Page 43 of Some Cowboys Fight for Love

Just recalling the message put her teeth on edge. She hated the way he got under her skin. She was tempted to message Sophia and ask her more about Cayden’s involvement with the hearing. Had he approached Sophia for information?

Aria’s stomach knotted and twisted angrily.

Daniel pulled his horse up beside her, but when she wouldn’t look at him directly, he urged his steed to block the trail. Her horse made a disgruntled sound and tossed her head. This wasn’t supposed to be part of their ride. It wasn’t fair that Daniel could read her like a book. He wasn’t supposed to know her well enough to be able to do that—at least not yet.

A sigh burst from Aria’s lips and she gave him a guarded look. She wasn’t about to tell him anything about Cayden or the threats she felt he was giving her. He wasn’t going to come. Hopefully he had no idea where she was and was just trying to intimidate her.

When Daniel’s pointed stare became too much for her to ignore, she sighed again.

“I’m fine. Really. Just have a lot on my mind.”

“Such as?” he pressed.

She wanted to glare at him, to tell him to mind his own business and leave her alone. She wanted to remind him that there were simply parts of their lives that they weren’t going to talk about. She didn’t go around asking him about all the girls he’d dated or if they treated him right when they’d been dating.

So why should she tell Daniel anything about Cayden?

There was simply no reason.

“My dad,” she blurted.

His concerned expression seemed to harden and his eyes narrowed slightly before his features softened. Then he nodded. She eyed him, watching for any sign he might not believe her. The truth was, as much as she hated what was happening with her father, she knew Mateo and Sophia were handling it. She knew that she’d get any important information, and if her father actually got out earlier than they’d expected, Mateo would have a plan in place.

They’d already discussed moving her mother and sister to Copper Creek.

But this whole thing with Cayden was causing issues with the way she wanted to live her life—free of thoughts and memories ofhim. Why couldn’t the cretin leave her alone?

“I’m sure everything will be okay. Your father has a history of violent behavior. They wouldn’t let him out just because he was behaving in prison.”

She huffed. They both knew his statement was false. The judicial system wasn’t perfect. Far from it. Her father might actually be let out, and there would be nothing she could do about it unless he ended up hurting someone again. She’d made her peace with the fact that her father was a monster.

Aria became distinctly aware that Daniel was still watching her. He was probably trying to figure out if she was still upset about her father or if she was dealing with something else.

If only he knew.

She forced a smile—one that had his expression tightening. It was the same look he used to give her when they barely knew one another.

Shoot!

There was that talent of his shining through that showed her just how well he knew her. He could tell she was still holding back.

A laugh bubbled out of her throat, and even to her it sounded forced. “Really, Daniel. I’m fine. My life isn’t perfect, and there are a lot of issues that revolve around that sort of thing. Sometimes I’m going to have a bad day. I’m sure you can relate.” She prayed that he would accept her explanation at face value—at least for now. She needed him to drop this whole thing so she could get back to ignoring Cayden and those stupid messages.

She didn’t know why she hadn’t blocked the number. Probably because she’d been so distracted by her father’shearing and meeting Daniel. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. What would stop him from getting a new number and trying again?

Finally, Daniel seemed to get the hint. He straightened fully in the saddle and pulled the reins around so he was no longer blocking the trail. Her own horse moved up to walk beside his, and they rode in silence.

What she wouldn’t give to have a topic of conversation that could get them both off of this downward trajectory. The air was far too cold between them, and it had nothing to do with the chill from the autumn breeze.

She nearly asked him if he wanted to go out to that country club so the two of them could have a normal evening, but then her phone chimed again.

Daniel glanced over at her, his shrewd gaze locking on her and what she would do next. She should have silenced her phone, but she didn’t want to miss any calls from Sophia or her family.

“You gonna check that?”

She paled. There was only one person who was messaging her regularly and it wasn’t anyone she wanted to talk to.

“Aria,” he murmured, his voice tight. “Is something going on that you’re not telling me? Someone harassing you?”

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