Page 27 of Ember Meadow
A couple of cowboys around us hoot and holler as Parker steps back into the crowd. Miles comes over to take his place in front of me. “Alright, what did he tell you?” His voice is softer now that it’s just us.
“The last thing he said was to point my fingers down the center of the rope,” I say, holding the rope up.
Miles nods, “Yep, that’s perfect. You’ve got a good natural grip on it. Are you ready to try it out?”
I nod.
Miles reaches down, adjusting my hands a bit on the rope, moving closer to me. Having him in close proximity is always distracting, but now that he’s in my space completely it’s practically impossible to focus. The scent of whatever cologne he put on tonight wraps around me. I drop my gaze to the rope in my hands as my cheeks start to heat.
“You’re gonna swing the rope over your head in a circle. Just twist your wrist nice and easy.” He steps back, showing me the motion with his arm. I copy him, letting the rope swing around my head with awhoosh. It catches on the back of my hair, whipping it over my shoulder.
“Now keep your eye on the tip of the rope, right there on the end of your loop. That’s what’s gonna hit the target,” he instructs. “When you’re ready you can go ahead and throw that rope. Make sure you follow through.”
The rope flies from my hand when I throw it, landing miraculously on top of the bail of hay. A smile breaks out across my face.
“Now pull on the rope to tighten it around Mr. Bull there. That’s it, great aim.” Miles says from behind me. I don’t get it right on the horn like Parker did, but my rope is pulled tight around the plastic bull head and for some reason, I feel like I’ve won something.
“Oh my god, I actually did it!” I exclaim, turning back around to Miles. He’s smiling down at me as the crowd of rowdy cowboys around us claps.
“You’re a cowboy, Mac,” he says. His espresso eyes crinkle at the sides, and I feel myself being pulled closer by some invisible force.
His gaze drops to my lips as I stop an inch away from his chest. My heart beats thrum in my ears, faster by the second. I drown in the way he looks at me, his emotions painted on his face in a way I’ve never seen before. Gone is that stoic, unaffected frown. Right now he looks like he’s half a second away from throwing me over his shoulder and getting out of here.
And the worst part is, Iwanthim to do that.
“Told you she’d learn quick!” Parker yells from the crowd. Miles steps back from me as Parker walks towards us, the air growing colder in the spot he vacates.
I smooth down my pants in an attempt to collect myself. Parker’s arm rests around my shoulder as he tells a story about his first time roping, but all I can hear is ringing in my ears as Miles turns away to return to the barn.
For a minute there, it almost seemed like it was just us. I wish it were.
Eventually, Parker excuses himself to help lead a drunk cowboy into the bunkhouse without falling down a hill. He hasn’t had a drop to drink all night himself. I would have pegged him for the fun party guy, not the designated driver.
I take that as my cue to leave too. As much fun as I’m having, I should head back to my cabin and get some sleep. It’s one in the morning and it’s been a long week of working on the renovation. I’m exhausted.
Luckily, it’s not too far from here, just about two miles, so I walked over. I love going on long walks and runs in the country. Especially at night when the stars are out and everything is quiet.
My favorite part of summer nights in the mountains is looking up at the sky. Especially when I can just barely make out the faint outline of the peaks, the Milky Way bursting out from behind.
I don’t get very far before I hear footsteps approaching. I swallow a quick burst of fear and turn to face the sound, only to find a familiar cowboy dressed in black, looking like he’s headed home from a funeral instead of a ranch party.
“You know,” I say with a small sigh of relief, “some people would consider this stalking.”
He huffs a laugh, catching up to me. A shiver breaks out across my arm as the soft fabric of his shirt bushes against me. I could blame it on the warm midnight breeze but I’m too tired to lie to myself. Miles Autry has an effect on me.
“Some people would consider it more dangerous to walk out into a field in the middle of the night alone.” His voice is low and rough, a fog of sleep just sneaking in.
“Yeah well, some people don’t know how to live a little,” I joke, bumping my elbow into his arm.
“What are you doing out here, Mac? Where’s that tiny car you drive? Did it finally break down?”
“The car is back at my cabin, since I walked here,” I say. We are walking at the same pace now, in sync. Far enough away from the party that I can only hear a faint whisper of the music. It’s so dark I can barely make out the annoyance on Miles’s face.
“You walked here? It’s at least three miles to the guest cabin, why the hell would you walk?” His voice raises a bit, cutting through the quiet of the night.
“It’s exactly two miles, and I wanted to walk. I like long walks. I walk all over at home. It’s fun,” I explain. “Although ‘fun’ seems to be a foreign concept to you these days, so I understand the confusion.”
“That’s too long to walk,” he says, ignoring my sarcasm. “What if you were murdered out here? There’s no one to hear anything. What if you were bit by a snake?”
