Page 16 of Making a Cowgirl

It wasn’t going to be easy, but if Brielle wanted him to befriend Sarah, he’d try. It would just be so much easier if she’d let down the walls she insisted on building around her. Maybe he needed to reach her from a different angle.

They pulled into Sal’s Diner and he climbed out. When Sarah had shut her door, he gestured toward the building. “They make the best pies here. I suggest the rhubarb, but Sean Baker’s family is partial to the apple.” He held out his arm. “After you.”

She moved past him almost hesitantly. Once they were inside, she darted almost immediately for a booth on the wall with the large windows facing the parking lot. Dax removed his hat and gave a nod to the waitress before sitting across from Sarah.

He put his hat on the bench beside him and snatched a toothpick, placing it between his lips. Sarah glanced up at him. She must have felt his gaze on her. Instead of glowering at him like she was wont to do, she turned back to her menu. It rose up between them—yet another wall she had to put between herself and those around her. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Her voice was muffled behind the menu.

Dax placed his finger on the top of the menu and pulled it down so he could see her face. “It’s been two weeks and I still know next to nothing about you.”

She tugged the menu back in place. “You know as much as you need to.”

He chuckled. “Why are you so scared to let anyone in?”

Her voice came from behind the menu, uncertain. “I’m not scared.”

Dax tilted his head to the side. What, or who, was she hiding from? “That’s what I said when I first came here.” He’d caught her off guard with that one. Maybe Brielle had a point. He’d been more open with Brielle because he’d wanted her to see him. He couldn’t say the same about Sarah.

Well, now was his chance to try a different approach.

He pulled the toothpick from his lips and twisted it between his finger and thumb. “Yeah. I was barely out of high school. My mom—if you want to call her that—she’d fostered me since I was ten. She never adopted me. Honestly, I don’t think they would have let her. It was a headache to get approval to be a foster parent as a single woman anyway.” He lifted his gaze, finding Sarah’s big brown eyes peeking over the top of her menu and staring at him like he’d grown another head.

Dax chuckled and put the toothpick in the corner of his mouth. “Yep. When she passed away, her brother gave me a job.” He left out all the nitty-gritty details of the darker moments of his life. She didn’t need to know that he’d spent some time at juvie. Nor did she need to know that he was currently in AA. All she needed to know was that he could relate to her on some kind of level.

“Whatever it is you’re trying to hide, you don’t have to. I can assure you that the people here have seen it all. They’re welcoming folks if you give them a chance. You’re one of us, Sarah. You might not believe that yet, but you’ll come around.”

She stared at him long enough he thought that she might actually tell him something more. But all she did was lift the menu between them again.

So much for giving a little information and expecting to get something in return. This woman had to be the most stubborn person he’d ever encountered. He turned on the bench, resting his arm on the table and scanning the room.

“My mom had—hasthis plan for me.”

His turned to look at her again, but the only view he had was the top of her head. She put the menu down, her face a strained mix of sadness and frustration.

“She’s always wanted me to be perfect. I have to fit in this little box of hers. So, I moved out and went to a school halfway across the country.”

“Where are you from?”

“Florida.”

His brows lifted. “Thatisfar. Did it help?”

She snorted. “What do you think?”

“I’m sure that was really hard. So what are your plans after this summer? Finish college and move home, right?”

Sarah nodded. “And I guess I’ll be walking down the path my mother has paved for me.”

His brows furrowed. “You know you don’t have to—”

“Hello, honey.” The waitress flashed Dax a smile and put the water on the table. “What can I get the two of you?”

Sarah glanced at Dax, then looked away. “I’m really not that hungry.”

Dax looked up at the waitress, grabbing the menu from Sarah as he did. “We’ll both have a burger and a chocolate shake.”

The waitress nodded, retrieving the menus.

Sarah shot him a dirty look, and he laughed. “Humor me. Eat a couple bites. We aren’t done with your training today.”

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