When she pulled back, he had to stop himself from wrapping his arms around her. He didn’t want to let her go.
Avery touched her mouth with her fingertips, and in the starlight her eyes shone with tears.
“Tell me tomorrow, after you’ve broken things off with Elizabeth. Kiss me then.”
She didn’t trust him. The knowledge pierced him like a knife laced with poison. He’d tried to hold his honor above everything.
And all the while he’d been trampling it.
One more day.
She’d heard that before, Avery thought as she slipped back inside the bunkhouse kitchen, Walker a silent presence behind her. Walker had asked for one more day the morning of Win and Angus’s wedding and then Elizabeth showed up and ruined everything.
Now he was promising to put Elizabeth aside and break his word to Sue, but he needed one more day—again.
Anything could happen in a day.
When he’d kissed her, she’d wanted to throw caution to the wind, wrap her arms around his neck and cling to him, but she’d had enough of getting her hopes up, only to have them dashed. Sue thought he would marry Elizabeth. Elizabeth thought that, too. Time for things to be done the right way around.
Walker softly closed the door behind them and locked it, and when he touched her hand in the darkness of the kitchen, all Avery’s resolutions nearly failed her. She stumbled as he came up behind her and put his arms around her, pulling her back to rest against his big frame.
They stood like that a moment, Avery’s heart pounding, aching to turn in his arms and pick up right where they’d left off, but Walker sighed, bent and kissed the top of her head, then released her.
Her steps were unsteady as she crossed the room, tiptoed through the door to the main room of the bunkhouse and made her way carefully to her bed. Leslie and Byron were still a tangled shape in the corner, and she was sure they were fast asleep, but Elizabeth and Gabe—
Was it her imagination, or were they both awake?
The warm feeling Walker’s embrace brought forth gave way to a cold shiver of worry, and she braced herself for one or both to sit up and chew them out.
Neither one moved, however.
Walker’s fingertips brushed her as he passed on the way to his bedroll. Avery followed his example, slipping into the covers on her thin mat on the bunkhouse floor. She lay there listening. Neither Elizabeth nor Gabe had the long, easy breaths of someone sleeping. She was sure they were listening just as hard.
What had gone on in here while she and Walker talked outside? Had Elizabeth and Gabe been talking, too? Comparing notes?
Making a plan to stop them from being together?
She would never sleep now, Avery thought as she rolled onto her left side, pulling a blanket with her. Between Walker’s explanation for what he’d done, his kiss and that embrace, she had more to think about than she could process.
But the next time she opened her eyes, sunlight was streaming in through the windows and everyone was already up.
Chapter Five
‡
“Aren’t they sweet?” Avery asked when she followed Walker out of the bunkhouse, her breakfast in her hand. Elizabeth had been at the head of the line and was already sitting on one of the farthest logs, cell phone in her free hand. Gabe had taken a seat not far from her. He was picking at his food, gazing off into the distance, lost in thought.
Walker followed Avery’s gaze and realized she wasn’t talking about either of them. She gestured to where Nora and Clay sat close together near the fire pit, their plates balanced on the wide log, Connie in Nora’s arms, Clay bent close to both of them.
Something hard and tight around his heart melted a little. He nodded, his body coming to life as he pictured Avery with his child in her arms. It had become a favorite fantasy of his. Having a baby with her would be as sweet as anything.
How far he’d come from his determination to end up alone, a witness to the apocalypse. He was as in love with life now as he’d once been obsessed with the idea it would all soon come to an end. He took a deep breath, hoping the future he wanted would come one step closer today. He’d already called Sue and asked her to stop by as soon as possible. After a long pause, she’d assured him she’d be here right away.
Did she think he and Elizabeth were ready to announce their engagement? If so, she was in for an unhappy surprise. He wasn’t afraid to confront her anymore, however. Now that he’d decided to tell Sue the truth, he couldn’t believe how long he’d lived with a lie. Why had he kept punting the problem into the future? Who had it been kind to? Certainly not to Netta’s memory. Netta was a proud, upright woman who’d never lied in her life.
“Sue’s coming after breakfast.” He led the way to another log no one was sitting on yet.
“You’re going to tell her?”
Walker nodded, taking a bite of the omelet Kai had served him.
“Does Elizabeth know?”
He shook his head. “I’ll tell them both at the same time. Last thing I need is Elizabeth making a fuss or taking off before we can sort things out. She was supposed to come home months ago—never thought I’d have to wait this long to deal with this.”
“Is that why you didn’t tell me before about her?”
The shame that washed over him was nowhere near as bitter as what he’d felt last night, and Walker
