10. Shiloh #2
I shrug and face Ledger. “At least it’s one about your big baton.” I grin, tossing him a wink, and I wouldn’t put money on it, but I think I made Ledger Hayes blush.
I’ve been thinking about what it would be like to be on my knees for Ledger Hayes all day since he left the diner this morning. I know I shouldn’t be thinking about him at all, but I’ve seen the man in grey sweatpants. He’s packing.
His truck is parked in the garage, and I leave my Jeep outside.
I have a shift at the Wooden Cowboy, and every inch of me wants to call off, but I keep reminding myself I need the money.
I need the tips. My current situation is not forever.
Plus, it’s Friday so they’ll be good, but I’m tired.
I’m so tired that Tatum Hayes warned me it will take longer to heal if I’m not getting proper rest. I managed to shrug her off, but I could tell she wasn’t happy about it.
“Hey,” I sigh to Ledger, who’s sitting on the couch working one of his puzzles, and beeline for my room.
I reach for my jeans, low cut black tank top, and hesitate. I’m exhausted. Maybe Tatum is right, and I need to rest a little more. I look at my closed bedroom door and then my beautiful, comfortable bed.
It would be so easy to … no. You need money. You have a plan and you need to stick to it. Change and go to work.
Groaning, I put on fresh clothes, use the bathroom, fix my makeup, and head back for the door.
“Do you have a shift tonight?” he asks, stopping me in my tracks.
“Yep,” I sigh.
“Are you alright?” he asks.
I’m better when I’m with you.
“Yep, just tired.”
Ledger nods, but his expression is unconvincing. Great, he knows my tells now. I wonder what else he’s picked up on.
“Okay, I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah,” he grunts, and I rush out the door before I call in sick and sit next to him on the couch. Well, not next to him, maybe one cushion away and then —
“Shiloh!” Ledger calls from the front door.
“Yeah?”
He jogs up to me standing right outside the garage, and I force my eyes to stay on his face instead of looking at the style of athletic shorts he’s wearing.
“Will you call me if Grey shows up? I … I have a bad feeling about him, and it’s not wise for you to be in the same room with him. Could you do that for me?”
My stomach aches, and it’s not from hunger. “Sure, but that means I should probably have your number.”
“Oh yeah, that makes sense,” he says, and I hand him my phone.
He types it in and passes it back to me.
I look at the contact and can’t help my smile. He didn’t put ‘your husband’. There are no emoji’s it’s only Ledger Hayes.
“Ledger?”
He spins around and I don’t think I just do, and walk up to him and slide my arms around his waist. Clearly, I caught him by surprise because it takes him a second to hug me back.
He feels so solid, so warm against me. His arms feel like steel and safety.
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 … I was cleaning.”
His eyebrows scrunch together, and I look at the living room. Did I do it wrong? How do you vacuum wrong?
“Why?” he asks.
“Uh … because?” I say slowly.
“I usually clean on Sundays.”
“Okay, well, it’s Tuesday. 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 does something to 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.
His sock feet make me smile, pink with tiaras on them.
I look up and he shrugs, the corner of his mouth tipped up. “My niece got them for me for my birthday, and she loves when I wear them.”
I grin. “You’re a good uncle.”
He shrugs. “Alright, I’m taking off. Probably won’t be back until late.”
“What do you do there?” I ask him.
He chuckles. “Your father was a ranch hand your whole life. I’m sure you know exactly what I do.”
I shrug. “You own the place. He didn’t.”
Ledger nods. “Fair enough, but it’s not much different. We have to do vaccinations and move some today.”
“Be careful,” I say.
He huffs. “Worried about me, criminal?” My stomach dips and my skin tingles. “We both know I’d be a terrible nurse.”
Ledger laughs and rubs his hand over his hair.
Damn, I love that sound.
“Ain’t that the truth. See ya,” he says and heads for the door to put on his boots.
I slip into the bathroom and when I look in the mirror, I’m smiling and my cheeks are rosy and … I just made Ledger laugh.