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Faye swallowed back the words she’d planned on saying. Adam had finally done it. He’d grown the courage necessary to ask her out, and by the looks of it, he was very successful. Faye forced a smile.
“He isjustthe best.” She needed an escape. There was no way she could stick around now. Not when she didn’t have anyone to help her keep her mind off what had transpired.
A cowboy wandered past and without thinking, Faye reached out and grabbed his arm. “There you are honey. I wasn’t sure where you went off to.”
To his credit, the cowboy stranger didn’t immediately pull his arm from her grasp. He glanced from her to her company. An easy smile crossed his face, and he touched the brim of his hat. “I was just coming to look for you, too.”
“You ready to get going? I’m not feeling too well.” She hoped his first reaction wasn’t just a fluke. All he had to do was agree and escort her outside. She’d figure it out from there.
Sure enough, the guy came to her rescue. He nodded. “Of course. Let’s get you home so you can get some rest.”
Faye could feel Adam’s eyes on her, but she didn’t dare look at him. Maybe she could text him or call him and let him know she wouldn’t be teaching him tomorrow. After seeing him with his dream girl, she didn’t think she’d be up for the couple of hours she’d have to supervise him in the corral. She offered the couple a weak smile, not meeting Adam’s eyes. “It was nice to see you.”
Mystery man walked her toward the door, letting her keep her hand in the crook of his arm until they made it out onto the front steps. A blast of cold air cooled her cheeks and took the edge off her roiling stomach.
Faye immediately dropped her hand and leaned against a railing that blocked them from going off the edge. “I’m so sorry,” she blustered, “I shouldn’t have pulled you into that.”
He snapped his fingers and pointed one at her. “You’re not a Callahan, are you?”
Her eyes darted up to meet his. “I am.”
“Now this makes sense. Which one are you?”
Faye frowned. “I’m sorry. Who are you?”
“Wade. Wade Keagan. I’ve worked with Brielle a little bit out at my ranch.” He glanced toward the door. “Is she here tonight by chance?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m sorry.” The silence grew between them until she lurched into motion. “Anyway, thanks for your help. But I’ll let you get back in there. You probably have a date—”
“Nah. No date.” He crossed his arms, studying her as he tilted his head. “You need a ride? I’m headed that way.”
Faye fidgeted, her eyes drifting toward the door. Wade seemed to be the answer to her problems, and if Brielle knew him, maybe accepting his help wouldn’t be so bad. She could just message Eloise and tell her she got a ride home. “Yeah, okay. That would be a big help. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
14
Adam
Adam picked up his phone, but only five minutes had passed. Faye remembered that they had their riding lesson this week. She had to. He’d expected to hear from her last night or early this morning after she left the country club not feeling well.
But there had been radio silence.
In hindsight, he probably shouldn’t have just shown up on the Callahan ranch without getting at least something from her. Now he was standing in her barn waiting for her arrival. He didn’t dare go up to her house and knock on the door, though he didn’t know why.
Bella stood in her stall, bobbing her head as if she knew exactly what they should be doing. He had half a mind to try to put the saddle on her and just take her out to the corral. He didn’t know what Faye might do if she saw him through her window.
But something stopped him. The last thing he needed was to have Mr. Callahan marching across the property and asking him what he thought he was doing.
Maybe Adam should just head home and cut his losses. Clearly, Faye was seeing someone. Maybe that guy wasn’t thrilled about their arrangement. Then again, she might actually not feel well. Wasn’t that what she’d said when she left the country club last night?
The more he contemplated this, the closer he came to the realization that he really shouldn’t have come at all. There was being presumptuous and then there was crossing a line, and he’d done the latter.
Adam rubbed Bella’s nose one final time and turned to head out of the barn when he had to stop in his tracks. In the doorway stood a silhouette. It was definitely female, but he wasn’t sure if Faye had come to find him or if this was one of her sisters.
He squinted at the figure, hesitating. Did all her sisters know about this arrangement? Would they let him ride without a supervisor? He’d been getting closer to his riding goals, and he didn’t want to stop now.
The woman still didn’t move. There was no way he was imagining this. She was definitely there. So what was she expecting?
