Page 19 of Honoring Freedom
“You guess what?” One brow lifted over his curious gaze.
“I guess I was reacting from a place of emotion,” she admitted.
“Just remember, if you toss the ring at my head again, I’m not carrying it around another fifteen years like a fool.” His laugh was a bit chafed.
“I won’t.” And she meant her words. She wasn’t sure she’d ever take it off.
“I’ve never been to one of these events. Am I dressed okay?” Keller held out his arms. “You’re dressed up like we’re heading to prom.”
“The prom?” She snickered. “You’re fine. You look handsome.” Without thinking she ran the tips of her fingers down the shirt. His chest muscles flexed under her fingertips. She removed her hand.
“The beard okay?”
What seemed like a simple question had deeper underlying meaning.
“Don’t worry. The beard is nice.”
He leaned in, so close she thought he might kiss her.
“You’ve got something on your face,” he said.
“What is it?” She wiped her hand down her chin.
“A smile. I haven’t seen one on you in a long time.”
“Certainly, you are mistaken. I smile all the time.”
“You really don’t know yourself very well, do you?”
“And you do?” She put him on the spot.
He shrugged and the material of the shirt tugged against his broad shoulders. “I’d like to think I once did. I remember the girl who used to be carefree, curls in the wind as she rode like she didn’t have a trouble in the world. Where did she go?”
“She’s still here. I guess it depends on the mood and the company.” She wanted to tear her gaze off him but refused to run away.
He snorted. “You really know how to scar a man, don’t you?” He strolled past her to the wall of photographs, finding a specific one. He seemed particularly interested in the photo taken when she was about ten and Daddy had just bought her a horse, Gem. “You do have an amazing smile.” He touched the frame as if he wanted to connect to her past.
“I did have a great childhood, not without hardships but with many blessings.”
“You really are into horses and ranching.”
She narrowed her gaze on his profile. “No, I’ve enjoyed pretending all these years, dressing up like a cowgirl and hoisting myself into a saddle,” she stated sarcastically.
He turned to face her, and she swallowed hard. For the life of her, why couldn’t she find him as ugly as deeply as she found him infuriating.
“Don’t misunderstand me.”
“Oh, I misunderstood your statement, did I?” In irritation she twisted and rolled the ring.
“What I meant was, you rebelled against what was expected of you. You spent more time at the library as a kid than on the ranch and ended up collecting more books than horses and trophies.”
She blinked. “And how do you know I spent so much time at the library?”
He scratched his temple with his thumbnail “Because I was in there too, but not for enjoyment. I hated academics but to get into veterinary school I knew I had to study my ass off or there was no way I’d be accepted. I’m not book smart but I’m logical. You were always there, at the library, sitting at the same table, nose deep in a book. I wondered how it was possible for a person to find so much thrill in a book.”
“You’re right to an extent. I was escaping parts of my childhood and delving into fantasy worlds.”
“I thought you had a blessed childhood?” He used her words against her.