Page 65 of Some Cowboys Brave the Flames

“Is that…” Emma came up beside her.

“Yeah,” Charlie said quietly.

Emma grinned almost wickedly. “Well, if that isn’t kismet, I don’t know what is.”

Charlie snickered despite herself.

“You wanted to talk to him, right?”

She glanced at her sister-in-law. “Yeah.” That seemed to be the only word she was capable of saying at the moment.

Emma glanced over her shoulder at the rest of their group, then swung her focus back to Charlie. “You might want to rideahead. There’s no telling what the others might do when they notice him.”

She made an excellent point. Ash showing up when everyone was present wasn’t exactly a good idea. And yet she wasn’t sure she was ready to speak to Ash as it was. To ride ahead would only make the inevitable conversation take place sooner. She hadn’t prepared what she wanted to tell him. Chances were high that she would end up falling all over herself and acting a fool.

Perhaps she deserved to make a fool of herself after she’d been so blinded by her own fears. It felt like a fitting consequence.

Charlie nodded. “Maybe you’re right.” Without waiting for a response, she nudged her horse forward, leaving all the cowboys in her family in her wake. Her heart rate accelerated more than it probably should. It felt like she was that teenager six years ago as she neared him.

But she wasn’t that teenager anymore. And she’d been miserable enough without Ash in her life for the last couple of weeks to know that she was willing to risk a great deal more just to get him back.

By the time she reached the barn, her hair was windblown and her cheeks flushed. She pushed aside the dismal thoughts of what she must look like and slid from her saddle. Ash stood in the barn doorway, his eyes locking with hers.

Charlie resisted the instinct to glance back to where her family approached. She could tell Ash right now that they should leave to have this conversation, but she didn’t want to lose her nerve.

“Charlie, I know you might not want to see me?—”

“We need to talk.”

They both froze after speaking at once. Charlie blinked, trying to compute what he’d just said to her. Then she offeredhim a shy smile, relieved when he gave her the same. She laughed and looked away.

“Charlie,” he whispered this time, taking a step toward her. He reached a hand out to touch her but then pulled it back.

Her heart stuttered. She’d made so many mistakes when she’d told him she didn’t want to see him again. So many regrets from their past conversations. “Why are you here?” she whispered back.

Ash searched her eyes. “I wanted to see you. I couldn’t…” his voice broke. “I tried, but I couldn’t leave everything the way it was.”

She knew exactly how he felt. Heat seared her cheeks, the embarrassment of the apology she needed to give him flooding her chest. Now was as good a time as ever. “I need to apologize.”

He stilled, his eyes raking over her as he waited for her to speak.

Charlie closed her eyes tight, not caring that a tear slipped out from one of them. “I was wrong.”

Still, he didn’t move. He didn’t speak. She’d caught him off guard.

When she opened her eyes, another tear slipped down her cheek. “I shouldn’t have asked you to quit your job. It wasn’t fair. You’d been working toward that career long before we ever became an item. I… it was selfish… to ask.” Her lip trembled no matter how hard she attempted to keep it in check. “I should have never tried to take away something that brought you joy. I want you to be happy—even if it means you’re doing something as dangerous as you are.”

Simply making this confession eased the pressure in her chest. She sucked in a deep breath and exhaled. This wasn’t to say that she was okay with his career choice. She knew she’d have to deal with a great amount of anxiety, but it would be worth it just so she could have him back.

If he wanted her back.

Ash brought his hand forward to gently palm her face. “You’re too late.”

Once again, she felt like she was falling, her heart stumbling and crashing within her. “I… what?” she asked in a whisper.

“You’re too late. I already told Tanner I want to quit being a smoke jumper.”

“Ash,” she blustered. “You can’t. You love that job. It’s what you’ve always wanted to do. You can’t just quit. Call him back. Tell him you changed your mind.” She moved closer to him, her hands shaking as she reached for his back pocket, where he usually kept his phone.

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