Page 16 of Roping Reba

I watched as Moira left to check on the kids before turning back to Reba. “You really scared me out there.”

She blinked at me, her fingers tightening slightly around the ice pack.

“I knew that mare was a risk, but I still let you get too close. I should’ve?—”

“Stop.”

Her voice was soft but firm, cutting through my guilt like a blade.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Johnny. I knew what I was doing and you know that. Working with wild horses is a risk, and it’s one I was willing to take.”

I shook my head. “Still doesn’t mean I enjoyed seeing you go down like that.”

She looked away, focusing on the ice pack, and for a moment, silence stretched between us.

Then she sighed. “Guess you get to say, ‘I told you so’ now, huh?”

I frowned. “That’s not what this is about.”

“No? Seems like the perfect opportunity.”

I exhaled sharply. “I don’t want to be right, Reba. I want you safe.”

Her lips parted slightly, and for a second, I thought she was going to say something real, something honest. But then she shook her head, shifting on the couch with a wince.

“I just need to rest for a bit. I’ll be fine.”

“You need to take it easy for more than a bit,” I countered.

She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t start, Johnny.”

Too late.

“Reba, this isn’t some minor scrape. You might have a cracked rib. You will see an actual medical professional and follow their orders.”

“And what, let you do all the work? Not happening.”

I stared at her, biting back the frustration clawing its way up my throat. She was the most stubborn damn woman I’d ever met.

“You’re impossible,” I muttered.

“And yet, here you are.”

“Yeah, here I am. And I ain’t going anywhere, so you might as well get used to it.”

Her smirk faltered. Just slightly. She shifted again, adjusting the ice pack, and I could tell she was trying to ignore the weight of my words.

“Well,” she said after a beat, her tone lighter, deflecting, “If you’re sticking around, you might as well make yourself useful and check on the horses. Make sure that damn mare didn’t break out of the pasture.”

I held her gaze for a moment before nodding.

“Fine,” I said, standing. “But we are heading over to the Ranch as soon as I get back, so don’t even think about sneaking out there yourself.”

She rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. I stepped toward the door, but before I left, I glanced back. She was still watching me, something unreadable in her eyes. Yeah. This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

CHAPTER 7

Reba

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