Puddles splashed up against the windows as Cole drove up to a larger-than-life barn door. Above that was an open hay loft door. Eva noticed pulleys hanging from a metal arm. She rubbed her flannel sleeve up against the foggy window to see the rustic building better. The barn might be a little warped. The years had tilted it to the side slightly, but of course, that only added to its charm. A patch of plump orange pumpkins lay scattered across the dark mud. The pumpkin patch surrounded the barn like the scene belonged toSleepy Hollow.
Oh, this place was gorgeous!
Eva rolled down the window and snapped pictures, seeing that the rain and the drifting fog gave her photo an ethereal, otherworldly effect. Reality at the ranch was better than any filter.
“Are those pictures going to end up online in a few days?” Cole asked.
“Oh please.” They’d end upthis instanton Showoff-Picsif she wasn’t keeping a low profile. He’d pegged her, but there was no way she was admitting her obsession. She eyed the circular gated area. “Cool race course.”
“That’s a horse corral,” he said with a smirk, “so… not a race course.”
“Youshouldmake it into a race course.”
“That would be the smallest race course in the world,” Cole said. He parked. His slicker tightened against his muscular arm as he shoved the gears down and the clutch up. Everything Cole did reminded her of a rough and tumble cowboy. He even kept sunflower seeds on his dashboard.
He leaned back in his seat, staring out the window at the pumpkin patch. The rain landed against the windshield in an unsteady rhythm. “Well, now you’ve seen it,” he said.
Not really. There was so much to explore!
They sat in silence for a mere second before he was shifting uncomfortably. “You ready to go?”
“Go?” she cried. “Not yet! I want to go inside that barn. It’s so cool.”
He seemed confused by the request. His eyes ran over her like she was at the spa, waiting for her nails to dry. “It’s raining.”
“What?” How fragile did he think that she was? “Do you think I’ll melt because I’m the Wicked Witch of the West?”
His lips quirked up, almost reluctantly. “Huh. Yeah, clever.”
She realized what she’d just said. Yeah, shewasWest’s little wicked witch. Clever. Accidentally so. Her hand went to the door. “Let’s do this.”
He sighed as if the heaviness of the world weighed down his shoulders. “Fine.” Launching from his seat, he ripped open the door and slammed it behind him. The next instant, he had hers open, standing over her to help her out.
Eva gaped at him. She actually hadn’t expected him to get her door. The rain slid down his face to his strong neck. She noticed the droplets collecting against the thick lashes framing his almond-shaped eyes.
The next instant, she called back her wits.
The guy was going to be soaked if she didn’t get out soon.
She pulled from the dryness of the truck’s cab, but Cole’s gallantry didn’t stop at getting her door. He grasped her hand to make sure that she didn’t slip in the mud.
Dang, the Slade momma had taught her boys well.
Eva would think that he was putting the moves on her, but she knew him a little better than that. Tearing her gaze from his, she rushed to get inside the dry barn.
He stalked ahead of her and inched open the loudly groaning wooden door. Looking back at her, he reached for her hand to tug her inside and out of the rain.
The barn was dark and musty. Immediately, Eva regretted her fashion choices as she snuggled into her flannel jacket for warmth and wished for longer pants. At least Lily’s galoshes were nice and tall, but she was still cold.
Short of stealing Cole’s stocking cap, there wasn’t much that he could do to keep up her body temperature. She gingerly stepped over the warped floorboards, using her cell phone to light her way. Hearing a scuttling sound above her, she switched directions and spotlighted the high rafters.
Her heart was in her throat, but why?
A part of her hadn’t really recovered from Lynch pointing that gun at her at the fairgrounds when she’d tried to stop him from taking off with Cadence. It was weird actually, because the movies never talked about something so underwhelming being so traumatic. Her mounting fear was just another thing that she hadn’t confided to West. She didn’t want him to blame himself for those nightmares that she kept having.
At the same time, she didn’t want him tonotcare either… and so she kept her mouth shut.
It wasn’t the first time.