exaggerated gasp. âWas that a compliment?â
âI donât know? Was it?â
âYou know you like me.â
âDo you flirt with everyone?â
âOh, so now youâre getting personal,â she teased, enjoying herself more than she probably should. âAm I flirting?â
His eyes sparkled with amusement. âYouâre not?â
âI donât know, am I?â
He raised a brow. âDo you flirt with everyone?â
That gave her pauseâ¦. âYou mean Jess?â
âIs that his name?â
This was interesting. She thought heâd seen her winking at Jess earlier at the diner, but she hadnât expected him to ask her about it. âWhy are you asking about my social life? Do not tell me youâre thinking about asking me out.â His eyes shifted slightly and she knew heâd been thinking exactly that. âOh, no.â She half laughed. âIâll tell you the same as Iâve told Jess and all the other cowboys looking to date meâI donât date.â
âI wasnât going to ask you out,â he denied.
She laughed, not believing him for one moment. âThen why the nosy question? And why do you look so startled by my straight-up answer?â Cowboys âthey were so easy to read, especially after being raised with four brothers. She had his number, and she knew it.
He did, too. Caught in his bluff, he snatched his hat from his head and rammed his free hand through his thick, straight, sandy-brown hair.
She planted herself in front of him. âYouâre flustered,â she pressed, looking up at him intently, unable to resist teasing him.
His gaze darkened and dropped to her lips, then jerked back to meet her eyes.
Suddenly Tacy realized that she might not be as much in control of the situation as sheâd believed!
Brent wanted to tug Tacy into his arms and kiss her sassy mouth. This thing they had between them was like an electric current. Dangerous and powerful. He leaned toward her, every fiber in him intent on finding out if a kiss would be electric, when she slapped a palm to his chest, flattening it firmly in place.
âWhoa, cowboy,â she warned. âI said I donât date. And I certainly donât kiss cowboys whoâve told me they have no respect for me.â
âWhat? Where did you get that?â
She cocked a brow, flipped her ponytail over her shoulder and strode back to Rabbitâs stall.
He followed at a slower pace, stunned by her accusation. âI never said I didnât respect you.â
She opened the gate and entered the stall, glancing over her shoulder to pin him with her stare. âSure you did. You wonât let me in that arena with those horses.â She opened the back gate and shooed Rabbit out into the back run before turning to face him. âYou wonât let me near them or teach me how to break them. Thatâs like shouting at me that you have no respect for me.â
âThatâs not true.â
âOh, yeah? Then explain to me what it does mean.â
She stepped by him, grabbed hold of the wheelbarrow and rake used to clean the stall and pushed past him into the stall to begin working.
âSay something,â she said. âYou must have a reason for being so against a woman learning how to break horses. Since Iâm the woman itâs affecting at themoment, donât you think you owe me an explanation?â
She had a point, though he didnât like it very much. âWhat exactly do you know about me?â he asked, following her as she pushed the wheelbarrow outside to dump it. He took the handles and was surprised when she stepped back and let him empty the contents. âIf youâre trying to flit through all the sordid details you know and pick the things you think wonât make me mad, donât bother,â he said finally. âSome of it was true, but most of it wasnât. What Iâm
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