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Then again, maybe he’d never truly been her friend.
Because he wanted something more.
She poked him hard in the chest.
“Ow.”
“You. You’re what’s bothering me.”
“Me? Are you kidding me? What did I do?”
She threw her hands into the air. “Everything. Nothing. You’re just you.”
He couldn’t help it. He let out a laugh. “Oh, I knew you were a little crazy, but I didn’t think it would go this far.”
“You think I’m crazy? What kind of guy would think it’s smart to start learning one of the most dangerous sports there is just to impress a girl? Huh? On top of that, you’re so desperate to impress her that you’re willing to give away your time and expertise. It’s not a fair trade-off, and you know it. I have zero idea why you would continue with this charade after you won her over. The only thing I can think of is that you don’t want to burn any bridges in case you want to bring her out here for a date. Well, do it. Bring her here, take that picnic, and then you don’t have to worry about coming back again.”
The air in his balloon deflated and he came full circle to one single thought. She sure sounded jealous. Well, she wasn’t alone.
15
Faye
Faye had just lectured Adam, and yet he remained standing in front of her without moving. She wasn’t expecting that. She’d practically told him to get out of there, but he wasn’t budging. He was like a stray. Just waiting for her to offer him something he really wanted.
Only she couldn’t figure out what that could be. What did he expect her to give him? He’d learned most of what he could when it came to riding. She was no expert on the rodeo stuff. This arrangement truly was one-sided because her truck still had several weekends to go.
Her mouth fell open and she blushed furiously.
Curse her Callahan bloodline. She’d gone and shoved her foot so far into her mouth that she was choking on it. She needed to apologize before he got wise to her and told her he was done providing free labor on her mother’s truck.
Before she could do such a thing, he moved closer to her. His sudden calm demeanor only made her antsy, but she was too terrified to move away from him.
“Are you done? Did you get it out of your system?”
She blinked. Once, twice. Then a flutter of blinking as she looked away. “I’m—oh, my gosh, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I—” She covered her face with her hand and let out a strangled laugh. “I’m so sorry.”
“You said that already. Now, do you want to tell me what is really going on? I’m guessing it has something to do with that cowboy and your evening.”
Her gaze darted up to meet his. Was it possible this could be so easy? Telling him she was dealing with a broken heart wasn’t much of an excuse, but it was the closest thing to the truth she could tell him. She wasn’t upset about Wade, though Brielle had lectured her endlessly after he asked to speak to her when he drove her home.
No, her broken heart had everything to do with the long-legged woman she saw draped all over Adam at the club.
It was entirely irrational. And she knew better than to let it bother her this much. Only her heart wasn’t listening.
Faye sensed his gaze still on her and she nodded. “Yeah. It’s about a cowboy.”
Adam’s brows lowered and his crooked grin disappeared. “He didn’t hurt you, did he? Was this why Brielle was upset? Of course you don’t have to tell me, but you can if it would help.”
Faye let out a sigh. “Turns out he’s not interested in me.”
Understanding filled Adam’s face. She wasn’t sure, but he almost looked more relaxed, too. “Well, he’s missing out,” he said. “Anyone can clearly see you’re worth fighting for.”
She huffed. “Apparently noteveryone.”
He reached out and grasped her hand. His touch was warm, comforting, and goodness if she didn’t think it was even better than she wanted it to feel. As much as she needed to pull away in that moment and not let her heart run away with this feeling, she couldn’t. She stared at the way his fingers wrapped around her hand, and her thoughts took a nose-dive. He probably held Dahlia’s hand, too.
That idea was all it took for reality to set in, and she tugged her hand from his to shove it in her pocket. She forced a smile she didn’t feel like giving. “Thanks for listening to my crazy ramblings. I really shouldn’t have taken any of this out on you.”
