Page 11 of A Miracle for the Confident Cowboy

“Anyway, the guys all thought it was hilarious. You don’t know how embarrassing it is to realize just how many words are the same but mean things completely different.”

“Oh, like napkin?” Sophie snickered.

“Exactly like napkin.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “I can’t remember exactly why I needed one, but I had to pick up an eraser at the store.” He eyed her for a second, as if gauging if she already knew what the alternate word would be. When she continued looking at him with a blank stare, he continued. “I was in a hurry. I didn’t have time hunting for the office supply aisle. So I went right up to the nearest store clerk and asked for a rubber.”

Sophie gaped at him then let out a loud guffaw. “You didn’t.”

“In my defense, I had no idea it would mean something else. That, and I was fresh off the boat.” He looked like he was going to say something more, the amusement in his eyes making him even more handsome. But the door opened and the lead vet tech entered, cutting him off.

He glanced to Duke. “Bad news. There’s a problem with the fence around the pen. We’re going to have to exercise the dogs the old-fashioned way. Can you take a few down the street to the dog park?” He glanced to Sophie. "You'll need to help, too. I have a repair guy coming out tomorrow bright and early.”

Duke and Sophie nodded in unison. She didn’t mind going for a walk—as long as she didn’t have to hold Duke’s leash—the dog, not the man.

Sophie didn’t knowhow it was possible, but it was colder outside than it had been when she’d arrived. She shivered and zipped up her jacket before pulling her hood over her ears and lifting her eyes to the sky. “Do you think it’s going to rain?”

Duke walked a few feet away. He lifted his gaze as well then shook his head. “Nah, I think that’s gotta be snow.”

She stopped dead in her tracks then regretted it immediately as the dogs in front of her continued their pace, causing her to lurch forward. She turned wide eyes to Duke. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”

He frowned. “About what?”

She shut her eyes briefly. “Snow. Please tell me it doesn’t snow down here.”

He chuckled. “I would, but if you recall, I’m not a liar.”

Sophia stuck out her tongue at him, and he chuckled again. She glowered at the darkening sky. “It’s not fair! Why does it snow down here?”

“Well, it gets colder and the clouds move in and?—”

“That was rhetorical,” she snapped.

“What’s the matter? I thought you were from a place where it snows a lot?” He murmured.

“Why do you think I came down here?” she groaned. She wanted to stomp her feet, to yell at the looming storm clouds, and curse them all into oblivion. “Snow doesn’t belong in Texas!” shehollered just as the first few flakes drifted lazily around her. A growl escaped her lips and this time she did stomp her feet.

They’d made it to the dog park and let the dogs loose. “Hey, it’s fine. It rarely even sticks. And when it does, it melts off by mid-day.”

Irritated, she scowled at Duke. “It’s the principle of the thing. It shouldn’t snow here because it’s freaking Texas!”

His chuckle grated on her in ways that made her skin crawl. He was laughing at her. What a total jerk! Her hands shook at her sides with fury. Normally, this wouldn’t bother her. She could take it all in stride. But between the stress of her blog, the stress of seeing Duke every day, and now this? She was done. So. Totally. Done.

“You should probably calm?—”

“Don’t tell me to calm down!” Sophie shot back at him, pointing a finger at him. “Don’t you dare tell me what to do.” She was frustrated and totally at a breaking point. It was probably a bad idea to come to the shelter—but hindsight was definitely twenty-twenty. She needed to get out of the penned area. She needed to get away from Duke. She needed—space.

Sophie pushed the gate open and let it slam shut. She hated how this happened sometimes. It was like the opposite of a panic attack. Or maybe it was exactly the same as a panic attack—only with anger.

She saw sparks in the back of her eyes and her breath came out hot and heavy. She made it to the edge of the sidewalk and stepped out onto the road only for a heavy hand to tighten on her arm at the exact same moment a loud horn blared through the air.

Sophie gasped as she was yanked from the street back to the sidewalk. She collided with a tall, firm body. She didn’t have to guess who it belonged to, because at that moment, Duke spun her around.

His green eyes were clouded over with a fury she hadn’t seen even when they’d been arguing at the restaurant. “What were youthinking?” he hissed.

She blinked several times. “I?—”

“Do you have any idea what could have happened if…” His voice trailed off and his voice mirrored the darkness in his eyes. His hands still gripped her upper arms as he lectured her. His words sounded muffled and heavy. She couldn’t make out a single one of them as he railed on about the dangers of not paying attention to where she was going.

Her heart thundered in her chest making every other part of her body weak from too much blood flow. That was a thing, wasn’t it?

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