she leaned more fully into him and rested her hand on his thigh.
Cade’s heart beat fast and hard. The familiar “Sweet Home Alabama” song came on.
“I love this show,” she said on a sigh.
Cade tried to focus on the movie. He relaxed enough to laugh with her in the funny spots. His sisters had made him watch it often enough that he knew when each one was coming. The rest of the time, he tried not to so much as shift for fear he’d lift her onto his lap and show her that when a man watched a chick flick movie, it was either because a sister or good friend had tricked him into it or because he was planning on kissing the entire movie away.
He could still focus and savor … her. Her laughter, the way she glanced up at him from under those thick eyelashes to share a conspiratorial smile about something that had happened in the movie, the scent of gardenia, the pressure of her against him, his palm and fingers cupping her shoulder and grazing her smooth upper arm, her hand on his leg, the way she’d burrowed into his life and his heart in a single day.
Jacey was nothing short of miraculous. How was he supposed to keep his distance? Should he call Quaid and Clint and admit he wasn’t strong enough to be around her without falling in love with her? They might take her away. He couldn’t allow that.
The movie ended, and he had been sitting still for so long his arm and legs were tingling from lack of movement.
She blinked up at him again. Her eyes and lips mesmerized him.
She’d told him she needed him. Would he be any kind of man if he didn’t give her a tender kiss to help her heal?
That selfish thought jolted him enough to keep his mind from straying to forbidden kisses with a woman leap years out of his league. And what about his promise to never fall in love again? Jacey wasn’t duplicitous, but she didn’t even know her own past. It was a hundred kinds of wrong for him to kiss her and try to get her to fall for him when she wasn’t at a hundred percent, and she was in danger.
Jumping to his feet, he luckily didn’t spill her onto the floor. She blinked in surprise but stood as well.
“Let’s get you up to bed,” he said, his voice too husky. “This has probably been the longest day of your life.”
“The only day of my life, so definitely.” She winked.
He laughed. She had a great way of teasing. He needed that in his life. He needed her. “Tomorrow will be better,” he promised without meaning to.
“Really, cowboy? I do not know how you could possibly top today.”
He liked that. “Tomorrow I won’t trigger any tears. We’ll do safe chores, a long horseback ride, and a swim in the lake. I’ll teach you how to backflip off the ledge.” Probably not a good idea with a head injury, but not as bad as offering to teach her to shoot. Her goose egg had gone down but was still there.
She tilted her head, that shiny dark hair spilling over her shoulder. He’d gotten a few touches of that hair across his arm or neck today and those stolen moments when he’d brushed it back to put her hat on. Silk. He wanted to run his fingers through it over and over again.
“The tears were in no way your fault. I can’t even express my gratitude for what you have done for me today.”
“You’re welcome.” He didn’t know what the proper response was. If someone had told him this morning that he’d willingly shelter and fall for an endangered woman, he would’ve scoffed at them. Now … he’d do anything for Jacey.
“Will you still instruct me to shoot a pistol and a rifle?”
“Um …” Okay, almost anything. That hadn’t been a good idea to agree to originally. Him killing the coyote had triggered a sobbing episode. He had no problem holding her while she cried, but he did not want her hurting or crying. Not on his watch. No, not ever. He wanted Jacey happy and safe. Even if she couldn’t be with him.
“I know you think I’m too emotionally unstable to be shooting a gun, but it could be a valuable skill. What if my mother or her men found us? You could use my help defending the homestead.”
Cade laughed. The second it burst out of him, he knew he shouldn’t have.
“You think I’m incapable because I don’t possess my memories or because I originate from a wealthy, disturbed family? Maybe you don’t want a gun in my hand.” She puffed up and gave him a challenging look.
“Calm down, sweetheart. It isn’t any of that.” He looked her over. She had deflated a little bit at the ‘sweetheart,’ a term he needed to strike from his conversations with her yet couldn’t seem to stop saying. “When you said homestead, I had this image of us in Western wear and bandanas, defending an old homesteading cabin.”
“Oh.” She smiled. “That is a silly image.”
“If you want me to teach you, I can, but please know that if anyone comes for you here, I will defend you.” This We’ll Defend. It was the Army motto, and he’d felt it deeply when he served. It fit now. Jacey was his to defend.
He’d never had such an important assignment.
