Shay already felt in his debt. She didn’t want him buying her stuff. Looking at what she had on—the same shorts and t-shirt she'd been wearing since the day before, plus the socks Josh had put on her feet that morning—she had to agree that maybe she needed a few things. “This is just an advance on my…” He’d never said he would pay her, just that he would let her stay for a while. “Well, on the work I’m going to do.”

He stared at her a moment, then he nodded. “Right.”

Feeling slightly better about him spending money on her—a woman he’d only met when he’d found her in his bed the night before—when he pulled a wad of cash out of his wallet and handed it to her, she had second thoughts.

“You don’t have to do this,” she said, although she was really glad he was offering.

“Uh, yeah. I do.” He laughed. “You can’t wear the same thing day in and day out. Plus, if I may remind you, you need shoes.”

She couldn’t argue with that.

“Take it, Shay.” His voice was firm.

She looked at him as a wave of gratitude crashed over her. “Thanks.”

He turned and began walking back to his side of the truck.

“Aren’t you…” she began, confused. “Aren’t you coming?”

He laughed. “I hate shopping. I’ll wait here.”

Yeah right. He was probably planning to leave the moment she was inside one of the stores.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said as if he’d read her mind. “I promise.”

She had no choice but to believe him. Anyway, if he left she'd be in the same situation she would have been when they’d driven there, only with some new clothes.

“Okay.” She turned and walked toward the stores, resisting the temptation to look behind her to see if he was already driving off.

Normally she liked to take her time when she shopped, but she was afraid the longer she took—the longer he had to wait for her—the more likely it would be that he wouldn’t wait at all.

Thirty minutes later she had a new pair of sneakers, a few new outfits, and some basic toiletries.

To her great relief, when she walked out to the parking lot, there he was, sitting in his truck.

“You’re still here,” she said in a tone of disbelief when she opened the passenger door.

He chuckled. “I told you I’d wait.” He cocked his head. “You’re a fast shopper.” He grinned. “I like that in a woman.”

Pleased that he was happy with her, she put her seatbelt on. “Thank you, Josh. For the loan.”

He smiled as he turned on the engine. “You’re welcome.”

The black truck was still parked in the same place, and she noticed Josh looking in that direction as well. Wanting to think about something else, she said, “What’d you do while you were waiting?”

He backed out of the parking space and turned onto the road that would take them back to his cabin. “Took a power nap.”

There was something else she'd been thinking about the whole time she'd been shopping. Something that she was hesitant to bring up, but decided she had to anyway.

“Are you, uh, really sure about this…arrangement?”

He glanced at her before facing the road, but he didn’t smile and he didn’t reply.

Dang. He was already thinking it was a bad idea. Worried that he’d dump her along the road now that he’d gotten her some shoes, she said, “I’ll do a really good job. And I’ll leave you alone.” He frowned in her direction. “I won’t even talk to you if you don’t want me to.”

His frown deepened, but he still didn’t reply.

Deciding it would be best if she kept her mouth shut—that way she could demonstrate that she was capable of silence—she didn’t say another word until they’d reached his cabin and walked inside, the bags with her new things in her hands. She glanced around and remembered that the only bed in the house was in Josh’s room. “Where should I put these?”

Josh hung his keys on a hook near the front door, then turned to her. “In the spare room upstairs. The couch folds out into a bed.” His gaze raked over her. “That’s where you’ll sleep.”

The way he looked at her sent a pleasant tingle through her. “Okay.”

“There’re some extra sheets in the linen closet.” His lips twisted into a smirk. “I think you know where to find the linen closet.”

Yeah. That was where she'd helped herself to a towel the day before. “Uh-huh.”

“After you get settled, you might as well get started.”

“Get started?”

His eyebrows pulled together as he cocked his head. “Yeah. Get started working. You can make us something to eat.”

Oh that. Right. “Okay.” Inside she grimaced, because she'd forgotten to mention that cooking wasn’t her favorite thing, and she had kind of a limited repertoire of foods that she knew how to make. But she did have a green thumb. And she was sure she could follow a recipe book.

Knowing those things would only cut it for so long, she tried not to think about how her limited skills would affect her “employment”.

Josh turned away and she knew their conversation was over. She carried her meager belongings up the stairs and into the spare room. The space needed dusting. Good thing Josh has a maid now. Then she frowned because she'd also failed to mention that she hated to clean. She knew how, of course, but she hated doing it.

Suck it up, Shay. Unless you want to be sent away, you’ll cook and clean like it’s been your life’s ambition.

She set the bags on top of the desk, then went to the linen closet and pulled out a set of sheets, a spare blanket, and a pillow. After bringing them into the room which she figured she could consider hers, she changed into clean clothes and headed to the kitchen.

She didn’t know where Josh had gone, but she dug around until she came up with bread and lunch meat, then she put together sandwiches. She found a package of red grapes in the fridge and added a small bunch to each plate before carrying the plates to the table in the dining room—the only place to eat that she'd seen in this house.

“Uh, Josh?” she called out. “Lunch is ready.”

Since she didn’t know where he’d gone, she had no idea if he’d heard her, and after waiting a few moments and getting no response, she decided she'd better go look for him.