Chapter 39
Juliet
I whirl around at Archer’s voice.
He comes up behind me, expression hesitant. A heaviness weighs inside me as shadows dance across his haunted features.
We don’t speak for a minute because we don’t need to. We both know what just happened.
Finally, I start. “My dad...”
Archer nods.
“What did he say to you?” I ask, having a feeling Dad didn’t tell me everything.
“Nothing I didn’t already know.”
I can only imagine the words, but part of me doesn’t want to hear the rest of them. Dad has already hurt us both enough. It’d be cruel to make Archer replay the scene. “I’m sorry. For whatever he said. For what I brought you into. For how he’s made you feel.”
“None of this is your fault, darlin’. I’m sorry you’re caught in the middle of it. That’s what I wanted to prevent from the beginning.”
All of this is too reminiscent of when we first rode horses together. His look of regret, his apology, and then his ending things before they could begin. Is that what’s coming next? I can’t go through with it all again.
“I don’t want...” My words freeze on my tongue as a couple walks past us. I nod and avert my gaze as they move farther down the street.
“You don’t want what?” Archer asks softly when we’re alone again.
I draw a deep breath. Can I keep things between me and Archer separate from me and Dad? Or will giving into one relationship destroy the other?
His eyes dive into mine, deep and warm and lasting, pushing out my words before I know I’m ready to share them. “I don’t want this to end,” I finally breathe. “I’m afraid of this ending.”
He doesn’t reply, and fear strikes my heart. Is he officially over me because of Dad? Am I not worth the trouble?
“Take a day or two if you need to think about it,” I rush on, anxious to give him an out if he wants one. “I’ll leave you alone. Goodnight, Archer.”
I walk past him, flashes of going back home and packing up for Boston flicker in my mind. I may as well return to college. I’ve got nothing else here.
I’m not one step past Archer when his hand swings out to catch mine. I look up, his grasp on me soft as we face opposite directions side-by-side, his head turned to meet mine as he speaks. “I don’t need time.”
My breath catches. I can’t respond, afraid to break the vulnerable hope his words create.
“I don’t regret what we’ve started,” he says, his voice husky as he stares down at me beneath the brim of his hat. “Do you?”
Do I regret the happiest days of my life? Do I regret spending time with the guy I imagined being with for years? The guy who I pray still wants to be near me, in spite of Dad’s actions?
“No,” I whisper. “I don’t.”
His stare focuses more intently on me as he turns to face me more fully, his hand still holding mine. “Your dad didn’t give his approval for me to date you.”
“I know.”
“I’ll still seek it, if that’s what you want.”
He’s honorable. More than Dad gives him credit for—more than I could ever be. “You don’t need to prove anything anymore.”
“Then...you’ll go out with me?”
“Yes. I will.”
He draws a deep breath, unmoving. A slow country song drifts down the street from the barn, and he pulls off his hat. “In that case...Dance with me?”
I nod, and with succinct movements, he puts his hat back on and tugs me into his arms. His left hand splays out at the small of my back while his right takes my hand in his and holds it at the side of us.
I rest my fingers on his bicep, his height too great for me to comfortably rest against his shoulder. Our bodies settle a few inches apart.
“This okay for a first date?” he asks.
“More than okay.”
We sway in time with the music, Archer leading me slowly on the sidewalk. A few voices chatter quietly nearby across the street, but most people are nearer to the Library and Town Hall, leaving me and the cowboy almost entirely alone.
As the moments pass by, he pulls me closer.
He releases my hand to hold both of his around my waist, and I do my best to hold my fingers around his neck as he ducks closer to be nearer to me.
His chin rests against my temple, his whiskers prickling my skin as a soft humming comes from his chest in time with the music.
The sound vibrates against me, and I close my eyes, compelling myself to remember everything I’m feeling physically and emotionally as I dance with Archer.
The strength he exudes and the protection I feel in his arms is everything I’ve ever wanted—and everything I need.
I pull back a degree, staring up at him. His eyes are soft as they sweep across my features, and only then do I realize...his protection isn’t everything I need.
There’s a greater desire simmering.
When Archer’s eyes shift to my lips, I know he wants the same.
His breathing shallows. I can feel it against my chest as our movements stop, though he holds me close.
“Will you break up with me if I kiss you on our first official date?”
My head swirls. “I might break up with you if you don’t.”
His curved lip is my undoing. To experience this moment in reality, so far beyond my daydreams, is almost more than I can handle.
His hands slide up my hips, arms, then shoulders, resting near my jawline as he cradles my face in his fingers. His shoulders are raised, great masses I want to explore, but I cling to his arms to steady my swaying legs.
He slides his fingers farther behind my neck, then pulls me close as he leans down.
I tilt my head to the side and part my lips in preparation. The last thing I see before I close my eyes is his brow furrowing, and his eyes reflecting a sheer, eager desire for me.