Having his full name used, Jared finally does look at Grace, but it's
with an irritated glare. He didn't have much of a rebuttal though.
Whether he liked it or not, he knew deep down that she was right.
Remaining
silent, his eyes follow her as she sits down. She still wanted to spend
time with him...truly. What was she made out of that made her so
stubborn and willing to stick with him? He didn't understand. Most women
he knew wouldn't have come at all after his rejection, much less put up
a fight. Grace was so very different. So strong. But was he?
Without
realizing it, Jared's glare had faded, his expression softening. Caught
up in studying her eyes, the silence lingers until he eventually looks
away again. "Do you always argue with the guys who can't get up out of
bed and defend themselves?" It was a pretty lame attempt at humor to
lighten the atmosphere, but it was all he had.
His
fingers return to fiddling with the bedsheets and he swallows hard.
She'd neutralized his anger, but now he felt vulnerable and slightly
embarrassed too. This wasn't a topic he particularly wanted to talk
about, but he needed to ask...just to be sure.
"I have
an awful lot of bad habits..." He pauses, hoping she understood that he
was referring to other women. He didn't exactly want to spell it all
out. "If I ever...cross any lines or am inappropriate with you..." He
gives her a sidelong glance. He knew just from getting to know her that
she was not the kind of woman who planned on giving herself to a man
without being married. "Would you stop me?"
Taken aback by Misty's offer, Clay really wasn't sure what to say at first. His eyebrows rise, and he's silent long enough for Rick to speak from the other side of the room.
"I'd take her up on it if I were you." Rick flips through some paperwork absentmindedly. "She's a good cook."
Clay looks to Misty, giving her a little grin. If he went home with Rick, he'd get a home-cooked meal too. Although he didn't want to be a pain to Janet. Then again, he was going to be a pain to anyone right now. that was the nature of his current position.
"I wouldn't want to impose," he finally responds. "I mean..." Actually, meeting some new people might not be a bad idea. If Rick gave the 'OK' about going to Misty's, then she must be trustworthy, and if she was trustworthy, her brother-in-law and boyfriend must be too. He could use some friends on the right side of the tracks for once.
He shook his head, realizing he'd dropped off in the middle of a sentence. "I just hate being in this situation, ya know? I don't want anybody to hafta go out of their way for me or anything."
Hearing Wes might become a recruiter, something flickers in Clint's eyes, and his expression dims a little, but he bites his tongue and lets Wes keep talking. Still cleaning up some tools, he chuckles. "Thanks, and yeah... Wendy's doing pretty well with this one. Just hoping things keep going alright." Memories of Cecilia still haunted him some days.
Going over to the sink to wash his hands, it was obvious that there was a lot weighing on his mind - more than he spoke to anyone about. "As far as you 'piddling around' here, I welcome the company and help."
He was a little disappointed, knowing Wes might be busy still working for the Army, but he wouldn't voice that. He wouldn't complain about the workload either - he'd been handling it thus far. Half the profits would still go to Wes though, Clint would make sure. Just having him around for moral support would be great. After thinking he was dead... his mere presence would be appreciated like it should have been before.
Clint focuses on the soap suds in his hands and working at the grease stains that never did quite completely come out of his skin. Wendy never complained though, and he loved that about her.
"Soon as I get this pickup finished, there's that jeep outside needs some work, but the guy's not in a hurry. After that, Sparky wants my help on the ranch tractor and... in the meantime, I'm hoping we'll get another car or two in to work on. Otherwise... nothing much happening. You can check the books any time you want - I've tried to keep up, though Wendy's helped me a bit."