“Take your time, sweetheart. We’ve got all day.”
When I looked up, her smile almost knocked me on my ass.
“Thank you, Decker.”
“For?”
“Making me feel like you care about me. I haven’t felt that for a long time.”
I wanted to ask why she didn’t feel that way about Adler, but it would’ve only been to hear her tell me why not. And that would’ve only been to stroke my ego. It didn’t matter, though; she was already in the bathroom with the door closed.
An hour later, we were on our way to the small town that was a four-hour drive from the King-Alexander Ranch. It hadn’t taken thirty minutes before she fell asleep.
Her head bobbed, reminding me about wishing I’d had a pillow of some kind she could rest her head against yesterday.
When we got to the next town, I’d stop if I saw a drugstore, and run in and get something. Twenty minutes later, I pulled into a parking lot.
“Where are we?” she asked, sitting up.
“Quick stop. Can I get you anything? Do you want to come in?”
“I’ll wait here if that’s okay. And water would be nice. Thank you.”
It didn’t take me long to find what I was looking for. On my way out, I grabbed a cheap cooler to throw some drinks in. The temperature was over the one-hundred-degree mark today, and we needed to stay hydrated. Before walking back outside, I sent a quick text to my barn manager, letting him know I wasn’t sure when I’d be back.
The man answered quickly with a thumbs up.
“Here,” I said, handing Mila the pillow. “Thought you’d be more comfortable.”
“You didn’t have to do that, but thank you,” she said, not hesitating to rest her head against it.
“Go back to sleep,” I told her once we were on the road and I noticed her fighting it again.
“I’m sorry. I can’t keep my eyes open.”
“Nothing to apologize for. You need the rest.”
By the time we got to Waco, it was mid-morning and my stomach was rumbling. I hoped she wouldn’t mind if I stopped to get a quick bite to eat, but first, I needed to gas up the truck.
“Where are we?” she asked like she had before.
“Waco. I’ll just pick up something quick to eat, and we’ll get back on the road.”
“I could eat,” she said, stretching her arms over her head and exposing her bare midriff. I couldn’t stop myself from looking. When I raised my eyes, it was obvious she’d caught me.
I wasn’t sure whether I should apologize, until I saw the heat in her eyes. Miss Knight hadn’t minded my gaze on her, one bit.
Under other circumstances, I’d reach across the console and kiss the shit out of her. But these weren’t other circumstances.
“There’s the silo place that those fixer-upper people built,” I said, figuring most women would want to see it.
“I’m fine if we go somewhere less like a theme park. Although, again, you’re driving.”
My shoulders dropped in relief. I rolled down both of our windows and hopped out to pump the gas. When I got back in the truck, Mila had her phone out. Was she texting Adler to see if he came after all? I hated how the idea that she was made me feel. I wasn’t sure what to do when she handed me her phone.
“You may already know of a place, but here are some options,” she told me.
“First one sounds good,” I said, handing the phone back to her. I pulled out onto the road and saw it was two blocks down.