Page 25 of Some Cowboys Brave the Flames

He laughed quietly. “I’ve known about the trip for two weeks. Liam and Mason thought I’d like to come along.”

Her brows lifted, and then she glanced toward his truck as if understanding who else her brothers might have invited.

“She couldn’t come,” he said stiffly, still hating the lie.

“Oh.”

He couldn’t tell if there was disappointment in her voice or if he heard a bit of relief. Either way, it didn’t matter. He was here to have some fun with his friends and spend as much time as he could get with a certain girl who lingered in his thoughts.

The ride wasn’t terrible, but Ash knew better than to expect the ride back to be pleasant. They arrived in a clearing with no picnic tables but plenty of flat ground to set up blankets. Surrounded by tall trees, shrubs, and wildflowers, it looked likean escape only dreamed of in fairy tales. Ash hadn’t thought something like this existed anywhere in Colorado—but then his experience in the wooded areas was usually wrought with smoke and flame.

A creek flowed along one side of the clearing, and a large open space allowed the horses to graze. It felt like they’d been deposited in the middle of nowhere—an escape from reality.

The first thing they did was eat. The children had been complaining about their hunger after only twenty minutes of riding, so it was no surprise that it was first on the schedule.

Ash sat on a blanket shared with Daniel and Charlie while the others grouped up with their spouse or children.

Daniel pulled out three sandwiches, a carton of potato salad, a bowl of fruit, and a bag of chips. The second Ash saw the spread, he laughed out loud. “Is there someone else living in your stomach? How many people are you feeding?”

His friend threw him a dirty look, but it was laced with amusement. Everyone knew Daniel could put it away. He could probably compete in a hotdog eating contest and win without breaking a sweat. The funny thing was that he didn’t look like he had the ability to do such a thing. He was tall—the tallest out of his siblings, but he was also fit. There wasn’t an ounce of excess fat anywhere on his body.

Ash observed him while he finished the bite he was working on. “Have you ever considered being a firefighter?”

Charlie choked on her food, drawing the attention of her brother and Ash. She scowled at Ash and swallowed hard. “Absolutelynot.”

Daniel lifted both brows, then laughed out loud. “You’re ten years younger than me, baby sister. You don’t get a say in what I do with my life.”

“Nine,” she corrected. “And I have every right to tell you that you’re making a mistake or that you’re planning somethingunwise.” She shot Ash a warning look before turning her focus once more on her brother. “You should know better than to even consider doing a job that could get you killed.”

“Being a cowboy can get me killed,” he challenged.

She huffed and took another bite of her food.

Ash bit back the amusement he felt over her protective nature. It was cute, really. He knew better than to push the issue. Charlie wasn’t going to accept her brothers being trained to be firefighters even if his boss was currently hiring.

After their meal, the guys got competitive. But Ash didn’t expect anything less. Lucas and Henry started it. First, they placed bets on who could jump in the saddle the fastest. Then it turned into racing around the clearing. At some point they did a modified version of barrel racing but with trees and bushes. The ropes came out and they roped each other, timing themselves on how long it took to capture this brother or that.

Although he grew up around horses and used to ride quite a bit, Ash had no interest in any of it. His gaze continuously moved to where Charlie sat beside Emma. She seemed to be closest to the country star out of all her new sisters-in-law. That was surprising seeing as how Charlie had always been so introverted. He’d only seen her get out of her shell when she was with her family. Outsiders were more difficult to talk to.

She must have felt his attention because she glanced over her shoulder toward him. Again, their gazes locked. So many things could have been said during that span of time. Their surroundings fell away, and the desire to tell her exactly how he felt hit him like a punch to the gut. So many scenarios played in his head when he thought about what might happen if he finally got up the courage to say something.

He’d probably be lying in a ditch within twenty-four hours of the confession. He didn’t doubt that her brothers wouldn’t thinktwice about banning him from the Keagan farm—and that would be without discovering the truth about their first kiss.

Ash shook his head and shoved his hands into his pockets as if confining them would also confine everything else he knew he couldn’t do.

But when he caught her looking at him again, he couldn’t help that wandering possibility. They were both older now. Yes, they were still six years apart in age, but it didn’t seem nearly so bad now that she was in her twenties.

She leaned in and spoke to Emma for a moment. The woman nodded, giving her a smile. Then Charlie stood. She started walking toward him.

No. Not toward him.

Charlie pushed past him. He knew she didn’t intend to let her arm brush against his, but one of her nephews darted along her other side, forcing her closer to Ash.

Even in that brief moment, he could feel how warm she was. He turned to watch her as she headed for the trees at the edge of the clearing. Did she want him to follow?

No. The look in her eyes didn’t quite indicate that.

Charlie wanted some space—some peace and quiet.

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