Page 24 of Luke
Luke grinned. “Yep, all three of them, plus their cousin Sloane. But they’re not the only ones. A lot of people come here and find love.”
Bryce chuckled. “That’s lovely, though.” She yawned. “I’m sorry, I don’t get much sleep. I should be napping while Leah does, but I just can’t seem to fall asleep during the day.”
“I would think you’d be exhausted enough to sleep anytime.”
“Do you know why there are so many locks on the door?”
“When Rissa, one of Connie’s nieces, lived here, her ex came after her.”
“Was she okay?”
Luke grinned. “Oh yeah, the man she was seeing, and later married, Reece, kicked his ass.”
Bryce laughed. “A woman loves a hero.”
“I think I’ll head to bed now. I have an early start tomorrow.”
“Me too. I need to catch some sleep whenever I can.” She stood up and Luke followed suit. “Luke, you don’t have to get up every time.”
“Of course I do.”
“Okay. I’m not used to that. Must be a cowboy thing.”
He chuckled. “Maybe it is. See you tomorrow, Bryce. Get some rest.”
“I will. Goodnight.” She walked down the hallway, entered the bedroom, and closed the door.
****
Luke shifted in his sleep and almost toppled off the edge of the small bed. He snapped awake with a curse, frustrated by the cramped space. The sound of the baby crying pierced through the silence, followed by Bryce’s voice as she walked down the hallway. It must be time for a feeding. He fumbled for the lamp on the nightstand and turned it on, squinting against the sudden brightness. Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was two o’clock in the morning. Luke threw off the covers, quickly pulled on his jeans, and left the room to make his way to the kitchen.
He walked into the warm, cozy kitchen just as the timer on the microwave rang. As Bryce opened the door and pulled out a bottle, he couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her. She turned and gasped when she saw him.
“God! You scared me,” she said, then laughed.
“Sorry.”
“Did we wake you?”
“No. I almost rolled out of that bed.” He grinned.
“Maybe the couch would be better for you.”
Luke glanced over his shoulder at the plush sofa and shook his head.
“I doubt it. I’m used to my king size bed, so anything smaller than that is too small.” He turned and walked to the window, looking out at the heavy snow falling under the glow of streetlights. “It’s not letting up at all.”
“I was listening to the radio and they’re predicting a footmore,” Bryce said with a shake of her head.
“Well, it is the end of December.”
“True. I can’t believe it was just Christmas.”
“Do you spend the holidays with your sister?”
“No. She spends it with her husband’s family. I’m usually alone, but from now on, I have Leah to spend it with. Besides, I’m sure we’d be having a shouting match.”
Luke nodded understandingly but didn’t say anything as he continued to watch the snow piling up outside. He’d never been a fan of snow. It made his job difficult. No one enjoyed being out in the cold and snow, but he had to brave it often for his work.