Page 23 of A Miracle for the Confident Cowboy

He forced a strained chuckle. “You’re a good person, you know that, right? You’re the kind of person who knows the right thing to say at the right time.”

She snorted then got back to her scrubbing. “I’m just… me.”

“You’re more than that,” he insisted, softly. Duke placed a plate into her soapy water and their hands grazed one another. It was so quick and unexpected, he barely had a chance to react before the hairs on his arms lifted in response.

“You should talk,” Sophie responded, drawing him back to the moment at hand. “I’ve never met anyone who would willingly do everything I’ve found out you do.” She heaved a sigh and faced him. “You don’t see that, though, do you?”

He shrugged. “I guess we’re cut from the same cloth.”

She huffed again, waving a dismissive hand at him. “You can say that all you want, but the fact is?—”

Duke caught her hand mid-air, causing her to freeze. Her eyes widened slightly and her lips parted as she exhaled softly. Her eyes were bright and full of question. There might have been a small dose of fear—but not for her safety—it was more like the uncertainty of what they’d been so close to doing.

Right here. Right now. He could tell her how he’d fallen for her that first day she’d come to the shelter. That it had been torture to ignore his attraction to her the more time they’d spent together. He could tell her he wanted another chance and that their first date shouldn’t count.

Duke opened his mouth just as someone on the other side of the room gasped.

As one, both Duke and Sophie turned to find Pippa standing in the doorway with a large casserole dish that contained the remnants of their lasagna dinner.

A sly smile slid across her face and she gave them a knowing look. “I knew it.”

Sophie tore her hand from Duke and scurried from the room faster than she could have if her hair had been on fire. The sound of the front door slamming shut was the only thing that rang in Duke’s ears.

He stood there in stunned silence. He’d been so close. All he’d had to do was tell her.

“Did I say something wrong?” Pippa’s voice shattered the silence and Duke turned an angry gaze on her.

“You have the absoluteworsttiming.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Nothing burned quite asbad as the way Sophie’s lungs did after running in the cool evening air. There was an old barn on the edge of the property that wasn’t in use, and the most likely place she could hide from both Duke and Pippa.

Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, but nothing compared to what was churning in her stomach. She felt lightheaded and the only explanation was that she’d put so much effort into her dislike of Duke that when he’d managed to change her mind, it left her dizzy and off balance.

Sophie reached the old barn and hunched over, her hands on her knees as she gulped in deep breaths. The worst part was she only had herself to blame. What had she been thinking when she reached for his hand?

Duke had been clearly struggling with the talk of home! She’d felt it internally and she’d needed to do something to help. At least that was what she tried telling herself but it ended up sounding like a lie even in her own head.

Unfortunately, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that wasn’t the biggest problem. Thebiggestproblem was Duke might be thinking she was leading him on—that was if he was interested and paying attention at all.

Who was she kidding? The way Duke had looked at her recently, there was no denying he was interested. The whole situation gave her the distinct feeling of whiplash. Hadn’t he been cold toward her recently? Judgmental? Then out of nowhere he was giving her these compliments that made her feel… seen.

A soft sound behind her reverberated in her ears as if it were fireworks. She whirled around to find Duke’s silhouette in the doorway. The moonlight was at his back which made it near impossible for her to see his expression.

Her heart hammered, betraying her more than it already had. The hot flashes that filled her face were intolerable. She scowled at him, though he probably couldn’t see her in the darkness of the barn, either. There was no reason to be angry with him. It was a gut reaction—a way to protect her heart. “You didn’t have to follow me,” she snapped.

“And you shouldn’t be in this barn.” His voice was low and calm. There was a comfort in the way he spoke and she found herself wishing she could just throw caution to the wind and ask him if they could start over. But that wouldn’t be wise. They might have certain things in common, but they were bound to find even more about each other that didn’t quite fit.

She lifted her chin and folded her arms. “You’re not the boss of me.” It was a childish statement, but it was the only thing she could think of to keep him at arm’s length.

“That’s not the point,” he grumbled, taking a hesitant step into the shadows the barn offered. “Even I can tell this structure isn’t safe. There’s a reason why your brother hasn’t put any animals or supplies in here. One gust of wind could knock it over.”

She huffed, but her eyes darted around the barn. “It’s fine,” she said more to herself than to anyone else.

Duke heaved a sigh and took another step toward her, arm outstretched. “Look, can we… just… talk? Outside?”

She tightened her arms around herself and shook her head slightly, though he likely didn’t see it.

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