Chapter 9
9
Daniel
S he was everywhere.
Not only did she seem to enjoy hovering while he worked, but she was in his thoughts too.
Daniel couldn’t have been more aware of Aria if he’d tried. It was as if discovering the traumas of her past opened the door to understanding her better. He was practically going through the motions as his mind worked through the revelations from the night before.
More than once, he found himself clenching his fists so hard his muscles ached. His parents weren’t winning any awards for how they chose to raise a family, but abuse? Aria’s father deserved worse than being thrown in prison. And to have the chance to get out? What was the world coming to when physically violent men were allowed to walk free?
He could feel Aria’s eyes on him while he worked. She hadn’t been there a moment ago. It’s like the second she was within a few yards of him, he could sense her. Daniel didn’t need to turn away from the horse he was working with. More saddle training. He’d utilized Aria’s suggestion, and it was working.
The saddle had been placed on the fence and now they were standing beside it. He reached for the saddle and picked it up, then set it back on the fence. There was no telling if this particular horse would be capable of being ridden with how skittish she was around saddles. It might be a lost cause, but from what he could gather, Sophia couldn’t help but take on poor creatures like this one.
“She’s doing better,” Aria called out to him.
He didn’t turn in her direction right away. The sound of her voice brought back the mistakes of last night. He’d touched her after he’d promised himself he wouldn’t. Her reaction was expected. She wasn’t comfortable with him.
Did he remind her of someone who hurt her?
His gut roiled.
Daniel was big—definitely intimidating—why wouldn’t she be nervous around him? Brett had been closer to her height. If she’d needed to defend herself, he didn’t think she’d have any issues doing so.
But against him? If he’d wanted to, he could have hurt her. She must be thinking that.
Daniel cocked a head in her direction. “Yeah. Your tips seem to be helping.”
She smiled. It wasn’t the sort of smile he’d seen time and time again—the ones that looked like she wanted to do anything but smile. This one was genuine. It did things to him that he wasn’t prepared for, and he found himself smiling back against his own better judgment.
Aria swung her legs back and forth as she continued watching him. He should have been unnerved that she’d found an interest in what he was doing. He could have asked her if she had anything better to do than to hover.
But the truth was, he didn’t mind the company so much.
His thoughts shifted back to the previous night. It made sense that she didn’t want anyone to see the side of her that had been hurt. She’d erected a shield to protect herself, and it had worked. She’d been smart.
To be abused by someone she was supposed to trust had to have been the worst thing in the world to experience—even worse than being abandoned.
Daniel felt sick again, thinking about the people in her life who had wronged her. He wished he could protect her from it—to take her under his wing and keep her safe from anything that might happen in the future.
This new sensation was more than strange. It went against everything he’d felt for Aria since he’d met her. He glanced over his shoulder toward her as more footsteps arrived. Camilla was younger than Aria, the fourth Palmer out of six. Her position here was to train the dogs to work on a ranch. She gave them the foundations they needed to become working dogs under the guidance of Mateo and Roman.
For the most part, she’d kept to herself while he’d been helping out. Camilla looked much like the rest of her family—her Hispanic heritage showing through. Black hair framed her face, making her dark eyes shine. She folded her arms atop the corral fencing and peered up at Aria. “I was thinking about going out tonight if you’re up for it. I know you used to drag Sophia out to go dancing—you wanna go?”
Daniel stiffened.
Not again.
Chances were high that Brett would be hanging around, and there was no telling what he might do if Aria made another appearance.
His focus shifted from Camilla to Aria. No surprise that the latter didn’t bother looking in his direction. Aria shifted her weight and seemed to be considering what her cousin was asking. Good. She was probably recalling what had happened the last time she was there.
“Sure.”
What is she thinking?
Camilla grinned. “Great. Seven work for you? Or is eight better?” She glanced in Daniel’s direction. “I know you’re making dinner for Daniel.”
Finally, Aria seemed to remember he was standing right there. Her eyes cut to his and she stilled. It gave him pause, and he realized he was scowling at them. Forcing himself to smooth his features, he turned his back, his ears still prickled as he strained to hear their conversation.
“Yeah, that works.”
The second Camilla was gone, Daniel strode toward Aria. “You shouldn’t go.”
Aria laughed. “Um, thanks for your opinion, but I’m going.”
He dragged a hand down his face. Her tone of voice made it perfectly clear. She wasn’t going to heed his warning. Again. “Fine,” he said, trying not to roll his eyes. “I’m going too.”
“What? No, you’re not.”
He smirked at her, but it was void of true amusement. “If I can’t stop you from going, what makes you think you can stop me?”
She opened her mouth—probably to retort—and then snapped it shut. Aria rolled her eyes and hopped down. “Whatever.”
Daniel was really starting to hate this place. Sure, as far as places where the younger crowd liked to hang out and meet people went, the country club in Copper Creek was great. It wasn’t dark and seedy like most of the places he’d heard existed in the city, but it was still a place where people could pull another person close and not fight the urges that slithered through them.
He’d long since given up the idea of finding someone to love. He wasn’t exactly the kind of guy that girls in Copper Creek went after. He didn’t have money or a piece of land to his name. He wasn’t a coveted horse wrangler or rodeo star.
He was just… Daniel.
The only thing he had going for himself was his looks. That was about where it ended. So he stood back against the wall, in the shadows, as he watched Aria flirt with any guy who was willing to take a shot—irritated far more than he cared to admit.
His jaw worked when the guy dancing with her let his hand slide a little too low on her back. Daniel took a step away from the wall, his hand tightening on the drink he held. Then he noticed that Aria didn’t seem to mind.
Forgetting how to breathe, he considered what would happen if he stepped in and tore the guy from Aria’s embrace. She’d probably get mad at him. Heck, she might even slap him if the look on her face was any indication of how much she was enjoying herself.
Daniel shut his eyes and shook his head. He couldn’t let this play out. Visions of how Brett had attempted to take advantage of her drifted through his mind, making him sick to his stomach.
Nope. This wasn’t happening again.
He placed his drink on a nearby table with enough force that the liquid sloshed over the side, and then made his way toward the couple. The man in question was almost exactly as tall as Aria was, which meant he was a good head shorter than Daniel.
Daniel placed a firm hand on the man’s shoulder and guided him back a step.
The guy stumbled slightly, his hold on Aria slipping in his surprise.
Aria gasped, then glowered at him. “Daniel!”
“I’m cutting in,” he said, staring hard at the man sputtering to find his words.
The guy had the poor sense to curse, so Daniel positioned himself in front of Aria.
“Is that any way to speak around a lady?”
Aria grabbed at his arm, attempting to move around him, but Daniel wouldn’t allow it. “Daniel!” she snapped again. “What do you think you’re doing?”
The man looked Daniel up and down, a sneer crossing his face before he huffed and left through the crowd.
Daniel turned to face her. “The song’s almost over anyway. And I didn’t like the way he was touching you.”
Her mouth fell open, and then she snickered. “You’re not serious.”
“I’m dead serious. Did you not feel what he was doing?”
Aria sobered, and that was all the proof he needed. He turned to leave, but she grabbed his hand, tugging him back to her. “Oh, no, you don’t. You can’t cut in and then leave me here alone. You’re dancing with me.”
He stiffened. Apparently, he hadn’t thought this through. He hadn’t liked seeing the other guy touch her like she was an object. It had done something to him he wasn’t ready to decipher.
But for Daniel to dance with her?
A swirl of desire he hadn’t been prepared for caused an earth-shattering shift within him. Aria’s eyes flashed. She hadn’t released his hand; on the contrary, she was tugging him closer. “Come on, don’t be a baby.”
His throat closed up. Even if he had a retort for her, he couldn’t voice it. His feet shuffled along the floor against his better judgment. She brought his hands around her waist, and he barely touched her, fearing she’d pull away from him like she had last night.
Then she captured him by lacing her fingers behind his neck.
Aria’s expression shifted slightly. Her eyes studied him with contemplation more than anything else. She moved closer and closer until their bodies touched. She wasn’t pressed up against him, but she didn’t have to be. His skin felt like it was on fire. The music faded only because his ears were now ringing.
A soft smile touched her lips, and she looked away. Conversation between them had been stilted since last night. They’d barely had anything to say to one another over dinner. She hadn’t brought up what they’d discussed or how she’d behaved when he’d touched her.
If he had to guess, he would assume that she wanted it to be forgotten.
That was fine by him.
For now, he was having a hard enough time not letting his thoughts go somewhere they shouldn’t.
Her body was soft and warm—so, so inviting. She moved even closer, and he stiffened until she rested her cheek against his chest. They swayed back and forth until the song ended and another one began.
No words. They didn’t need them anyway. Right now, they were kindred spirits who had dealt with their own demons in their own ways.
They could pretend they weren’t broken.
She smelled like apple blossoms and vanilla. It was intoxicating. If he closed his eyes, he might drift away into a universe where it was just the two of them.
But he couldn’t do that.
Reality had to sink in and fast if he wanted to avoid getting hurt.
Daniel couldn’t afford to develop feelings for her. There weren’t any guarantees that she’d stick around in Copper Creek.
He could already sense the devastation of falling for someone who didn’t want to stay here.
The song ended and he couldn’t release her fast enough. He took a decided step backward and gave her a curt nod. “I think we should be heading home soon.”
Aria rolled her eyes. “I came here with Camilla.”
He arched a brow at her statement. “I’m pretty sure she left about twenty minutes ago.”
Confidence slipped from her countenance and her head whirled around so she could search out her cousin. She muttered something under her breath and heaved a sigh. “Fine. Whatever. I guess you can take me home.”
He’d never tell her that he’d been the one to assure Camilla he’d be bringing Aria home. She’d looked tired and ready to be done while Aria had been in the arms of another man. Aria’s cousin hadn’t hesitated. She’d slipped out without saying goodbye as long as he promised to get Aria home safe.
And that was exactly what he’d do.