Page 11 of Some Cowboys Brave the Flames

“Well, my brothers aren’t here.”

Ash almost thought he heard a tremor in her voice, but that didn’t seem right. She wasn’t scared of him. If anything, she might be mad—though she hadn’t seemed to portray those emotions either. Playing along, he cocked his head slightly. “They’re not? I could have sworn Liam said that he was free this afternoon.”

She frowned. “There’s an auction in town.” She glanced toward the road as if she might see them from where she sat perched on the back of her horse. “Do you want me to call him?”

Ash shook his head. “Don’t bother him. I’m sure I just got my wires crossed.” He continued to study her, watching her, drinking her in. Five minutes of talking to her was worth the trip. If anyone knew his feelings on this matter, they’d say he had an unhealthy obsession. As far as he figured it, as long as he didn’t act on it, nothing was wrong.

She shifted in her seat. Her fingers fidgeted with the reins. It was clear she was waiting for him to say something more or to get up the nerve to tell him to leave. It would be for the best. The longer he stood there watching her, the higher the chance that she might catch on and cut off their lessons.

He cleared his throat and raked a hand through his hair, but before he could take his leave, she spoke.

“I’m… going on… a ride.”

The corners of his lips quirked upward and he bit back a laugh, his eyes tracing over her and then down to the horse. “Really? I would have never guessed,” he said wryly.

She rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t hide the amusement buried in their depths. “What I’m trying to say is that you’re welcome to come along. Only if you’d like to, of course.”

He peered over to the barn through narrowed eyes, then swung his focus up to her once more. This was better than he could have ever hoped, but he couldn’t seem too eager. As nonchalantly as he could manage, he shrugged. “I could go for a ride.”

From the way Charlie remained stiff and her jaw tightened, he got the distinct feeling that she wasn’t prepared for him to take her up on her offer. Well, that was too bad. He wasn’t above accepting an invitation to spend time with her, even if it had only been offered as a form of country hospitality.

The ride was strained at first, their conversation stilted and awkward. A pair could only talk about the weather and the town gossip for so long before silence wrapped its claws around each of their throats.

He burned to ask her why she wasn’t dating anyone—or to confirm if his suspicions were correct. Heck, if it wouldn’t have made him sound like a psychopath, he would have asked her how many people she’d dated since that first kiss.

The pit in his stomach grew exponentially.

Ash couldn’t ask her those sorts of questions. He needed to start with something simpler—something to get her out of her shell and talking about things that made her happy. He wracked his brain for anything he could bring up, but nothing came to mind. They rode their horses through brush and foliage—farther and farther from her home.

He nearly brought up that one night again. The temptation was so strong that he wasn’t sure he could stop himself, but then she asked her own question, and his body sagged.

“How did you meet?”

He glanced at her. There was no need to ask her who she was speaking about. She wanted to know about his fake girlfriend. Ash scratched his neck, attempting to gather his thoughts. He needed to keep the story as close to something truthful as possible so he didn’t end up falling into a trap of lies—a web he could very well spin for himself. “She’s related to a good friend of mine.”

Did Charlie seem a little disappointed? He couldn’t tell from where they rode side by side without looking at her straight-on. “How long have you known her?”

He chuckled. “You seem awfully curious about my girlfriend.” He was avoiding answering the questions, but unfortunately his statement seemed to bolster her confidence. “I’m just curious. You’ve never talked about her with mybrothers. How am I supposed to believe that you’re telling the truth?”

He laughed, his hand coming to his chest. “You have wounded me.”

She snorted.

“Do you actually think that I would lie about something like that? What would I have to gain?” He might gain Charlie; that was who. But she didn’t have to know that. Especially right now.

“Is she from Copper Creek?” That question was the most unexpected one yet. He’d told Liam about the girl when Charlie was present. She had to know the answer to that question already. But then it dawned on him that Charlie might actually be trying to get him to fess up to something he’d lied about.

He arched a brow and noted the way she squirmed beneath his scrutiny. “Yes.”

“Do I know her?”

Uh-oh. She was getting dangerously close to figuring out it was all a lie. Then she would cut him out of her life. That thought alone was enough to remind him to tread carefully. As much as he didn’t want to pile on to the current lies, he would have to do so right now or risk what he had going with the Keagan household. He swallowed audibly, then looked away. “She’s not local. But she grew up here. I have no clue if you knew her or not.”

Charlie opened her mouth to ask yet another question, but he cut her off.

“What’s with the third degree, huh? I thought we were friends.”

She gave him a side-eyed stare, then turned her attention to the trail ahead. “We are,” she murmured quietly.

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