Page 39 of Let Me Be the One
“Now,” Addie said. “No more arguing. You and your cousin should come over for dinner—”
“Crock-Pot stew,” Kam said as enticement as he reentered the room.
“—and afterward, the boys can help you get the mattress back inside.”
Tanner caught the tail end of that invitation, and now he couldn’t take his eyes off Callie as he waited for her decision. A big part of him wanted her to agree, but another part of him didn’t know if he could take it.
Her gaze skipped to him, then quickly away. “Thank you, but I can’t. I still need to shower and get the groceries put away.”
Glory stuck her head into the bedroom to say, “I can put away the groceries while you shower.” Then with pleading, “Come on Callie. I’m hungry.”
Kam glanced at her, frowned, and then stepped forward to sling an arm over Callie’s shoulders. “Addie makes the best stew you’ve ever tasted. Guaranteed, you’ll love it.”
“Well…” This time she didn’t look at Tanner. “I guess I am getting hungry.”
“You only had half a sandwich for lunch,” Addie pointed out. “The chickens couldn’t stay alive on that.”
Her grin lit up her entire face. “I was anxious to get back to my chores.”
Not liking that at all, Tanner said, “It’ll wear thin soon enough.”
Addie sidled out of the room, saying to Glory, “Let me help you put things away.”
Kam said, “I’ll go set the table.”
And that left Tanner alone, in a bedroom with Callie. Of course, to his mind, it was still Reggie’s room and the bed was now minus a mattress.
Callie smiled up at him. “Was that deliberate, do you think?”
“Leaving us alone? Yeah, it was.” He didn’t mean to, but he reached for a small dried leaf caught in her hair.
“I’m a mess.”
“Hard work looks good on you.”
“Is that right?” She tugged at the neckline of her T-shirt. “How about sweat? Are you going to tell me that looks good, too?”
His brows pulled together in a frown. “What’s this?” He hooked her neckline in one finger and pulled it out from her body.
“Umm…”
“You’re hurt.”
“What?” Tucking in her chin, she looked at her shoulder and winced. “I scratched it in the woods yesterday.”
“I know, but now it’s inflamed.”
“What do you mean, you know?”
“I was listening in, remember? And you weren’t exactly quiet about it, plus your shirt was ripped there.”Though he probably shouldn’t have mentioned that. Now she knew where his attention had been.
“Since you’ve pointed it out, it’s stinging again, but I’m sure it’ll be fine after I shower.”
Lightly, Tanner traced a fingertip around the scratch. It felt warm, but then, she looked warm. Hot even. “Do you have any antiseptic?”
Shaking her head, she said, “No, but I’ll add it to my list.”
After dinner, he’d see to it himself. If he didn’t feel so protective, he’d just let her use their first aid kit. But he did feel protective. And damn it, territorial. If he just gave her the kit, Kam might step up and offer his help. “Do you at least have soap?”
