“I’ll just lay down here, then,” Gale says, settling onto the mattress. “We’ll keep the space between, I’m sure. I don’t get cuddly, so—Unless you’d prefer to? I mean, no.” He takes a deep breath. “I’ll shut myself up.”

The idea of sharing a bed in a little inn wasn’t a bad idea. You’d watch his back, he’d watch yours. But now he’s realizing how small the bed is, and how close you’ll be. Perhaps he’ll just sleep in the barn. Breathing in cow manure might be good for the lungs.