Sharp Shootin' Cowboy (Hot Cowboy Nights, #3)(62)

After about an hour, she finally broke her silence. “Your sister doesn’t like me.”

Ah, so she wasn’t pissed off about the gun, after all; it was Krista that had her rattled.

Tension rolled off him with understanding. “Don’t take it personally,” he said. “She still wants to see Tonya and me back together and views you as a threat.”

“Am I? A threat to that?”

Her direct question took him by surprise. He spun around to answer it head-on. “Dunno. Do you want to be?”

She hesitated. “I don’t know. Maybe. But this is all really hard for me, Reid. I believe what I believe. I don’t know how to be any different…even if I wanted to be.”

“I don’t want to change you, Haley. I’m just looking for you to meet me halfway. That’s what it’s about. There has to be some give and take on both sides. If you aren’t prepared for that, we’re done talking.”

“I’ve only been involved in one other relationship, and it was nothing like this. There were never any major conflicts. Sure, we disagreed from time to time, but we never argued about anything substantial.”

“You’re talking about that professor guy.”

“Yes. His name’s Jeffrey,” she corrected with a mild look of annoyance.

“Alright, Jeffrey,” he conceded. “Are you still involved with him?”

“No. I broke it off. It’s part of the reason I came here.”

“How long were you together?”

“Almost five years.”

“Five years?” His jaw tightened. “Did you love him?”

“No,” she said softly. “I was infatuated at first, mostly with his intellect. At one time I thought there was more to it. I wanted it to be more, but it wasn’t. I know that now. There was always something missing.”

He cocked a brow. “So your Professor Perfect…wasn’t?”

“No,” she said. “He wasn’t. I still care about Jeffrey and respect him as a colleague, but we drifted apart. We didn’t want the same things. He wasn’t interested in a long-term commitment.”

He scowled. “Are you saying you are?”

She swallowed hard. “I might be…given the right circumstances.”

“Just not with me.”

She sighed. “I don’t know, Reid. Part of me really wants to try, but I don’t see how we could ever bridge our differences. Do you honestly think there is any way we could ever make a relationship work?”

“I think that all depends on how much we want to make it work. Do you want to, Haley?”

She slanted him an uncertain look. “I still don’t know.”

“But you’re considering it?” he asked.

“Yes. I’ve been considering… I can’t stop thinking about it… About you and me.”

“And why’s that?”

Her gaze wavered and then darted away.

“I’m listening,” he encouraged.

“You see…the thing is…” She wet her lips. “When I was with Jeffrey, it was never like it is with you.”

That reply eased the tightening in his chest.

“There. I’ve said it. Now you know. But just because we have a great physical connection doesn’t mean we can build anything more on it.”

“It’s more than just physical,” he argued.

“Okay, so maybe it is a little more,” she confessed. “But is it enough?”

“Are you planning to stay in Wyoming?” he asked.

“I can’t answer that either, Reid. I’m sorry, but I need more time to think.”

“Fair enough.” He digested her answer with a nod. “I can give you some space, but just know this up front: I’m not taking this halfway again. It’s gonna be all or nothing with me, so you’d better think good and hard before you answer.”





Chapter 18


The trail had narrowed, so Reid rode ahead of her now, his form tall and straight in the saddle. As her gaze tracked over his wide back and broad shoulders, she felt a load slipping off her own. She’d tried to convince herself all along that their attraction was purely physical, but that was a lie. The physical chemistry was real enough, but it went deeper. If she confessed the truth, it always had. Her desire was for the man himself, not just his hotter-than-hell outer shell.

Reid had substance and principle. Unlike Jeffrey, he didn’t pander to anyone. Nor did he tolerate politics or bullshit. She might not agree with him on most things, but he’d certainly earned her respect. Maybe it was stupid to think they could work it out, but their conversation and his patience with her had given her hope.

Reid abruptly pulled up his horse, pointing to the sky where a flock of turkey buzzards circled, a sure sign of carrion. “That way,” he directed. “Don’t know if it’s Buckshot, but they’re definitely feeding on something.”

They turned up another narrow and rocky path that ran parallel to a deep ravine. The terrain made Haley’s legs clamp around the horse and her hands clench the reins. As they approached the site of circling vultures, the horses snorted and balked, increasing her nervousness tenfold.

Just when she feared her horse would turn and bolt, Reid came up alongside and took hold of Bud’s bridle. ‘“Easy ol’ boy,” he said, soothing the fretful horse. “Looks like it’s down there in the ravine. It’s probably Buckshot,” he declared grimly. “Horses have a sixth sense about these things. They always seem to know when it’s one of their own.”