Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Andi
Dear Diary,
Today was such a crazy day, but in the best way.
What started off as me getting lost and messing up my dad’s car turned into finding a quiet little town that isn’t as bad as I thought it’d be.
I can’t fully explain it, but there’s something comforting about this place.
A calm I haven’t felt in a long time. Maybe it’s the way people carry themselves here.
They’re kind, open, and warm, even to a complete stranger.
In just one day, I’ve been given clothes, a job, and a place to stay.
It’s more than I ever expected…more than I’ve been conditioned to think I deserve.
And as I sit here tonight, I can’t help but wonder if these people will ever truly understand how much it means to me.
Everything they’ve done, every bit of kindness, has reminded me what it feels like to breathe again.
Today felt like a turning point, and for that I am so, so grateful.
I set my hairbrush down on the table beside the bed and stood, my footsteps soft against the wooden floor.
Moving over to the window, I slowly pulled back the curtain and let my eyes drink in the view outside.
I’d never seen anything so breathtaking.
The night sky stretched wide and clear, glittering with stars.
Not hazy. Not washed out. Just endless and bright.
Back in Northview, light pollution swallowed up everything, and you were lucky to spot a single star, maybe two.
But here? I could see everything. The moon cast a gentle glow across the land, soft and silver, illuminating a barn, two other buildings, and fences that seemed to stretch forever into the dark.
It looked so peaceful.
I let the curtain fall back and made my way back towards the bed.
There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that this was way better than staying in that motel, and this bed was quite possibly the softest thing I’d ever slept on.
The cotton sheets were silky against my skin, and as I sank into the mattress, it was like lying on a cloud.
My body ached from all the running around I’d done at the bar tonight, and exhaustion weighed heavy on me.
But every time I shut my eyes, Heath appeared in my mind, stirring that restless, tight feeling low in my belly.
I stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours, taking in slow deep breaths.
Since sleep evaded me, I decided to venture out of my room in search of a glass of water.
Attempting to be as quiet as I possibly could, I slowly opened the door and headed down the hallway in what I hoped was the direction of the kitchen.
I hadn’t exactly gotten the grand tour when Norah and I rolled in just after two a.m.
My hand slid lightly along the wall, using it as a guide in this dark unfamiliar house when my foot landed on a creaky floorboard. I froze, holding my breath, afraid I’d woken Norah. But the house stayed silent.
I pressed on and soon stepped into what had to be the living room.
The curtainless windows let in just enough moonlight for me to navigate the room without bumping into furniture.
From there, I moved through a spacious dining area and finally reached the kitchen.
Crossing the wide-plank floor, I flipped on the light above the sink.
The soft glow revealed a charming space of cream-colored cabinets set against a backdrop of rustic stone in warm, earthy tones—giving the room a cozy vibe that had me feeling weirdly on-edge.
Like I was rudely disturbing a peace that didn’t belong to me, which was silly because it wasn’t like I was trespassing or anything. Norah invited me.
Shaking my head, I pushed the uncomfortable feeling aside, quietly cleared my throat, and began opening cabinets in search of a glass.
“Aha! There you are,” I whispered triumphantly when I’d finally opened the right door. Standing on my tiptoes, I reached for the glass.
The main kitchen light flicked on overhead, and I gasped.
“What the hell are you doing?”
The deep male voice hit me like a jolt of electricity.
I yelped, whipped around, and fumbled with the glass before dropping it to the floor.
It shattered at my feet, scattering into a thousand shards and catching the overhead light like sparks.
Frozen, heart thudding, I stared at the arrogant cowboy from the diner who was now lowering a baseball bat to his side.
Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.
“You?” we both said at the same time, our voices laced with disbelief—and disgust.
Silence followed. Not the awkward kind, but the kind that came with eye daggers and too many unsaid words.
“I’ll ask again,” he said, taking a step into the room. “What the hell are you doing?”
“What am I doing?” I snapped, clutching my chest. “What are you doing? Jesus, you scared the crap out of me!”
“Don’t try to flip this, princess,” he said, folding his arms across his bare chest like he had every right to look that good at three in the morning.
I tried to ignore the fact that he was only wearing navy pajama pants and failed. My heart was still pounding, though I wasn’t sure anymore if it was from the scare or from the sight of his ridiculous abs.
“I was just trying to get a glass of water, not rob the place, cowboy,” I said, forcing myself to look at his face instead of…everywhere else.
He arched a brow. “So you just break into people’s houses in your underwear and steal water?”
My face burned. I hadn’t realized my nightshirt had ridden up over my cotton panties. Tugging my shirt down with one hand, I straightened up. “Your house? I thought this was Norah’s.” Confusion swam through my mind. What the heck was going on here?
He smirked like he’d just caught me red-handed. “It is. And Norah happens to be my sister. Which makes this—” he gestured around the kitchen “—my house, too.”
Before I could respond with something brilliant and scathing, the sound of fast footsteps pounded down the hall.
A second later, Norah’s brother from the bar burst into the kitchen, wielding a handgun.
I screamed again and instinctively backed away, almost stepping on shattered glass in the process. He took one look around, saw no danger, and lowered the gun with a relieved sigh. Then his eyes landed on me, and he gave a quick, sheepish grin as he raked a hand through his messy sun-bleached hair.
The cowboy turned to him, unimpressed. “Why the hell do you have a gun?”
Luke blinked like the answer was obvious. “I heard a woman scream. What did you expect me to do?”
Before either of them could say more, two more sets of footsteps echoed down the hallway. Norah appeared next—half-asleep and clearly horrified—and right behind her, a blonde woman in pajamas carrying a freaking rifle.
“For the love of God, don’t shoot!” I begged, holding my hands up like that might somehow protect me.
“Put the rifle down, Mom,” Luke said, nudging the barrel toward the floor.
The woman—obviously their mom but youthful-looking enough to pass as their older sister—lowered the gun but gave me a look like she was one suspicious eyebrow twitch away from using it anyway.
“Would one of you boys like to explain why there’s a half-naked stranger standing in my kitchen at three in the morning? ”
I tugged at my shirt again.
“She’s not a stranger,” Luke said quickly. “This is Andi. She’s the new waitress at the Rusty Spur.”
“And I invited her to stay,” Norah added quickly. “She was going to crash at that nasty motel on the edge of town, and I couldn’t let her do that.”
The cowboy let out a low, irritated sound and glared at her. “Now why the hell would you do something that stupid?”
“Excuse me?” I said, carefully stepping forward even though every nerve in my body told me to slap him or storm off. “Stupid? She was being kind. I didn’t realize that was a punishable offense around here.”
“Funny coming from you Miss ‘I don’t stop for strangers.’ Guess kindness is only convenient when you’re not the one being asked for it.” He then turned his laser focus on Norah. “Your little charity case here left me stranded on the side of the road earlier today!”
My mouth fell open—in shock, in hurt, in…anger. Too many words rushed together in my mind, all of them directed at this unbelievable jerk, and I was just about to defend myself when Norah stepped in with, “Wait—what?”
“She saw me, slowed down, and then left me eating dust like I didn’t exist.”
I folded my arms across my chest, eyes narrowing directly at him. “If only.”
“You don’t even know her, Nor. She could be a criminal for all you know. A scam artist. A thief. And you just let her in our mother’s home.”
Luke stepped in then, glancing between me and the cowboy, clearly amused, then gave me a long look—slow and appreciative, but not gross. Just enough to stir something in my chest. “If she’s here to steal somethin’,” he drawled, “I hope it’s me.”
“Gross,” Norah groaned under her breath.
“Seriously?” the cowboy growled, clearly not amused. “You want to flirt with her now?”
“Hey, I’m just trying to lighten the mood,” Luke said, hands up in mock surrender.
“Shut up, Luke!” they barked in unison.
“All right, enough!” Their mother called over top of the bickering and held her hand out to stop them from talking. “It’s the middle of the night. We all have to be up in a few hours. Whatever this is? Solve it in the daylight.”
He opened his mouth, probably to argue again, but his mother shot him a look.
“I said enough. Now everyone, get back to bed.” She waited patiently as the two men slowly walked out of the room.
“We’ll go to bed as soon as we get this glass cleaned up,” Norah told her while reaching for the broom and dustpan.
“Good enough. Good night, girls,” she said as she disappeared down the hall.
I waited until I was almost positive everyone was far enough away from the kitchen before I spoke. “You didn’t tell me you lived with your family.”
Norah winced. “I don’t. Sometimes the boys crash here after a night at the bar. I would’ve said something, but I didn’t think you’d wander the house in the middle of the night in your underwear.”
She laughed, and I took the dustpan from her as I crouched down. “It’s fine. I just didn’t plan on flashing your entire blood line.”
Norah snorted. “Yeah, sorry about that.”
As we swept up the glass, a thought hit me. “That guy standing beside Luke…he’s your brother, too?”
She nodded. “Yep. My oldest brother, Zane. Reigning king of the grudge holders.”
“He hates me,” I said flatly.
“Don’t take it personally. He kind of hates everyone. The man’s got issues.”
“Issues?” I prompted, handing her the full dustpan.
“It’s too long a story to get into right now,” she said, tossing her arm over my shoulder and walking me back to my room. “Come on, we better get back to bed. Days start early on a ranch, and we don’t want to be dragging our feet around all day, now do we?”
“I guess not,” I said, a little confused as to what that had to do with me.
I slid under the covers, the sheets cool against my skin, but the warmth of sleep never came. Not with him stuck on replay in my mind. That cocky smirk. Those stupid, perfect abs. The way he looked at me like I was trouble.
I threw my pillow over my head, fighting the urge to scream into it, and mumbled, “Stupid, sexy, cowboy.”