I grin.
“Getting ready for your barrel riding demonstration?”
She sighs dramatically. “If Royce ever lets that poor boy out of the arena.”
A second later, another voice joins us. “I wholeheartedly agree.”
Charli steps up beside Shelby. Her gaze is locked on the arena.
“With what?” Shelby asks.
“There’s nothing sexier than a man on the back of a horse.” She smirks as her eyes slide to me. “Except one on the back of a bull.”
I chuckle as I glance toward Axle.
He’s turning his horse around, hat pulled low, broad shoulders stretching beneath his shirt. My stomach does a stupid little flip whenever I look at him.
“Yeah,” I admit, “I agree.”
Shelby snorts. “Damn, she’s got it bad.”
“Very bad,” Charli says.
I roll my eyes.
After a moment, Shelby nudges my shoulder. “How are you doing? After everything.”
I know what she’s really asking. She wants to know about me and Cabe.
I look toward the distant mountains. “I’m okay. It’s hard, getting the silent treatment from Cabe.”
The words are hard to swallow. I’m used to talking or texting with him every night, sharing about our days. But since our heart-to-heart on the front porch, I’ve given him space.
“He won’t even look at me half the time when we run into each other around the academy.”
Neither of them speaks right away; they love Cabe and Axle, too, and I’m sure they are conflicted about how to handle the situation.
“Yeah, he’s still pretty pissed at Royce and me,” Charli says.
My throat tightens.
“I hate all of this. Axle doesn’t say much about it,” I continue. “But I know it’s killing him too.”
The brothers have always been close, and knowing that I’ve caused this rift between them guts me. What happened in the barn didn’t just hurt Cabe and Axle. It hurt all three of them.
Shelby sighs. “I still can’t believe I didn’t see it.”
I glance over as she shakes her head.
“I’m normally so observant.”
Charli snorts and points at me. “I don’t know either because the way she looked at him”—then she points toward the arena—“and the way he looked at her …” She brings her hand up to fan herself.
I feel my cheeks warm.
“There was no hiding it. I still can’t believe Cabe didn’t figure it out sooner.”
Shelby shakes her head, and her smile slowly fades. “I feel terrible.”
