Chapter 13
13
Margot
T he phone call had been more than just checking up on her. Margot still couldn’t believe how easy it had been to put her father’s mind at ease. Who knew taking two classes at the community college would get him to back off from pushing her into working for him?
She still hadn’t told Liam that her father permitted her to place Prada back at the Callahans’ boarding facilities. Her father wanted her to feel she had enough time to do her homework. Of course she’d refused.
There were two reasons for her decision. The first was that she wasn’t even sure that Zeke would want to have her back after the way she left things. The second was that she would no longer have an excuse to come to the Keagans’ ranch and, by proxy, have a reason to see Liam more often.
Then there was the near kiss.
She’d kissed him before. She knew what it felt like to have his lips brush against hers. Yes, it had been years ago, but even now, those kisses seemed different. Infatuation had grown into desire. She wanted more.
Margot touched her lips, imagining what it would have felt like if he’d gone through with it and kissed her. Was it so bad that she’d realized she was wrong when she’d told him she wasn’t interested in him that way? He’d probably think she was stringing him along. Maybe that was why he hadn’t made a move.
She ran the brush down Prada’s back absentmindedly, fantasizing about what it might be like to have Liam in her life in a more prominent way. He was different from the jerks she’d gone out with since she’d returned to Copper Creek.
There was literally not a single thing she could come up with that made him a bad guy. He was attractive. Sure, he was quiet, but that made him feel less threatening. Normally, Margot had gone for the guys who were confident and sure of themselves. They knew what they wanted, and they took it.
She unwittingly made a face, only to get startled by Liam’s return.
“What’s the matter?”
Margot jumped and looked up at him. “Hmm? Nothing.”
“You were definitely not pleased about something. I know that face.”
She fought the blush that threatened to give her away. “There was no face . I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He chuckled. “Fair enough. You don’t have to tell me. But you might be surprised to find that I’m more aware of you than you realize.”
Her brows shot up. “What is that supposed to mean?” She lowered her voice and took a step toward him, her eyes teasing him. “Are you suggesting that you have been watching me?”
With all seriousness, Liam moved even closer to her. “It’s hard not to when someone as pretty as you hangs around.”
This time, she did blush. The warmth rose from her stomach to her face faster than dry underbrush going up in flames. His words weren’t explicit, and yet she felt them run deep. The implication of what he was saying only made it harder to focus, and she fumbled with the brush she’d been using on her horse.
Together, they dropped down to retrieve it and both of their hands reached for it at the same time. Fingers brushing against one another, they both froze. Margot’s breath caught in her chest. Distinct tingling that she hadn’t felt since she was younger burst from where his skin met hers.
Her eyes darted up to meet his. For a second she thought he might reach out and touch her face. But perhaps that was only wishful thinking. Liam was the one who actually got the brush in hand. He held it out, his crooked grin maddeningly adorable.
“Thanks,” she said quietly. Her heartbeat reverberated against the walls of her chest, threatening to break free and learn what it meant to be unrestricted. They both rose to their feet, and she turned away. How embarrassing! She couldn’t keep acting like she was a lovesick schoolgirl around him. She was making a fool of herself. “I think I’m done,” she added. “Are you ready with everything else?”
“I’ve got it all set and ready to go.”
For the next half hour, he taught her how to best care for Prada’s hooves. He pointed out all the usual problem areas and what tools he preferred for them. His thoroughness was only one of the good qualities he possessed when it came to instruction.
By the end of it, she knew how to handle this part of caring for her horse, though she wasn’t completely proficient and definitely not confident in her work. She poked fun at herself with her shaking hands.
Liam’s hand came over hers, drawing her focus. “Don’t worry about getting it perfect. No one does when they’re first starting out. And I can help you whenever you need it.”
That statement—don’t worry about getting it perfect—oh, how she wished she’d had someone tell her that very thing when she was younger and striving for it. Perfection had always been just out of reach. To most, she was as close as someone could get to it.
But to her teachers, her father, and various other mentors, perfection was nonnegotiable. According to them, she was capable of such a thing, and they expected nothing less.
She blinked back tears. Crying in front of Liam over something so silly would be ridiculous. What would be her excuse? That he wasn’t asking her to excel, and that made her cry? Of course she couldn’t say that. She’d have to go into a long story about how much it meant to her, and she’d inevitably get emotional if she had to do that.
Margot forced a grateful smile and nodded. “I’ll try to remember that.” They finished up with Prada, and afterward, Margot couldn’t bring herself to leave. The day had gone too quickly. She wanted to spend more time with Liam when they weren’t focused on work.
He’d insisted on walking her to her car when she turned toward him and blurted, “Would you like to go for a walk? I’m not ready to go home yet.”
His stunned expression was all the proof she needed that he wasn’t expecting her request. Had she waited too long to come around? That was very possible. She wouldn’t blame Liam for giving up on her, especially after those two failed dates where she’d needed his help.
Liam hadn’t answered her, and she almost wanted to take it back. She wanted to laugh off her request and tell him she didn’t mean it. Her face burned with an embarrassment that was so unlike her that she had to turn away. “You’re probably busy. Don’t worry about it.”
“That sounds nice.”
“Really?” Margot stuttered over that one-word question. Her head snapped around so she could meet his gaze again. There wasn’t anything unusual about his expression—just the same old Liam she had started to see as more than just a friend. His smile put her at ease, but only momentarily. That relief flipped on its side and turned into a fresh wave of nerves. Could this be the start of something new? That was the problem with asking him to do something so benign. She didn’t know where his head was at.
Liam helped her put everything away, and then they wandered from the barn and headed away from the house. One of the best parts about Liam’s property was how it changed so dramatically after they passed by the pastures.
They walked in silence, Margot’s thoughts whirling on what she could do to give him a hint that she was interested. She’d never had to do that before. Usually, the guys in her life were willing to take charge. It was a new experience for sure.
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, her hands swinging at her sides in hopes that his might brush against hers. Margot cleared her throat, praying that she wouldn’t blush again and give away just how hard this was for her. “I never realized how big your family’s property was.”
He chuckled.
“What’s so funny?”
“When we were in high school, you never seemed that interested in how big my ranch was.”
Margot laughed quietly. “To be fair, I didn’t think that running a ranch was all that interesting.”
“But you liked your horse.”
“Prada isn’t a ranch. She might live on one, but back then, she wasn’t hard to take care of. At least not for me anyways, but I guess that’s because I wasn’t the one caring for her.” And just like that, they were both made painfully aware of how different they were. Margot ducked her head and gave him a sheepish look. “I have a better appreciation for how hard it is to take care of her now.”
His goofy grin warmed her throughout. “I suppose you losing out on having Prada at the Callahans’ place wasn’t all for nothing, huh?”
She shoved her hands into her pockets. A voice told her to just go for it—to tell him where everything had landed on that front. But she couldn’t bring herself to make that confession. Margot lifted a shoulder. “I suppose you’re right. And I have you to thank for that.”
Liam lifted his hat from his head. “Glad to be of service.”
“You’re so weird.” She nudged his shoulder with her own.
“You know you like it.”
She slowed her steps until he was forced to stop and turn around.
He peered at her with curiosity.
“I do like it,” she whispered.
That shock from before returned to his face and then turned into a frown. He looked away from her and heaved a frustrated sigh. The air seemed to grow colder. Great. That was the wrong thing to say. He didn’t want her interest, not anymore. She’d waited too long, and she only had herself to blame.
He shook his head and glanced at her from beneath his cowboy hat. “With all due respect, Margot, I want you to stop.”
“Stop?” she stammered. “Stop what?”
He gave her a pained look. “I told you that I liked you. That wasn’t a lie. But the way you’re talking—you’re making it really… hard.”
She gaped at him. Liam?—”
“I can’t take it anymore. The smiles, the kind words… the compliments.” Liam’s voice was so low she almost didn’t hear what he was saying. It was his eyes that had captured her attention, though, and they seemed to be filled with not only sadness but also a sort of longing. “Can you just… treat me the way you would a friend?”
“Liam, you misunderstand.” She took a step closer to him and reached for his hand. He stared hard at where she touched him and refused to look up at her.
“I mean it, Margot. I’m trying my best to give you what you wanted?—”
“I was wrong.”
His eyes lifted to meet hers in confusion. “What?”
“I was wrong,” she repeated. This was harder than she’d thought possible. “I was wrong about what I wanted. I was so intent on figuring out what to do with my life that I wasn’t paying attention to anything else.”
His brows lowered, pulling together and creasing in the middle. “What do you want?” he whispered.
She shrugged and looked down at their hands. “I don’t know. But what I do know is that I am open to something more. Something like we had before.” When she looked up, he was shaking his head. “What?” she demanded. “You don’t want that?”
“The fling we had when we were teenagers? No. I’m too old for a fling. If we’re going to do this, I want to know that there’s a chance for more.”
Margot’s lashes fluttered wildly. “More,” she whispered.
He nodded.
“Can we start with a date? An official one?”
One side of his mouth lifted. “How about this weekend?”
“It’s a date.”