Page 21 of Fallen Cowboy
I lifted a brow at Troy who just smirked at me, his hand seeking mine.
“Don’t worry, Buck, I like her claws.”
Chapter 10
~ Troy ~
Anelise drove us home and through the whole ride, I could feel how thick the tension was. And I didn’t even do anything.
Buck was the asshole and yet I was getting the blame for it.
Did it put thoughts in my mind, sure. Like it may seem strange, I was walking into this family and already taking a shine to her daughter. But then, it wasn’t either.
And Buck was just a jerk. He was back in the day, and it didn’t seem like he changed much.
“Mommy, I tired.”
“We’re almost home baby, then you can nap. And when you wake, we can help Cook start peeling the apples, how’s that sound?”
“Yummy,” she muttered, her head already tilting to the side for a quick power nap.
“Anelise,” I started, but she just shook her head.
“It’s not you, Troy. You don’t owe me anything. Just, let me stew in my thoughts. I hated Buck, always have. That encounter sure didn’t help his case.”
“No, it didn’t. I wasn’t overly fond of him either. Neither was Markus. But Buck just sorta hung around us and no matter what we did, we couldn’t shake him.”
“I know. Just give me a bit and I’ll be okay.”
“Sure,” I offered with a nod, but it didn’t ease the atmosphere around us, which seemed to be more her doing at this point.
Twenty-five minutes later, we pulled up to her house, the air having eased somewhat. I jumped out, grabbing the barrels of apples while she grabbed MaryBeth.
“I’m going to lay her down. If you’d like, I can meet you in the barn,” she told me, and I nodded.
“These are for you, Cook,” I told the older woman, who gave me a smile.
I closed the door behind me and walked over to the barn, kicking at the rocks as I went. I could only imagine the thoughts rolling through Anelise’s mind. They weren’t pretty. Anyone could have picked up on that.
I was glad she didn’t blame me, but come on, let’s be real, she did.
“Penny for your thoughts.”
I whirled around to face her, surprised she had gotten out here so fast.
“Don’t think you want to know,” I told her, pushing back my hat slightly so I could see her better.
“Maybe I do,” she teased, jumping up and grabbing the hat right off my head. She ran through the gate and towards the barn, where I quickly caught up, and wrapped my arms around her waist, causing her to squeal.
I walked her over to the fence line where I placed her back down, both of us watching the horses working through the training. I locked my arms on either side of her, caging her within my embrace without touching her.
“I’m sorry,” she told me, fiddling with my hat before placing it on her head.
Which, damn it all to hell, we all knew what that meant. She was tempting me to claim her even more, even though she was clearly showing it right now. Sure, no one but the people on the ranch would know.
“You don’t need to be sorry, Anelise,” I told her, kissing her cheek. And she really didn’t.
“We were having a great day and then Buck came and I let it put a huge damper on the mood. Then I let it fester.”
