Page 68 of Stolen for Keeps
She arched a brow. “Nowhere else but Bridger Canyon.”
“Alright. I’ll take your word for it.”
“Good choice,” she quipped. Then, after a pause, her voice dipped. “My dad taught me how to ride.”
I studied her face and the way her expression shifted like she was sifting through memories.
I asked, “Do you miss that life?”
“Oh, Noah.” A hollow chuckle escaped her lips. “You have no idea how messed up my life is.”
It shouldn’t have brought me any relief, but it did. Not because I was glad she’d been through it, but because it meant she might understand my pain. I could’ve told her about Tessa, about the hole her loss left in me. About how tragedy had plagued the Lucas family all these years. But this wasn’t the time to trade scars. We were just starting to find our way to each other.
“Hey, every life is messed up in some way,” I said, keeping it light.
“Not like mine.” She adjusted her hat, tilting it back just enough to let me see her fully, nothing hidden. “Are you sure you want to be around me? I mean…an ex-con?”
I didn’t hesitate. “But you were wrongfully charged.”
“I did steal that necklace, Noah. But I never laid a hand on my cousin. And that charge about assaulting a police officer?” Her voice dipped. “I was just trying to get to my dad.”
The weight of those words settled between us, heavy and undeniable. I nudged my horse closer, within reach. And I wanted to reach her, more than I probably should.
“If I’d wanted to run, I would’ve when you told me you just got out of prison,” I said. “I like being around you. You keep me honest.”
Something flickered in her expression—surprise, maybe a trace of relief. Then she smiled, a shy curve of her lips.
She reached out.
I caught her hand without thinking, gripping it firmly.
But then our dinner spot came into view, bathed in the laststretch of light. It was my cue to shift the night into something easier on the heart. Something just for us.
“Here we are,” I said.
18
MAYA
Wind moved through the tall grass on the open hill, bending it in loose, uneven waves. The air had cooled, carrying the dry scent of sagebrush.
I swung my leg over and dismounted Caramel, my side protesting the movement. It had been a lot easier getting up. Noah’s gaze flicked to me, assessing the wince I barely had time to hide.
“Blue?” he asked, his hand hovering near my side. “You holding up?”
“Yeah.” I shifted a little, soaking in his touch, even if it barely grazed me.
Twilight meant relief. It meant shadows stretching long enough to cover me. Soon, nightfall would creep in to grant me another shot at what I came here to do, which was toretrieve the necklace and vanish before the hurt ran too deep.
Noah tended to the horses, tying them up the way every cowboy did. His nice ass was a downright distraction, but that wasn’t what had my resolve unraveling.
It was me. Iwantedto be here.
And the valley seemed made for it. It was a night thickwith promise, the kind that made you want to sit close to someone just for the hell of it. Above us, the first stars were beginning to prick through the dusky sky.
Noah spread the blanket over a patch of springy grass, then set the bag down and pulled out a dish, still warm to the touch.
My lips parted. “Is that?—”
