Chapter 10
10
The woman was tormenting him just by being in his house—and she didn’t have a clue. For the first time in a long, long while, Gunn empathized with his brothers where women were concerned. He didn’t think he had seriously thought about romance with a woman in years. But now… Ayla was about all he could think about.
How did a man like him court a woman like Ayla Fisher? Gunn thought about that very question longer than he probably should have. Ayla and Aubrey were just down the hall from him, in the guest rooms. Guthrie had convinced Aubrey and her sister to stay until the sheriff had had time to look into the vandalism more fully. So Gunn and Gene and Grady—and Guthrie, who hadn’t gone far—could watch over them—though that part had been left unsaid. But he and his brothers—they were doing what they had to do to protect those two women. Period.
Gunn and Grady had gone over there after Ronnie’s brother Murdoch had called them that night to give the all clear. They’d covered the busted windows and repaired the door as best they could.
This weekend, they were going to paint over the curses and names on the living room wall. Make it welcoming again—before Ayla and Aubrey went home.
If Gunn had things how he really wanted, he would just pack up their things and move them in with him and his brothers. Where they could keep them safe forever.
But he knew better than that. It was the overprotective part of him wanting to do that—just scoop those two women up, along with Giavonna and Greer and probably little Hala and bring them all back to the Ranch. Where they could keep them safe.
And if Ayla stuck around his home too much longer he was going to do something he regretted. Rush things too much.
The more time he spent with her the more certain he was of his decision. Now, he just… had to convince her to give him a chance.
That was where he kept coming up against a wall. Gunn didn’t really know how to date a woman. He’d had exactly two relationships in his life, and only one of them had turned physical. And that had been over ten years ago.
And Gunn wasn’t about to go to his brothers for advice. His sisters, either.
Not yet.
He was going to just trust in his faith. And go from there.
Gunn was going to go grab himself something to snack on—he had work to do. He’d been thinking about changing his sermon a bit. Felt called to. It happened that way sometimes.
And he liked to spread his Bibles and texts out over the table, where he could find what he wanted. He had homework to do tonight.
He settled at the table, and worked. The sounds of the night around him soothed him. He heard Gene settle Calvin back to bed around eleven. Guthrie had stayed in his old room, but his brother had been called out to the hospital to check a patient.
Gunn suspected his brother had wanted to be closer to a particular beautiful blonde. He understood. Gunn definitely thought Guthrie should go for it.
Aubrey Fisher was a sweet woman, kind and loving. She’d been hovering over her sister—and Gunn’s. Greer hadn’t been feeling well lately, and she seemed to be clinging to Aubrey a bit.
Hala had sort of just ended up staying at the ranch with Greer now that Greer was staying there more, too. She and Greer had been best friends since practically diapers. There were people around the ranch everywhere lately—women people.
Gunn did not mind one bit.
Hala’s older brother had stayed with them for a few days—after the accident where he and his son had been injured. That had been a week or so back. Hala had been there almost every night since.
Gunn didn’t mind. She was like another little sister to him. If she was there with his brothers—she was safe.
Sometimes, after everything that had happened lately, he didn’t know what safe really was.
“You look deep in thought,” a feminine voice said, behind him.
Gunn recognized that voice immediately.
He turned.
There she was. The woman he couldn’t stop thinking about.
“Hello, Reverend Hiller. It’s a bit late, isn’t it?” Moonlight was coming in through the windows of the patio doors. It tangled in her blonde hair and made her look… angelic?
A very mischievous angel was this one. “What are you doing… here?”
In his very house, looking like his every fantasy. She wore a thin tank top—and he could see dark straps beneath it. And navy sweatpants. His sister Genny slept in similar every night.
But Ayla had no business parading around his house at two a.m. in that. He’d already woke, after dreaming of her.
In ways he definitely shouldn’t have been.
He was going to have to decide what to do about her. Fast.
He hadn’t ever felt quite like this for a woman before—not since before he’d gone into the ministry, anyway. He had had one serious romantic relationship before he’d dedicated his life to his calling. They had consummated that relationship. He wasn’t exactly naive where fleshly matters were concerned, despite what his siblings thought.
He just knew what he had to do when temptation was staring right at him. In his own living room.
“I was awake, remembering… anniversaries, that kind of thing… then I had to go to the bathroom. Do you know how much of an ordeal finding my way to the bathrooms in this place can be? This is the only one on this level. I could have done the stairs, but… why risk it? But I’m all good now. What are you doing up… Reverend Hiller?”
“Just running over my next sermon. I couldn’t sleep.” He was going to change the entire theme to one about resisting temptation. That would probably serve him well. He wanted to scoop her up, to carry her to that big wooden rocking chair he’d caught Chad holding Genny in that morning. He wanted to hold Ayla as close as his friend had been holding Gunn’s baby sister. And just… be. “Do you want to share a snack with me? There are milk and cookies in there. Mom bought them for Genny. She’s hovering.”
“So is Aubrey. It’s why we’re still here. I think I’m not responsible enough to stay by myself. Especially after what happened two nights ago. And Aubrey was one hundred percent convinced that Genny needed three doctors to hover over her tonight.” She shot him a cheeky grin that he could just see in the low LED lights that ran just under the steps of the sunken living room. “But… I think I may have been her buffer, really.”
He was starting to relax. She was just so open and honest… and naive. He was one hundred percent convinced this woman had no idea that he had been consumed with her for days. “Oh, from what?”
“Dr. Hot Hands.”
He almost fumbled the gallon of milk. “Who?”
“Dr. Hot Hands. It’s what Hala calls Guthrie. Dr. Hot Lips is Chad, because Genny says he gives scorching hot kisses.”
“I… see.” He was thirty-three years old. Nine years older than this woman. The last thing Gunn wanted to do was stand there, whispering with her while the rest of his family—and hers—slept in the house around them.
It just felt far too intimate. Too… tempting.
Intimate would get a man like him into trouble with a woman like her. In a heartbeat.
He helped her onto the bar stool. She wasn’t wearing shoes. And she just had one crutch. Normally, she used two.
Helping her was an excuse. He liked lifting her, getting his hands on her when he could. Maybe it was wrong of him, but… it was fact.
He dutifully ignored how his hands burned where he touched her. He hurriedly stepped away, before he kissed her next.
He seriously wanted to kiss her.
He was ready for the next phase of life. Wooing the woman he wanted to be with, building a home for the two of them—and any children they were blessed with—and building… a family. A life.
Ayla hadn’t even had a real date, before.
Slow was probably the best way to go about winning her. He was going to have to take it extremely slow so he didn’t frighten her away.