Page 6 of Some Cowboys Fight for Love

Their paths wouldn’t cross if he had anything to say about it.

For a first day, it wasn’t so bad.

Sophia was one of the better wranglers he’d had the pleasure of covering for. She had lists upon lists, schedules and notes written up and waiting for him. She told him which horses needed to be worked with first and the bits about their temperament that he needed to watch out for.

All in all, it was a good day, and he found that he was looking forward to the rest of the week.

Could be more than that, though.

The voice in his head taunted him. Mateo had mentioned as much when he’d agreed to help out. He’d been vague about why he had to leave for Georgia. There was a family issue that needed resolving. Daniel wasn’t the type to pry, and he thought he’d seen the appreciation in Mateo’s eyes when he agreed to the favor without any further prodding.

By the time he’d completed his work, the girls had left their spying post. Daniel had opted to take Sophia’s horse to the cabin. She’d named the animal Tilly, and while she showed shecould have an attitude, she was also sweet. No, it wasn’t an attitude. She was spirited.

After he got her all settled down in the lean-to, he headed for the cabin. The building was cold without the fire going during the day, and that was the first thing he planned on remedying.

He started a small fire, then stood back and watched the flames flicker. The light danced throughout the dim room, warming his body after he’d cooled on his ride back.

His stomach growled, prompting him to glance over at the kitchen. Daniel couldn’t recall the last time he’d fixed his own meal. Charlie was the cook at home, and since she was the youngest, he hadn’t had to worry about her moving out and feeding her husband.

That’d change here real soon.

While he wasn’t concerned about warming up a can of chili or fixing himself sandwiches for the next week, it was eating alone that seemed to bother him most.

Today, he’d avoided that very thing by skipping lunch. Now, he was regretting it.

Daniel moved toward the small kitchen and opened the fridge. Unfortunately, it wasn’t filled like he’d expected. Last night he’d been too tired and distracted by Aria to look around. It had been a mistake to assume there was food readily available.

Hadn’t Sophia said she’d have food for him?

They were probably too distracted to make sure the fridge was stocked. It wasn’t their fault. He’d just have to head out to the store tomorrow.

The cupboards were also mostly empty—except for a couple cans of food. Corned beef hash and green beans. If he’d been anyone else, he might have wrinkled his nose at his options. But with his upbringing, he’d eaten things no child should have had to try.

He pulled the cans from the cupboard and placed them on the counter. Then he started hunting around for the can opener. Two drawers down, and there was a knock at the door, putting a stop to his hunt.

Daniel straightened from where he was digging into a drawer full of large utensils. His gaze turned to the door. After finding Aria in the cabin last night, he’d made sure to lock the door behind him. It wasn’t that he thought she’d break in—or perhaps there was a part of him that wondered if she might.

He sent one more glance in the direction of the open drawer, not seeing a can opener in the jumbled mess. There were other ways to open canned food. He’d use the pocketknife he had in his truck if he had to.

Daniel ran a hand back and forward over the top of his head, mussing his hair as he moved toward the door. He didn’t bother looking through the spy hole. His rifle still rested against the wall beside the door. And intruders didn’t typically knock.

The locks clicked and he turned the knob, but before he could pull it open all the way, the door was shoved into his chest. He took a startled step backward, and then his gaze locked withher.

Aria flashed him that fake smile she constantly wore.

So incredibly fake.

His eyes narrowed as he took in the fact that she hadn’t come empty-handed. Aside from the fact that she’d probably walked this whole way carrying the brown paper bags in her arms, she’d arrived unannounced—neither fact was something he was terribly thrilled about.

Daniel folded his arms. “Did you forget something?”

She let out a laugh.

Also fake.

“Do I need a reason to swing by and visit with my friend?”

At his confused stare, she laughed again. At least this one sounded more genuine.

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