Page 63 of Trusting a Cowgirl

“No comment, huh? That’s fine. If I had to bet, I’d say he knows he loves you.”

She spun around so fast she tweaked her neck. “He has no idea whether or not he loves me.”

Her sister’s smile widened further. “So he’s told you.”

“No. He hasn’t said any such thing.”

“But I bet he hinted at it.”

Grace groaned. “I thought we’d grown past the teasing part of talking about our relationships.”

“Never,” Faye said with a short laugh. She sent a quick look in Riley’s direction. “Why haven’t you told him where we live?”

Grace shot her a surprised look. “He told you that?”

Faye shrugged. “Maybe.”

“What did he say?”

“You answer my question first.”

Grace turned away from her sister, her arms folded. “I don’t have to tell you anything.”

“Same goes for me.”

She sighed. “Would you tell someone you’ve just started dating where you live?”

Faye snorted. “You really don’t know anything about dating, do you? Of course he’d know. How else would he know where to come to pick me up for our dates? How would he know where to send the flowers or love notes? The only reason you don’t tell a guy you’re interested in where you live is if he’s some sociopath or something.”

Almost immediately, Grace’s thoughts shifted to the outburst Riley had at the restaurant. He wasn’t a sociopath. She had zero concerns about him doing anything that would hurt her or anyone else, for that matter. But what made this conversation worse was the fact that Faye made a good point.

Boyfriends usually knew where to go when they were dating someone. Had Grace been unreasonable?

She glanced once more over at Riley. Her eyes swept over his tall, strong silhouette. What was holding her back? She couldn’t think of any reason besides the fact that she was terrified their relationship wouldn’t last. It made sense that she didn’t want to risk everything so soon, right?

“To answer your question, he didn’t say anything. He just mentioned he didn’t know where we lived, and I thought it was strange, that’s all.” Faye retreated back into the truck and settled onto her seat.

Great. Now she had to figure out a way to tell Riley why she didn’t tell him where she lived. She still wasn’t ready for him to have that information, and she was quickly realizing it had nothing to do with feeling safe.

No, it had everything to do with how she felt about the seriousness of their relationship. He’d have to be patient with her just like she was being patient with him.

She pushed away from her truck and slowly made her way over to Riley and the mechanic just as another mechanic came out. He was dressed in blue coveralls that were smudged all over with grease and dirt. His white shirt had seen better days, and his face was just as filthy. But he had the most striking blue eyes that she had ever seen. They were as blue as the summer sky on a cloudless day.

He wiped his hands on a rag and held one out to Riley. “Mr. Scott, you’ve got some motorcycle there. Have you ever considered selling? I’ve been in the market for one of them for a while.”

Riley shook the mechanic’s hand and chuckled. “Absolutely not.”

The man laughed with him. “I don’t blame you. She sure is a beaut.” His gaze landed on Grace. “You must be one of the Callahan girls.”

Her brows furrowed and she shifted her focus from Riley to the woman to the mechanic again. “I am.”

His smile broadened. “I’ve lost track. Which one are you?”

“I’m sorry, have we met?”

The mechanic tilted his head. “You were probably in middle school when I left for college, so I don’t suppose you would have remembered me. Name’s Adam.”

Her eyes widened with recognition. “I remember. You were one of the football players at the high school.”