AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Will you spit it out already?”
Her head reared back, and she frowned. “Could you take me to town tomorrow? I realized I needed a few things from the store. I would rather not take anything without… permission.”
“I’m sure they wouldn’t mind?—”
“Even still, I’d rather take care of myself. It would be quick, and you can take me when you’re ready—anytime.”
Caleb sighed. If he didn’t agree, he likely wouldn’t hear the end of it. “Yeah, sure. We can go after lunch.” With that, he spun around and escaped before she could say anything else.
9
Emma
Emma ducked her head as they passed a group of teenagers. They were her biggest demographic of fans, and she would be an idiot if she thought they might not recognize her. They were laughing and talking loudly but with the twang expected of a group of country kids.
Caleb shot her a sharp look as she pulled her cap lower over the sunglasses she was wearing of Caleb’s. “You know, you look more suspicious when you do that than you would if you walked with your head held high. I’m sure there are several people who are giving you a second look just because you’re trying to hide your face.”
“Is it that obvious?” she asked, starting to panic.
“More.”
She frowned and glanced over her shoulder toward the teens.
“Well, those kids might not have noticed, but to be fair, they’re more into their own world at the moment.” His voice wasgruff and full of irritation. From the moment he’d told her to get into his truck, he had a sour mood.
As another couple of people passed, she fought the need to hide her face. Everything was fine. No one would expect her to be here of all places. Why would a country star find herself in a town whose entire population could fit inside one of the many arenas she’d performed in?
Emma glanced at Caleb, not surprised to find that same sour look on his face as they walked along the street toward a shop he’d wanted to stop at. Clearly, he didn’t like her. He probably didn’t like that she was staying at Sophia’s place, either. Caleb seemed to be the kind of man who didn’t like much of anyone. She folded her arms and set her sights forward. “How well do you know Sophia and her family?”
He didn’t even toss her a glance when he spoke. “Mateo’s my brother’s friend, and by proxy, he’s mine, too.”
She bit back a laugh, to which he gave her a startled look. Emma waved her hand in the air in an attempt to brush off what she’d done. “Sorry, it’s just that I didn’t expect an answer like that.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he demanded.
Emma stopped short and blinked a few times. “Only that you don’t seem to be very social. It’s hard to imagine you being friendly with anyone.”
“I’m friendly,” he stammered. “I just choose who’s important to me before I decide to spend time with them.”
“And Mateo? He falls into that category?”
His jaw tightened, and his eyes narrowed. “I fail to see why any of this is important.”
She shrugged. “I was simply noticing how close everyone seems to be in this town. Sophia was so quick to trust me?—”
“That wasn’t normal,” he interjected. “Sophia isn’t exactly the best judge of character.”
“I’m going to ignore that,” Emma shot back. “As I wassaying, Sophia appears to make friends easily. I didn’t meet Mateo, but I would assume he’s probably friendly, too. But you? You’re different. I haven’t noticed you take any phone calls or say hello to anyone we’ve passed.”
His expression darkened. “I don’t owe you an explanation.”
“I never said you did. You wanted to know why I snickered. That’s what I’m getting at. You’re picky. That’s the best way I can describe it.”
“And I suppose you think that’s a bad thing?”
Emma shrugged again. “It’s not good and it’s not bad. It just makes sense.”
He pressed his lips together firmly and breathed a heavy breath through his nose. Then he turned in the direction they’d been walking. “Come on. I have a few more things I have to do back at the ranch. We’re taking too long.”
