Stay put until I give you the all clear. I’d hate to spend the summer picking shotgun shell out of your ass.

I couldn’t decide what I liked more: the oozing smart-ass in Josie’s note or that she’d written it in lipstick on a mirror. Because, you know, a paper and pen were so inconvenient.

My jeans were still in place—something that was as fortunate as it was unfortunate—so after grabbing my shirt from the floor, I slid into it and stood up. How long would I have to wait before Josie deemed it safe for me to come out? Hopefully soon because my stomach was rumbling something fierce and Willow Springs was, judging from how high the sun was, expecting me at work at least three hours ago. Neil was the kind of employer who was quick to forgive, but I wasn’t. He depended on me, and I didn’t want to repay that by disappointing him.

“All clear!”

If Josie was yelling at that volume, her parents had to be a state away. I didn’t need to be invited twice. Hurrying out of the room, I jogged down the stairs and into the kitchen. Josie finished pouring a couple cups of coffee before sitting at the table.

She motioned at the chair beside her but couldn’t seem to look at me. “I made some breakfast. If you’re hungry.” My stomach answered for me. “Dig in. I wasn’t sure exactly what you’d want, so I made a little bit of everything.” Josie bit her lip and waved at the spread on the table. I’d been so preoccupied with staring at her that I hadn’t noticed what was for breakfast.

“Whoa, Joze. This isn’t breakfast, this is a bloody feast.” I’d seen that much food at a table before—when I was in the Walkers’ kitchen and they were feeding twenty hungry cowboys.

“I know, I know. I overdid it. My mom’s a firm believer in having too much food rather than not enough food, so I suppose I picked up that from her.”

I came around the table and took a seat. When I was that close to her, it was hard for me to look her straight on, too. “Too much food is having leftovers for the next day. This . . . well this is having leftovers until next year.” Really, there was so much meat on the table, it was a miracle it hadn’t buckled from the weight. That was just the start. I saw so many different types of eggs, I couldn’t even identify them all. The pile of pancakes in the center of the table was a true engineering feat. Fruit, fried potatoes, pitchers of juice . . . It was a damn breakfast buffet fit for the cavalry. “Did your parents already eat?”

“They left earlier this morning to run some errands in town. I made this for you.” She scanned the table again, biting her lip even harder.

“For me?”

“Well, for us.”

I could recall every last kind gesture a person had paid me in my life—they were that few—and Josie putting together a breakfast like that for me, for us, just secured a top five spot. I was momentarily struck speechless. “What are we doing just gawking at it then? Let’s dig in.”

I smiled at her, and she returned it. Getting the shy act from Josie was something I expected about as frequently as her inviting me to the nail salon. Basically, never. I wasn’t sure how to take it.

I loaded up on fried potatoes and sausage while Josie went for the pancakes and fruit. After shoveling most of my first serving down, along with two full cups of coffee, I gave my stomach a break to process. The food was good, just as solid as the stuff that came out of the Walkers’ kitchen. Josie knew how to cook. When had that happened?

“So . . . how did you sleep?” I gave her the vocal equivalent of a nudge.

“Not bad,” she answered, lifting a shoulder. At least she’d thrown on a bathrobe. After last night and her breakfast, I wasn’t sure what I would do next. Had Josie still been wearing nothing more than glorified lingerie, the outlook for keeping my hands to myself wasn’t good. Lifting her gaze to mine, she lifted an eyebrow. “How did you sleep?”

I didn’t even try to dim my grin. “Not bad.”

Josie shook her head and laughed softly. At least we were past the shy act. I wasn’t sure how to act around shy Josie, but the part-amused, part-irritated one I’d had a decade and a half of experience with.

“So? Parents? Dad? Shotgun? How long before I can expect it to be aimed my way?” Last night I’d been too beat to think about what came next, but after a good night’s sleep and breakfast, I was able to form a string of clear thoughts.

“Provided you don’t go and steal his daughter’s ‘virtue’ which, hell, you and I know that’s two years too late”—Josie shot me a smirk before popping a grape in her mouth—“you should be good. I caught them this morning before they left, explained your situation, and they agreed to let you stay here for a while. In the guest room.”

I stopped refilling my coffee cup mid-way through. “Wait. What? Last night was a one-time deal. It was wonderful and amazing and just what I needed, but it’s not happening again.”

Josie tossed another grape in her mouth. “No need for a recap. I know I totally rocked your world, baby.” My eyebrows drew together before she shoved my arm. “Lighten up. Can’t take a joke this early in the morning?”

Apparently not when Josie was throwing out sexual innuendos and I was fixated on her mouth. And the grapes she kept popping in there. And the way she sucked one for a moment before biting into it. Holy shit. Proverbial cold shower or face slap or something.

“I can take a joke anytime you want to send one my way, Joze. Bring it.” I had to force myself to stop staring at her mouth because apparently I was incapable of talking and staring at the same time. “But by last night being a one-time deal, I didn’t mean that in the obvious fantasy you’ve created of what happened between us last night. Come on, if we’re making up fantasies, it was me that rocked your world.” Josie made a Ha! sound. “But hating to have to bring our filthy fantasies to an end and face reality—sleeping in your bed and squatting at your place was a one-night deal. I wasn’t planning on moving in with you and your parents indefinitely. I’m not imposing on you all like that. No way.”

Josie waited a few seconds. Her reply came in the form of an unimpressed face and voice. “Are you done yet?”

“Just getting warmed up if need be.”

“Good for you.” She nodded down the hall. “You’ve got the guest room. If you need anything, let me know.”

I exhaled. “Did you hear anything I just said?”

“Yep. Loud and clear. I’m just choosing to ignore it.”

Two whole minutes of having the Josie I knew back, and I almost missed the shy version. “Josie—”

“Garth. Stop. Yes, I know you’d rather eat your own boot than accept something that even resembles generosity. I know you’d rather freeze your ass off than sleep in a warm house and bed because of your warped views of making sure you’re never in the red in someone’s ledger, but this isn’t open to negotiation. This is me telling you that you’re staying here. Partly because this cold snap is here to stay for the rest of the week, and if you think I’m letting you go back to your truck, you’re insane.” She looked like she had more to say, but after her mouth clamped shut, it didn’t open again.

“And what’s the other part?”

“What do you mean?” She was back to looking everywhere else but at me.

“You said ‘partly,’ which by the laws of parts and wholes, means there’s another ‘partly’ you failed to mention.” I tried not to smile at her apparent discomfort. “So what’s the other part?”

Josie stalled by sipping her juice. Leaning back, I crossed my arms and waited. After a few seconds, she slammed her juice down and groaned. “There is no other part. None. Nada. No. Other. Part. Got it?” Tilting my head closer to her, I tapped my ear. Her reply was another groan and a shove. “You know, I made all of this food in hopes it would keep your mouth and mind occupied so we could sit in peace for a whole five minutes.”