AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Grayson paused. Looked down at her, a little mischief in his eyes. “You chickened out.”
“Ouch. But I guess, pretty much. It was easier to come back home. To continue life as usual.” She walked back into the kitchen. Grayson followed.
“You didn’t want to leave your dad?”
“Bingo.” She picked up a washcloth and wiped down the kitchen counter. “You know, it isn’t that weird. Seventy-two percent of people live in or near their hometown.”
“That’s a strangely specific statistic.”
“I may have looked it up once.” She placed the rag over the sink. “Dylan thought I should have stayed in school.”
“He looks out for you.” Grayson’s eyes stayed on her, a little pensive and tender, even.
Was he thinking of high school—or something else?
She played with the torn cuff of her sleeve.
One thing was for sure. Working with Grayson Fox was going to test every last promise she’d made to herself and Dad. And she couldn’t fall for the guy who was definitely leaving town. Because she wasn’t, right? She wouldn’t. Couldn’t. Right?
Probably.
Oh boy, she was in trouble.
nine
Grayson must have been kickedin the head at some point. That’s the only reason he could muster as to why he’d agreed to lead the horse camp.
Could he just go back to riding with Beth? Because a guy could really enjoy getting paid to keep that kind of company.
He’d even ordered twenty tons of hay and made sure the horses were on the farrier’s schedule before hopping on the tractor and turning the manure, checking all the camp saddles for maintenance, and repairing the fence Tally had dismantled.
Two days since he’d stopped by her dad’s. Since she’d admitted that she’d given up college to stay with him.
Did Doug even know? Was he okay with that?
Grayson shook off the distraction.
He stared down the Monday morning lineup of kids, all eyes on him. He’d rather have a wild Mustang to gentle—was he even cut out to run his own camp? Dreaming it had been one thing. Being faced by children, looking at him with every expectation of an equestrian excursion?
Oh, boy.
But Beth needed him. And Eli needed him. And every one of the kids in the lineup needed him, so time to pull it together. Fast.
There wouldn’t be any ambulances or angry parents this time.
Eli smiled up at him from the group, and Grayson tried to focus on him—he was easy to talk to.
Didn’t work.
Beth stood against the hitching post, her brand-new straw Stetson shielding her eyes from the sun. In her Wranglers, Ariats, and hat, she looked like Miss Rodeo USA.
And that suited her, if he were the kind of guy to notice those details about Dylan’s sister. Which he wasn’t. So he didn’t.
He hadn’t noticed how she’d smelled like summer—coconut and orange blossoms—when he’d given her that awkward sideways hug last week. Or how much he enjoyed giving her a leg up into the saddle. Or how much fun he had sharing hours at the barn with her—like the way she smiled when Tally came near, brave enough now to accept a scratch on the withers. Or even how Beth looked at him like sometimes she drew a little of her courage from him.
Or how he looked for her car every time he was in town.
Nope. Didn’t notice any of that.
