Chapter 6 Rose
ROSE
It had been almost an entire week since the kiss and if I closed my eyes and tried real hard, I could still feel the pressure of Cullen’s lips on mine.
He’d been distant since that night. Both of us seemed to be struggling with how to act normal, like nothing had changed.
The truth was that kiss had made me question everything.
But I did what I always did when something threatened to rock my careful plans…
I ignored it. I didn’t have time to let myself think about the fictional happy ever afters that tried to crowd into my head.
Not while trying to keep myself from falling for Callie.
I poured myself another cup of coffee while she napped in the crib Asher brought over.
Cullen had set it up in his room for now.
That way I could get a decent night’s sleep when he was working an overnight at the station.
Last night had been a rough one. Her bottom two teeth had started to poke through and she’d barely slept. At least Cullen would be back in a bit and would be able to pitch in tonight. I just had to hold on until then.
Ozzy’s ears perked up from his spot in front of the fireplace. If he started to bark and woke up Callie, it could be hours before I could get her to fall back to sleep.
“Hey, bud. Let’s go outside.” I moved toward the front door, hoping I could get him outside before he let loose.
He jumped up and barked at the window.
“No, no, no.” The doorknob turned in my hand just as Callie let out the first soft cry. Defeat had my shoulders sagging, but I still ushered Ozzy out the door.
He ran down the drive, barking all the way. Then came back toward the house, chasing after Ruby’s truck. She stopped in front of the cabin, her smile wide enough to see through the windshield.
I pulled the door almost closed behind me and stepped out to meet her. Maybe Callie would settle on her own and fall back asleep.
“Good morning, sugar,” Ruby said as she handed me a white bakery bag. “I haven’t seen you around town and wanted to check in to see how that beautiful baby is doing.”
The scent of cinnamon and butter drifted up from the bag. My stomach immediately growled, reminding me I hadn’t had anything to eat since lunch yesterday. I’d been too tired to fix dinner just for myself last night.
“She’s teething. There’s not enough coffee in the world to keep me from falling asleep on my feet today.”
“Aw. Looks like I came at the right time. Let me put one of those rolls on a plate for you and give you a little bit of a break.” Ruby bustled past me, not waiting for an answer.
I followed her back inside. Callie must have sensed she had a visitor. Her cries went from breathy and soft to a drawn-out wail.
“I’ll get her.” Ruby nodded toward the coffee pot. “Why don’t you get a refill and pour me a cup?”
It didn’t feel right to have her doing the job I was getting paid to do, but I’d learned that arguing with Ruby was a waste of time. I grabbed a spare mug from the cabinet and filled both of our cups.
When she came out of Cullen’s room with a teary Callie in her arms, I was sitting on the edge of the couch. “Do you want me to take her?”
“No, I’ve got her.” Ruby sat down in the recliner while Callie stared up at her with wide eyes. Callie’s lashes were thick and wet with tears but she’d stopped crying.
“I should fix her bottle.” Leaving the two of them where they were, I got up to head into the kitchen.
Ruby’s voice followed me. “Are you still planning on heading out soon?”
“Yeah. I want to get out of Montana before the snow starts to fall.” I grabbed the formula and a clean bottle. The movements had become so natural over the past two weeks that I could go through the steps without even thinking about them.
“Has Cullen made plans for someone to take over?”
He hadn’t been talking to me about anything except Callie’s day-to-day routine since that kiss. “Not that I know of. Has he asked you for help?”
She shook her head, and her earrings jangled. “Not yet. I thought maybe he’d asked you to stay on a little longer.”
“He hasn’t.” I squirted a bit of formula onto my wrist to make sure it wasn’t too warm. “Even if he did, I couldn’t stay.”
Ruby tracked me as I headed back into the room, her eyes as sharp as ever. “Do you have a job lined up wherever you’re headed, hon?”
I hadn’t volunteered any details about my plans to her or anyone else during the short time I’d been in Mustang Mountain. The less anyone knew about me, the better.
“I’m sure I’ll be able to find something.
People who are willing to work for minimum wage are always in demand.
” I’d figure it out. I always did. That was the problem.
I attempted a grin to soften the blow even though inside I didn’t feel like smiling.
Ruby struck me as someone who wasn’t used to meeting with resistance.
“Do you want me to take her or do you want feed her?”
“I’ll do it. I’m not ready to give this perfect little angel up yet.
” Callie settled in her arms, happy to have her bottle.
Ruby gazed down at her but kept firing the questions my way.
“Have you ever thought about working with kids? You’re so good with Callie.
I’m sure Cullen would be more than willing to provide a reference if you need one. ”
“I’m not sure I’m cut out for that. I think I’d do better working retail or in a restaurant again.
” I was already getting too attached, and it had only been a couple of weeks.
Leaving Callie was going to gut me when the time came.
There was no way I’d open up my heart to taking care of someone else’s kid again.
“You can use me as a reference too. With the holidays coming up, you probably won’t have any trouble finding something. Do you have somewhere to stay lined up?” she asked.
I kept my gaze trained on Callie. “You don’t have to worry about me, Ruby. I can take care of myself.”
She let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “I know you can, sugar. It gets awfully lonely doing that though, doesn’t it?”
My throat tightened. I didn’t want to have this conversation any more than I wanted to subject myself to a root canal.
“Gets lonely doing what?” Cullen’s voice came from the kitchen. He must have come in through the garage door without either one of us noticing.
“Hi there.” Ruby craned her neck as he entered the room. “How’s the new dad doing?”
“Good. No one told me taking care of a kid would be so exhausting, though.” He glanced over at me and smiled as he said it. “Rose is doing the hard work. At least I get to go to the station and can catch a nap when it’s not busy.”
“She said your little one is teething,” Ruby smiled down at Callie who’d almost finished the bottle already.
Callie pushed the bottle away and reached for Cullen. He picked her up and held her over his shoulder. She let out a burp so loud and long that it could have earned a first place ribbon in a burping contest.
“How does someone so little make such big noises?” Cullen teased as he sat down next to me, his hip grazing mine as he got settled on the couch. Heat slid under my skin at the contact and my pulse ticked hard in my throat. I didn’t move. “How’s she doing?”
“She was up off and on again all night. I spread some of that gel on her gums and it helped a little,” I said. Relief that he was home eased the tightness in my shoulders. Everything felt a little easier when he was around.
“Aw. The three of you look so sweet sitting there. Let me take a quick picture.” Ruby pulled out her phone before I had a chance to say no. Cullen even slipped his arm around my shoulders while she snapped a few shots. “You look like the perfect little family.”
The word dropped like a weight in my lap… warm, heavy, and dangerous.
“Ruby…” Cullen warned.
He was too late. The picture had already lodged in my head… his arm around me, Callie’s fist in my shirt, and all of it feeling so right when it shouldn’t.
“I’ll be back in a second.” I struggled to get to my feet. The tightness in my throat and chest made it impossible to pull in a breath.
When I stepped onto the deck, I closed my eyes and tilted my head toward the sun.
How had I let it come to this? I’d wanted to help and needed the money.
If I’d stopped to think before agreeing to take care of Callie, maybe I would have realized that it wasn’t such a good idea.
I never expected Ruby would start tossing around words like “family.”
I sat down on one of the Adirondack chairs and stared into the trees, hoping the universe might show me a way forward.
The big wolf I’d seen last week walked out of a break in the tree line.
He headed right for me, his steps steady and sure.
My muscles froze, and I couldn’t move. I sat there helpless as he came all the way onto the deck.
His huge muzzle nudged into my lap until he got his head under my hand. This close to him, I could see the flecks of dark gray around his ears.
“I see you met Hades.” Cullen stepped out onto the deck.
Hades licked my hand, then walked over to rub along Cullen’s legs.
“Did I just pet a wolf?” I asked, still too stunned to process what had happened.
“Give him a granola bar. He’ll love you forever.” Cullen tossed me one of his peanut butter protein bars.
The wolf’s eyes tracked it through the air and within seconds, he was sitting in front of me. His tongue swept along his lip, eagerly waiting for his treat.
While I unwrapped it with shaky fingers, Cullen came up behind me. “Ruby offered to watch Callie tonight. I was thinking we could go into town and grab something for dinner. You haven’t been away from her in over a week and could probably use a break.”
I didn’t know what to say. My time in Mustang Mountain was coming to an end. The smart thing to do would be to distance myself, not spend time alone with Cullen. The longer I stayed, the harder it would be to leave.
“Um, that’s okay. I’m fine. Just needed some fresh air.” I wanted to say yes. But wanting anything from him would be a mistake. Hades had finished his snack, and I ran my hand over the thick fur on his back.
Cullen tilted his head, studying me with that intense gaze of his. “We can go wherever you want. There are some things we need to talk about. Does six work for you?”
So he wasn’t asking, he was telling. There were some things I probably needed to talk to him about too. So instead of holding my ground, I let up. “Six is fine. Is Ruby coming over, or are we taking Callie to her?”
“She said it would be easier if Callie stayed at her place tonight. We can drop her off on our way.” The ground tipped.
No baby buffer. Just him and me and the truth we’d been dodging.
He hesitated for a minute like he wanted to say something more.
Then he went back inside, leaving me on the back deck with a wild wolf and the gorgeous view to keep me company.
Tonight, I’d tell him. That something came up, and I needed to leave sooner than I’d planned.
That was the only way to protect myself.