Salvation in the Rancher's Arms(35)

“You had somethin’ you wanted to say?”

The tone of his voice conveyed his displeasure at being interrupted. It threw her. Yesterday evening, he had seemed completely content to sit outside the bunkhouse while she regaled him with the tale of Ethan’s origins and her own decision to take him in. Now the distant drifter had returned. What had changed?

She pushed the question out of her mind. Perhaps it was better this way. Easier. She wouldn’t worry so much about hurting his feelings. Most likely he wouldn’t even care.

“I wanted to speak to you about Ethan.”

He said nothing. Only one eyebrow arched upward, leaving Rachel unsure if he was amused or annoyed.

She cleared her throat, reciting the speech she had spent the better part of the morning constructing. “While I appreciate the time you took showing him the harmonica, I would appreciate if in the future you curtailed the time you spent with him.”

The eyebrow slowly lowered back to its original position, the only indication he had heard her. Maybe he had simply grown weary of holding it in place. The man was impossible to read.

“That it?”

She had expected—well, in truth, she had no idea what type of response she had expected. She had been prepared for an argument, if one came, but she had not prepared for this apathy.

“As we will not be in each other’s company for an extended period, I would prefer Ethan not grow attached to you. As I explained last night, he has suffered much upheaval and loss in his life, and I do not want to add to it by having him lose one more person.”

“Fair enough.”

His indifference irked her. Did he care so little? He had taken such time with Ethan the previous night. She saw with her own eyes the tenderness he showed toward the boy. Had she imagined it? Misread what she saw?

She continued to babble as if her words could sneak past his barriers and draw out the man she’d met last night, the one who took the time to show a lonely little boy attention. The man who had touched his cheek with a surprising tenderness. She didn’t stop to think about the consequences of breaching such a fortress.

“He has a tendency to grow attached quickly and then become upset when people leave.”

Caleb shrugged. “I’ll be sure and leave the boy alone.”

Unexplained frustration welled inside of her.

“I’m not saying to cut yourself off completely or ignore him if he approaches you. Of course, if he speaks to you I expect you to respond with kindness. I am simply requesting you don’t court his attentions.”

“Fine.”

Rachel’s spirits drooped. The fortress was impenetrable. The man from last night just a hazy mirage. “That’s it? That’s all you have to say?”

The eyebrow edged upward again. She had the sudden urge to smack it with the heel of her palm to cut its ascent short, but she didn’t dare get close enough. Even at this distance, even with indifference holding her at arm’s length, she could feel the pull he had over her. She took a step back.

“Why do I get the sense it isn’t just Ethan you want me to avoid?”

Her body stilled until the only movement remaining was the rush of blood through her veins. “I don’t understand your meaning.”

Caleb took a few steps toward her, each one slow and deliberate, the way someone would approach a skittish animal they were trying not to scare away. She felt ready to bolt, but her limbs would not cooperate. He stopped, close enough that she had to look up to meet his gaze.

“You get right hitchy whenever I’m around—”

“I most certainly do not.”

“Like you can’t decide if you want to run off or...” He shrugged.

Rachel should have let it go, but the words were out before she could haul them back in. “Or what?”

He looked at her and she swore she could feel his gaze travel from the tips of her toes all the way to the last hair atop her head, teasing every inch in between and leaving his mark. He was right. She did want to run away. Being close to him made her want things, things she refused to allow herself. She knew better than to lose control and give in to such desires. How giving in ended in pain and disaster. But Lord have mercy, something about this man made her want to court disaster.

“You tell me,” Caleb said.

Rachel tried to read his expression. His hazel eyes burned into her, but the rest of his features remained carefully schooled. She swallowed, keeping the answer inside of her. Letting it out was not an option. Not with him. It opened too many doors she was determined to keep shut.

“I do not get...hitchy, and I am most certainly not afraid of you.”

“Didn’t say you were afraid of me. I said you wanted to run away.”