couldn’t get in Sean’s way. No one had ever been able to force Hannah to do anything. She needed time to come around, and to feel safe enough to do it.
Miles rolled her aching wrists and stretched her legs in front of her. Hank had gotten what he wanted, and it was time for her to demand something in exchange. Thinking in such terms was hard because she didn’t generally expect recompense for good deeds, but for the living statue, she’d have to make an exception. If she didn’t, he’d never respect her. He’d never see her as anything beyond someone to be pitied.
She could be greedy and demand her pound of flesh. She just needed to figure out what the Cougar could give her that she didn’t already have.
• • •
Miles had evidently been quiet for too long, because Glenda waved a gardening glove–covered hand in front of her face and said, “Yoo-hoo.”
“Huh?”
“Are you sure you don’t have a little bit of cat in you? You’ve been staring for a while. I had to check to see if you were still breathing.”
Miles chuckled. “No. No cat.” Who could fault her for staring? The view from the greenhouse was so nice. One moment, she’d been contentedly transferring tomato plants to larger pots and sprinkling dirt around, and the next, she’d been transfixed. Hank and Mason were loading large boxes into the transport company’s truck, and apparently that was a shirtless endeavor. She’d seen the man nude—had seen
all
of the men nude, actually—after shifting, but she’d been too polite to stare. Given her profession, she saw a lot of nude bodies, but very few were built like the Foyes. Tall and lithe, but muscled. Shifters in cowboy boots. There had to be a calendar for that. If not, someone could make a mint.
“I’m all right. Just thinking.”
“Uh-huh.” Glenda nodded and wore that sage expression Miles had become so familiar with in the past month. She resumed her scrutiny of her hothouse cucumbers. “How’d you sleep last night? I know Hank’s house is a mess. I can’t sleep in a mess.”
So I’m not the only one who thinks that
. She shrugged. “Slept okay, considering.”
“Nothing like sleeping in your own bed, huh?”
“That’s for sure. I had just started getting used to my bed back at home. I bought one of those adjustable-firmness beds a couple of months ago, and it took me three weeks to figure out I need a soft bed and a firm pillow. Kept waking up with a stiff neck.”
“Hope you didn’t have to sleep with Hank.”
Alarmed, Miles dropped the empty pot she’d been holding, and with burning cheeks, bent to pick it up.
Glenda laughed. “I really don’t want to know your bedroom business. I swear, I don’t, but I know how Hank sleeps. He keeps moving around until he gets into a comfortable spot, and then once he gets there, he won’t move in spite of who he’s displacing in the process. I didn’t mind the other kids piling into the family bed when they were little because they’re only little for so long, but I swear, I never did manage to roll off the bed without a few new bruises whenever Hank was in the mix.”
Maybe that explained the mystery bruise on Miles’s shin that hadn’t been there the day before.
Miles let out a long breath and reached for the bag of potting soil. “I…I told him I’d do what I could for him. He said it’d be easier to keep me safe if I had his scent, so, yes, I ended up in a Hank tangle overnight.”
“Well, the scent thing is true. It seems a very practical discussion to be having, though.”
Miles shrugged again and stole a glance at the truck. Hank and Mason were carrying out what looked like a mahogany headboard. Jamie sat on a stool in the shade, swinging her legs and supervising, apparently.
“I couldn’t think of a good enough reason to say no. I know I should probably be scandalized by the situation, but I think I got most of that out of the way last month. It’s hard to get up in arms about anything
Miles rolled her aching wrists and stretched her legs in front of her. Hank had gotten what he wanted, and it was time for her to demand something in exchange. Thinking in such terms was hard because she didn’t generally expect recompense for good deeds, but for the living statue, she’d have to make an exception. If she didn’t, he’d never respect her. He’d never see her as anything beyond someone to be pitied.
She could be greedy and demand her pound of flesh. She just needed to figure out what the Cougar could give her that she didn’t already have.
• • •
Miles had evidently been quiet for too long, because Glenda waved a gardening glove–covered hand in front of her face and said, “Yoo-hoo.”
“Huh?”
“Are you sure you don’t have a little bit of cat in you? You’ve been staring for a while. I had to check to see if you were still breathing.”
Miles chuckled. “No. No cat.” Who could fault her for staring? The view from the greenhouse was so nice. One moment, she’d been contentedly transferring tomato plants to larger pots and sprinkling dirt around, and the next, she’d been transfixed. Hank and Mason were loading large boxes into the transport company’s truck, and apparently that was a shirtless endeavor. She’d seen the man nude—had seen
all
of the men nude, actually—after shifting, but she’d been too polite to stare. Given her profession, she saw a lot of nude bodies, but very few were built like the Foyes. Tall and lithe, but muscled. Shifters in cowboy boots. There had to be a calendar for that. If not, someone could make a mint.
“I’m all right. Just thinking.”
“Uh-huh.” Glenda nodded and wore that sage expression Miles had become so familiar with in the past month. She resumed her scrutiny of her hothouse cucumbers. “How’d you sleep last night? I know Hank’s house is a mess. I can’t sleep in a mess.”
So I’m not the only one who thinks that
. She shrugged. “Slept okay, considering.”
“Nothing like sleeping in your own bed, huh?”
“That’s for sure. I had just started getting used to my bed back at home. I bought one of those adjustable-firmness beds a couple of months ago, and it took me three weeks to figure out I need a soft bed and a firm pillow. Kept waking up with a stiff neck.”
“Hope you didn’t have to sleep with Hank.”
Alarmed, Miles dropped the empty pot she’d been holding, and with burning cheeks, bent to pick it up.
Glenda laughed. “I really don’t want to know your bedroom business. I swear, I don’t, but I know how Hank sleeps. He keeps moving around until he gets into a comfortable spot, and then once he gets there, he won’t move in spite of who he’s displacing in the process. I didn’t mind the other kids piling into the family bed when they were little because they’re only little for so long, but I swear, I never did manage to roll off the bed without a few new bruises whenever Hank was in the mix.”
Maybe that explained the mystery bruise on Miles’s shin that hadn’t been there the day before.
Miles let out a long breath and reached for the bag of potting soil. “I…I told him I’d do what I could for him. He said it’d be easier to keep me safe if I had his scent, so, yes, I ended up in a Hank tangle overnight.”
“Well, the scent thing is true. It seems a very practical discussion to be having, though.”
Miles shrugged again and stole a glance at the truck. Hank and Mason were carrying out what looked like a mahogany headboard. Jamie sat on a stool in the shade, swinging her legs and supervising, apparently.
“I couldn’t think of a good enough reason to say no. I know I should probably be scandalized by the situation, but I think I got most of that out of the way last month. It’s hard to get up in arms about anything
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