Page 28 of Caught By A Cowboy

“I kind of have to, really.” My attention remains on him as I bite my lip.

“What do you mean?” He takes his eyes off the road again.

“I kind of got roped into being on the decorating committee,” I explain, hunching my shoulders and gritting my teeth.

“Are you being serious?” Jace chokes out a laugh.

“Isabel wants to keep the town’s traditions, but make them a little more…contemporary. She thinks I would be a real asset,” I repeat her words back to him.“We don’t have to go to the dance but I will have to be there to help decorate the barn.”

“What barn?” He narrows his eyes suspiciously.

“Your barn.” My words come out weak and so does my smile.

“Mybarn!” he yells out in shock.

“You don’t get more authentic than a barn dance in a barn, as a member of the decorating committee I had to think of the aesthetics.”

“Aesthetic? What does that even mean?”

“It means that it will look pretty, and match the theme. It was my idea. You're not mad, are you?” I like the way things have been between us, the last thing I want to do is piss him off.

“You really wanna go to that stupid dance, don’t you?” He pulls the truck over so he can give me his full attention.

“I think it’ll be fun.” I shrug and watch him look up at the roof and take another long, deep breath.

“Fine, you can use the barn and I will, of course, escort you. But I ain’t dancing!” He points his finger at me.

“We’ll see about that.” I lean over the console so I can place a kiss on his cheek and with an even harder squeeze of the hand he has rested on my thigh, he sets off again.

JACE

TWO WEEKS LATER

“You’re avoiding me.” I look up when I hear my uncle's voice and see him standing at the stable door. Placing down the brush I’m using to groom Buck, I move out the stall to join him.

“You’ve got staff for that,” he reminds me.

“Well, Dad always said a man should take care of his own horse. It’s how you earn their trust,” I remind him, patting Buck’s hip over the rail and avoiding eye contact with my uncle.

This whole place could have been his, he’s the eldest out of him and my father but he chose law over ranching. He doesn’t get to come here and tell me how to run my yard.

“And just for the record, I’m not avoiding ya. I’ve just been busy.”

I take a smoke out of the packet and offer him one. I’ve been trying to cut down since I decided to knock up Maddison, but I can sense some tension rising.

“Busy with that new girlfriend of yours?” He raises his eyebrows, accusingly.

“Fiancée,” I correct him, not that it will be that way for long, I’ve done my research and that license of hers is set to expire in thirty-four days. Soon as it does, I’m applying for a new one.

“I don’t know what your problem is, I’d have thought you’d be happy that I’ve found someone,” I call him out because I’m done with tip-toeing around.

“Females change our perspective,” he tells me, taking a cigarette and letting me light it for him.

“You almost sound as if you're talking from experience.” I shake my head and laugh, while he remains serious.

“I heard that she’s wearing your mom's ring.” He looks unimpressed.

“Word spreads fast.” I toke back, trying to move him to his point. If he carries on talking about my girl in that tone, this conversation ain’t gonna end well.

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