Chapter Nine
The weeks passed, and things remained cold and uncomfortable. He caught her looking at him and even thought he saw desire, but he didn’t know whether that was wishful thinking on his part or not. His gut tightened as the days passed, and he didn’t know what to do. He thought about asking his mother, but it just seemed too personal.
One night, his heart stopped as he walked up to the house to see the kitchen light off. The thought of her having left made him want to howl. He rushed in and didn’t find her on the first floor, so he ran up the stairs to her room. The air blasted from his lungs when he saw her sleeping on her bed.
After he settled his heart down, his concern for her started rising.
He sat next to her hip and set his hand on it. “Naomi, Baby, wake up.”
She sighed, turned on her back, and looked up at him. She smiled. “Hey.”
“Are you sick?”
She seemed confused until she looked around. She tried to jerk away from him when she saw what time it was.
“Oh, God. I’m so sorry.”
He kept her in place. “Whoa, wait. Answer my question?”
“What? No. I was just so tired. Let me up so I can make you something.”
“Let’s not worry about food right now. I’m concerned.”
“Well, don’t be. I haven’t been sleeping well, and I guess it caught up with me.”
He studied her expression and then nodded. Her color looked fine, and her eyes were clear.
“All right, but I want you to take it easy.”
She nodded.
He stood and took a step back. He grabbed onto her when the color in her face turned pale, and she swayed as she came to her feet.
“Easy. Sit down.”
She bowed her head.
“Something is going on,” he said.
She shook her head. “No, I just got up too quickly. It happens occasionally.”
“Would you tell me if you were sick?”
Emotion clogged his throat when she looked up at him and then nodded. She was so damn beautiful, and he kicked himself every day for fucking up.
“Stand up and let me see if you’re steady,” he said.
She moved slowly, but she didn’t look ready to pass out this time. He nodded. “Okay. I’m going to wash up. I don’t want you to worry about dinner. I can always make soup and sandwiches for us.”
“There’s no need. I have everything ready for spaghetti. It won’t take me any time to finish it.”
“Fine. Just take it easy.”
“I will.”
He walked into the kitchen fifteen minutes later to see her setting a bowl on the table.
“Let me get you a glass of milk.”
He watched her walk away before he sat.
She sat next to him like she did every night, but the fact the tension wasn’t there gave him hope.
They made small talk as they ate, and he even helped her clean the table.
“So, if you need nothing, I’ll be in my office doing some paperwork.”
“All right. I’m going to shower and lie down.”
“Okay. I’ll see you in the morning unless you need me.”
He worked in the office for a few hours. He locked the house, trudged upstairs, and opened the door to check on her.
His heartbeat accelerated, watching her sleep. She was so damn beautiful, and he could still kick himself for ruining what they had. There were signs she might be forgiving him, so he would bide his time and keep going slow and easy.
He walked into his bedroom and stripped before sliding into bed. Joe lay there for the longest time, not able to sleep and staring up at the ceiling. Pictures of her different expressions and how gentle she was mixed with her beauty made the thought of losing her terrifying.
He thought of all the things he could do to make her happy. Fuck, he lived on the ranch his whole life and rarely dated. Hell, the last date had been with a girl from his high school class, and that had been … fuck. Now that he thought about it, he could count the times he’d had sex on both hands. Pathetic. And the times he’d been able to get laid was picking a woman up at a bar and finding a motel close. He’d never had a woman on the ranch.
The idea of Naomi being the only one to set foot on his land made him feel satisfaction. He felt sleep start to pull him down, but his last thought was of her.