Page 9 of Some Cowboys Fight for Love

He’d brushed off her advances.

Aria shoved her fingers into her hair and groaned again. Why was she so worried about what he was thinking about her? There wasn’t any reason for her to be embarrassed or to even care what he thought.

And yet here she was, obsessing over a man she barely knew.

It was because he hadn’t shown any indication of being a bad guy.

She couldn’t tell if she was relieved or upset about it. And that understanding hit her so hard in the chest that she nearly lost her breath as she continued rushing for the house.

Daniel didn’t take advantage of her. He hadn’t shown any indication of being abusive. Beyond insisting he return her home, he wasn’t even that controlling. Had she imagined it yesterday when he’d shown up out of nowhere?

Aria refused to rule everything out. Most abusive men didn’t show their true colors until they snagged the woman they wanted.

But he hadn’t wanted you.

No, he hadn’t.

She’d made a mistake. That was the only thing that made sense. She’d been too sensitive about his offer the other night. Sophia had told her that she was too independent for herown good. Her cousin hadn’t known how bad things were with Cayden. No one did.

Aria’s frenzied marching slowed when the house came into view.

If Sophia liked Daniel, and so did Isabelle, then Aria needed to steer clear of the man. She couldn’t get involved with him—even if it was a platonic relationship.

So why did her heart flutter a little more when she thought about bringing him supper tomorrow? She’d promised Sophia that she’d help out. That meant for the next week—two weeks actually—she’d be stopping by the cabin with food.

Aria made it to the house and sagged onto the porch steps.

She couldn’t deny that she felt drawn to him. It was ridiculous. It bordered on dangerous. It was definitely wrong. Placing her head in her hands as she rested her elbows on her knees, she let the guilt wrap around her while her brain sought out any reason that would help her rationalize her infatuation.

Then her head snapped up and she stared out into the darkness with a renewed sense of purpose. He’d been closed off—too private for his own good. He was probably hiding something about himself that could come out later and end up hurting Sophia.

Aria had become a bloodhound, for lack of a better word, when it came to bad men. That had to be the reason she wanted to know more about him. If she could prevent Sophia’s heartache when it came to Daniel, it would be worth the extra time she spent with him. She’d do her own investigating, and if she didn’t find anything, then she’d give her blessing to her cousin.

She nodded resolutely to herself before getting to her feet and heading inside.

Everyone was still up. She heard voices in the back of the house where the kitchen was located. The smell of Italian cuisinefilled the air. She’d told them to eat without her—letting all her cousins know that she’d been tasked with making sure the cowboy in the cabin was eating. Isabelle was the only one who seemed moderately interested.

Now, Aria needed to avoid speaking to any of them. She’d become a master at hiding the parts of her that she didn’t want others to know, but right now her abilities to shield herself had waned. She was exhausted, and all she wanted was to climb into bed.

Aria saunteredup to the corral where Daniel seemed to prefer working with the horses. There was one mare that Sophia had been training to be less anxious when the saddle was placed on her back. Each time Daniel moved closer to her with the saddle in hand, the animal bolted.

She grinned, and he caught sight of it.

“What?” he muttered, his frustration showing.

Aria lifted a shoulder, still genuinely amused.

He shifted the saddle to one arm, capturing it on his hip and sending her a dark look. “I’m sorry, is something funny?”

She snickered. “Looks like you can’t win over every female.”

He stiffened, but his blue eyes darkened slightly. “I already knew that.”

“Oh?” She laughed again, climbing up onto the ledge of the fence that separated them. “How is that, now?”

“You clearly don’t like me very much.”

Her amusement faded. How did he know? She’d been just as nice and flirtatious with him as she was with everyone else. Granted, he was more guarded than the others, but she hadn’t treated him any differently.

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