Page 36 of Waiting in Wyoming
Just to remind himself the world was agoodplace, and the monsters weren’t destined to win.
To his shock, she was at the front desk with her sister. Meyra always took the morning hours.
“Brandt!”
He dropped his bag and just stared at her. She had on a hoodie again, her hair was in braids, and she wore pajama pants. She looked tired. But no one had ever looked more beautiful to him now. “Meyra.”
She came to him. “Is Powell okay?”
“She will be. She will be.” He just opened his arms. Hehoped…
She walked right into his arms. Just like that.
He pulled her close and just breathed in the scent of her. And held her close.
And finally felt like things were going to be okay.
He was shaking.That sank in, fast. Meyra just wrapped her hand around his. “Come on.”
She wanted to take care of him. Meyra just did. She looked at her sister. “Good night. I’m…going to go upstairs and talk to him for a while.”
Marin had a look in her eyes Meyra didn’t quite understand when she nodded. “Take care of him.”
Meyra would. She just didn’t want him to have to be alone. He didn’t say anything in the elevator. Meyra just followed him to 306 and waited while he used his card. He hadn’t let go of her hand, though.
“Tell me what happened.” He was hurting, she could see that. And she wanted to help.
She listened as he gave the details. How his sister had just told his brothers and his parents about the baby that week. How thrilled his mother was. How he thought Powell and Gunnar really loved each other. And how Heather had distracted the men holding them hostage so Powell could get away.
Heather had been hurt far worse than Powell. “She just did it. Knowing what the cost could be, thatshemight not get back to her girls—she just did it. For Powell. And I can’t stop thinking about that. I held Heather’s little girls before I left. They were in the waiting room of the hospital, and I just held them both. Thinking of what those assholes could have taken from them.”
And she wasn’t stupid—thinking about what could have been taken from him, too. Meyra had lived those same fears before.
She walked to him, where he stood right there in the middle of one of their largest guest rooms. And wrapped her arms around his waist. She pressed her cheek to his chest and just held him. While she listened.
Somehow, she ended up sitting on his lap, in the chair by the window as they talked. As she listened. Just watching the snow drift down.
Meyra just held him. He just held her.
No, they really just held each other.
28
She had sleptwith Brandt Barratt—but they hadn’t had sex. They’d fallen asleep in that chair and she hadn’t woke for hours. He was watching her when she opened her eyes the next morning. She was under the blankets on his bed. She vaguely remembered them moving there deep in the middle of the night.
He was on top of the duvet, fully dressed. “Hello. This was not a part of my plans, but I am not complaining.”
Her cheeks got really hot. “I didn’t mean to stay in here all night.”
She definitely had stayed there all night. There was sun shining in the window. She never slept this late—but she’d had a lot of late nights recently. Maybe her body had been making up for it.
But she’d also remembered his arms around her and feeling absolutelysafefor the first time in a long while. And not being ready to leave him yet.
He leaned forward. And kissed her.
Meyra didn’t even hesitate—she kissed him right back.
Life was far tooshort to waste. Brandt told himself not to rush, that she wasn’t ready. But her, him, a bed. Of course, his mind went there. His hands slipped beneath her arms and he pulled her closer.