Page 80 of A Rancher's Vow

“Not as if I have a big bag to unpack,” Charity grumbled.

“Not as if you have a big house to explore,” Dustin countered. He tipped his head down and gave her a stern look. “Go.”

“I’m going. Hashtag bossy bastard.”

His soft chuckle followed her down the hallway.

The cottagewassmall. The hall led to the bathroom on one side and what she supposed was the master bedroom on the other. She’d seen the second bedroom door off the living room. Ginny had used it for crafting.

Charity hung in the doorway of the bathroom. The shower was enticing. It had been a full day, and her aching head and heart had turned into full body exhaustion.

Considering she had nothing to change into after a shower, though…

A wall of heat pressed to her back. Dustin’s firm arms surrounded her and kept her upright. “Wait two minutes, then you can hop in.”

She turned in his arms and shamelessly leaned closer. “Water pressure issues?”

A knock sounded on the front door. Dustin tucked his fingers under her chin and lifted her face to his. “Technical details. Come with me.”

She followed as he glided ahead of her. “I feel as if we should have a rope I can just hold onto and let you lead me around. That’s all you’ve done all afternoon.”

“Skip the rope and grab whatever you’d like to stay close,” he suggested. He slipped her fingers into one of his belt loops. “I like this one. Works for me.”

Charity was still blinking when he tugged the door open, and Fern and Shim appeared on the doorstep.

“Talk about coming down off a high.” Fern wrapped her arms around Charity and squeezed tight. “There you two were, rocking the auction. And now this. By the way, my mom and dad saywhat the fuckand anything you need, you’ve got it.”

Her friend guided her to one of the upright chairs by the small kitchen table. “Your dad did not say what thefuck,” Charity protested.

Fern snickered. “No. Grandma Sonora did, though. Along with a few other choice words. I think her cursing scared a couple of the bachelors still hanging around the hall.”

“Your grandma is feisty,” Charity agreed as a hard pulse of sadness struck. “My grandma wouldn’t have cursed, but she would have had something to say about inconsiderate, selfish hooligans.”

“So basically,what the fuck.”

Charity had to nod. “Yeah, I guess.”

Fern caught her fingers and squeezed tight. “We’ll keep this short and sweet. Shim and I are delivery boys. I brought you clothes—some stuff you left at my place. It’s not a lot, but I tossed in a few other things I know you’ll need, so you’re good until we can finish washing the mess at your apartment.”

A bag covered in bright Hawaiian flowers landed at Charity’s feet. A second later, Shim was there as well, resting lightly on his heels as he smiled at her. “Hey, you. Sorry to hear about the vandal. Fern let me into your place, and I grabbed your electronics. Everything you need, including charging cables, are on the coffee table.”

“Thanks.”

He touched her cheek gently then winked. “I also stopped at Dustin’s and packed him some clothes. You two are set for tonight.”

The two of them?“We are?”

Fern popped upright and caught Shim by the arm, dragging him to his feet. “You are. Call me tomorrow morning, and since I plan to sleep in, make it after ten. I’ll explain the rest then. But for now, if you’re good, we’re heading out.”

Charity accepted their hugs then waited as Shim did that back-pounding thing to Dustin that always made it look as if the guys were trying to knock each other over.

“Tomorrow, Tee,” Fern called in reminder before the door swung shut behind them.

Whirlwind, again.

“That was…odd,” Charity decided.

“A bit, but they’re our odd.” Dustin turned her to face him. “Unless you absolutely need to call someone else, time to hit the shower.”