Page 22 of Deserving Ryleigh
Tiny stayed crouched in front of her as she contemplated how to answer him. He’d asked her not to lie to him again. Begged.
“No.”
It was one word, but the relief she saw in Tiny’s posture and expression told her everything she needed to know.
“Good. I’m going to do better by you. I’ll do my best to get you to trust me, tell me what has you so scared, so we can fix it. Okay?”
It wouldn’t be that easy, but she nodded anyway.
“Eat,” Tiny ordered as he stood.
Ry blinked in surprise. She didn’t know what she’d expected him to do, but she thought maybe he’d kiss her. Or at least give her a hug. Instead, he ordered her around as if she were ten years old.
He chuckled as he stood above her. Again, as if he could read her mind, he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. Then he reached for her computer and looked at her as he asked, “May I?”
Ry nodded.
Tiny closed her laptop and scooted it to the center of the table. Then he pushed the plate with her sandwich and her water closer.
“What about you? Aren’t you hungry?”
“I ate my sandwich while you were still working. I’m good.”
“Oh…okay.”
He smiled down at her. She hadn’t been on the receiving end of many of his smiles, and Ry had to admit, she liked it. A lot.
“The faster you eat that sandwich, the sooner you can have the chocolate chip cookies Alaska gave me to bring to you.”
“Cookies?” Ry asked, sitting up straighter.
“Yup.”
“Gimme,” she ordered, holding out her hand.
Tiny chuckled. “Not until you eat your sandwich. You’ll need more than sugar and empty carbs for our hike.”
“Mean,” Ry grumbled, but she dutifully picked up the sandwich he’d made. Even when Tiny was upset with her and treating her like crap, he’d still gone out of his way to make sure she ate. He was never so selfish that he made himself dinner and didn’t let her have any.
Of course, the silent meals were so uncomfortable, she’d frequently abandoned her plate in favor of fleeing to her room, leaving half of her food behind.
The sandwich was delicious and it hit the spot. Ry hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she’d started eating. She ate every bite and washed it down with the water, then smiled at Tiny when he placed two chocolate chip cookies on the table as a reward. They were warm from the microwave and melted in her mouth.
Tiny put her dishes away as she ate the dessert. Then Ry changed into a pair of comfortable boots and some layers for their hike.
CHAPTER SIX
Tiny was extremely pleased and relieved that things between him and Ryleigh seemed to be mostly back on track. She’d forgiven him for being a jerk readily enough…which honestly didn’t surprise him too much, considering how kind she was. He’d had the evidence right in front of his face for months, and he’d stubbornly continued to think the worst.
But she’d proven over and over that all she wanted to do was help. Even when she’d been working as a housekeeper, she’d gone out of her way to assist others. Always volunteering to stay longer if needed, and to help Jess and Carly after she was done with her rooms if they were still working. Even now, he sometimes found her shadowing Joshua, the newest housekeeper, helping out when needed.
Now, all his animosity had turned to worry. She’d admitted that she was scared, said she needed to protect everyone at The Refuge, but she still wouldn’t open up to him about why. When she’d told Tonka that the thing with Tricare was a simple misunderstanding—Tiny had a feelingshe washugelydownplaying the incident—Ryleigh had seemed extremely uncomfortable with his effusive gratitude.
Though she hadn’t actually said a word, Tiny strongly suspected she thought it washerfault there’d been an insurance mix-up in the first place. Which was crazy…wasn’t it? He couldn’t think of any reasonwhyit would be her fault. The government insurance they all carried thanks to their military service was known to be glitchy, just like any insurance company.
But ever since Tonka had brought the issue to her attention a few days ago, Ryleigh had seemed…jumpy. The first thing she did every morning was open her laptop, her fingers flying across the screen as she searched for God knows what. Tiny had no clue, but it was obvious she was looking for…something. Someone? He didn’t know, and she wasn’t talking.
It was frustrating that she wouldn’t talk to him, but he knew better than anyone that he couldn’t force her to confide in him. She wasn’t an over-sharer at the best of times. Hell, he’d been as shocked as Ryleigh when she’d blurted out that she was a virgin. If he hadn’t surprised her so thoroughly with his admission that he was attracted to her, she probably would’venevershared something so intimate.
