Sprinkled with Love

She sighed. “I know. I’m just frustrated and worried.”

“Since when did you get a cat? I thought you swore off them. At least that’s what you said when my sister adopted Marshmallow.”

“I never swore off cats. I like them. It’s just—oh, never mind.”

He had a feeling that she’d withheld the most interesting part of that answer, but he didn’t push the subject. “So if it isn’t your cat, whose is it?”

“My mother’s. I was cat-sitting.”

He couldn’t help but smile. “Cat-sitting, huh?”

“Hey, it’s not funny. My mother is visiting with Carol Bingley.”

“I bet your mother comes home with some interesting stories—”

“I don’t think she’ll have time to repeat any gossip as she’ll be too busy yelling at me for losing her cat. Speaking of which, I have to go.”

Jillian attempted to step past him when she suddenly lost her balance. She let out a gasp. Avery turned just in time to catch her in his arms.

He pulled her slight form to him, crushing her soft curves against his chest. He heard the swift intake of her breath. Was it a surprised reaction? Or was it something else? Perhaps the same thing that had his pounding heartbeat echoing in his ears?

He’d never held Jillian in his arms before. Sure, he’d noticed her back in school. How could he not? She had always been and still was a knockout. But he was never around on the weekends to take her out. He’d spent all of his free time working at the Crooked S. It didn’t leave much room for girls.

And then after graduation, in a split second his whole life had changed. After his parents’ accident, he was left with a family to manage. That’s when he’d made one of his best decisions. He’d kept Jillian on, promoting her from babysitter to housekeeper/nanny.

He still remembered the agonizing task of moving into his parents’ bedroom in order to give Jillian his room to sleep in while he was away at the various rodeo competitions.

He didn’t know how he’d have gotten through those rough years without her. And that’s why he’d made sure to keep their relationship totally platonic. Because if they’d gotten involved and things had gone wrong, not only would he have paid the price but his brother and sister would have too when Jillian quit. The truth was he couldn’t have afforded to lose her—her help that is. There had been so much more to being a guardian than he’d ever imagined.

But now that he was holding her, he was starting to realize just how much he’d missed out on. Her gentle curves fit just right against him. And she smelled so good. Was that cinnamon? And there was another scent that he couldn’t quite place. His instinct was to pull her closer and take a deeper whiff of her sweet scent, but he resisted—just like he’d done for years—and just like he’d keep doing until he left Marietta for good.

When his gaze latched on to her big blue eyes, he found his pulse picking up its pace. His gaze lowered down over her pink-tinged cheeks and pert nose to her red lips that were slightly parted. In that moment, the strongest urge came over him.

He longed to kiss her. He wanted to see if her berry red lips were as sweet as they appeared. Would it be so wrong? After all, it wasn’t like it would lead anywhere because soon he’d be packing up and hitting the open road—hitting rodeo after rodeo until he had enough money for his own patch of land. And the memory of Jillian’s kiss would keep him warm on those long, lonely nights.

Before he could put action to his thoughts, Jillian pressed her hands to his chest. She pushed away. “Thanks. I…I stepped on a patch of ice.”

He reluctantly let her go. “No problem. Just be careful. It’s slick out here.”

“All the more reason I have to find Romeo. Anything could happen to him. Not to mention the freezing temperature. He’s not used to the snow and ice.”

“Calm down. Animals are smart. He’ll take care of himself. In fact, he probably already circled around and is at home waiting for you to let him inside.”

Her eyes widened with hope. “Do you really think so?”

“I do. Besides, you’re never going to find him out here in the dark.”

She paused as though considering his words. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Can I give you a ride?”

She shook her head. “Thanks. I’ll walk. It’s just a block or so.”

“Okay. Be careful. And I’ll keep an eye out for—what did you call the cat?”

“Romeo. He’s a tuxedo cat.” When Avery sent her a puzzled look, she said, “You know, a black and white cat. He’s mostly black with a bit of white on his face and chest. And the tip of his tail is white.”

“Got it. I’ll keep an eye out for Romeo. I’ll let you know if I spot him. But he’s most likely waiting at home.”