Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Andi
I shot straight up in bed, heart racing.
“What the hell is that?” I gasped, clutching the sheets as the sound came again—shrill and warbly. Definitely not human…but also not like any animal noise I’d ever heard.
A soft knock at the door made me flinch. “Andi? Are you awake?” Norah’s voice came from the hallway.
“Yeah,” I croaked, still groggy. “I’m up.”
“Can I come in?”
“Sure.” I tugged the blanket up to cover everything from the waist down. This family had seen enough of my underwear for one lifetime.
Norah opened the door halfway and peered into the room. “Mornin’,” she greeted with a too-chipper-tone.
“Morning,” I mumbled, still trying to calm my nerves.
“Are you okay?” Norah eyed me curiously as she stepped further into my room.
“Yeah, I just…heard this noise and it scared me right out of my sleep.”
Her eyebrows crinkled. “What kind of noise?”
Right on cue, the sound came again—longer this time and sounding like a dying kazoo.
“That!” I yelped. “What the hell is that?”
Norah stared at me for a beat, then burst into laughter. Full-on, can’t-catch-her-breath laughter.
I stared at her like she’d lost her mind. “What?”
“It’s just our rooster,” she finally said between giggles. “Don’t tell me you’ve never heard a rooster crow before.”
I groaned and flopped back on the bed. No, I can honestly say I have never heard a rooster crow like that…ever. “Oh my God. That’s what that was?” My cheeks burned with embarrassment. “What time is it?”
“Not quite sunrise.”
I groaned and collapsed back onto the mattress, throwing the pillow over my head. “Why on earth are we up this early?”
Norah walked over and yanked the pillow away with another laugh. “Come on, sleepy head. We’ve got work to do.”
“Work?” I groaned again.
“Yes, ma’am. Now, get up and get dressed. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.” She was gone before I could argue, shutting the door behind her.
I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling. “What have I gotten myself into?”
With a sleepy sigh, I rolled out of bed and stretched.
My muscles complained, but it was the rooster that really deserved violence—or a throat lozenge.
I shuffled over to the chair in the corner of the room where I’d dumped my bags and rummaged around for something that could pass for whatever Norah had in mind when she said “work.”
I grabbed a pair of jeans and a baby blue T-shirt that I’d taken from the box of clothes Belle had given me and added my own undergarments to the mix.
Clothes and makeup bag in hand, I walked over to the door and was about to turn the handle when I realized that it probably wasn’t the brightest idea to leave my room in just my nightshirt and underwear again.
I set my things on the dresser next to the door, grabbed the pair of jeans and yanked them on before opening the door—just in time to see him.
Zane stepped into the hallway, all broad shoulders and stupid cowboy swagger.
My eyes involuntarily did a slow scan.
His gray T-shirt clung to his chest in a way that outlined those hard muscles I was having the damndest time not gawking at last night.
And paired with those jeans? It was enough to make a woman forget all her better judgment.
My gaze traced him shamelessly as he walked closer, every step an insult to my ability to think straight.
By the time I snapped my eyes up to his face, I knew it was too late… He’d definitely caught me looking.
Of course he did.
I lifted my chin. Not out of confidence, but out of sheer stubbornness.
He didn’t smirk. Didn’t greet me. Just looked me over like I was another thing to be wary of this morning, then kept walking.
Jerk.
My hand found the bathroom doorknob, but I turned back, just once, because apparently I hadn’t been humiliated enough yet.
“Seriously?” I muttered before I could stop myself, because…yeah…the jeans fit that well.
Zane paused mid-stride. “You say something?” His voice was low, scratchy from sleep, but sharp enough to snap me out of practically eye-fucking him there in the hallway.
Heat rushed to my face. “Nope.” I yanked the door open, slipped inside, and slammed it shut behind me. Lock engaged, I leaned against the door, exhaled hard, and whispered to no one, “Stupid, sexy cowboy.”
I didn’t care if he had rescued me last night.
I didn’t ask for it. His brother seemed to have had everything under control until he charged in like some rogue knight trying to rescue the princess who’d already been protected by Prince Charming.
And I sure as hell wasn’t going to thank him and boost his already overinflated ego.
Still…
He did look good doing it.
I left the bathroom minutes later and slipped down the now familiar hallway toward the kitchen—rounding the corner with my nerves buzzing. I wasn’t sure who I’d run into, or what kind of mood they’d be in after last night’s unplanned sleepover.
To my surprise, it was just Norah and her mother, both moving around the kitchen like they’d done this routine a thousand times. The place smelled like coffee and something warm and buttery and, for a second, I forgot how awkward I felt.
“Hey,” I said, stepping in. “Good morning.”
Norah looked up and smiled. “Hey, Andi.” She wiped her hands on a dishtowel and nodded toward her mom standing at the stove. “This is my mom, Lindy.”
“It’s nice to properly meet you,” Lindy said, offering her hand across the kitchen island.
“You too,” I replied, shaking it. “And I’m really sorry about last night. I didn’t realize Norah had…roommates.”
Lindy laughed lightly. “It’s quite all right, hon. We’ve had worse surprises.”
She was warm and welcoming, with the same blond hair as Norah, just streaked through with wisps of white, and this timeless beauty about her.
It wasn’t hard to see where Norah and her brothers got their looks.
That being said, I was only judging by what I’d seen so far, seeing as I hadn’t met their father yet.
“Can I help with anything?” I asked, watching them work.
“We’re nearly finished,” Lindy said. “But you can set the table. Plates are in the top cabinet, silverware’s in that drawer…and I think you’ve got the glasses figured out.”
Her light-hearted humor made it easy to relax.
“On it,” I said, grateful to have something to do.
Once everything was set, I grabbed the juice and milk from the fridge and placed them on the table. The mismatched plates and slightly chipped mugs gave the table a kind of quirky charm. It was the kind of kitchen where you could tell memories were made.
Lindy set down a steaming plate of sausage links and biscuits straight from the oven, and Norah followed with eggs and pancakes—placing them all in the center of the large farmhouse table.
“Andi, would you be a sweetheart and call the boys in?” Lindy asked.
“Sure.” I headed for the back door and stepped outside. The screen door slammed behind me with a loud crack, making me jump. I glanced back through the mesh. “Sorry!” I called.
“It’s fine!” Norah laughed from inside. “That door’s got a mind of its own.”
I nodded and moved down to the porch steps, taking a breath of morning air. I cupped my hands and called out, “Breakfast!”
Nothing. Except for the sound of Norah and Lindy laughing behind me.
I turned, confused. “Was I not loud enough?”
Lindy, still chuckling, shook her head. “It’s not you, hon. If they’re in the barn, they won’t hear you yell. Ring the bell. It’s on the post there.”
“Oh,” I said, spotting it. I gave the thing three solid rings and heard the clanging echo across the yard. That should do it.
I slipped back inside, suddenly more aware of how oddly comfortable I was beginning to feel here in such a short amount of time—and how much more startling that was than any slamming door.