“I only wanted to test Joseph,” Jackson explained, raising his hands in surrender. “See if he had any backbone left. And Kayla really was sick—she could barely stand. That’s why I let her rest on the hay for one night.”
Lisa folded her arms, voice dripping with sarcasm. “So our fearless captain has a tender heart after all.”
“Or maybe,” Lily cut in, eyes narrowing, “his heart wasn’t what was soft.”
Jackson blinked at the two of them, half amused, half speechless.
“Come on, do I look like that kind of man? I’m a gentleman!”
“Only you can answer that,” Lisa muttered. She stood abruptly, face stormy, and stomped toward the cave.
Jackson frowned. “What’s her problem now?”
“Don’t ask me,” Lily said sharply. “If you’d never let that vixen Kayla in here, none of this would’ve happened. She
