Page 39 of Cautious Love

Before I get too lost, I pull back, and he clears his throat, looking around the street.

“What, afraid the neighbors are going to see a wife hugging her husband?” I ask him, jokingly.

He frowns and shakes his head, but stays there watching me get into my Jeep and back out of the driveway. As I drive away, he gets smaller in my rearview mirror.

And now I want to turn back even more.

On a day I finally have off, Ledger is at work, so I have the whole house to myself. I slept past 7 am which is a win. I’ve iced my ribs, and there’s a few chores and errands I need to do. Which is okay because I’m on the edge of bored, and when I’m bored my mind starts running, and when my mind starts running it goes one of two directions. What the hell did I do to screw up my life to this point? And I wonder what Ledger looks like naked? Of course, both routes are not healthy or productive.

I don’t know why I keep thinking about him like that. We will never be a thing. He doesn’t see me that way. We got married out of necessity, that’s it. At best, he sees me like his sister June.Which is fair, and regardless, I’m grateful to him. He stuck his neck out for me, and he didn’t have to. In fact, he should have arrested me. Instead, he offered his home.

The last thing I want to do is mess this up by trying to jump his bones.

After running to TJ’s for some food, I go back home to clean the house. It’s already spotless, but a little dusting and vacuuming can’t hurt. I’m sure Ledger would appreciate it.

When he walks through the door, I finish spooling the cord around the vacuum to put it away, and he’s looking between me and the vacuum.

“What are you doing?” he asks.

“Um … Iwascleaning.”

His eyebrows scrunch together, and I look at the living room. Did I do it wrong? How do you vacuumwrong?

“Why?” he asks.

“Uh … because?” I say slowly.

“I usually clean on Sundays.”

“Okay, well, it’sTuesday.I can’t imagine cleaning a few days after you cleaned is a bad thing.”

He purses his lips and hangs his hat on the hook before pulling off his boots and placing them in the same place he always puts them.

I press my lips together, holding back my words, and take a deep breath.It’s not your house, it’s not your house, you are a guest. Yes, he has a stick up his butt, but he’s also letting you live here for free and saving your ass from jail. So shut the hell up, Shiloh, you don’t need to say anything.

“I have to go out to the ranch this evening.”

“Okay, don’t worry about me,” I say brightly. I don’t want to be a burden to him or anyone.

“Alright,” he sighs and goes down the hall to his room.

The next morning I’m running late, and since it’s 5:15 am, I’m assuming Ledger is long gone. I run out of my room to the bathroom to grab my diner dress and run smack into Ledger.

“Oh!” I mumble trying to catch myself, but his large hands grab my shoulders, steadying me.

“Whoa, there.”

“Uh, what are you doing here?” I ask him.

“I live here,” he says.

“You’re usually gone by now,” I say.

He frowns and rubs his mustache. “I have to work at the ranch again today. It’s a different schedule.”

“Oh,” I say, out of breath. I thought I liked him in his Sheriff’s shirt with the badge clipped to his belt, but full cowboy mode Ledger doessomethingto me.

He’s wearing jeans that are older, more worn, but fit him perfectly and hug those thick thighs. His waist doesn’t have his typical belt buckle on, but one a bit more worn in. Broken-in leather looks spectacular on him.