Kelsey sat on his couch in the living room wrapped in a blanket while Boone tried to tune out the incoherent ramblings coming from his brother. It wasn’t that he didn’t know what Pearson was talking about, he just didn’t care. The sun was setting, the storms had moved on and cleared the sky and they were both exhausted. He had no more energy to expend to even be rude. He just pretended to listen while he watched her watching him.

He’d rescued a stranger from the middle of the highway in the wake of a tornado and they’d become each other’s’ lifelines. How does that happen? More cosmic universe stuff? He had no clue. He’d never been through anything like what they’d both just experienced but he felt an undeniable need to not be apart from this woman he barely knew. That can’t be normal. Not that he’d been normal his entire life anyway.

He could tell Kelsey was shivering and he needed to get her into a hot shower and they both needed some sleep. He hadn’t even had time to check on his parents yet but maybe he could convince his brother to take a quick drive to make sure they were okay.

“Pearson.” His brother kept talking like Boone hadn’t spoken.

“Pearson! Are you hearing me?”

“Yeah, I hear you, I’m right beside you.” He tried to continue talking but Boone interrupted him.

“I need you to do me a favor, can you do that?”

“A favor? Sure, what is it?”

“Take my truck and go check on mom and dad, just make sure they’re okay and the house is still in one piece.”

“Oh, yeah I can do that, don’t you want to go along? You know mom will want to see you too.”

He motioned his head toward Kelsey.

“I really need to get her cleaned up, she needs sleep. Just do me this one favor, I know you can handle it without me.”

“Okay, I guess but when I get back, I want to know who this person is that you brought home.”

“Sure, you got it. Here are my keys. You can go now?” Like he had to answer to his brother about anything he did.

He stood up from the couch and his brother followed suit. He pushed him toward the front door and opened it so he could go.

“If you have any problems, call me. You have your phone, right?” His brother felt his pocked and nodded but Boone was already closing the door. He walked back into the living room but Kelsey wasn’t sitting on the couch. He panicked, looking around the room and found her over by the kitchen.

“I put some water in the kettle, hope you don’t mind?”

“Of course.” He approached her, rubbing his hands up and down her arms, warming up the blanket.

“I don’t have any tea though, if that’s what you were hoping for?”

“At this point I’d settle for hot water, I’m so cold.”

“How about we go upstairs and I’ll let you use my shower. The water is always hotter up there anyway.”

“Is it just a shower because I’d really like to soak in a bath.”

“You’re in luck, it’s one of those old claw foot tubs. I even have bubbles you can use.”

“Hey now you’re talking.”

He let her go first just in case she needed any help and grabbed a towel while she walked in and turned on the water.

“Any chance you have a t-shirt I can change into? These clothes are soaked.”

“Got you covered.” He kissed her on the cheek and disappeared into his room. He heard the bathroom door squeak shut behind him so he waited a few minutes before he knocked. When she gave him permission to go in, he slowly peeked around the door as he opened it.

“Promise I won’t look, just wanted to give you a t-shirt and I found some shorts that have a drawstring if you want to use them.”

“You can open your eyes, there are so many bubbles in here I’m not sure I can see myself.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I probably should have warned you, I have soft water so that triples the amount of suds. Learned that the hard way the first time I did laundry. Suds all over.” He motioned over the floor with his arm, making her laugh.

“I’m going to leave you to it and go find something for us to eat. Do you need anything else before I go?” He cheeks turned a little pink suddenly.

“Would you mind leaving the door open? It makes me a little nervous not having you right next to me.”

“Oh yes, Watson, she did tell me but I’m not sure that I ever told her mine and she’d even asked. After dinner, I think we’ll sit and talk a bit. I’d like to know more about this Miss Watson.”

Boone went to the kitchen and rummaged through the frig, hoping he had food that he could make for them. He was too tired to run to the store now. Besides, Pearson had his truck. If everything turned out fine there, he was hoping his brother would stay at his parents’ house for a while.

* * *

Never in her life could she remember a hot bubble bath feeling so darn good. She didn’t know how long she’d soaked but she could hear Boone downstairs clanging pots in the sink so maybe he was already done cooking. For now, she was just too tired to think about what she would do. She had no car and no place to stay. Boone had already insisted she would be staying the night but she couldn’t impose any longer. She’d left New York to start a new life and she needed to get back to that plan as soon as she could.

As she lifted herself from the cooling water, he body cringed from aches she didn’t know she had.

“Lord I feel like I went through a war.”

In a way, they kind of did. It was also something she hoped she never had to go through again. Living on the east coast was so different from where she was now. Hurricanes were usually the biggest danger they had but she’d always been lucky enough to not have anything bad hit their area. But thinking about the reason she left New York, were bigger than weather. She was taking back who she was and that was a refreshing step.

And another step out of the bath tub to dry off then she slipped on the clothes he’d let her borrow. She pulled the shirt up over her face, breathing in the scent that was Boone. The scent enveloping her was almost as good as when he’d had his arms wrapped around her, comforting her, and she’d do almost anything to feel that again.

There was probably still too much they didn’t know about each other to take that step but given the chance, she’d throw caution to the wind and grab on.

“Good lord Kelsey, really?” She laughed at herself, shaking off her obvious stupidity.

“Food and a place to stay, that’s what you’re getting out of this and nothing more. Don’t make it more than it is.”

“Talking to yourself?”

“Ahh.” She clutched her hands to her chest. “You scared me.”

“I see that. I sure didn’t mean to.” Boone fought to hide a smile. “Just came to let you know I have food ready.”

“Oh great, I’ll follow you down.” She folded the bath towel in half and hung it over the side of the tub then went down the stairs behind Boone.

“It smells great.” She walked up to a smorgasbord laid out on the dining room table, set with two plates.

“Guess we can add chef to your extensive list of accomplishments.” She sat across from him and took a sip of the orange juice he’d poured for her.

“Not sure I’d go that far but I get by alright.”

While they ate, they talked about themselves. She was amazed at how jealous she was that he had a normal family. Not that he thought it was but compared to hers, they were all gods.

“Why didn’t our parents have any more kids?”

“My dad never had the time for me, let alone more kids. I guess things might have been different if a boy had come along but of course, there are no guarantees so he just didn’t want to take a chance I guess. He spent the last 27 years being disappointed about raising a mediocre girl.”

“There is nothing mediocre about you and I’d be glad to tell your dad that.”

“Well thank you for that but honestly, I’d hate for you to have to meet my dad. I know you wouldn’t like him.”

“No I probably wouldn’t.”

“I am so stuffed, you are such a good cook. Let’s go do your dishes.”

“No way, I’m too tired and you’re a guest so you don’t do dishes.”

“Fine, then if you have a set of sheets or some blankets, let me make up my bed on the couch because I think I could fall asleep in about two seconds.”

She was puzzled when Boone started shaking his head.

“What?”

“You aren’t sleeping on the couch. I may be just a guy and single, but my mama raised me better than that. Come with me.”

He got up from the table, left his dishes sit and walked toward the stair case. He turned and raised a brow when she didn’t immediately follow.

“Come on, let’s go.” He ascended the first step slowly to make sure she was coming up the stairs behind him. When he got to his bedroom door she started shaking her head.

“No way, I am not taking your room. You need sleep just as much as me.”

“We aren’t arguing about this. The bed is yours.”

“Nope, I won’t do it.”

“You’re stubborn.”

“Yep.”

“Well I am just as stubborn as you so I’ll sleep on the floor that way we’ll both still be in the room but you are sleeping in the bed.”

“How about this, I’ll sleep in the bed, but only if you do too.” Those last few words slipped out of her mouth so fast she was even shocked. Apparently, he was too because his eye brows lifted high, she almost laughed at him.

“If you’re uncomfortable, we’ll make a pillow wall between us but we both need sleep and we’re both adults so we should be just fine.”

Kelsey went right over to the bed and pulled the comforter half way down. Then she grabbed the extra pillows and positioned them in a line right down the center of the bed. She could tell which side had been worn down more and assumed that was his side so she climbed in on the other, pulled the comforter back up with her as she laid down on the pillow. Then she looked at him.

“Can you turn the light off before you climb into bed?”