Huh. Arguing with this man was easy. Sleeping with him a delight. But for some reason, this attempt at honest conversation was seriously tripping her up. The fact that he seemed just as awkward as she did helped her to add, “I do have one stipulation though.”

“Why do you sound so cautious?”

“Because I don’t think you’ll like it.”

His breath came out as a laugh. “When has that ever stopped you from doing things your own way before?”

A relieved grin spread across her face. Here, at least, she knew what she was doing. “Good point. I appreciate the offer to stay here, and I’m going to shamelessly take you up on it, but I think I should be in my own bed—my own room.”

The expression on his face fell with such speed it might have been a bowling ball dropped from the top of the Space Needle. She leaped forward to reassure him, to tell him that it wasn’t a personal choice so much as a professional one, but his dad sauntered out of the front door before she could get the words out.

“Harrison, I only meant—”

“There you are.” Instead of his usual overalls, Wallace was dressed in thick black canvas pants and a checked shirt that fit him tighter than his usual garb. “I’ve been sitting around this house all damn day, waiting for you kids to get back.”

Harrison swiveled to stare at his dad. “When have you ever cared about my whereabouts?”

Wallace’s laugh was a cackle. “Never—and I still don’t, so you can get down off your holy steed. I was talking to Sophie. Do you have a few minutes before you head home?”

“Actually, I—” she began.

“Dad, I invited Sophie to stay with us for a little while.” Harrison’s voice was equal parts defiance and trepidation. “I told you early on that she might need to stay overnight for some of the training, remember?”

Wallace’s face lifted, and he snapped his fingers. “That’s perfect! She can stay in the bedroom at the top of the stairs. It’s probably dusty as all hell, but I’m sure the pair of you can set it to rights in no time.”

Sophie felt more relief than she cared to admit at that invitation. As much as she would have loved to stay in Harrison’s room—and in his arms—to do so would push the bounds of what she could reasonably sell to her family. What happened at the campground on her weekend off stayed at the campground on her weekend off, but she was technically earning a salary during the week. Having her own room would make it impossible for her family to storm the Parks lands in hopes of retrieving their lost damsel.