Page 40 of Cowboys & Horses

He grinned. “Everyone loves fajitas.”

I bit into it, the delicious flavours flooding my tongue. “This is really good.”

“Here,” he said, offering me a glass of red wine. “Try some of this with it.”

Taking a small sip, I was surprised at the pleasantness of the fruity liquid. I wasn’t really a wine fan, but this was lovely. The bubbly tang it left on my tongue sent my taste buds into overdrive. It was like nothing I’d ever tasted before.

“It’s my home brew,” he said, giving me a cheeky wink.

“You make your own wine?”

He chuckled. “Is that a problem?”

“Not at all. I just didn’t have you down as that sort.”

“Oh, really? So what type did you have me down for?”

I giggled, thinking back to my initial thoughts of him. “Do you really want to go down this road?”

“Perhaps not.”

A snarling growl stifled our conversation. My heart stopped dead. The silence around us suddenly filled with tension.

“What the hell was that?” I whispered.

Brady laughed. “It’s only a bobcat. It won’t come near us. Don’t worry.”

“A bobcat?”

He nodded. “You know, a lynx.”

I gave him a withering look. “I know what a bobcat is. I’m British, not an idiot.”

He laughed. “Well, some people don’t know.”

“Well I do.” I grinned as I downed the rest of the wine, holding my glass out for more. “So, how come I’m allowed back on a horse before my seven-day sentence is up?”

Laughing, he replied, “Well, with me sitting behind you, you can’t really do a lot, can you? Especially when I have the reins.”

“What happened to trust exactly?” I stuck my tongue out for extra effect.

“Well, where it concerns you and that horse, I think it’s safe to say you don’t have a good track record there.” He leaned back on his elbows, gazing out over the glorious view we had. “It never fails to fascinate me—this place. It’s so beautiful yet at the same time can be so deadly.” He smirked. “Much like a woman.”

I gave his shoulder a playful shove. “With comments like that, yes, you’re right.” I mirrored his position, gazing out over the desert myself. “Such a long way from home.” A painful stab shot through my chest, settling with a dawning realisation. “I don’t want to go home.”

Silence settled over us for a few seconds before he turned to me. “So don’t.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“Why isn’t it?”

“My whole life is there. I don’t know anything else.”

“Just because you know nothing else doesn’t mean you should stay in a life you don’t enjoy.”

“I know that but it’s hardly a decision like choosing which shoes to wear.”

“Why? It’s your life, Sophie. You need to take control of it and decide what happens in it. If you don’t, you’re going to end up living a life someone else wants.”