“Not sure you’re worth it just yet.”
“Oh, I’m worth it.” She winks. “I know how to thank people quite kindly.”
“Keep saying things like that, and the Lachlan story could very well be true.”
“Please, if I walked out of the pub bathroom with anyone, it would be Leith. He actually hit on me before I came over here.”
“Not surprised.”
She nudges me with her foot. “Aren’t you going to act all jealous and rage-y and demand an apology on my behalf?”
“Why? You’re not mine to claim.”
“Not yet.” She winks again.
Hell, that wink was full of promises.
Promises I hope she intends to keep.
“Move your hand—you’re doing that on purpose.” She swats at my hand, which is holding the pen. We’re sitting side by side on the sofa, and with every second that passes, she somehow inches closer.
“Stop distracting me.”
“You’re distracting me with your hand.”
“Found it,” I call out, circling the word flannel in the word search we’re working on together.
“Damn it!” Bonnie slaps the sofa. “You have a distinct advantage because you’re holding the book and the pen.”
“Fine, here.” I hand her everything and then rest my arm over the back of the sofa, scooting in close to her and taking in her sweet scent, a mix of floral and vanilla. “Next word.”
She snuggles in close. “‘Loch Ness Monster’—go.”
“Found it,” I say, seconds later, and point to it.
“What? You’re cheating.”
“Or I’m really good.”
She shakes her head. “No way, you’re cheating.”
Maybe I saw it earlier, but she doesn’t need to know that.
“I’m not hurting you, am I?” Bonnie asks as she leans into me, her feet tucked up under her. My arm is still on the back of the sofa, but now I’m playing with the long strands of her hair.
“No.” In reality, I don’t think I’ve ever felt this comfortable. This content. Outside, rain pelts the ground, and my cottage fills with that fresh rain smell I always look forward to as thunder and lightning crash through the sky. And for once, the storm doesn’t unsettle me. Instead, as I gaze at Bonnie, I decide it provides the perfect soundtrack for the end of our evening.
I have no idea when Bonnie plans on leaving, but I’m not going to force her out, even though it’s past ten and sleep starts to knock at me with yawn after yawn. I’m not ending this night—she’s going to have to call it.
When I sat down to read my book earlier, I never expected the evening to end up like this: Bonnie leaning against me, talking quietly while we play game after game of word search and lose ourselves in conversation . . . and don’t forget those two servings of cake and coffee.
“You’re warm,” she says, nuzzling her head against my chest, her voice soft, almost sleepy. “You’re so comfortable. And you smell good.”
Not sure what to say, I stay quiet and twirl a long blonde strand around my finger.
“Can I ask you something that might make you mad?”
“Sure,” I say, feeling so relaxed that I actually mean it. Maybe that was her intention all along. Either way, she can ask me anything at this point.
“Someone told me you had a brother.”
Hell.
Maybe not everything.
I blow out a long breath and lean back, slouching so my head is tilted up against the cushion and my gaze is fixed on the ceiling.
“I did,” I answer honestly.
“What happened to him?”
I swallow hard. “Passed away from a head injury.” Bonnie turns and faces me, her hand falling on my chest, her eyes intent on my face. “Callum was twenty. I was twenty-two. We were hiking with Leith and Lachlan, all of us drunk and being eejits. We got caught up in a rainstorm and didn’t think much of it until Callum slipped in a pile of mud and slammed his head against a rock. He was unresponsive.” Bonnie’s hand slowly rubs over my chest, easing the tension that’s building over my heart. “Somehow we got him down the mountain and called an ambulance. We shouldn’t have moved him, but we didn’t want to leave him up there in the rain either. His brain swelled, and there was no recovering after that.”
“Oh my God,” Bonnie says. “The hike up to the castle, your anger . . . it was because of Callum.”
“Aye. I swore I’d never stop hiking, because it was one of his favorite things to do, but I use loads of caution now. The rucksack I was carrying when we went to the castle was full of first aid supplies, and I keep track of the weather pretty constantly.”