Page 52 of Eighteen Bowties and Counting

Charlotte knew the moment Beau walked into the cabin. Not from hearing the door or the dogs or even him. His personality, the very essence of him, radiated with such power and charisma, she simply knew.

She looked up from her laptop, which she’d put on the bed in front of her, wondering what she should do. She still wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about Beau, and she’d told herself after his amazing birthday, with such a great dinner and even better kissing, that she’d take some time to figure things out.

Her work around the ranch had exploded, as cowboys she relied on to help her with the horses had been called in different directions this week. Still, she managed to make it home before Beau, and she’d wolf down something for dinner or bring it into her room, shower as fast as possible, and sequester herself behind the closed bedroom door.

Beau had texted her both nights, and her phone chimed as she reached for it to message him first.

Did you move out? I feel like I’m living alone again, and I’m not sure I like it. He’d added a laughing emoji, but nothing inside Charlotte felt like laughing.

She could respond via text the way she had the other evenings. Her computer played streaming TV and videos just fine, and she’d used headphones so Beau wouldn’t know she hadn’t gone straight to bed when she’d claimed to be so tired.

And she was tired. That hadn’t been a lie.

But mostly tired from her confusing thoughts and feelings.

Instead of hiding behind her phone, she got up and left the bedroom. It only took her a few steps to get down the hall, where she found Beau filling a bowl with water for Pepper and Ruby. “I didn’t move out,” she said.

He jerked, obviously startled, and water sloshed out of the bowl. “Charlotte,” he said in a gaspy voice. “You scared me.”

She gave him a quick smile he didn’t really receive, as focused on the water bowl as he was. “Sorry.”

“Good thing I don’t have vasovagal syncope, or I’d have passed out.” He bent to put the bowl on the floor, and when he rose, he wore a bright smile that didn’t fit the mood between them.

Ah, he’d gone into Public Relations mode. The Beau he wanted everyone to see and love, not the man she’d been steadily falling for.

“Did you eat?”

“Yes,” she said.

He opened the fridge and promptly closed it again. “We don’t have anything good.”

“I can go to the grocery store.”

“Right now?”

“I mean?—”

He faced her, something hard etched onto his face. “I don’t want you to go. I don’t want to be here alone.”

Charlotte wasn’t sure how to respond. It felt like someone had blown sand in her face, and she couldn’t see which way to go.

“I’m going to make a sandwich and take a shower,” he said as he came around the island between them. “Can you not disappear, please?” He grinned at her and wrapped his arms around her. She could admit it felt warm and wonderful to be held by him.

So maybe she did love him. Or at least was falling in that direction.

And would that be so bad?

He nuzzled her neck and said, “Mm, you smell fruity and fun.” He lifted his head. “Give me twenty minutes, and I don’t care if we don’t talk. I just don’t want to sit at my—our—dark, silent cabin alone for one more night.”

She nodded, her voice balled up somewhere in her throat. Beau never seemed to have that problem, as his mouth always said what it wanted to. He eased away from her and went about making his sandwich, using the last of the ham and cheese. They really would have to get to the grocery store soon.

“We’re working with Marlin tomorrow, right?” he asked as he capped his sandwich with the second piece of bread.

“Yes,” she said.

“Then we can talk horses tonight, if you want.” He raised his eyebrows, those gorgeous eyes almost too pretty for her to look into for more than a moment.

“That would be great.”

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