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“Ah, let ’em go, darlin’. They didn’t hurt the old thing.”
“Gray! Put me down!”
“Well, I would, but then you’d go after them, which would probably end with me havin’ to arrest my own wife for murder, and I just don’t feel like dealin’ with the paperwork that kind of situation probably entails.”
She kept struggling against him. “If you don’t let me go, you’re going to be sorry.”
He held her tighter and brought his lips close to her ear. “If you don’t stop squirmin’, we’re both going to be sorry. Because just about everyone in town is going to find out just how much I’m enjoyin’ your wriggling.”
She immediately stopped. To his dismay. Sure, he didn’t exactly want to display just how tight his britches had grown below the waist, but he didn’t exactly want her to stop making it worse, either.
She blew out her breath with a huff. “I can’t believe you just let them go.”
“I can’t believe you were going to assault them with that spoon,” he said, plucking it out of her hand. “I’d have to arrest you for that, you know.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Oh, you’d arrest me, but not them even though they assaulted poor Lucille?”
“On second thought”—Gray glanced down at her hands—“you’d probably look good in the handcuffs.”
She glared at him again, but the anger had left her face and he could tell she was fighting a smile. “You aren’t putting me in handcuffs.”
“Never say never,” he said, waggling his eyebrows until she laughed and shook her head.
“I’m surprised you didn’t arrest those hooligans for waking you up.”
His eyes narrowed. “The thought crossed my mind. But then you showed up, and I had the choice between a bloodbath or a prisoner escape. Letting them go seemed the more prudent choice. They were warned they would be arrested if they did it again.”
She snorted. “Did what again? Steal my goat or wake you from your nap?”
“How did you know I was nappin’?”
She chuckled. “Lucky guess. Put me down. I have to help Lucille.”
He glanced at the goat chewing on the string wrapped around her legs. “If you must.”
He released her, watching as she knelt to untangle the goat.
“You could help, you know.”
He folded his arms and leaned back against the railing on the jailhouse porch. “I could, but then I wouldn’t be able to stand here watching you.”
“You’re incorrigible,” she said, though her smile took the heat out of the words.
“You like me that way.”
She shrugged. “You’re growing on me.” She finished freeing the goat and scooped her up to load into the wagon.
Gray was going to help her, but she had the goat settled in the back of the wagon before he’d made it over there. He shook his head.
“What?” she asked.
“You don’t really need anyone for anything, do you?”
She frowned a little. “You make that sound like it’s a bad thing to be able to take care of myself.”
“That wasn’t my intention. I love how independent you are. Makes my life easier.”
She chuckled and shook her head, but after a few moments she glanced back at him. “Everyone needs someone,” she said quietly. “Even if they can take care of themselves.”
