Page 38 of Trusting a Cowgirl

“I believe that’s exactly what I’m suggesting.”

She shook her head and set her sights on the road again. “I don’t believe you. You’ve been against this from the start.”

He shifted in his seat, turning his face away from her as he looked out his window. “You’re not wrong. I don’t really like talking about my time as a soldier. There’s nothing I can do to change that part of my life. Why dwell on it?”

“Because it helps.”

He huffed, but it didn’t sound as harsh as it had in previous conversations. “I have yet to see evidence of that.”

Grace couldn’t help it. She rolled her eyes. “Do you remember your first day here? Our first session? Compare it to how you are today. I’m sure if you thought about it hard enough, you’d be able to see the difference.”

He didn’t speak up right away. And when he did, he shifted around so he could look at her. It took everything in her power not to meet his gaze. Once more, she tightened her grip on the steering wheel, preparing for what he had to say.

“You make a decent point.”

It felt like she’d been hit over the head. Had Riley actually admitted he agreed with her sentiment? She chanced a look in his direction and her throat closed up, finding his gaze on her. She moistened her lips and forced herself to return her eyes to the road. “Good. I’m glad you can see reason.”

“I didn’t say you were right.”

A bark of laughter escaped her lips. “Of course you didn’t. But actually, you did.”

Riley shook his head. “I said you made a good point. But let me make one. Don’t you have good days and bad days? When you aren’t feeling your best, aren’t you a little more cranky and would prefer to just be left alone?”

“Yes…” she drawled. “But even when I’m having a really bad day, you won’t catch me breaking the law.” Grace knew she shouldn’t have said that the second the words escaped her lips. She flinched. “I didn’t mean—”

“It’s fine. You’re right on that one, too. Looks like you’re winning this one.”

She sighed. “Riley, it’s not about winning and losing. If you’re improving, then we’re both winning.”

He grew quiet.

That’s when she knew she’d made a mistake. She shouldn’t have brought up his past—at least not like that. He probably thought she was judging him—again.

Grace bit back a groan. Why couldn’t she be more eloquent with her words? Why couldn’t she see where a conversation was headed before it got there so she could take a detour? “Riley, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Really. You’re completely right. I didn’t behave in a way that was acceptable. Perhaps it’s not my PTSD that needs to be treated. It’s my personality.”

She gave him a disheartened look. There was nothing she could say to fix this. Somehow she could sense it. They needed to get on another topic of conversation. But what?

“Do you know why I decided to learn about therapeutic services?”

He didn’t respond.

“I wanted to help people. I would imagine you joined the army for the same reason. You said you joined about fifteen years ago—that’s after the terrorist attacks in New York, right? You probably wanted to be in the army since you were a kid.”

He glanced at her again but kept quiet.

“It got me thinking. From what I’ve read, a lot of men and women who joined after that tragedy did so because they wanted to fight for a cause. Not because it was their only option. You’re a good man. I don’t think you give yourself enough credit. Yes, you were assigned to therapy here. But you want to know what I think? If you weren’t a good guy, you wouldn’t have come. You would have just given the proverbial middle finger to the people who sent you this way.”

She peeked at him, thrilled to find his features softening and the corners of his mouth lifting into that smile that had the power to send her stomach reeling. She grinned to herself. Good. They’d avoided the catastrophe.

The strangest part was that every word she’d said had been confessed honestly. Rileywassomeone she admired. It took guts to go through therapy. One of the hardest things to do as a human being was to admit being wrong and accept help. There were several people she knew in town who probably needed therapy and who would never consider even seeing a therapist. Riley was already a step ahead of each of them solely due to his attendance and involvement in Shane’s equine therapy services.

Was it possible Riley had made his own good points over the last week? Maybe he’d come into her life not only so he could be helped, but because she needed someone like him in her life. If she kept it quiet, perhaps she could experiment with the idea. A few dates wouldn’t hurt.

Besides, Riley would be heading out of town when this whole thing was over. On top of that, there were perks to having a solid support system—someone he could trust.

The heat in her body returned as she contemplated what it might mean to date a guy like Riley. He was older. In some ways he was more mature. The flutters in her stomach exploded as she chanced another look in his direction.

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