His eyes danced as he tilted his head, mirroring my stance. “Is your name on it?” he asked, his gaze unapologetically dragging from the tips of my boots to the crown of my head.
That slow perusal sent a jolt straight through me. His eyes weren’t just looking—they wereappreciatingwith a slow perusal from head to boots.When they finally landed back on mine, something shifted. His expression softened, eyelids dipping just enough to make my pulse hiccup.
No one had ever looked at me like that before. Not like they were curiousandundressing me in their head.
I swallowed and cleared my throat, forcing my voice to stay steady. “Would that be enough to keep you out? Because I have chalk and I’m not afraid to use it.”
He gave a low whistle and nodded, his grin widening. “You’re sassy. I had a feeling.”
“What the hell does that mean? You had a feeling?”
“Just from looking at you, neighbor. I knew you had bite.”
“Oh, really?” I raised a brow. “Psychic, are you?”
“I’m just surprised it took you this long to come over here.”
My jaw ticked. “It’s not like I wanted to come over here in the first place.”
Instead of answering, he shifted his weight, sliding his hands into the front pockets of his jeans like he had all the time in the world. His posture changed—relaxed, confident, annoyingly comfortable. He was settlingintothis conversation, while I’d planned to be in and out in under a minute with a warning and a death glare.
“Your name is Ellie, right?” he asked, completely ignoring my question. And there was that look, like he was stringing invisible rope between us, tugging me closer with nothing but the pull of his gaze.
“Yes.”Ugh.Why did I answer that?
“Miles,” he replied, like we were shaking hands and starting fresh.
“I didn’t ask,” I muttered.
He laughed—reallylaughed—his head tipping back as he shook it in disbelief. “See? Sassy.”
I gritted my teeth and crossed my arms, doing everything I could to keep from showing how much that laugh got to me. Or how he made my skin buzz like a live wire. He was charming. The dangerous kind. The kind that knew it.
“Look,” I said, fighting to stay on task, “all I want is for you to be a little more respectful about the noise and my parking spot. I’ve got customers coming in and out all day, and I’m trying to draw my pretty little flowers in peace. Your drill is killing my vibe.”
His smile lingered, but he nodded. “Okay.”
That was it. Just…okay.
I blinked. “Wait, really?”
He shrugged. “Really.”
Well, now I didn’t know what to do with myself. I came in ready for battle, not… surrender.
“Thanks,” I muttered, a little thrown off, turning on my heel before I could say anything else embarrassing. As I walked away, I told myself not to look back. Not to let him see how rattled I was.
But I couldn’t stop it.
At the last second, I glanced over my shoulder to where Miles stood—arms crossed, staring directly at me. Instantly, flutters in my stomach caught me off guard, and I swallowed hard.
6
LOGAN
Checking the tack room one last time, I paused, a frown tugging at my brow. One saddle was missing.
It was the end of the day, and I’d been moments from heading home when I noticed the empty space on the wall. But instead of irritation, a small grin curled at the corners of my mouth. There was only one explanation and only one person who would’ve slipped it out without asking.
