Page 11 of Head Over Spurs

Riley turned back to his friend and grinned. “I’m not staring.”

“Like hell you aren’t.” Grey snorted.

He didn’t like being the one on this end of their scrutiny—it was unfamiliar and far from ideal. It would only be a matter of time before they got the details out of him since Riley didn’t have the best poker face. Mustering his self-control, he turned his gaze away from her bewitching blue eyes.

By diverting his own focus, he was able to divert theirs too. The conversation made its way over to the town gossip that the owner of the local tavern is looking to sell. Again. At least once a year he claimed he was too old to run Wrangler’s Tavern and was ready to put it on the market. And each time he decided to wait for just one more trip around the sun.

“It’s never going to happen,” Cooper said decidedly. “No one ‘round here will ever be good enough to take over in Waylon’s eyes.”

“Take over what?” Maddie asked, appearing at Grey’s side and curling in as he lifted his arm to pull her close.

“The bar,” Cooper replied.

“He’s probably waiting for Hallie to come home to take over,” Grey said before promptly biting his lip and looking nervously at Cooper.

“You can say her name,” the younger cowboy grumbled. “And you’re probably right.”

Beside him, Jules leaned against the table, taking in the discussion. With Maddie and Grey occupied—her whisperingwho is Hallieand sneaking a glance at Coop—Jules tilted her head toward Riley and murmured, “Can you show me where the drinks are?”

He nodded, rising and adjusting his Stetson. “Yes, ma’am,” he drawled, taking a step forward and holding his arm out for her to follow.

As she moved into his space, it required significant effort to not press his outstretched hand to the small of her back, same as that night he led her back to his hotel room. The way she had leaned in and reached for him too, it was as if there was a magnetic pull between them.

To resist the urge in the present, he dropped his arm and shoved his hand down into his pocket, clutching his beer tighter in the other. They moved wordlessly along the outskirts of the crowd and based on the nods and smiles exchanged between Jules and the others, she had wasted no time using Maddie’s introductions to win them over.

He slipped into the stables, ignoring the pressure in his chest when she drifted in close at his side, her heavenly floral scent wafting into his senses. They crossed into the tack room, and she hesitated for a moment, her eyes surveying the scene. “The beer is inhere?”

As she crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows, an amused laugh escaped him. “It’s not like I was trying to lure you somewhere private.” Based on the skeptical noise that escaped her, itwas clear that she wouldn’t have enjoyed it if that had been his intention. Interesting, considering how she greeted him today.

Pointing across the way, he waited as her eyes followed the invisible line from his finger to the steel trough in the room, overflowing with ice and various cans. She dropped her folded arms, a softohescaping her. Damn this woman was confusing, her mood towards him seemed to shift on the breeze.

“Well, this works out. Because there was something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“So,youluredmeaway from everyone?”

Sitting back against the wooden table in the center of the room, he stretched his legs out, crossing one ankle over the other and readying himself for whatever she threw at him next.

“Nobody is doing any luring,” she huffed in response. He couldn’t deny that annoyed looked adorable on her as she crossed the room and jumped up to sit on the table beside him. “I just think we should… clear the air.” Jules swept her hand between them, her fingers grazing his upper arm in the process.

“I think we should too,” he agreed. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” she offered hesitantly.

Riley shifted, leaning on his elbow to face her. “Why did you leave like you did?” The question had been rattling around in his brain for a year now, and after thinking he’d never have an opportunity to ask it, he wasn’t going to wait another minute.

Pink stained her cheeks, her hands flying up to cover her face. “Oh, that.”

He waited for her to drag her hands down to her jaw and glance his way. With a sigh, she said, “The ranch I was there to work with? They were looking for me. They were worried that something had happened to me. It’s so mortifying.”

“It wasn’t because of… this?” he mimicked her motion from earlier, waving a hand between them.

She shook her head, her pillowy lips parting ever so slightly. “No,” she breathed. “Butthisis what we need to talk about.”

Riley tracked the softness to her tone, as if she was preparing to let him down easy. Which was fine, because he had already gotten attached to a dream once before, and he had lost it spectacularly. It hadn’t been meant for him, and this woman wasn’t meant for him either.

“We shouldn’t pick up where we left off. We work together now.”

“I agree,” he nodded, snatching up his beer and taking a long pull from the sweating can.

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