He held a shotgun in his hands, and their dog sat waiting for whatever instructions he had. Nothing seemed out of place to him, but he wanted to be sure regardless. Tomorrow he’d go and check everything out. There was no way he’d leave Opal alone. He didn’t want to leave Damon alone, either, but there wasn’t much choice in the matter right now.
Their chance of a future together was in their grasp. Every passing second, he felt the walls around Opal’s heart melting. She’d been hurt a lot, and he figured she’d suffered a great deal of pain. Maybe not physical pain, but words could still hurt.
She didn’t trust them completely, nor did she trust their need for her, and he was fine with that.
They’d win her over, he had no doubt.
“If you think this is nothing, why are you out here right now?” Damon asked, coming up behind him.
“You need to go back to bed,” Caleb said, without turning around.
“You can’t keep doing this, Caleb. You can’t keep shutting me out. We’re in this together, and that means we fight together to protect what’s ours.”
Damon stepped out into the cold, and it pissed Caleb off. His father had always told him to take care of his brother, and he’d be damned if he’d let anything happen to him. It was the only thing his father ever asked of him.
“Get inside before you get cold. I need you to protect Opal.”
“We’ll protect Opal together. I’m not going to let you get hurt. It’s not happening. You can be a pain in the ass about it all you want.”
“What’s going on?” Opal asked.
They both turned to look at her. She’d pulled on a large jacket, and Caleb cursed as he saw her shivering, her bare legs exposed to the elements. Her hair was tied up at the base of her neck, and it had gotten loose with sleep. He didn’t know how it was possible, but she looked even sexier like this.
He also noticed she was still wearing large socks.
“Why are you carrying a gun?” she asked. “Is there an animal?”
“It’s nothing.”
She frowned. “I know I’m from the city but even out here, a shotgun is really out of place. What’s going on? Is this about those men Damon was talking about?”
Neither of them spoke.
He didn’t want to concern her, and he knew Damon felt that way as well. If she got a scare in her, she may want to leave and never turn back.
She snorted. “Look, I know you guys think I’m some helpless female.”
“We did kind of find you hurt, alone, and helpless,” Damon said.
“Yes, but I’m not. I’m strong enough to handle whatever you’re going to tell me, so stop treating me with kid gloves, and maybe I can help.”
Caleb stared at her. “You don’t even think we’re being serious about a relationship with you,” he said.
“Caleb,” Damon growled his name, but he didn’t care.
The last thing he wanted right now was for Opal to be worried about her safety, and if that meant exposing her own fears, so be it. Out of the two of them, he wasn’t supposed to be the nice brother. He was the practical one.
She stared at him. He expected her to look away but she didn’t.
“You can’t deny it,” he said.
“I’m not.” This shut any protest up from Damon. “I’m not used to this, okay. How do I know I’m not going to be passed over when you find another woman?”
Caleb shook his head. “That’s not going to happen.”
“I’m used to it, okay, and I know what you’re trying to do,” she said.
He raised a brow. “What am I trying to do?”