Page 12 of Unforgettable Cowboy
It was a jab, but Bailey took it in stride.“What now?”she asked.
Hayes gave her a look that made her heart jump, but his tone was boss-like when he said, “I hope you’ll keep working until I can hire a replacement, as per our conversation this morning.”
Bailey blinked at him as relief washed over her.He held out a hand, his expression still that of an employer speaking to an employee.“Start again?”
“Yes.”
His grip was strong as their hands came together, and the sensation of her fingers being enclosed in his sent a frisson of awareness shooting through her, which was the opposite of what she wanted.But that was something she was going to have to put up with until Jenna collected her horse and Bailey got on with her circuit of western gear shows.
“Just one thing,” he said as he released her hand.
“What’s that?”she asked, suddenly cautious.
“Don’t get my uncle arrested.”
*
You didn’t exactlylie.
Hayes circled the windbreak, counting the number of broken boards he needed to replace before winter, when the cows would hug the structures as protection from high winds and pelting snow.Bailey’s truck had already disappeared from sight, leaving the ranch feeling a touch lonelier than before.At least they’d cleared the air, and he had an answer of sorts to the question that had nagged at him all these years.
He hadn’t been a danger to Bailey’s independence back in the day, not in his way of thinking.Given the chance, he might have pled his case with her, but he wouldn’t have manipulated her into staying with him, because how in the hell would that have been a good thing?
Even though he’d believed he was ready for something serious—a fact he’d just denied; fessing up would not have helped an already awkward situation—he would have accepted her decision to leave.
What else could he do?Bailey had been going through a hard time, dealing with her stepfather’s abandonment, her mother’s divorce.He wouldn’t have added to the drama.
He hoped.
He’d been young and uninformed and inexperienced.He’d also been devastated when she’d left without talking to him face-to-face.But he’d let her go.Hadn’t tried to find her to settle things.
Would he have sought her out if he’d known she’d been at some of the same rodeos he’d competed in?As a rodeo vendor, he was fairly certain they’d shared space in the past, but he’d been unaware.
That’s probably a good thing.
The palomino mare started shifting her front feet before dropping to the ground to roll, giving soft grunts as she worked warm dirt into her golden coat, oblivious to the drama surrounding her.She rose to her feet and shook, sending a cloud of dust into the air.
What was he getting into?
He was taking a big risk for Bailey, agreeing to harbor property that may or may not be stolen.Property that Chance Meyers obviously believed he had a right to, given his stupid social media posts.
Why was he willing to go out on a limb for a woman he hadn’t seen in ten years?
That was a question to which he had no answer.
Yet.
Chapter Four
Bailey drove toMarietta for a long overdue grocery run after leaving the Tree Fork Ranch, fighting a seesaw battle between relief and embarrassment after the encounter with Hayes.She’d been wrong about Hayes’s reciprocating her feelings years ago and had ended what she’dthoughtwas a relationship because of it.She’d acted out of fear, judged the situation based on what she’d witnessed with her mom and Bruce over the years.
Talking things out with Hayes, confessing her fears and finding grounds for compromise hadn’t occurred to her nineteen-year-old self.In her world, men didn’t listen when it came to wants and needs.Not their partner’s anyway.Despite her tough act, she’d been a scared kid, in too deep and lacking the skills to extricate herself gracefully.
You’re not that kid anymore.
Hayes wasn’t a kid either.The striking twenty-year-old had grown into a ridiculously gorgeous man, rough enough around the edges to take away any sense of softness…until he smiled.That smile, when it broke through, changed everything.
You aren’t in the market.
