Chapter 9
9
T he entire day had been one adrenaline rush after another. By the time dinner cleanup was complete and they all gathered in the living room on the side where the TV was, Petra’s nerves had an unfamiliar jittering sensation to them.
She was smart enough to understand why it was happening—empathy for Jinx and how she must feel if nothing else—but it left Petra a little unsteady.
So full of conflicting emotions. Anger and frustration and hope and fear of doing the wrong thing or saying something that would crack Jinx’s fragile courage.
It was also perfectly natural to feel the attraction that was there between her and Aiden. Every time their eyes met, a shiver ran up Petra’s spine and the memories would flood back in. The delicious night they'd spent together was something Petra had been fantasizing about getting an instant replay on.
And now they had to share a room?
Jinx had been given the oversized recliner, which was barely big enough for her and Dixie. The dog had taken full advantage of house privileges with great enthusiasm, crawling into Jinx’s lap and pouring over the arm rest.
Petra stood awkwardly, considering her options, until Jake stepped to the front of the room and took control.
He gestured her to the couch. “We haven't been here at High Water for long enough to have many set routines. Since I'm the one with the good head for timing and organization?—”
“And a bigger head for being bossy,” Declan muttered.
Aiden outright laughed as he settled on the couch beside Petra and Jake scowled. “Don't make that face. Trying to round us up and corral us is one of your favourite things, brother.”
Instead of glowering, Jake dramatically rolled his eyes. “If you two are done being comedians?”
“Pretty sure I've got a few more lines in me,” Aiden offered instantly.
Declan didn't say anything this time. Just smirked into the coffee cup he'd refilled after the meal was over.
Jake shook his head, but he wasn't the one Petra watched with fascination. Jinx had her arms around Dixie’s neck, her eyes wide as if their comedy routine had her mesmerized.
Petra didn't think the light-hearted badgering was fake—too much true affection came through in the way the brothers spoke to each other. But Jinx was eating it up, and the longer the guys teased as Jake sat to the side of Declan and began updating the progress list, the more her mouth hung open in shock.
It was a nice normal family situation as far as Petra could tell. Not that much different from what she and her own family were like on a regular basis.
Which meant this kind of light banter was probably nothing Jinx had experienced for a long time, if ever.
Petra had snuck a quick read through the papers Aiden had tucked into her pocket, which gave the bare bones of what Danielle had been told of Jinx’s living situation. Jinx would tell more about her past in the days to come once she was ready, but for now, it was all about building trust one hour at a time.
Which meant Petra had this first evening to get through as well.
Followed by a night sharing a bed with Aiden.
What did she want?
It was one thing to have upturned her entire life to help—and the longer the day went on, the more grateful Petra was that she'd been in the right place at the right time for that. But did it mean she had to put her own desires on hold when it came to her and Aiden?
Fooling around would offer the perfect endorphin rush to deal with the current situation.
An elbow nudged gently into her side. “Teacher wants to know why you're not participating,” Aiden teased.
Petra blinked and discovered all eyes on her. She'd been so caught up in her own head she’d lost track of what was going on. “Sorry, you have to say that again.”
“Keep your girl awake over there,” Jake grumbled before turning back to his papers.
Aiden curled his arm around the back of the couch which snuggled Petra in closer. He grinned down and waggled his brows. “Can't have the boss unhappy.”
Only Jinx’s eyes were on them, and her body language was stiffer than before. Petra twisted on the spot, curling her legs under her. Aiden's arm fell away even though they remained side by side. She poked him in the chest with amusement. “You don't need any encouragement to get distracted. What was the question, Jake?”
“Eventually, we'll have different evening activities lined up. Things like schoolwork, or prep for the artists’ studio. But for the most part, we’ll take the evening to relax. I asked if you’d share what goes on your list for evening relaxation activities.”
Heat rumbled through her as Aiden laid a hand on her thigh. His hands, all over her… That was one relaxing evening activity that was not going to be named now, no matter that it leapt to mind.
Petra considered then listed a bunch easily. “I crochet. Usually put on a podcast and stitch for an hour or two. Sometimes I put on a show or listen to some music. I usually go for a walk in the evening, but that's because my day jobs often require me to sit on my butt for a long time. Since coming to High Water is still recent, I haven’t figured out my new routine.”
“I don't usually need any more physical labour in the evening,” Declan said, “but I don't mind listening to music or that sort of thing. I like to whittle, and it's nice to have something going on in the background.”
Jinx frowned. “Why don't you guys just do what you always do? You don't have to change things because I'm here.”
Aiden leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “That's very kind, but it's not that we’re going out of our way or inconveniencing ourselves, Jinx. You're part of this family now, and yeah, sometimes families do stupid things, but usually they do their best to do smart things like make it easy to spend some time together in a way that’s comfortable and makes everybody happy.”
“Consider it a family routine,” Declan pitched in. “Who knows? Maybe you'll decide you want to learn how to whittle. Always good to have an expert to teach you.”
“I'll put that on my list, then,” Jake said. “Find an expert whittler to teach Jinx?—”
Declan scratched between his eyes using his middle finger.
Jake snorted. “You're still swearing. You know Jeff would never let you get away with that.”
Petra laughed. The awkwardness she'd felt was slowly being melted away by the strong bond between the brothers. “Okay, so we're looking for ideas for High Water family night. Right now, we don't have much on the outside calendar, so there's no reason why we can't hang together in here, or by the fire, or things like that, right? Just no work.”
“No work.” Jake agreed. “Emergencies will happen, and once Jinx is in school, she might have things that happen after supper, so we'll have to make some adjustments. But for now, how about we let the weather decide?”
Jinx lifted her fingers the slightest bit, as if asking for permission to speak.
Petra ignored the urge to tell the girl this wasn’t school. She’d figure it out eventually. “What's up?” she asked.
“I like some music. And some podcasts, and some shows, but there's some stuff I don't…” Beside her, Dixie nuzzled in, whining softly as she looked for what was upsetting her new charge. Jinx stroked the dog’s head then determinedly lifted her head and looked Petra in the eye. “There's things I won't watch. Nothing violent, or cruel, or sex stuff, just so you know.”
The brothers all nodded instantly, faces grim. This time Petra had to fight to keep her own change of body language under control. This girl—damn the people who’d had Jinx before and let her world be so tainted that basic decency had to be asked for.
Jake lifted his notepad, sharing as he wrote. “Jinx has final authority on our viewing entertainment.” He made an exaggerated checkmark and met her gaze. “Easiest way is if you let us know what you want to watch or listen to, then we’ll take it from there.”
Declan sat straighter in his chair. “Hang on. What do you like to watch?” he asked Jinx with mock horror in his voice “I can't handle those house hunter shows. Bunch of nonsense, with people complaining about how small the closets are.”
Jinx snickered, a hesitant smile lifting her lips. “How about I’ll make a list of things I like, and you guys can check it.”
“Music too,” Aiden suggested. “List your favourite artists and genres, that sort of thing. Because we can take turns listening to each other’s stuff, but I am not sitting through George Strait repeats ever again.”
“We'll make a list, Jinx,” Petra said, resting her hand on Aiden’s and patting it with amusement. “Remember guys, earbuds are a thing. Sometimes we can listen to our own choices and just be in the same room together. That’s a possibility as well.”
Jinx looked around with more curiosity than fear. “So what's tonight? Since we don't have any lists yet?”
Jake glanced at his watch. “It’s a nice night. How about everybody do what they need to do for a bit, and at nine o'clock, we’ll meet by the fire pit to spend an hour listening to nothing but the crackle of the wood. I don't know if you can crochet out there, Petra, but Declan can whittle. Or maybe Aiden can bring his guitar.”
His guitar?
Not that Petra was going to let on that she had no idea that her fiancé could play. “That sound okay with you, Jinx? We have a bag of clothes to go through that my sister-in-law dropped off, but we should be able to get that done in the next while. It’s sort of work, but I think it’s important.”
“Okay.”
Beside her, Aiden leaned close before Petra could stand. As the others got up and went different directions, he put his lips beside her ear and whispered quietly. “You need to tell me if you want me to grab my bunk role so I can sleep on the floor. Or are you okay with me sharing that mattress with you? No expectations.”
Petra’s stomach was back to being a jittering jumbling mess.
At least she knew part of the answer without hesitating. “We're grown-ass adults. It's a queen-size bed. I think we can share, no expectations.”
He nodded firmly as he sat back then pushed to his feet.
Petra walked after him to join Jinx who waited for her at the entrance to the bedroom wing.
Jinx’s observant gaze danced over them, but not even knowing she should be on her best behaviour could keep Petra’s eyes from falling to the smooth, muscular flex of Aiden’s ass as he strolled confidently ahead of her toward their room.
The man was damn fine. Sharing a bed with no expectations?
Hell. She was going to spontaneously combust.
Petra had a shitty poker face.
Aiden tucked away that knowledge and pondered the more interesting tidbit that their final short discussion provided.
She’d looked disappointed. He’d been trying to make the sharing-a-bed thing less awkward, and she’d totally been disappointed. Which was both interesting and super frustrating.
No. It was interesting. He’d go with that option.
He slipped into the primary bedroom and tucked the rest of his things away. It only took a moment before he was back in the hallway, the sound of voices in Jinx’s room carrying clearly toward him.
“These are just a few things to get you through until we can find time to make it to the store. Which won’t take too long,” Petra promised.
“I don’t mind hand-me-downs.”
Petra made a rude noise. “Hand-me-downs are a yes, but you also get some new stuff. Because as the fifth girl in a family, let me tell you that nothing but hand-me-downs sucks.”
He made sure to make some noise as he moved closer. “Excuse me, ladies.” They glanced up from their task, Jinx’s body language going on alert as he’d expected. “Petra, I’m going to go help with the chores. I’ll meet you at the fire pit, okay?”
She looked confused for a moment before something in her expression softened as she realized he was acting the way a fiancée would. “That sounds good.” She hesitated before an outright mischievous smile crossed her face. “You should bring your guitar.”
Damn Jake to hell. Aiden smiled back. “I can do that.”
He was still muttering curses under his breath when he bumped into his brother in the barn. Which meant he literally bumped into his brother, nearly sending Jake sprawling to the straw. “Jackass. ‘Aiden can bring his guitar,’ huh?”
“Hey, you’re the talented one in the bunch. Figured it’d be a pity to let all your fancy training go to waste.”
Jake danced out of Aiden’s swing radius, but it was all in good humour.
They made the rounds together to deal with the few chores that were there for the animal shelter.
There weren’t that many animals in the barn yet. The couple they’d bought the rescue from had done a great job finding homes for most of the creatures before they’d put the ranch up for sale. The fact that the Skye brothers hadn’t minded the remaining animals being included had been unusual.
Not many people would want to take on a full-time nonprofit facility along with buying a ranch.
“We’re waiting until next spring to get the animal rescue fully back into gear, right?” Aiden asked.
Jake nodded. “Declan already put out the word that if there’s an emergency we’ll take the animals on, but we need to get the rest of the renovations and moneymakers in place first.”
Which meant it was barely half an hour later after taking care of the mostly cats and few horses that Declan had already added to their own rides.
Jake went off one way to get the fire started, and Aiden went the other to grab his guitar. As soon as he had helped arrange chairs around the fire pit, he ignored everything else and sat down and began to play.
His mother had started him on the guitar, and after she passed, Jeffrey had gone out of his way to make sure the lessons continued. Aiden had enough years under his belt that once he got going, he could stare into the flames and let the music flow over him.
The fire pit was tucked to the side of the building in a bit of a dip. The lay of the land cut off some of the expansive views but meant they could be here even when the wind picked up, nestled into a safe place where they could just be.
A place to relax and brush off the stress of the day.
Jinx. The first to come to High Water. The first to join the family, and the song under Aiden’s fingers changed from something light and soft to mischievous and fanciful. As if fairies flitted about the place, bringing magic around him.
Which was when the girls arrived. Admiration danced in Petra’s eyes as she lowered herself into the chair next to him, Jinx on her other side. Dixie twisted on the spot then settled on the girl’s feet, while Petra lifted something small and woolen from a basket she placed on the ground.
His brothers arrived. Declan opened his pocketknife, sitting forward to continue working on a tree stump he’d found. He was about halfway through making the small face of a gnome peek through the rough bark.
Throughout it all, Aiden played. The classical music that shouldn’t fit so well in the setting, and yet did, swirled around them with an easy rhythm. The pulse of his fingers carried on the air and created magic as the sun dipped behind the mountains and the sky slowly filled with a rich gold.
The expression on Jinx’s face was as awe-inspiring as the sunset. As if she couldn’t believe where she was or how much her life had changed.
When she leaned her head against the high back of the Adirondack chair and closed her eyes, fingers stroking slowly over Dixie’s head, Aiden smiled.
There might be a whole hell of a lot of other things to figure out, including getting Jinx’s story straight so that the lies that would have to be told to the community would work, but right here and right now?
This was the bit of family that he’d dreamed about creating. This was why they were here.
They sat for nearly an hour. Jinx wiggled to new positions a few times, including getting up, stretching, and walking around the backside of all their chairs with Dixie pacing at her side.
Aiden played. Petra stitched. A small light hung around her neck aimed down at her fingers and highlighted them as they moved with an easy rhythm. Declan’s fingers flowed over the wood as well, and between the three of them, they created an artistic symphony, each in their own way.
Jake? He had a notebook in his lap, writing a few lines then closing it. Opening it, writing a little more. Between each time, he stared into the fire, head bobbing to the beat of whatever Aiden played.
Once he knew where all his people were, Aiden let himself drift with the music. An easy, contented act until he discovered he was staring at Petra most of the time, admiring the way the light shone off her hair. Appreciating the little frown she got as she recounted stitches or something then smiled contentedly and turned her work.
The fire crackled, and somewhere in the distance an owl hooted. The small noises of the fall mixed with his guitar and added to the concert.
Petra glanced up and smiled at him, and inside, something more than heat pulsed. It was odd. Her being here, pretending to be part of his family—it was a complete lie, and yet felt like an utter truth.
Aiden let the swirling confusion in his gut tangle with the music and slide away for now.
Petra was the first to make a move to end the evening. She gathered her project and slipped it into the basket. “I know Jinx doesn’t have school yet, but we may as well establish a good routine. Time to get ready for bed,” she informed the girl.
Which was brilliant, Aiden realized. A chance for them to escape the guys’ company without Jinx getting triggered.
Jinx stood, Dixie instantly snuggling under her hand. She glanced at his brothers then met his gaze. “I didn’t mind that music. You’re good.”
“Thanks, kiddo. You sleep tight, okay? Petra and I are down the hall if you need anything, but go ahead and lock your door. Dixie will take care of you.”
She nodded then waved goodnight to Jake and Declan. “Thanks for giving me a place to live.”
“You bet,” Jake said softly.
“Night, Jinx. See you in the morning,” Declan offered.
They walked off, Jinx glancing over her shoulder a few times before hurrying after Petra.
Aiden strummed open chords until they were out of earshot. “I hope to hell the universe gives us the wisdom to do this right.”
“Amen to that,” Jake muttered. Then he fixed his gaze on Aiden. “You’re sleeping in the house. You need anything, any time, you text.”
“And you treat Petra with respect,” Declan said firmly. He shook his hand at Aiden, the move more threatening than he possibly intended because he still held his switchblade in his fingers. “She has done amazing things and dealt with so much in the past twenty-four hours. She’s the key to making this work, so don’t you go fucking it up.”
“I know,” Aiden insisted. “I know.”
Jake sighed and leaned back in his chair. “We know that part, too. That you’re not an ass, but dammit, this whole thing got complicated really fast.”
“That’s saying a mouthful.” Declan shrugged. “Just make sure you’re thinking hard, Aiden. That’s all we ask. Petra leaving because you pissed her off would be a disaster.”
It was as if his brothers thought he had no self-control. He glowered at them. “I’m not planning on fucking up. I’m not planning on fucking at all.”
It wasn’t a total lie. Dreaming and fantasizing about it were not the same as planning.
A short while later, after firm back pats and goodnights from his brothers, Aiden slipped into the house as quietly as possible. A light shone from under the bathroom door connected to Jinx’s room. Dixie’s nails clicked on the hardwood floor in a steady rhythm as the dog paced.
Better than any surveillance camera, Aiden had to admit. If Jinx did get scared and decide to run, Dixie was going to stay glued by her side.
He walked to the primary bedroom, catching himself before he knocked. Instead, he slipped open the door and peeked inside. The sound of running water from the bathroom made him hesitate.
Petra. Naked in the shower?—
Dammit. He was being punished for some past sins.
Aiden went to the walk-in closet, hauled off his clothes and hung them on the hook on the far wall. He left on his boxer briefs, then peeked back into the room.
The water was off but still no sign of Petra.
This was utter bullshit. He could either stand in the closet and hide like a blushing virgin or go brush his teeth like a fucking adult.
One step into the bathroom area, he froze. Petra stood at the counter, hair wrapped up in a towel balanced on the top of her head. She brushed her teeth vigorously, watching him in the mirror with amusement.
The dragons on her feet were back, and a shimmering robe covered the rest of her from neck to ankles. Rainbow colours and stripes danced in front of his eyes in psychedelic kaleidoscopes.
“I think I’ve gone blind,” he said, blinking hard and marching to the second sink.
Petra smiled around her toothbrush before spitting and rinsing. She put away her things and outright grinned. “I like bright colours.”
God help him. “Good for you.”
She laughed again then leaned over to take the towel off her head and rub her hair dry. “Thank you from me as well for the great guitar playing. That was a nice finish to the end of a stressful day.”
“You think Jinx will actually sleep tonight?” he asked.
The amusement between them softened as the question hung in the air.
Petra nodded slowly. “Dixie is a huge help. I think Jinx is hopeful . I think that’s about the best we can expect, here at the start of all things.”
Which was the perfect assurance and a terrible trigger at the same time. Because Aiden had just realized that’s what he wanted not only for Jinx, but for himself as well. Possibly for him and Petra.
Hope.
Hope for a future where they could be together.