Page 37 of A Sunny Sweetheart for the Cowboy

“Yeah?” The boy wrapped his arms around himself, his teeth chattering.

“Oh, you poor thing!” Paisley rushed past Weston and slung her arm over Matthew’s shoulder. “Are you okay? What happened?”

The boy cut a glare at Weston. “I fell in. It was an accident.”

“I doubt it. And you’re not going in your tent dripping wet. Send someone in for dry clothes.” Weston gritted his teeth and pivoted. “Axel!”

“Yes, sir?” The kid hustled over.

Now that was an attitude Weston could work with. “Dig in Matthew’s bag and find him dry clothes, please. Everything from the skin out, and grab his hoodie, too. And his extra shoes.”

Matthew shrugged Paisley’s arm away. “No. Stay out of my stuff.”

Weston raised his eyebrows. “Did you have the foresight to stash dry clothes outside the tent before you accidentally fell into the lake?”

Matthew speared him with a glare.

“Axel, go ahead.” Weston held out his hand to stop Matthew’s protest. “There’s no point in dripping water all over everything in there. You’d soak your duffel and your sleeping bag and everything else.”

“But—” The kid’s eyes met Weston’s, and his puffed chest deflated. “Whatever. I’m freezing.”

Show no remorse. “You should have thought of that before you fell in.”

“Weston!”

He glanced at Paisley as she said his name. “You didn’t hear our earlier conversation. I’m handling this.”

By the way she flung her hands up in self-defense, she’d let him, but not because she agreed.

“May I go stand by the fire, your royal highness?”

Weston gestured to the blaze. “As you wish.”

Matthew stomped over, the belligerent effect diminished by the squishing sound of his shoes.

“Was that necessary?” Paisley’s quiet voice had an edge to it.

“Yes, it was.” Weston folded his arms over his chest and looked down at her. “He’s been pushing buttons all day about going in for a polar dip. I told him no. He figured he’d scored by wading in the lake with you to water the horses. There’s no way he fell in by accident after all that.”

Her eyebrows hiked up in challenge. “If I were falling in on purpose, I’d take off my shoes.”

“Smart people would.” Tweenage Weston would have done anything to thwart authority, just like this kid, whether it ruined his favorite brand-new sneakers or not. Nobody had ever called him smart. Smart aleck, yes. Simply smart? Never.

“I think you’re wrong.” Paisley whirled away and went over to Matthew.

Fine, if that’s the way she wanted to slice-and-dice the information, it was no skin off Weston’s back. He was used to being a loner, to having no one understand or agree with him… ever.

This was why he didn’t do people. They just weren’t worth it. Sooner or later, they all turned against him. Even oh-so-sweet-and-sunshiny Paisley. It hadn’t been as hard to turn her attention away from him as he’d thought it would be. Being his own ornery self hadn’t deterred her. Nothing had until he’d shown that gruff side to a kid. A kid who deserved it, but whatever. She didn’t see it that way.

It didn’t matter to him. He could take or leave her. Preferably leave.

So, he should be happy now, right? He’d finally managed to push her away.

It was not as rewarding as he’d imagined.

Axel tossed articles of clothing out of the boys’ tent.

“Thanks, man.” Weston strode over and gathered up the items and made sure everything was there. Whew, Matthew had brought a second pair of footwear along. The packing list had required it, but with a rebel like this one, who knew? He carried the pile over to Matthew and held it out. “Here you go.”

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