Page 30 of Cowboy SEAL Homecoming

“Is that all it was?”

He was staring at her with that intense focus she didn’t particularly care for. She just knew he was trying to figure her out—not because she was interesting or worthy of figuring out, but because he thought if he could figure her out, he would know how to maneuver her.

“What else would there be?” she returned, feeling cool and dismissive and full of not wanting him here.

He frowned at her, so she frowned right back. Did he honestly think she was going to admit to being all worked up over him? Not a chance in hell.

“Look,” he said so gently she bristled. “If you’re upset that I walked off last night when you were talking about Dad, I’m sorry. I wasn’t really looking to have a heart-to-heart.”

“And you think I was?” That’s why he was being all tenacious about figuring her out? He thought she was upset about their conversation and his abrupt ending of it? She very nearly wanted to laugh.

“You brought Dad up.”

“Yes, because I thought it might comfort you to know he’d like having you here. But I also understand if you didn’t want to hear that. I knew it might be more of a painful thing than a happy thing, and I was ready to back off. Don’t apologize for walking away if you felt uncomfortable or sad.” Especially since that was not the reason she was currently having trouble looking him in the eye.

Was this why guys got tattoos? So girls couldn’t stop thinking about them even when they absolutely had to?

“If you’re not mad about that, then why are you acting so weird today?”

“I’m not acting weird. I’m acting like me. I’m jumpy and—”

“This is the first time you skipped out on a meal with us. And you’re trying to skip out on a second one.”

“Are you always going to keep tabs on me like this? I traded in one mom for another?” God, that was the last thing she wanted. Especially from him.

“What is this really about?”

“Nothing! Why are you so certain it’s about something? Can’t I just be myself without you questioning everything?”

“Well, the only other thing that’s happened between then and now is… Surely this morning was not the first time you’ve seen a guy walk around without a shirt on. You can’t honestly be offended by that.”

Offended would not have been the word she’d have used. “Of course I’ve seen shirtless guys.” In movies and on the internet. Not in her house. Within…touching distance.

“This whole thing we’re doing only works if you’re straight with me, Becca. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. So if something I did upset you or bothered you, you need to tell me. Connor thinks we need a new roof, and it’s going to be weeks before we get that bunkhouse ready for Jack and Gabe and I to live in. So you’re going to have to stick up for yourself and tell us when something bothers you.”

He just wasn’t going to give it up, was he? He’d keep poking and poking, just like her mother.

“Okay, fine. I’m acting weird because you were walking around shirtless. I am not accustomed to someone all up in my space.” She waved an arm up and down. “Especially someone who looks like you.”

“What does that mean?”

She stared at him for a second before she looked away. What was she supposed to say now? That he was hot? That she was attracted to the man who was or at least had been her stepbrother?

Becca’s face heated and she had to have been a bright shade of red at this point. But it was his damn fault for pushing it. Why couldn’t he let things go?

“You’re not exactly out of shape,” she grumbled, embarrassment so acute she almost felt sick to her stomach.

He didn’t say anything to that for the longest time. Finally she glanced up at him quickly, just in an effort to read his expression. His eyebrows were drawn together and he still looked confused. She rolled her eyes. “Could you just go away and let me do my work?”

“Right. Right.”

Still he didn’t move and she didn’t know what to do with that. She certainly wasn’t about to say anything else. She’d embarrassed herself enough.

Why did people have to be so complicated? She wasn’t complicated. All she wanted was to live on this ranch and do something that mattered.

And maybe touch a hot guy. This specific hot guy.

Okay, so maybe she was a little complicated.

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