Page 56 of Trusting a Cowgirl

Grace cleared her throat. “He’s my friend and he needed a ride.” She tried to sound as nonchalant as she possibly could, but her voice still came out strained no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

Her father sensed her discomfort. It was written all over his face in the way his brows twitched to the tight line of his mouth. “How long will you be gone?”

Faye breezed into the room, a flushed smile on her face. “Ready.”

Grace stifled a groan. “Are you sure you want to come? It’s going to be boring.”

“She’s going. I didn’t give you that truck so you could monopolize it. You have a job that’s off this property. That truck was your mother’s. You remember the deal. If your sisters need a ride, you facilitate that.” Her father picked up his newspaper, his earlier question apparently forgotten.

Eloise had lost interest in the conversation long ago. Brielle was the only one who seemed to stay interested enough to glance up every so often.

Grace sighed. “Come on.” She didn’t know how Riley would feel about having a third wheel. She didn’t mind the extra visitor. She just didn’t want Faye to end up telling their father what was actually going on. If Riley held Grace’s hand, touched her… kissed her… then Faye would have an arsenal of information just from those innocent displays of affection.

Oh boy. This was not what she wanted.

The whole drive over to the country club, Grace itched to warn Faye about who Riley really was. But she couldn’t find the words to tell her sister any of it. She couldn’t exactly demand that she keep her mouth shut. People always wanted to do something more when they were told they couldn’t.

So they drove in silence all the way up until they stopped in front of Riley’s cabin. Faye moved to the backseat without waiting for Grace to make the request, and Riley exited his temporary home at the same moment.

His steps slowed and he glanced up at the driver’s side window with curiosity. His brows furrowed. Then a small smile appeared on his face and he climbed into the truck. Without preamble, he twisted in his seat and glanced back at Faye. “Which one are you?”

She stared at him, confusion plastered on her face. Her eyes darted from him to Grace and back. “Pardon?”

“Which sister? I’m assuming you are Grace’s sister. She hasn’t let me meet any of you besides Brielle—”

“We should probably get going. Faye needs to pick up some stuff in town. That’s why she’s coming along.” Grace backed out and headed toward the main road. “I’ll drop you off to get your bike first, and that way, you don’t have to go all over town on errands with us.”

“I don’t mind.” Riley faced forward and reached for her hand like he usually did when they went on walks or a drive to town.

But Grace kept her hands glued to the steering wheel. She sensed more than saw his disappointment and confusion. It practically radiated off him. This wasn’t going to be good. They had been getting along so well, and now this had to happen.

She knew exactly what he was going to say about all of it, too. He’d ask her why she was avoiding telling her family about him, especially since she had been trained to be a therapist of sorts.

Well, there was no easy answer to that question, and he didn’t need one either. It was her choice whether or not she told her family. She’d do so when she was good and ready.

The tension in the truck continued to mount with each passing mile. Riley tried to make small talk with Faye, but all Grace could hear was a buzzing in her ears. The irritating sound only continued to make her headache worse.

By the time they arrived at the mechanic’s shop, she was on edge and her teeth ached from clenching them.

Logically, she had no reason to be upset about any of this. She could try to talk herself out of it, but every time she did, her heart raced a little faster and her head pounded like someone banging against a drum.

Riley frowned at her. “I said I was fine to come along.” He leaned closer to her and whispered. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

She flushed as she shook her head. Then her eyes darted to where Faye sat behind him. “I just really didn’t think you’d want to go all over town…”

“I don’t mind, Grace. I want to spend time with you.”

Faye shifted in her seat, and Grace could feel her stare on them. Well, the cat was out of the bag. There was no way her older sister hadn’t caught on. To make matters worse, she’d probably ask Grace why she was trying to hide it at all.

And Grace had no idea how to answer that question.

“Tell you what, I’ll go see if it’s ready, and if they need more time, then we can run those errands, get some lunch, and come back.” And before she could stop him, he pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

A searing heat washed over her and her blush intensified as he climbed out of her truck and shut the door. Grace squeezed her eyes shut briefly, then watched him head inside the building.

“Ohhhh,” Faye murmured. “I get it now.”

Grace whipped around and stared at her sister. “You don’t get anything.”

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