Page 35 of Hell or High Water

I dropped the bag from my hand and looked at him. “You want me to keep you company?” I asked.

His deep chuckle was one I didn’t hear enough, but when I did, it gave me goose bumps.

“Who else would I be talking to?”

Oh, I don’t know. Anyone but me.

“Uh, the last time I checked, you would rather eat rocks than be around me.”

He was grinning when he looked back at me again. “That’s a little harsh. I love my teeth. I wouldn’t eat rocks for anyone.”

Rolling my eyes, I walked over to a stool and sat down. “Did Linc say what Baskin wanted to do about Crew?” I asked him.

Than put the eggs onto two plates. “Nope. Do you want bacon? There’s some in the fridge I can fry up.”

Frustrated that he wasn’t giving me more information about my school situation, I replied. “Yes. I mean, if you want some too.”

“Six, there will never come a time when I don’t want bacon,” he drawled as he smirked at me.

My brows drew together. “Six?”

He opened the door to the refrigerator and retrieved the bacon. “Montana is a mouthful.”

“So, you’re going to call me Six?” I asked. “As if it’s not insulting enough that you ranked me a six, you have to remind me by calling me Six?” I should have gone to the bedroom.

He plopped the package of bacon onto the counter, then turned to me. “You’re not blind or that naive,” he told me.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, wishing I didn’t care about that damn ranking.

Than walked over to the counter and placed both his hands, palms down, on it, then leaned toward me. “You know what you look like. You know how guys react to you.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and straightened, wanting to put a little distance between us—because with him that close, it made me frazzled. And why did he smell so good? Had he taken a shower, and where?

“We’re talking about you, not all guys,” I pointed out.

He moved back, and his eyes drifted down to my chest, then back up to my face slowly. “You’re not a six,” he said, then went to get the package of bacon and opened it.

I wanted to ask what number I was, but I also feared the answer. His rankings were insulting anyway, and I refused to believe all guys ranked females.

“I let Jack out this morning when I went down to the stables to get a shower. I need to go let out Diane and Heartland after we eat.” He glanced back at me. “You want to ride Jack? I’ll give you your first lesson.”

My head snapped up from studying my hands in my lap, and I stared at him to see if he was serious. He was waiting on a response.

“Me, ride a horse?”

His grin was back, and he nodded. “Jack will be good for a beginner. He belongs to Stevie, Linc’s little girl. She learned to ride on him.”

Wow. Linc’s daughter had her own horse.

I wanted to ride, but I was also scared. The horses were beautiful, but the idea of getting on the back of one was intimidating.

“Is this your attempt to kill me off?” I asked.

He threw back his head and laughed as the bacon began to sizzle in the skillet. “No, I swear you’ll be safe.”

I sat there for a moment and watched him. This change in his treatment of me was suspicious. He’d barely been able to be around me yesterday.

Deciding to just ask and get it out there, I blurted, “Why are you suddenly treating me differently?”

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