only seconds after she’d turned out the lights and pulled the covers to her chin.
Waves rocked her, knocking her feet out from under her every time she attempted to escape. When her back hit the sand, the water rose rapidly and covered her head as the current swept her away from shore. Long strands of seaweed tangled around her body, dragging her relentlessly to the bottom of the ocean.
Julia woke, cutting off a cry of fear in mid-shout.
Heart pounding, she swallowed hard and tried to tell if her throat was dry or rough. How long had she been screaming? Or could she at least hope she’d been whimpering this time?
The sheets were tangled around her, the pillows shoved to the floor. A glance at the bedside clock said only two hours had passed since she’d entered the room.
She eyed the mattress and wondered if she risked trying to get more sleep.
Call us if you need us. Day or night.
Karen’s offer from earlier that day whispered through her head. It had been honestly given, and Julia was tempted to reach out. Except…
No way was she interrupting either of her sisters’ getaway nights with their guys. Which meant she had two options. No, three.
Suck it up and try to sleep again.
Give up and stay awake. She’d be exhausted tomorrow, but at least she didn’t have to work.
Or…
Julia pulled out her phone. Put it down. Picked it up. Put it down.
Dammit. Decide already.
She let fate decide and sent Zach a text. If he’d shut off his phone for the night, so be it.
Julia: if you’re up…can I come sleep on your couch? I had a nightmare.
She stared at the phone for a minute, not sure if she wanted an answer or hoped she’d have to wave it off as a lark in the morning.
A soft knock on her door sent a rush of adrenaline through her. Julia leapt up and peeked through the spyhole.
Zach.
She let him in right away. “I’m so sorry—”
“Don’t apologize.” He slipped past her into the room, his words whisper-soft as if they weren’t alone. “Get back in bed and go to sleep. I’ll use your couch.”
The idea was all kinds of wrong. “That’s ridiculous. I’ll take the couch. I insist.”
“Julia Gigi Blushing, get your ass into bed this minute.” He caught her by the shoulders and gave her a gentle shove toward the bed. “Come on. Compromise. I’ll sleep on top of the covers, then.”
Her body still quivered from the nightmare, and she was exhausted after the previous night and all the activities of the day. Crawling under the covers felt good, and the way the mattress tilted slightly as Zach lay down beside her was like the slow, comforting sway of a porch swing.
She curled on her side like usual and ended up staring straight at his face. He’d closed his eyes, long lashes resting on his cheeks. His chest rose and fell in an even rhythm that mesmerized and calmed her.
His breath washed over her, sweet and reassuring, and just having him there warmed her.
Relaxation slowly slipped in. Julia caught herself reaching out to brush back the lock of hair that had fallen over his forehead.
His lips curled, and he caught her fingers in his, guiding them to the bed between them. Cupping her hand loosely, he whispered again, “Sleep.”
She did. A solid, comfortable rest that lasted until the sun streaking across the bed woke her.
Zach was gone, and his side of the mattress was cool to the touch.
8
The trip home Monday morning had been a blast. Julia had to admit that was mostly because Zach and Josiah kept up a running commentary worthy of any comedy routine.
Between the comfortable accommodations in the plane and their pickup at the airport in Alberta being Red Boot ranch’s foreman, Cody, they were back outside Karen and Finn’s future home without spending more time and energy discussing her and Zach’s accidental wedding.
Julia was thankful Tamara hadn’t been their pickup ride, though. One less person to explain things to would make moving on from here that much easier.
They sat in what would eventually be a grand living room with tall floor-to-ceiling windows facing the Rocky Mountains. Now it was still filled with construction materials and a set of folding lawn chairs.
Zach’s lawyer sat across from her, his expression unreadable. He kept picking up his pen and flipping it over, point down, clicker down, point down—
The entire time staring at her face as if waiting for her to confess to some dire