Page 77 of Bodyguard By Night

Midnight whined on the porch.

Ransom turned around at the sound.

“Well, let him in.”

“He never wants to come in.”

A whine turned to a keening yip, then a sharp bark.

“He obviously wants to come in.”

“No, he doesn’t.”

“Open the door, dummy. And put me down.”

He only complied with half of my request and cracked open the door. Midnight shoved his big head through the opening, shouldering his way through.

Ransom gave a long sigh and closed the door after him, locking it and typing something on a keypad I hadn’t noticed last time I was here.

“Stair lights ten percent,” he said as he stalked through the dark kitchen to the stone stairs and followed the slight curve of the staircase. The wrought iron sconces threw a soft glow against the earthy stone that made up the walls and stairs.

I scratched the smooth stones, trying to slow his trajectory, but he was a man on a mission. Apparently, it included his bed.

With me.

Midnight happily bounded up the stairs next to him. There was a bit of curiosity in the tilt of his head, but he seemed happier to be with us as a unit.

Me and Ransom as a unit. I mean, what?

I was so very confused.

At the top of the stairs, he went down a narrow hallway. It was dark, but I could tell there were framed things on the walls—and not in a straight line from some decorator. No, the wall hangings were in varying sizes and covered the walls in a far more creative way than I expected from someone so rigid.

Before I could ask for him to turn on the lights so I could see more of his space, he went through a doorway. “Lights twenty percent.”

“Is thisStar Trek?What’s going on? You don’t even have to ask Alexa?”

“Amazon isn’t everything.”

“Since when?” Then my brain went offline.

His bedroom was stunning. Sage green walls and a vaulted ceiling that definitely hadn’t come standard in a house as old as his were the first things I noticed, followed by a massive stone hearth that dominated the room.

He swung around and I gripped his arm. “Would you put me down? You’re making me dizzy.”

Okay, wow. The equally impressive king-sized bed now took center stage in my spinning brain. The frame was in a gorgeous ash wood—which I only knew because I secretly coveted a bookcase made from the same wood, thanks to late night Pinterest scrolling. The headboard and the footboard had a simple half-moon shape with no-nonsense lines.

No intricate scrollwork for Ransom’s bedroom.

The effect was far warmer than I was expecting after the spartan decorating downstairs. But he didn’t disappoint with his choice of bedding. The corners were crisply tucked in, and two pillows lay unadorned at the top of the bed. The muslin blanket was a surprise, but the other colors were practical browns and neutrals.

He set me down next to the bed. Midnight trotted in behind us and hopped right on the bottom of the bed.

“No way.” Ransom snapped his fingers. “This is not your bed.”

Midnight just put his huge head on his man-sized paws and closed his eyes.

“Unbelievable.”