Ty glanced behind him, expecting to see a small mountain. But there were only a few boxes and more stuff for Duke. Was she trying to pack light, or did she expect this to be a short cohabitation? With everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours, she probably didn’t know what to think. Hell, neither did he. He just knew he’d do whatever had to keep her safe.
“How about packing up any food that’s going to spoil? We’ll take that back with us, too. I’ll load this in the truck.”
She rose from her chair with none of her usual buoyancy. Her light had gone out, and he hated seeing it. Nothing should ever dim that light. Short of hunting down the one harassing her, what the hell could he do to give back that spark? It wasn’t like he could just flip a switch. Hell, he knew that better than anybody.
She’d need time and support. He was determined to give her both.
Chapter 8
“You’ve been quiet the whole drive. I can hear your wheels spinning over there.”
Paisley didn’t look at Ty as they made the final turn onto his road. He’d stayed silent since they left Nashville, leaving her to her thoughts. They hadn’t been good ones. Exhausted and emotional, she was still processing the fact that her sense of safety had been utterly shattered. Thanks to Ty, her house had been secured, but even when all this was over—whenever that might be—she didn’t know if she’d ever be able to really live in her little bungalow again. How did she overcome that sense it would never actually be safe?
“I don’t know what to say. I don’t even know what exactly it is you’re going to do, when there’s no real evidence and apparently Joel thinks I’m making all this latest stuff up.” And damn, that stung. She’d thought they were some manner of friends.
“Heard him, huh?”
“And I heard you defending me. I appreciate that.”
“I’ve got your back in this, Pais. I’ve got resources he doesn’t have and certainly more motivation to get to the bottom of it.”
“I’m sure you’ll be glad to have your space back when this is all over.”
“Hey.” He reached across the console of the truck, curling his hand around hers. “That’s not the motivation.”
When he didn’t continue, she was too afraid to ask what his reason actually was. If it was anything related to pity, she didn’t think she could take it. She didn’t want to think about him having her back. Didn’t want to start depending on him. She well knew where that led. This was a temporary aberration. She was a job for him. Sort of.
As they pulled into the driveway, Duke scrambled up, shoving his nose between the seats. He’d had a full day hanging out on Sebastian and Laurel’s farm and had been napping in the backseat. Curling her arm around him, she relaxed a bit as he wriggled and head-butted his adoration. Her boy could always be counted on to lift her mood. He was an endless supply of joy.
“Let’s get unloaded.” Ty slid out of the truck and began hefting boxes from the bed.
Paisley sprang Duke from the back, snapping on a leash so he didn’t go racing off into the woods. In all likelihood, no one was out there, but she wasn’t about to take any chances. Ty was already on the third load by the time she ordered Duke to his bed by the wood stove. He circled four times and plopped down with a contented sigh. She only wished she could be as comfortable here as her dog. But she didn’t know where she fit or even if she fit. Right now, her own skin felt wrong, as if she’d suddenly been thrust into someone else’s body, someone else’s life.
Once they’d brought everything in, she shouldered the duffel bag she’d loaded with clothes and started up the stairs.
“You don’t have to do that now. It’s been a long day.”
“For the sake of our shins and the navigability of the floor, I really do.” Besides, she needed something to distract herself from how weird she felt about all of this.
“There’s space in the dresser and part of the closet.”
Paisley paused, glancing down at him. Had he cleared space for her when she wasn’t looking or did he just have that little stuff? “Thanks.”
Dropping the bag on the bed, she located the space meant for her and began putting away clothes, her mind spinning anew on the questions she’d been mulling the whole way back to Eden’s Ridge.
Visiting for the weekend was one thing, but actually living with him for an undetermined amount of time was something else entirely. True cohabitation meant no keeping things surface, no hiding from each other, especially in a place this small. What happened if he got sick of her? She was already having issues with blurred lines because of their history. For her own sanity, maybe they needed to have a conversation to clarify the boundaries. She needed a reminder of what this really was between them. A temporary thing. Real life, not one of those bodyguard romances she loved. She could manage her expectations. She’d been managing expectations of her relationships for years.
With that in mind, she headed back downstairs, pulling on her mental armor for what she considered a necessary conversation.
Ty was digging through a box himself. He straightened, a couple of pillows in hand. Bright, cheerful pillows that normally lived on her living room sofa. He tossed them onto his, and she noticed the fuzzy throw from her office. Looking around, she spotted the Queen of Awesomeness mug full of her favorite pens sitting on the side table where she’d been working yesterday and the insulated coffee mug Emerson had bought her because she kept forgetting she’d made tea and letting it get cold.
She hadn’t packed any of it. “What is all this?”
Scrubbing a hand over the back of his neck, he shrugged. “This whole situation
