“Of course, we aren’t,” Sadie said, returning her arm to her cousin’s shoulder as they all walked with Harper to the back of the van.
When she unlocked the door, it took all Cas had in him to stay back and allow her to lift it. He noted the others fighting the same inner battle, but they all, no doubt, instinctively knew not to step into her space.
Once she turned back around, Cas nodded to the contents practically spilling out. “Looks like you brought a whole workshop with you.”
“That’s because I did.” She smiled, then turned back to frown at her stuff. “I got rid of most of my things and brought just the essentials, but it still looks like a lot.”
Cas noticed the slight hesitation in Harper’s smile again. He exchanged a quick glance with the guys before he stepped forward then halted when she spun around with apprehension widening her eyes. His chest tightened, and he slowly lifted his hands, palms facing forward. “It’s okay. And we’ve got this. You just tell us where you want everything, and we’ll take care of the heavy lifting.”
Harper blew out a breath and gave a small nod. “Thanks, Cas. But it looks like you guys are having a party. I don’t want to take you away from it. If I’d known, I would’ve delayed my arrival. I feel bad.”
“No need,” he reassured. “The party will still be going on when we’re done.”
Sadie snorted and waved a hand. “Let them use those muscles.”
“Yeah,” Lori agreed. “We don’t want them to lose them.”
Loni nodded. “Plus, we’d much ratherwatchthe guys use them.”
Her lips twitched, and he was happy to see amusement light her eyes. “Well, far be it for me to deny any of you of that.”
Sadie grinned and pulled her in for a quick hug. “That’s the spirit. How was the drive down?” she asked, cleverly moving her cousin out of the way.
Harper sighed. “Long. Boring. I’m glad it’s over. I’m glad for the help, too. It’s been a while since I had any. I’m used to doing things on my own.”
Cas picked up on her subdued tone and stepped closer. “That’ll change here. Let’s get your van unloaded.”
Sadie released Harper to set a hand on her shoulder. “And once that’s done, you won’t need to come back down if you prefer not to. You can concentrate on getting settled in,” she said, her voice full of warmth. “The girls and I would be happy to lend you a hand with that task, if you want. If not, that’s okay too. We’re just glad you’re here.”
“Yes,” Lori and Loni echoed one another, warm smiles on their faces. “We baked you up something special,” Loni informed. “It’s inside, on your counter.”
A smile tugged at Harper’s lips. “Nowthat’san incentive.”
“Agreed.” Sadie grinned. “Let’s get you set up so you can finally relax.”
Harper’s smile was still there, faint but genuine. “Ah, more incentive. That sounds good. Thanks, everyone.”
“No problem. We’ll get you set up in no time,” Cas said, removing a crate filled with tools from the back of the van. “So, Sadie mentioned you run a woodworking shop?”
“Yeah,” Harper replied, grabbing a black plastic drill case in each hand, and Cas had to work really hard not to imagine the woman using the tools, because that was hot as hell, and there was no room for thoughts like that right now. “It’s my therapy,”she said, which immediately cooled his damn libido as they followed the guys already heading for the open garage, with their arms full of power tools. “This place will be perfect for setting up a workshop.”
He nodded, setting the crate down on an empty shelf. “I think this will work out well for you.”
Cas noticed the way she held herself as if she were bracing for something. He couldn’t help but feel a surge of protectiveness even though he barely knew her. As they continued to unload her tools in the garage, he kept stealing glances at her, remembering the carefree girl she used to be and wondering what had happened to dim that light.
He exchanged a look with his brother. They both remembered the girl Harper used to be, but it was clear she was different now. Whatever had happened to her had left its mark. There was a distance in her eyes and that bothered the hell out of him.
“You sure packed light, Harper,” RJ muttered, hoisting a heavy box labeled “Books.” “This thing weighs more than Cooper’s sense of self-importance.”
The guys laughed as they started grabbing boxes for the apartment.
“At least I’ve got something worth the weight,” Cooper shot back with a grin. “You’re just bitter because I outlifted you at HQ yesterday.”
Cas chuckled, grabbing a box of kitchenware. “Don’t worry, Coop. Maybe Harper packed a book in there on how to take a joke.”
Dale carried two dresser drawers and laughed as he passed by. “If she did, you should probably read it first, Cas.”
“Yeah, Cas,” Sadie chimed in, holding a lamp that had seen better days. “You could use a little help in the humor department.”
