Free Cowboy Crushin' (Dalton Boys Book 3) by Em Petrova

thoughts away from Shelby.
    He’d been shocked to discover she’d been in so many serious relationships. He didn’t want to get in a long line. He’d walk away first and suffer the resulting heart pangs. But the way she’d kissed him back made him dream of having her forever.
    He was too damn attached to the woman for his peace of mind. But what else could he do? He wasn’t going to give up when he felt so strongly about her.
    The steady rhythm of the hard work soothed him, but his mind detoured to the previous day’s worries about Shelby. When she’d given up her own beliefs and ideas in favor of pleasing other people, it worried him. Did she really know what she liked and who she was? Could she be lying to him, transforming into somebody she wasn’t to please him too?
    He dragged his teeth over his lower lip and filled his shovel again. If she wasn’t showing her true colors to anyone, no wonder her relationships hadn’t worked.
    He had to do everything in his power to make her feel safe enough to forget about pretending with him.
    He’d already witnessed her tears over Alex. Nothing got more genuine than that. And when she laughed, the carefree sound was far from forced.
    Still, he detected the stony barrier between them. Sure, she responded to his touch. But if he stopped making the long drive to Vixen, would she care?
    Burning to be with her now, he hit the manure pile double-time. Two hours of shoveling followed by the quickest shower known to man, and he could be in Vixen with a little time to spare before Alex arrived from school.
    By the time he finished, he was aching to hear her musical voice and lay eyes on her. He barely remembered driving to Vixen—the miles flew by. Funny how the same trip by school bus had felt like an eternity as a kid. Math and science hadn’t held the same appeal as Shelby.
    He pushed the door open. The sound of the bell made him as hard as stone. Like a trained monkey, the bell meant being with the woman who’d become his life in a very short time.
    She stood behind the counter, gaze on him, blue eyes glowing like candles.
    Oh yeah, she was part of him in a big way. He wasn’t going to walk out without knowing she at least enjoyed his company. It was a start and he was patient.
    Wait a minute—no, he wasn’t. When had this big internal shift happened? He was only patient with kids and animals. Apparently that now extended to skittish women.
    At five years old he’d been the boy who unwrapped all the presents under the Christmas tree before anyone came downstairs. Whooee had his father given him a stern look. He could still see the old man’s lowered brows and the set of his lips.
    When Witt was twelve he’d been told to wait for his older brother to go hunting. Hank was still asleep so Witt had gone alone—and gotten lost then cold and hungry. The worst was knowing his mother would be worried about him when he didn’t return for lunch or dinner. By nightfall, he’d been damn contrite.
    Yeah, Shelby was different—worth waiting for.
    “Hi, Witt.” She drifted forward. When he crowded behind the counter, scooping her off her feet, she squealed.
    He kissed her open mouth, tasting mint and pure delicious female.
    “You haven’t offered me any candy,” he rumbled, teasing her earlobe with his tongue.
    “I know you don’t want candy.” She sucked in a sharp breath.
    He straightened and set her back on her worn cowgirl boots. Smiling, he said, “Maybe I’ll surprise you. What would you recommend?”
    “Ohhh. Maybe some of these?” She went to the case and pulled out a whole tray of apple pie cupcakes.
    “Mmm-mm. Yes, I could do with some of those. What about you? What do you want?”
    She looked inside the case. There were nut clusters and coconut macaroons. Beautiful white chocolate confections that looked like the most delicate spider webs dotted with silver sprinkles.
    What would she choose?
    She plucked an apple pie cupcake from the tray and took a