Free True Blue Cowboy (The Cash Brothers) by Marin Thomas Page A

who’s a guest here?”
    Had his brother made a move on Beth? “Why are you asking?”
    “I introduced myself to her, but she seemed kind of serious.”
    The tightness in Mack’s chest eased. “She didn’t fall for your flattery, eh?”
    “Nope. And I put out my best effort.” Porter walked Doink into his stall then shut the gate.
    “I offered to take her on a horseback ride, but she claimed you’d already been on the trail with her.” Porter grinned. “What’s going on between you two?”
    Mack played dumb. “Nothing.”
    “When I mentioned your name, her face turned red.”
    A week had passed since he’d taken Beth to the rodeo, and he’d only caught glimpses of the woman since. He’d gone out of his way to cross paths with her, but it was as if she sensed whenever he was near and found an escape route before he reached her.
    “Mack, are you in here?”
    He glanced toward the barn entrance. Beth stood in the swath of sunlight streaming through the doors. “Take a break,” he said to his brother.
    Porter chuckled, and Mack swore he’d throw a punch if his brother didn’t get lost. “Holler if you need my help.” Porter approached Beth, stopping in front of her.
    Mack wished his brother would keep walking.
    “If you change your mind about that ride, give me a shout.” Porter tapped a finger against the brim of his hat and left the barn.
    Mack expected Beth to move closer but her shoes appeared cemented in place. She wrung her hands as he closed the distance between them. When he stopped in front of her, she straightened her shoulders as if ready to do battle. It had been six days since the rodeo—six days of Beth dodging him. Six nights of reliving their rodeo kiss in his dreams.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “I need to talk to you.” She glanced toward the storage room.
    “We’re alone.”
    Her posture relaxed and she blew out a quiet breath. “I wanted to apologize.”
    “I can’t think of anything you need to apologize for.” His remark brought her head up and the shimmer in her eyes socked him in the gut. Tears?
    “I shouldn’t have kissed you at the rodeo.”
    His lungs froze in the middle of drawing in air. He sure as hell didn’t regret the kiss, and he didn’t know what to say.
    “I got caught up in the excitement and...”
    And what?
    “My first experience with the whole rodeo thing.”
    One of the horses kicked their stall and the loud thump startled her. “Let’s get out of here.” He led Beth from the barn and stopped beneath the shade of a paloverde tree. “What are you afraid of?”
    “I’m not afraid.” The crack in her voice betrayed her bravado.
    Mack brushed the pad of his thumb against her cheek. “I admit we met under interesting circumstances, but I thought we’d decided to start over as friends and—”
    “That’s just it.” Beth moved away, and Mack’s arm fell to his side. “Friends don’t exchange kisses.”
    Something more than kissing bothered her but she wasn’t making it easy for him to guess. Since he’d learned of her divorce, he’d wondered about her feelings for her ex. “Are you still in love with your ex-husband?”
    She broke eye contact and rolled the ball of her shoe across a pebble on the ground.
    “We’ve never really talked about him,” he said.
    “We haven’t talked about all your ex-girlfriends, either.” She spun on her heels and took the path that led to her cabin.
    Mack hurried after her. “I’ve got nothing to hide. Ask me anything.”
    “I don’t care to know about all the women you’ve slept with.”
    “There haven’t been as many as you might believe, considering my line of work.” For a short woman she sure had a long stride. He picked up the pace. “If we’re friends, it shouldn’t matter how many women I’ve been with.”
    She stopped in front of her cabin and fished a key from her pocket. He took it from her grasp and opened the door for her, then hovered on the stoop.
    “You’re doing it