Some Cowboys Brave the Flames (Keagans of Copper Creek #10)

Chapter 8

8

Charlie

A couple of days had passed since Ash had gotten that boy away from her in the park, and Charlie couldn’t deny how on edge she was. From the moment Ash had rescued her, she knew another shoe was about to drop. Her brothers were overprotective to a fault. It was probably the reason she was more introverted in large groups. She didn’t go out with people often. The only time she’d shed that skin was when she’d met Emma.

And that felt like a lifetime ago.

Charlie preferred the company of her family to strangers. She preferred to stay in with a good book than going out dancing. Heck, even going to Emma’s concert had been draining. When she’d returned home afterward, she’d slept for a full day.

Now every single time one of her brothers entered the kitchen, she went stiff. She waited for one of them to demand what had happened at the park. She expected to be interrogated for the guy’s description and where exactly she’d spoken to him.

Of course she wouldn’t tell her brothers about the situation. But Ash? He was loyal to a fault. He’d tell her brothers just because he was their friend before he was hers.

By the time their next lesson came up, her jaw ached from being tightened so often. Mason had come over to help Daniel with some vaccinations for the new calves that had been born, and the two of them were finishing up their lunch when Ash wandered into the house.

He hadn’t knocked. He never did. Sometimes she’d be so focused on a task that it felt like her soul did a somersault in her stomach every time she heard his voice come from behind her. Thankfully, this time she was facing the door when he entered.

Ash glanced at her briefly before pulling out a chair and sitting beside Mason. “Long time, no see.”

Mason slugged him. “Yeah, you need to quit hanging out here so much. I’m just one ranch away.”

Ash chuckled, his answer smooth and without thought. “I’d rather not hang out with a set of newlyweds.”

Daniel snorted, water coming out of his nose. Mason scoffed. “There are newlyweds here.”

Ash shrugged. “Not the same, dude.” He gave Charlie a look, but the second he noticed her watching him, he looked away. Normally, she was the one to break her stare first. She hated it when he caught her. But today, she needed an answer to something. She needed to dig deep and get the confidence to confront him.

Their conversation continued, and she moved to get out the ingredients to make her favorite dinner recipe. Fried chicken took time to master—especially when one wanted to copy the big restaurants. She’d come about as close as anyone, and today, she was going to show Ash how to do it.

He was still speaking to her brothers when she had to clear her throat to drag him away from his conversation. Ash glanced in her direction. “I guess that’s my cue.” He pushed away from the table, and her brothers did the same. Daniel and Mason grabbed their hats and headed for the door, leaving her alone with Ash.

Her heart hammered with nervous energy. Not surprising, he noticed.

Ash leaned his forearms against the countertop and gazed at her, making her nerves even worse. “What’s the matter with you?”

She snorted, and he lifted a bemused brow. Her eyes darted to the doorway before she leaned forward so her face was inches from his. “Did you tell them?”

“Tell… who… what?” Still the amusement could be read in his face. He knew exactly what she was talking about, and he was toying with her!

Charlie rolled her eyes. “Just tell me. Do they know?” When he didn’t respond, she groaned. “About the day at the park.”

“Oh,” he said exaggeratedly. His voice was too loud as he continued. “You want to know if your brothers know about the guy who wanted to have his way with you.”

She gasped and pressed both hands over his face, nearly jumping onto the counter to do so. “Sh!”

Ash laughed, pulling back so she couldn’t reach him. “No. I didn’t breathe a word.”

Charlie glowered at him. “You might as well have with how loud you’re talking.”

He only shrugged. Then his eyes swept over the food she had set out, and his brows lifted. “No way. You’re going to teach me how to make your fried chicken?”

The excitement in his voice momentarily threw her off guard. It wasn’t a surprise that he’d had her fried chicken. Over the years, she’d made it often enough. Usually, her brothers requested it for their birthdays. Then she reminded herself that she wasn’t here to impress him or make him happy. She was doing him a favor—a favor he had asked for to impress his girlfriend.

That thought left a sour taste in her mouth.

“You know,” Ash murmured, still taking in the spices and ingredients. “I almost did—tell them, I mean.”

Her eyes cut to his so sharply she saw stars. “What?” she hissed under her breath.

“Yeah. I thought they should know. But then I figured maybe I don’t have to.”

“No,” she agreed. “You really don’t.”

He lifted his gaze to her and resumed his relaxed form on the counter. “Since you’re helping me with this cooking thing, maybe I can help you with something.”

She didn’t know how to respond to that. What kind of favor? It wasn’t like he could be her bodyguard.

“Self-defense,” he said like he’d heard her thoughts. “I can’t be there to protect you all the time. Neither can your brothers. But you have to learn how to be more careful. And that means you should learn how to protect yourself.”

A snort slipped from her lips, and she shook her head. “My brothers would never go for that. And what makes you think I can do any damage? I’m barely over five feet.”

Ash seemed to size her up, leaning a little farther over the counter so he could take her in fully. The scrutiny made her feel far more vulnerable than she had any right to be. He nodded as if answering a question he’d posed to himself. “You’d be fine. I could teach you some moves that would guarantee to give you a head start if the worst were to happen.”

She considered what he was saying. If she’d had lessons, would her confidence in turning down that guy at the park have made a difference? Probably. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. Rather than tell Ash that, she motioned to the spices. “These are what we’re going to mix into the batter for the chicken. I’m going to have you measure them out and put them in that bowl over there.”

They worked quietly for the first little bit. She nearly thought he wouldn’t say anything else for the rest of their lesson, but then he shattered the wall between them when he murmured, “How often do you think about it?” His question was soft, and there was absolutely no context.

Instinct told her she already knew before she asked, “About what?”

He gave her a look—one that said he was trying to be patient with her.

She swallowed hard and turned away from him, acting as if she didn’t see it.

“That kiss, Charlie.” If she wasn’t mistaken, she might have thought his voice cracked when he’d said it.

Charlie froze, her fingers gripping the dial on the stove. She could barely breathe. Hadn’t they agreed to never speak of it again? Or had that been in her imagination? Without turning, she whispered, “Sometimes.” Immediately, she grimaced. She hadn’t wanted to admit to it, and yet the words came out of their own accord.

“Yeah, me too.”

The hairs prickled on the back of her neck and along her arms. “Why do you ask?”

He shifted behind her. She didn’t dare turn to look at him. He let out a sigh. “Sometimes I wonder if I’m going to find the kind of love your brothers have. You know—someone who’s worthy of loving.”

Charlie squeezed her eyes shut until she saw sparks. Then she heaved her own shuddering breath as she turned to face him. He was staring at her, studying her, questioning her. “Maybe you have—found that love, I mean. You never know.” He had a girlfriend—one he was willing to learn a new skill for.

There was something in his eyes. A cloudiness maybe? Or something else. A spark? Perhaps it was both—like a lightning storm. It made her stomach swirl and her throat tighten. How much did he really care about this woman? Was she a means to an end? The way he’d made it sound, perhaps she wasn’t who he really wanted.

Charlie thrust that thought from her head. It was dangerous to entertain such things. He took a step toward her, and she sucked in a sharp breath.

When his hand reached up toward her face, she didn’t move, didn’t dare continue breathing. His finger and thumb ran over the hair at her shoulder—the hair she kept down and curled at the ends. He stared at it for a long moment before he finally murmured, “You ended up changing it.”

And just like that, she was thrown back in time to that night in the rain when he’d told her not to change anything about herself. His words had stuck with her for the next six years. Rarely did she apply makeup—unless it was a special occasion. She still liked to put her hair into braids, but there was a part of her that clung to the memory of their kiss and the fact that she’d had her hair done just like this when it had happened.

“I grew up,” she rasped.

His eyes lifted to meet hers, pinning her into place. She wondered if he mentioned her hair because he didn’t like it. Perhaps he associated the change with something sour, whereas she linked it to the most memorable night of her life.

Her breath hitched in her chest when he leaned closer. She searched his gaze, watching him intently. There was nothing in his eyes to give away what he was feeling at this moment. She could only feel his warm breath against her face, smell his citrus scent, and hear her own pulse roaring in her ears. The way her stomach twisted and knotted, the way her legs threatened to buckle beneath her, she wasn’t sure she would be getting out of this moment unscathed.

And she wasn’t sure she wanted to.

Her hands gripped the handle of the oven behind her. Each second ticked by ten times slower than it normally would.

“Charlie,” he whispered, his voice husky and low. “I?—”

The front door banged open and loud laughter spilled into the house. Ash jumped back from her, spinning around so he faced the island between them and the kitchen door. Moments later, Liam, Carter, and Wade entered. All three nodded to Ash, who called out a hearty, “Hey, guys.” He gestured to the counter filled with breaded chicken with a flourish. “I hope you’re hungry.”

Only Carter seemed to look at Charlie with curiosity. Then he moved toward the fridge and opened it. Without looking at her directly, he whispered, “Everything okay?”

She would have stiffened at his words if she wasn’t already as stiff as a board while still gripping the oven handle. “Fine,” she whispered. “Just a little lightheaded.”

Carter looked at her and quirked a brow. “Need some water?”

“Yes,” she said breathlessly. She grabbed the bottle and rushed for the back door. “I’ll be right back,” she called out over her shoulder as she yanked the door open. “Just getting some fresh air.” Charlie didn’t wait to hear if anyone objected. She couldn’t stay in that room a moment longer. Heck, she didn’t know if she’d be able to finish cooking the meal with Ash being so close to her.

She’d have to rally, she reminded herself. Otherwise, her brothers would notice something was wrong. Charlie closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. Just another dinner with her brothers’ friend. That’s all this was. That’s all it would ever be.