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She shook her head, hating the way the blush crept into her face.
“We’ll see,” he said.
Ella stiffened, her head whipping around to watch him as he headed back the way they came. She turned her horse around and urged it to catch up with Lucas. “I mean it. We’re not going to be friends.”
“Then what do you want to call it?”
“I don’t know, but it’s not—”
“Friends. So you said.” He pulled up on the reins and peered at her. “So, you don’t want to be friends, but you are okay with us getting to know each other better. Sure sounds to me like you want to be friends.”
She groaned, dragging a hand down her face. “Acquaintances. We are still working with each other. I’m not going to ask you to hang out after we’re done for the day. And I’m definitely not calling you late at night to chat about boys.” Saying that last one with a straight face had to be the hardest thing she’d be doing all day.
Apparently, Lucas had similar feelings. He smirked as he rested one forearm on the saddle horn. “Acquaintances.” The word spilled from his lips like he was trying it out for the first time. “No late-night pillow talk?”
“Absolutely not.”
They sat there, each one sizing the other up, but she had a feeling they were doing it for different reasons. Here, she was trying to figure out if he was teasing her—making fun of her like he might have when they were younger.
She had no idea what he might be trying to do when studying her. She squirmed beneath his stare and finally looked down at the leather reins in her hands. “Look, I’m trying to be a more open person, okay? I still don’t like you.” That could be debated, but he didn’t have to know it. Ella swallowed hard and dragged her eyes up to meet his. “But maybe I’ve come to realize I’ve been too hard on you. And if we can get past it, I think we’d be better off for it.”
Lucas tipped the brim of his hat away from his face with his fingertip and quirked yet another charming grin in her direction. “Sure sounds like you don’t know what you want. There’s this open-ended situation. What would you do if we… say… did become friends?”
She sighed. “Ifyou happened to get into my good graces, then I would reevaluate when the time came.”
He laughed, but it wasn’t in a way that could be perceived as rude or hurtful. In fact, it was one of those laughs she’d heard him use with the people she knew he liked. Simply knowing this had a strange effect on her insides. The already tingling knots that writhed and wriggled seemed to awaken even more.
It was that small part of her that longed to be part of his life. That had to be it. The more she observed him, listened to him, spent time with him, the more she allowed herself to find the parts of him that were admirable.
Lucas straightened, then stretched. He gave her another charming smile as he shrugged and urged his horse onward.
Once again, she found herself following him. “So, you agree then?” Ella asked as she got beside him. “We approach this whole thing with caution.”
He eyed her, the amusement never leaving his face. “Honestly, I figured you’re going to do what you’re going to do. I’m not going to play games with you. If you want to be myfriend, be my friend. I’ll still treat you with the same respect I always have.”
For no other reason than him bringing up the past, she bristled. It took her a moment to find a cool, collected tone. “Good.” That was all she trusted herself to say. Hadn’t she already promised herself that she wasn’t going to let him get to her? She was going to be the better person. And that wasn’t going to change just because he remembered their pasts differently than she did.
They rode the rest of the way back to the barn in silence. She helped him give the horses a good brush-down, to which he gave her a strange look.
“What?” She said as she ran the coarse bristles along the horse’s back. “Let me guess. I’m doing it wrong.”
He lifted a single brow, shaking his head. “Nope.”
“Then what is it?”
Lucas didn’t answer right away. He stayed focused on putting away the gear in the trailer. Then he glanced up. “I suppose I didn’t expect you to help with getting them settled. I figured you’d get right to work in the barn.” Lucas shrugged again, something she was beginning to notice he did when he was somewhat uncomfortable. “It’s nice, is all.”
Her hand stilled. “Oh.” When she glanced up at him, she found him watching her again, but this time she didn’t say a word. Instead, she looked away. Ella bit down on the inside of her cheek to prevent the smile that attempted to escape.
Lucas’s words made her wonder how much more he’d noticed about her. What was he filing away that both impressed and disappointed him?
They finished with the horses and then started on the day’s work. Every so often she’d find him looking in her direction. When she caught him, he didn’t immediately break eye contact. Usually, she was the one who broke it off first.
It was times like these that she wished she could read his thoughts. Then again, that could get dangerous. If she knew what he was thinking, would it change the way she felt about him? And if so, would it be for better or worse?
Toward the end of the workday, as things started to settle down, she’d nearly gotten it in her head to tell him she’d considered what he’d said to her that morning and maybe friendship was something theycouldhave in their future.
She wasn’t against admitting when she was wrong.
