Her eyes flick to me, and then she quickly looks away, clearly unsure of how to handle this, especially with me standing here, hovering as some silent, unwanted presence.
I clear my throat, a little awkwardness creeping in. “Just make sure he’s not going too fast, Reid. You know how I feel about that.”
Reid flashes me that damn grin again, the one that says “don’t worry, I’ve got this.” He nods, but there’s a slight teasing edge in his tone.
“No problem, Clint. I know my way around horses. And I know how to take care of kids, too.”
Charlie’s already racing toward the fence, and Reid follows, easily mounting the horse as if he’s done it a thousand times.
My eyes linger on Dakota, trying to catch her gaze, but she’s focused on Charlie, watching him climb up beside Reid with the kind of intense care I know she reserves only for him.
She doesn’t seem to notice the awkwardness growing between us as we watch Reid take Charlie for a ride.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Dakota
It’s so awkward.
I can practically feel the tension between Clint and me, thick enough to slice with a butter knife. All I want is to say something, anything to break the silence, but no words come to me.
My mouth is dry, my palms are suddenly clammy, and I have this nagging feeling that I should just start doing jumping jacks to distract myself from the awkwardness. But that might just make things worse.
I glance over at Clint, who’s standing there looking like he’s trying to decide whether to say something or just go full cowboy and ride off into the sunset. He’s got that tight-lipped look, battling with himself.
There’s a weird kind of stillness between us, and I think we might both end up tripping over ourselves trying to break the silence.
Then, as if on cue, we both start talking at the exact same time.
“So how are?—”
“What did you?—”
It’s ridiculously cliché.
We freeze.
And then we both laugh. It’s light and easy, and somehow that laugh makes everything a little less tense. We’ve both been trying too hard and finally gave up on being cool.
He clears his throat. “Uh, you were saying something?”
“Me?” I blink, surprised he actually wants me to continue. “I was just asking how you were.”
“I’m good. What about you? The house stuff?”
“It’s… well, it’s a lot.” I fidget with the sleeve of my shirt, suddenly self-conscious. “I didn’t realize how many boxes of junk my grandfather had accumulated over the years.”
Clint nods sympathetically, but something in his eyes makes me think he’s wondering if I’m only talking about the house. His gaze flickers briefly to the distance, like he’s waiting for me to say something more.
I shift uncomfortably on my feet. The tension is back, but I’m determined to push past it.
“I also had a meeting with a guy from Buck Realty who was… well, not the most pleasant.”
Clint raises an eyebrow, his expression shifting to something sharper. “Buck Realty?”
“Yeah, it’s the only real estate agency in town, right?” I roll my eyes, the frustration creeping into my words. “But he was moaning about all the changes the house needs… unless I want to lower the asking price.”
Clint’s jaw tightens slightly, and I swear he’s about to say something else. He doesn’t, though. He just crosses his arms, clearly irritated on my behalf.
