Page 12 of All in with the Maverick Montana

“I don’t think you’re fine,” he said. “You’re the same color as my mother’s china.”

Oh, he was comparing her to porcelain. If she squinted maybe she could take that as a compliment. Porcelain was shiny and lustrous. Surely he didn’t mean she was as pale and gaunt as she currently felt? One look at his face and she knew better.

“I really am fine,” she insisted, trying to shake off the dizzy spell. Before she could, the nausea returned full force and Amy tried not to heave on Josh’s boots.

“Okay,” he said, sounding even more concerned. “Let’s find you somewhere to sit down, huh?”

Amy let Josh guide her out of the aisle. She didn’t have the strength to do anything else. She was like a rag doll in his arms.

“Faith!” he called. “Can I get some help?”

Amy heard panicked footsteps and Faith’s sharp cry as she rushed over to meet them. “What happened?”

She took Amy by one arm, Josh kept to the other, and together they helped her into the chair behind the cash desk.

“What’s going on?” Faith asked, pressing her hand to Amy’s forehead the way their parents had when they were young. “You’re not coming down with something, are you?”

“It’s nothing,” Amy said, shrugging her off. She didn’t need Faith fussing over her like this. She especially didn’t need her doing it in front of Josh. She’d practically already collapsed into the man’s arms. That was enough mortification for one morning. “I got a bit dizzy coming down the ladder. That’s all.”

“It was a little more than nothing,” Josh cut in.

“Dizzy?” Faith said. “Since when do you have a problem with heights?”

“I don’t,” Amy said. “It’s probably because I didn’t eat this morning.” This was like trying to barrel race on an empty stomach with low blood sugar.

“You should have eaten that bagel I made you.”

Amy wrinkled her nose as fatigue clung to her. She sighed. “I’m good now. I swear. I’ll just get some food into me.” She tried to stand, only to be hit with a shaky bout of weakness. Maybe she hadn’t gotten enough sleep last night? That plus skipping breakfast might have been enough to make her feel like crap.

“I think I should take you home.” Faith glanced up at the customers in the store. “Caleb should be finished with those ranchers soon. Do you think you can wait a little bit?”

Amy didn’t want to admit it, but going home and crawling back into bed sounded like a dream. “I really am fine. I can drive myself back to your place. It’s not that far.”

“No!” Josh said at the same time Faith declared, “Absolutely not!”

Amy shrugged away from the force of their combined outburst. Faith’s brows arched as she regarded Josh.

“I can drive you back to Faith’s if you want,” he said.

Faith’s brows rose even higher, probably matching Amy’s. “That’s okay,” she hurried to say. She’d already troubled him enough for one morning.

“You’re sure it’s no bother?” Faith said, completely ignoring Amy’s huff of protest.

Josh shrugged. “Your place is on the way out to my ranch anyway. I’m driving by regardless.”

Amy frowned. What was happening here? First of all, she was fine. Second of all, she was a big girl. She didn’t need other people making decisions for her.

“You know what, that would actually be super helpful,” Faith said. “Amy, I think you should take him up on his offer. You look like you’re about to keel over.”

“Gee, thanks,” she muttered. But as much as she wanted to argue, to tell Josh and Faith exactly where they could stuff their good idea, she just didn’t have the energy. Something had zapped it from her. “All right, fine. I’ll take the lift.”

“Great,” Josh said. “I’ll go pull my truck around front and be right back.”

“Thanks again, Josh,” Faith called after him.

The moment he was out the door, Amy’s eyes cut across to Faith. “Don’t do that,” she all but hissed.

“Do what?” Faith asked, playing with the end of her long braid.