Page 47 of Some Cowboys Fight for Love

In the beginning, she’d accepted his apologies for what they were. She’d agreed to give him chance after chance.

Was she making a mistake?

Her eyes flew wide at that thought. Making a mistake with Daniel? She couldn’t be. He was nothing like Cayden. Even though he got short with her and immediately apologized didn’t mean that his anger would escalate like it did with Cayden.

Daniel was a good man. The fact that he was worried he would become something worse should be all she needed. She truly believed he would keep himself in check.

A sigh burst from her chest and she threw herself onto her back to stare at the ceiling once again. Daniel hadn’t exactly yelled at her, but he’d raised his voice at her enough to make a difference. The calm collected Daniel she’d gotten to know had been absent when he’d arrived with that packet.

Itwasher fault. She’d not only done something he hadn’t wanted, but she’d also kept it a secret, so he’d been thrown off when the news came. Maybe she should have warned him? The embarrassment over her behavior reared its ugly head once more, and the heat flooded her face until she had to throw the comforter off her body to cool her warmed skin.

She refused to believe this was the beginning of his temper showing through. He wasn’t Cayden. He never would be. Daniel had a right to be upset with her and she should accept that she’d been the only one in the wrong.

Aria allowed herself to close her eyes and a small smile touched her lips. He’d won. Everything in her essay was about him. She’d used only what she knew about him and wrapped it in a neat little bow. The draft of that house was all him. She didn’t care what he thought about her writing the essay for him. He still would have won; she just knew it.

The following day, she hovered, unsure of how he’d react if she got too close or tried to talk to him before he’d made his decision. Apparently, Camilla had had enough of the rambunctious pups she was training and needed a break. Together, they leaned against the railing that surrounded the area where Daniel continued working with the most stubborn horse.

Camilla snorted when the horse took off before Daniel even got within a few feet of the animal. “I don’t know why Sophia is so adamant that we get that horse saddle ready. I’m sure there are other things she can be used for.”

Aria glanced at her cousin and her brows knit together. “Like what?”

Camilla shrugged. “Pulling a cart or breeding. I wouldn’t be surprised if we could sell her at auction for something like that. She’s been the most stubborn horse I’ve seen, and that’s saying something.”

“Is she good with the dogs?”

Her cousin nodded. “Most of the horses here are since our focus is more on training the dogs. Sophia has a soft spot for this one, I think.” Camilla’s eyes shifted to Daniel. “Any word on when everything will be wrapped up back home? I’m getting tired of having to deal with my brothers without Mateo here to mediate.”

A smile tugged onto Aria’s face. Nothing was more important to Mateo than his family. She wouldn’t have been surprised to discover that the man had refused to find a wife because he wasmore concerned about his family and this ranch. He’d been the one to start up the ranch dog training program, leaving his folks back in Montana.

Aria’s uncle and aunt worked on a ranch up there—one that didn’t belong to them. Her cousins hadn’t wanted to stick around working something that didn’t belong to their family. She’d been surprised to discover that the siblings all stuck together and made this place work.

She adored how close they were. Her own relationship with her sister wasn’t the greatest. Aria figured it was due to how absent she’d been during high school and college. It didn’t matter that she’d dropped out of school to help out her mother when things got really bad.

But as soon as her father was arrested, she’d left.

Her stomach knotted and she forced those memories aside to find Daniel watching her.

Camilla nudged her ribs with her elbow. “If I didn’t know any better, I would think that the two of you have something going on.”

There was no use denying it. She’d been out to the cabin every night with dinner. How could something not start between the two of them? Aria shrugged. “Yeah. He’s pretty great.”

Camilla smiled thoughtfully and tilted her head. There was no telling how much she knew about Cayden. Aria had only confided in Sophia—and hadn’t even given her the whole truth. “I think he’s good for you.”

Aria’s head snapped around so she could stare at her cousin with surprise. “What makes you say that?”

A lift of one shoulder was all Camilla offered before she turned her eyes back to the cowboy. “When you got here, you were… different. I don’t know. Something’s changed, and I have a feeling it has more to do with Daniel than it does anything else.”

She glanced over at Daniel, who was smiling at her. A smile crossed her face unbidden. “Yeah, maybe so.”

“Really? You’re gonna do it?”Aria squealed, jumping up and down before throwing her arms around Daniel’s shoulders. She pulled back and gave him a broad grin. “That didn’t take long.”

His arms slipped around her waist like they belonged there. “Yeah, well, you said yourself that dreams are important.”

“And I was right.”

He nodded, a deep-throated hum reverberating from his chest. “You were.”

Her body thrummed with his closeness, especially as his face lowered closer to hers. She found herself leaning into him, arching so she could feel the warmth of his body encircling her. “Just remember that when I tell you to do something in the future.”

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