Larkspur Road by Jill Gregory Page B

She said it as if he’d told her he was planning to rob a bank.
    “Don’t look so thrilled. It might go to my head.”
    Instead of earning him the smile he’d hoped for, she frowned. For some reason he couldn’t explain, this irritated the hell out of him.
    And the federal agent known for keeping his cool under the most extreme pressure couldn’t contain the words that came out next.
    “Worried you might have to actually talk to me now and again if we run into each other in town?”
    “I’m not
worried
about anything. And I don’t know what you mean by that.”
    “You avoided me at Rafe and Sophie’s wedding. I tried to talk to you, to catch your eye, but you pretended not to see me.”
    “
You
were at Rafe and Sophie’s wedding? I’m afraid I didn’t notice.”
    Bemused, he stuck his hands in his pockets. “Well, I noticed you.”
    She
had
changed. The girl he’d loved years ago had wornher heart on her sleeve. This woman, all grown up, was meticulously self-possessed and kept hers under wraps.
    Maybe that was partly his fault. From the little he’d heard from Lissie over the years, he knew he wasn’t the only man who’d let her down. Still, that didn’t let him off the hook.
    “A man would have to be dead not to notice you,” he said quietly and for a moment, a breath, he thought he saw something in her eyes. She looked startled, open, and vulnerable, and he had the almost overpowering urge to take her in his arms.
    Then she shut down, stepped back—and at the same time there was a commotion from behind the house. The dogs started barking like hounds escaped from hell. Will Brady’s voice rumbled from the direction of the barn.
    “Dad!” Grady shouted, racing toward them. “Mr. Brady let me pet Pepper Jack and he’s going to show me how to brush him. Can I ride him now? Please? I really want to!”
    “Whoa, Grady. I want to introduce you to someone. This is Ms. Quinn.” He hoped his voice sounded steady. What the hell had happened a minute ago? What in hell was wrong with him?
    “Hi.” Grady looked up at Mia with a shy smile, then turned right back to Travis. “Can I? Can I ride Pepper Jack now?”
    “We have to go to the cabin first, remember? Get started on the work there. When we come back later, I promise we’ll spend a couple hours with the horses.”
    “But I want to ride now.” Impatience flashed in the boy’s eyes.
    “First things first, son,” Travis said evenly, and at that moment Sophie stepped out onto the porch.
    “Mia, I thought I heard your voice.” Her gaze flew from Travis to Mia, a look of concern touching her face, but Mia spoke quickly, moving toward her, breaking the tension.
    “I hope I didn’t wake you or Aiden. I didn’t know you had company.”
    “Yes, Travis and Grady coming home was the one
good
thing that happened yesterday.” Sophie managed a tired smile. “Aiden has an ear infection,” she explained. “It was a pretty rough night.”
    “Oh, no. Sorry. I
did
wake you, didn’t I?”
    “I was only dozing.” She cast another searching glance between Mia and her brother-in-law. “Come on in. I’ve got coffee.”
    As Mia hurried inside, telling Sophie she needed a favor, something to do with her aunt Winny, Travis had to force himself to turn away. To go down the steps and focus on Grady. The boy still looked bummed that he couldn’t go riding that very moment.
    “I’ll be ready to roll in five.” Travis placed a light hand on his head. “After we check out the cabin, we’ll drive into town, get whatever supplies we need. Pepper Jack will be right here waiting when we get done. You’ll have later today and the whole summer to ride him.”
    Grady stared at the ground, saying nothing, but Travis sensed the tension in him. Anger and frustration, probably. Suddenly Travis felt like a bad guy.
    He’d spent most of his adult life being tougher than the toughest bad guys, putting them away, being in charge. But Grady wasn’t a bad kid and he