Cowboy Up (Coming Home #3)

“I’m sorry, Caroline,” Luke mutters and I can see written all over his face that he really does feel bad.

“It’s okay, Luke.” I lift my hand with the intention of grabbing his across the table, but I jump when it’s hijacked by long tan fingers that grab me with soft care. Then, with my mouth hanging open, I watch my wayward hand being lowered into Clayton’s lap as he holds it gently with his. I blink at my captive hand, flex my fingers, and wonder how I actually forgot he had sat down. My skin tingles where he’s touching it and I find my fingers curling tighter, loving the contrast of his suntanned hand against my pale one.

“Linney,” he utters in his deliciously deep voice, bringing my gaze from our joined hands to his bright green eyes. “Thought you were havin’ dinner at the ranch with me tonight?”

“What are you doin’ over in Wire Creek?”

“Had to grab somethin’ from the feed store that ours in Pine Oak was out of. Saw you through the window,” he answers, pointing out the window to the feed store across the street.

“Oh,” I lamely breathe.

“So, are we not havin’ dinner at the ranch tonight?”

“We are,” I confirm with a frown.

He studies me and I take a moment to appreciate how handsome he looks with his thick, dark-as-night hair sticking in a million directions. I look around, half expecting the ever-present cowboy hat to jump out and bite me. “Where’s your hat?”

“Granger, one of our newer horses, got spooked today,” he answers with a shrug, as if the fact that a huge animal getting spooked isn’t something that requires any more explanation. But seeing as I know nothing about horses, my imagination is running wild, something Clayton doesn’t miss. He gives my hand a squeeze and leans a little closer. “Sweetness, you worried about me?”

I shove him with my shoulder lightly. “You’d be worried too if you were picturin’ some huge beast tryin’ to stomp you to death before eatin’ what’s left of you, Clayton Davis.”

He tosses his head back and laughs, deep and loud, straight from the gut. His hilarity booms in my ears, the rich sound making me smile. I don’t even care that everyone is looking in our direction, not when I get to see this guarded man be so carefree. He’s one of those people who laugh with their whole torso, too. His shoulders jump, the corded muscles in his neck flex, and his whole body moves. I drink the sight of it in until he finally stops, untangling our fingers to wipe his eyes. I have a few seconds of disappointment that he let go before he’s lifting his arm up and over my body to hook it around me. His fingers grasp my shoulder, and a moment later he pulls me into his side.

And I willingly scoot my hips to get myself as close as I can without urging.

“You’re one helluva breath of fresh air, darlin’.” His lips press lightly against my temple and the arm around me flexes. “I knocked my hat off because I was in the middle of dismountin’ him at the same time he was tryin’ to two-step, and my hat landed in a giant pile of manure. Didn’t feel like goin’ up to the house to grab another one when I had other places I needed to be in order to finish up my day.”

“Oh.” Well, now I feel a little ridiculous. “Do you need to go then?”

His brows pull in as he frowns in confusion. “Go where?”

“You said you had other places you needed to be.”

His eyes dance—I swear it looks like his dark green orbs have come to life and are swirling with lighter flecks of gold that I’ve never noticed before. If he keeps looking at me like that, I’m going to have a hard time ever giving this man up.

“No, darlin’, I’m already there.”

“Y’all together now?” Luke butts in, breaking the hold that Clayton’s words have on me.

“Yes,” my dark cowboy tells him, not looking away from me.

“We’re explorin’ things,” I correct, looking over at Lucy as I see the expression on his face change slightly. She appears to be about to burst with excitement. When I look at Luke, his face is blank while he assesses Clayton. “What, Luke?” I probe, not sure I’m going to like what’s on his mind.

This is why I hadn’t told him about . . . whatever’s between Clayton and me. I’m not sure what title to put on it, to be honest, and since Luke’s been in my life for a long time I knew he’d expect something more than what I could articulate. He saw me at my worst, saw how hard I’ve worked to move on. He and Lucy are the only two people in the whole world who understand how big a deal it is that I’m taking this step with Clayton. But they’re also the two people whose opinions matter most to me, and I’m not sure I could handle it if they didn’t approve. Which is probably why, in the week since he first cooked me dinner at his house, I haven’t told either of them that I agreed to see what’s between the two of us. I couldn’t even explain my feelings toward the man to myself, let alone verbalize them to anyone else.

I squirm under Luke’s scrutiny as his stare bounces between us, the silence heavy except for the sound of my heartbeat thundering in my ears. What if he sees something in Clayton that I don’t—or can’t—something that could mean my judgment is still warped and I need to give Clayton up. Could I let go of a man who is quickly burrowing under my skin? Could I really just walk away if one or both of my closest friends don’t like him?

No, I don’t think I could.

Actually . . . I know I couldn’t.

After what feels like hours, Luke shrugs, smirks, and then goes back to eating what can only be a cold burger now.

“What did that thing you just did with your face mean?” I snap, my period-driven hormones and my lack of patience colliding in a burst of sass.

“What’re you talkin’ about?”

I look at Lucy. “Why does he always do that? Make you think the worst, but not speak a dadgum word before some stupid I know everything smirk comes across his face. Then, still not sayin’ a thing, continue on like nothing happened and you start questionin’ your sanity?”

Her shoulder lifts, indicating she’s just as clueless, and her lips twitch.

“It’s the most annoying thing in the history of . . . ever, Lucas. I can tell you want to say somethin’, so why don’t ya stop actin’ like I can’t handle whatever it is and just spit it out, bucko!”

Clayton’s chest moves in silent laughter that I ignore in favor of glaring at the man across from me. Lucy chokes on a loud cackle before covering her mouth with her hand. Luke, though, holds my very annoyed scowl.

“You sure you wanna hear it, Carrie?”

“Caroline, you big dummy.”

He rolls his eyes and points to Clayton. “You let him call you Linney.” He leans back and crosses his arms as if that statement holds all the answers.

I shrug, making the arm around my shoulders tighten the smallest bit. “So?”