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Emma paced in the room where she was staying. Her conflicted thoughts were getting her nowhere. Maybe she needed to look at this in a different way. What if her feelings for Caleb weren’t even a big deal because he didn’t feel the same?
She groaned, unsure if she could handle knowing that he had zero interest in her. Frustration continued to mount with each passing day they spent time together. There was no going back; that much was clear. There was only one path she could see available to her and that was to simply live in the moment.
That’s what she’d been doing when she came here, wasn’t it? She’d gotten on that plane, then on that bus, and eventually ended up in Copper Creek with one goal.
She wanted to have fun—and not just any fun. She wanted to feel like she was calling the shots. What better way to experience it than to let herself fall for a guy who was so out of her league that she wouldn’t blame him if it didn’t work out?
Who was she kidding? She already knew it wasn’t going to work out, and she wanted to do it anyway. It was time to throw caution to the wind. He’d said he wanted her to stay, and she’d let him know that she was pleased with his answer. What other choice did she have at this point?
“Emily?”
She yelped at the sound of his voice through the door. “Yeah?”
“Might I have a word?” Caleb hadn’t spoken to her all day. They’d spent supper in an awkward silence. It would be so easy to assume she’d offended him somehow or scared him off.
Sucking in a sharp breath, Emma moved toward the door, her nerves on fire. He could want anything at this point. He could take back his answer from the other day and tell her he wanted her out of there.
He could confess he had feelings for her—to which she would have to take action. Her heart fluttered savagely as she continued taking small steps toward the door. Whatever it was, he didn’t sound upset, so she wasn’t going to make a big deal out of whatever it was.
Emma reached for the knob and pulled the door open just far enough to meet his gaze. “What do you need?”
He stared down at her, his steady gaze making her feel more vulnerable than she had even a few days ago. “I think you need to get back on the horse.”
She sucked in so sharply that she coughed. “What?”
“You need to get back on the horse,” he repeated.
“Yeah, you said that already. What are you talking about?” She pushed the door open wider. “You don’t mean literally, do you? Like… you don’t want me to climb into a saddle and ride that deathtrap again.”
“That’s exactly what I mean.” His lips twitched with amusement. “And Tilly isn’t a deathtrap. She only took off because she was scared. Wouldn’t you have done the same if you were startled by another animal?”
“That’s different,” she stammered, already feeling her resolve wavering.
“How so?” he demanded.
“Well, for starters, I only have two legs and Tilly has four.”
He snickered. “The point I’m trying to make is that you can’t live your life in fear.”
“Says who? I’m pretty sure sixty percent of the world does.” She was teasing him, but his expression turned serious.
“Actually, there was a study done. Turns out roughly four percent suffer from anxiety.”
Her eyes rounded. “What?”
“Roughly—”
She held up her hand with a laugh. “I wasn’t asking you to repeat yourself. I just… you don’t really look like the type of guy who knows that sort of thing. Facts and whatnot,” she clarified.
He smirked. “I’ll have you know it was in one of those magazines you said I wasn’t interested in reading.”
This time she laughed. “Okay, fine. I yield. I’ll go for a ride, but I’m not riding Tilly. Give me a horse that wouldn’t be able to outrun a turtle to save its life and I’ll go.”
He snorted. “I don’t think?—”
“Youknowwhat I mean. Give me a horse that’s gentle and slow. I don’t need adventure right now.”
He leaned forward suddenly, causing her to gasp and yet also unable to move. His voice came within mere inches of her own. “But adventures are what make life worth living. Excitement, getting your blood rushing—without those experiences, what would we be left with?” His whispered question hung in the air, anticipation practically oozing from it.
