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Sarah let out a squeak and took a stumbled step backward. The heel of her boot slipped on a wet stone and her hands flew into the air, flailing. Eyes wide, she didn’t have time to react before Dax’s hand shot out and grasped her upper arm, yanking her back to safety. Heart pounding, she stared up at Dax as her breaths came out in short gasps. Immediately, she scowled at him and pulled away. “Why did you do that?”
“Why did I save your life? Again?” The corners of his mouth lifted into a grin.
“No. Why did you sneak up on me?”
He cocked his head slightly, amusement clear in his gaze. “I did no such thing.”
“Yes, youdid,” she accused. “You were over there, and then suddenly you were behind me.”
Dax turned his head to where she pointed. “I believe I was over there about seven minutes ago. And then I headed in this direction. May I point out that my boots crunched against the dirt and I snapped a few twigs on my way over here? If you didn’t hear it, then maybe it’s you who needs to reevaluate something.”
Her eyes narrowed. There was no way he’d crossed the area like a normal human being and she hadn’t heard him.
“I don’t buy it.” The beats of her heart still echoed wildly in her chest.
He didn’t react to her words nor the bite in her tone like she had expected. The way he watched her was more unnerving than she wanted to admit.
Sarah moved to walk past him, but his hand shot out and grasped her arm. She stopped, looking down at where he held her as if she’d be able to see the electrical current that passed between them. When she lifted her eyes to meet his, the intensity she saw there was nothing like she’d ever experienced before. She could feel the warmth of her blush creeping up the back of her neck, and in order to prevent it from making an appearance, she tore her arm away from his. “Is there something you wanted?”
He opened his mouth, then shut it just as quickly. “No.”
“Okay, then let’s get going.” She prayed he couldn’t hear the tremor in her voice as she spoke. This was all in her head. There was no way he was experiencing the same thing she was.
It took her three tries to climb up in the saddle, but she managed to get up there without his help. The last thing she wanted was for him to touch her again and for her to find out there was, in fact, some kind of connection growing between them.
Would that be so bad?
The rogue part of her needed to stop questioning her common sense. Yes, it would be bad. It’d be really bad. What if he found out that she was some spoiled rich girl who fell in with the wrong crowd and wreaked havoc at his home? Based on the way he hadn’t been willing to trust her when they first met, she didn’t think that would go over very well. Sure, there were other issues that would be worse to confess, but this was more than maintaining an air of anonymity while at Slate Rock Ranch. This was about keeping her family name out of the limelight.
They started on the trail, but this time it had narrowed and Dax took the lead, allowing her thoughts to drift once more while she stared at the back of his head.
Dax didn’t seem like the type to spill information about her family to others, but sometimes that sort of thing happened by accident. On top of that, money was a hot-button issue. She didn’t know him well enough to gauge how he’d react to finding out she was an heiress to a fortune.
She’d managed to fall behind, though she didn’t know how that was possible when her horse was the one to dictate how close they’d stay. Dax was probably five yards ahead, and when there was a slight curve in the trail, he disappeared for a few moments at a time. In those moments the anxiety from when she’d gotten lost returned.
Sarah urged her horse forward by putting pressure on the flanks of her horse. The distance between them shortened, easing the part of her that continued to relive her accident. The trail widened once more and she pushed forward until she was right beside him. “Tell me more about your childhood.”
She wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw his jaw tighten. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “What do you want to know?”
“You said you were raised by Zeke’s sister?”
He nodded.
“Tell me about her.”
Almost immediately, his whole demeanor changed. He smiled as he swung his gaze back to the trail ahead of them. “Eve was amazing.”
“Eve? You didn’t call her mom?”
“Well, she never adopted me. She became my foster mom when I was about seven. She was always taking in kids that no one else wanted. And she’d let them stay as long as they needed to.” Dax peeked at her again. “She was the kind of woman who only ever cared about other people even when she needed to worry about herself.” The happiness in his eyes dimmed but only slightly. “She passed away just before I graduated high school.”
Chills ran down Sarah’s spine. “I’m so sorry.”
He shook his head. “Don’t be. She was always so vibrant and full of life. Sometimes I even wondered if she wastoogood to keep living here and God just came and took her home.”
The chills changed into goosebumps and the hair on her arms lifted. Sarah shivered. “So I guess she’s the one who helped you turn out to be the man you are today.”
He lifted a shoulder. “I didn’t turn out as well as she would have hoped.”
