Page 20 of Trusting a Cowgirl

“You’re going to let me choose what we do?”

Lifting a shoulder, she let a small smile steal across her face. “Sure. I’d say you earned it.”

He didn’t speak right away. She almost thought he wasn’t able to come up with something and she’d have to make a few suggestions. But then he surprised her. “Anything?”

She dragged her eyes up to meet his. “That’s what I said.”

“Could we postpone our session to later tonight?”

The hopefulness in his voice reminded her of that of a child. It was soft, and there was a hint of longing that rested beneath the surface. There was no way she’d be able to tell him no. Not with the sweet look on his face.

“What do you have in mind?”

“A sunset.”

Her brows shot up and her stomach flipped for no other reason than because this was the most extraordinary request a guy like Riley could have made.

“It’s okay if we can’t. I’m sure there are rules and—”

“I’m sure we can get special permission. I’d have to talk to Shane about it. But if that’s what you would really like to do, I don’t see why not. I think it sounds like a wonderful idea. There are studies that suggest sunsets improve a person’s mental state and relieve stress…” Her voice died off and she flushed. He didn’t need any more reminders that he was here to get that kind of help. “You stay here with Maple. I’ll run back to the club and check with Shane.”

He turned away from her, focusing on Maple again. His voice grew gruff, edged with emotion. “Thanks.”

She placed a hand on his forearm, a gesture of support but was taken aback by the muscular tension in his arm. Beneath the jacket, he was built like a cowboy. He probably could have been one in another life.

Grace yanked her hand back and let out a strangled laugh, then hurried away. That was a bad idea. What waswrongwith her? Letting her thoughts run rampant wasn’t allowed. If this was how things were going to keep going, she might have to consider a different path when it came to the therapeutic work she was doing.

The whole way to the club, she repeated in her head the rules she needed to follow. Number one being that she couldn’t fall for the guy she was helping. Number two was that she couldn’t fantasize about him either.

Her heart fluttered, her head argued, and her stomach knotted, causing the rest of her body to feel out of sync.

The worst part was that Riley hadn’t even been here very long. She was going to be stuck working with him close enough that it would only get more difficult to focus on being professional, given her current track record.

She pulled herself to a sharp stop at Shane’s door and turned around in a circle. How had she gotten here so fast? It was as if she’d been on autopilot the whole way from the corral. She couldn’t even remember coming through the doors to the building.

Grace shook her head and let out a sigh before knocking on the door. Quiet voices drifted toward her, and then the door handle turned and Brielle materialized in front of her. Grace stiffened and her brows creased. “Bri? What are you doing here?”

Brielle glanced over her shoulder, then shut the door behind her as she stepped out of the office. “I had to visit with Shane about something.”

Eyes narrowing, Grace shot a look at the closed door and a sly smile touched her lips. “That’s still going on, is it?”

Her older sister rolled her eyes and pushed past her. “Absolutely not. I have zero interest in Shane Owens.” She turned around, her hands on her hips as she faced Grace once more. “And don’t you even think about spreading that kind of gossip. You’d be no better than all those women in town who can’t think of anything better to do with their time than ruin the lives of young women like us.”

Grace snorted. “You’re not getting any younger.”

A gasp ripped from Brielle’s lips. “Grace! That’s a terrible thing to say.”

“Well, you aren’t. Don’t you think it’s about time you figure out what you want and go for it? All of us have something we’re doing now that Dad relaxed some of his rules.”

Brielle shifted her weight to the other foot and folded her arms. “I don’t have to do anything. I am perfectly content helping Adeline around the ranch. But in case you’re wondering, I’m offering my services to the Keagans. Their ranch needs a lot of repairs. On top of that, it’s a disaster inside. I’m helping Annabel get things figured out so they can be ready for spring.”

“How does that have anything to do with Shane?”

“He’s the one facilitating it—financially. I was just giving him some updates on how the projects are going.”

Grace cocked her head, placing one hand on her hip. “Sounds to me like you’re just looking for an excuse to come visit him. Are you sure you don’t find him attractive?”

“Shane? Sure he’s attractive. But there’s no way I’m going to settle down with a guy who has more ego than I have shoes.” She flipped her hair and strode away, leaving Grace to laugh at her.

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