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If he had feelings for Megan, wouldn’t it be smarter to take a chance for something better—more worthwhile?
That thought was truly terrifying. What if she said no like she had already?
He couldn’t let that hold him back—not when this urge inside him kept pushing him forward.
Daniel closed his eyes, allowing himself to feel the breeze, smell the fresh-cut alfalfa, and let his heart guide him. When he opened them, he knew where to look. Megan would have gone to the barn where the horses were. That’s where she would have assumed he’d meet her.
Urged onward by his desire to see her, he picked up his pace and by the time he made it to the building, his adrenaline had kicked into high gear. Now he had his opportunity to get everything he wanted.
She wasn’t immediately visible but with the echo of his boots on the concrete, she emerged from one of the stalls toward the back. She leaned her hip against a wooden post that supported the weight of the roof. Her arms were crossed and that confidence he’d noticed the first day they’d met emanated from her in a way that made his heart race even more.
“Megan,” he murmured. “We need to talk.”
She grinned at him. “Yeah, we sorta already agreed to that.”
He shook his head. “No, I mean we need to talk about us.”
Megan lifted one brow. “No…” she drawled. “We agreed to discuss a business proposition.”
“I was wrong,” he blurted. “I’ve thought about it—us—all day long and I—”
“I’m going to stop you right there. Daniel, there is nous—”
“Why not?” he blurted.
She blinked. “You’re not serious.”
Daniel charged forward. “Oh, I’m dead serious.” His jaw tightened and he stopped himself before he scared her off. Voice lowering, he murmured, “You can’t deny there’s something between us. It’selectrifying. Don’t you think we owe it to ourselves to at least…try?”
For a moment it appeared like she was going to consider what he was saying but then she shook her head sharply. “There’s too much going on. I have a lot on my plate. Maybe after—”
“You can make all the excuses you want to about waiting and what you have time for, but the fact will always remain—they’re just excuses because you’re scared.”
“I am not scared,” she insisted. “I simply have priorities.”
“And what if I said that I would be there for you? To push you to be the best version of yourself. I’d help you gain everything you dreamed of—we could do it together.”
“And what about your business? We’re literally trying to beat the other person. How is this supposed to work?”
He sighed, shrugging. “I can’t pretend to know the answer to that question. But I saw it. You think we could help each other out in business. How would it be any different for us to be in a relationship while doing so?”
Megan opened her mouth as if ready to spit out another argument but then she stopped.
“See? You know—”
She held up a finger and looked away. Here it was, the moment of truth. She’d either agree that he was right, or she’d tell him he was an idiot and that this would never work. One way or the other, he’d have his answer and he could go back to his mother and tell her that he’d tried.
He just wasn’t sure if he’d be on the winning side of this argument or the failing one.
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
Megan knew betterthan to let her heart lead her. She’d been burned before. She’d stumbled and lost more than she’d gained.
But looking at Daniel right now, she knew she’d already lost this argument. Everything he said sounded sogood.
Daniel was different. She’d seen it time and time again. Deep down she thought she might actually be able to trust him.
The air in her lungs had escaped the second he’d propositioned her at the bookstore and hadn’t returned. She was finding it harder and harder to come up with reasons to tell him no.
