Page 20 of Falling for the Cowgirl
“And I’m sorry for leaving Colorado without trying to make things right between us.”
Her eyes lightened with both warmth and surprise. “You are?”
He nodded. “I’ve regretted it ever since that night.”
She drew in a breath.
He couldn’t keep his attention from dropping to those open buttons, to the smooth, long line of her neck, and the gentle curve of her jaw and chin. Desire rippled through him, the desire to brush his knuckles along her cheek, to feel her skin, to graze a path down her neck.
Blazing smoke. What was the matter with him?
He tore his attention away and focused on the podium. Ivy was practically family, and he was a selfish son of a gun for wanting to touch her. Even if she’d turned into aravishing woman, he had no right to view her the same way the other men did. He had to do a better job of controlling himself and couldn’t let loose the manly needs he’d kept locked away.
Sure, he’d met nice-looking ladies in Chicago over the past two years, especially after he’d gotten involved in the church he’d gone to as a child. But he made sure to keep his distance and did his best to discourage any interactions.
He’d told himself that’s just the way it needed to be. And he’d done fine at it. Until he’d seen Ivy.
He buried his face in his hands.
“What’s wrong?” She was slightly breathless, and the sound stirred warmth in his gut.
This was Ivy. He didn’t have to let himself get distracted by her. He just had to think of her the same way he always had—that she was too young for him. And too much like a sister.
She got riled up when he hinted at those things. But maybe it was better for her to be angry with him. It kept the barrier between them nice and high.
Her fingers grazed his shoulder.
The touch sent a hot jolt along his nerves. He jumped up, breaking the connection and getting a safe distance away from her. He reached the pulpit and braced his hands on the front edge.
“Something’s bothering you.” Her statement was firm, giving him little room to wiggle.
Shewas bothering him in ways he was too embarrassed to admit. So he pivoted and crossed his arms. “Don’t worry. Things will be just fine. We’re like family. And family looks after one another.”
Her lips stalled around a response, and her brows furrowed.
“I promised Dylan I’d keep an eye on you, and that’s what I’m planning to do.”
She watched him a moment longer before clamping her lips together and standing. The warmth in her expression dissipated as the ice blew in.
Inwardly he sighed. He didn’t like causing these kinds of rows, but he didn’t have any other defenses against her.
She lifted her chin. “I don’t need you looking after me. I never have, and I never will.” She rose and strode away, just as she had in Steele’s office, her back rigid and her steps angry.
As she exited, he sagged onto the nearest bench. She was mad at him again, but that was alright. Her frigidness would keep him cooled off, and that’s what he needed. That, and a good dose of prayer for resisting temptation.
He bowed his head and prayed hard.
Chapter
7
Another gunshot filled the air. The blast, as well as the ringing in Ivy’s ears, drowned out Hance’s retelling of his efforts to transport a mirror for his barbershop on the back of his horse up Kenosha Pass from Denver.
Perched on the bench outside the house, she had half a mind to cross over to Jericho, rip the Colt from his hands, and topple the pyramid of cans he’d erected to use as target practice. When he’d returned from the construction work on the new inn, she hadn’t been sure if he’d noticed her sitting with Hance, who’d come courting, just as she’d invited him to earlier in the day.
Jericho hadn’t glanced her way. In fact, he’d disappeared into the barn, likely taking care of his horse. He strode out a short while later with a heap of cans in his arms. When he started setting up the tins between the house and barn, she hadn’t realized what he was doing, until too late. Until he’d taken aim at the top can and shot it off on the first try.
She’d realized then that not only had Jericho noticed her sitting with Hance, but he’d placed the target practice rightnext to them so he could keep his promise to Dylan to look after her.
