Page 7 of Pretend To Be My Cowboy
“So wait, you have a baseball team?” Emma asked, eyes wide after he’d told her about yet another local tradition at the ballpark.
“It’s just a college-level expedition league,” he said with a shrug.
“Still, that sounds like so much fun.”
He glanced over in surprise because...she was serious. He hadn’t realized anyone could get so excited about the local summer festivities that he’d been taking part in, and probably taking for granted, his whole life.
She sank back into her seat with a sigh and turned her attention to the view again. “I don’t know how you do it,” she said softly.
“Do what?”
She gestured to the green field before her, which was dotted with cattle under the clear blue sky. “I don’t know how you drive past this every day and manage to get anything done.” She flashed him a smile over her shoulder. “If I lived here I’d probably spend all my time twiddling my thumbs and gawking at the beautiful scenery.”
One corner of his mouth hitched up at the image. “I doubt that.”
This woman fairly crackled with energy. Not a frantic nervousness, but a life-affirming, peaceful sort of energy. Like she got up every morning with purpose and went to bed each night knowing she’d done some good in the world.
He found his gaze straying in her direction over and over again with each passing mile. If it wasn’t for the fact that wildlife could dart into the road at any moment, he would have been content to sit there and stare at this gorgeous creature who’d just strolled into his life like she belonged there.
Belonged there?
What?
Slow down, buddy.
Get your head on straight.
He tightened his grip on the wheel and stared at the road ahead, determined not to look at her again.
It was a good thing she was only staying in town for a week, because if she lived here…? Well, he might just spend all his time twiddling his thumbs and gawking ather.
3
Emma was torn in two. Part of her was anxious to reach her father’s house, and another part of her wished this drive could last a lifetime.
She was having fun talking to Nash, that was part of it. Once she’d gotten past the too-hot-to-handle aspect, she found him remarkably easy to talk to. Not to mention, he was a veritable fountain of information about Aspire. The more she learned about the town, the more excited she was to see it with her own eyes.
There was only one topic she hadn’t asked Nash about. Her father.
She wasn’t sure what was holding her back. Maybe she was afraid of the answers she’d get. Or maybe she just didn’t want to admit to this kind, handsome stranger that she barely knew the man. Either way, the closer they got to the house the more she wished they had several more hours to go.
She wasn’t ready.
She didn’t want to do this on her own. She should have insisted that Lizzy come with her, or even her mom. Heck, it might be weird to show up at her father’s house with her step dad, but even that would be preferable to going there alone.
Well… She glanced over at Nash’s clean-cut jaw and high cheekbones. Alone with this guy. But she was pretty sure he didn’t count as moral support since he was only here as an employee of the ranch.
Ridiculously hot or not, he wasn’t her family and he certainly wasn’t her boyfriend.
And yet, she wanted nothing more than to stay in this truck with him rather than face whatever legacy her father had left behind. But she couldn’t exactly ask Nash to take even more time out of his no doubt busy schedule because she was a chicken who didn’t want to face the fact that her father was gone, along with her chance to get to know him.
“You want to stop in town for lunch first?” Nash asked when they reached a junction in the road that would have led them downtown.
Yes! Let’s stop for lunch and then a stroll and then maybe dinner and dessert and really just about anything to kill time would do, thanks.
She took a deep breath. “That’s all right, thank you, though. I should get this over with.”
Get this over with?Nice, Emma.She probably sounded like a heartless witch.
