Page 27 of Dusty Spur Ranch Cowboys

I clear my throat. “So.”

Beside me, Red glances over. “So.”

I grin. “Well, this is an exceptional conversation we’re having.”

That finally earns a laugh.

His laugh rolls through me, and there it is again, that irritating little reaction I keep having around him.

I wish I could blame the beer. Or the stars.

Or the fact that I’ve spent most of the evening surrounded by people who seem determined to make me feel welcome.

Unfortunately, the problem is Red.

When we reach my truck, I hook my guitar into the cab and turn back toward him.

Red’s looking at me in that way he has sometimes. Like he’s seeing more than he’s saying.

My pulse starts acting ridiculous.

Again.

I should probably be embarrassed by how this man affects me after knowing him for roughly twenty-four hours, but embarrassment has never been one of my stronger qualities.

So instead, I take a small step closer.

His gaze drops briefly to my mouth.

The look hits me like a match finding dry grass.

Last night rushes back all at once. His hands in my hair and the scrape of his beard against my skin. The way he looked at me afterward, like neither of us regretted a single second of it.

I know that look. I’ve seen it before.

It’s usually followed by kissing.

I fully expect him to close the distance. Part of me is already leaning into it.

But just as rapidly, everything shifts. The change is there in the way his shoulders tighten. The way his expression closes off. Like he’s caught himself wanting something he doesn’t think he should.

Confusion hits me. “Red?”

His jaw flexes.

When he finally speaks, he sounds annoyed about something. The problem is that I can’t tell whether he’s annoyed with me or himself.

“You’re trouble, Arizona.”

A laugh slips out before I can stop it. “That’s hardly breaking news.”

“I’m serious.”

The smile fades from my face.

Last night he couldn’t get enough of me. Tonight he’s walked me to my truck, looked at me like he wanted to kiss me, and then abruptly changed his mind.

The math isn’t mathing.