Page 14 of Some Cowboys Fight for Love

Angry and full of embarrassment, she moved back to the bed and plopped down on her stomach, not bothering to change her clothes. Exhaustion nipped at her. What she needed right now was a good night’s rest.

Roman and Camilla were the only two she’d passed on her way up to her room. Her cousins had glanced at her with curiosity, but they didn’t ask her how her date had gone, nor did they push her about her mood.

Sophia wouldn’t have let her go without a full report.

It was probably good she was still in Georgia.

Aria’s eyes fluttered closed as she turned her face to bury it into the cool side of the pillow. Tomorrow would be another day—another chance for her to get to the bottom of why Daniel felt the need to step in when it wasn’t his responsibility.

Aria groanedwhen the light poured into her room. She’d forgotten to close the drapes, and after the restless night she’d had, it would have been nice to get a few extra hours.

Curse her body’s inability to fall back to sleep after light hit her lids.

She turned her face away from the window and rolled onto her back, pressing the heels of her hands to her eyes. Nightmares of assault and abuse had kept her tossing and turning. Even now, her heart raced slightly just thinking of them.

Shutting her eyes only brought vivid images back. It wasn’t difficult to connect what was happening. The incident with Brett had triggered something in her subconscious. As much as she hated to admit it, she was going to have to say something to Daniel.

The guilt over how she’d treated him after he’d helped her was almost worse than the nightmares.

Almost.

Aria pulled herself from her bed and sat on the edge. The only thing propelling her forward at this point was the need to get this off her chest. He was a brute of a man who probably had a hero complex or something, but he didn’t deserve to be blamed for her rotten attitude.

A sigh stretched from her chest as she got to her feet. Daniel was probably already up. He rose early. And he was always working.

Then again, Sophia was similar. And if she had a list for him, he was the exact kind of guy who would do everything she asked of him.

Aria dressed and all but dragged herself from the house. Camilla and Isabelle were in a room off the kitchen with some puppies that had been born a couple weeks ago. Their soft croons were a temptation for Aria to go check out the pups herself.

She ignored the pull. Aria knew better than to get sidetracked when something nagged at her. Seeing Daniel after last night would be excruciating, but she’d pull on that happy-go-lucky mask she was so proud of wearing and make him believe she was unruffled.

It’s what she always did.

Aria moved toward the front door and slipped out before the itch to see the pups grew too strong. She skipped down the steps and made her way across the dew-covered lawn. It was early enough that the water droplets hadn’t evaporated. Soon enough those water droplets would freeze and crunch beneath her feet. It would get colder here than back in Georgia, and she found she actually liked it more than she expected.

Somehow the crisp air brought with it a sense of new life despite the cooler temperatures. Aria hadn’t wanted to leave once she’d arrived. At first her visit to Copper Creek had been a getaway—a means to escape a life she’d hated. Now she might never go back. She’d even gotten some freelance writing work. Sitting in front of a computer was a much better option than clocking in at an office building.

Then again, perhaps she’d missed her calling and working with her cousins might be a better option.

She breathed in deeply, then stopped in her tracks when she caught sight of him.

As expected, he was busy. He guided a horse by her reins toward the corral. It was a different one than he’d been working with the last time she’d watched. This time he had one of Mateo’s dogs with him. They were probably going to work more on how the animals cooperated together.

Aria shoved her hands into her pockets and moved toward him. No use getting cold feet now. If she gave him his thanks, then she could scurry away and hide for the next couple of days.

Yeah, right.

Aria had only chosen to hide from two men in her life, and she’d vowed to never do that again. She was strong and capable.

With a lift of her chin, she trudged forward.

Daniel gave her a brief cursory glance, his hardened expression not changing even a bit when she flashed a smile at him. If anything, he might look more irritated upon her arrival.

Well, he was just going to have to learn to deal with it.

“Hey,” she chirped, taking her usual spot on the corral fence.

Daniel couldn’t even muster a grunt.

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