Page 51 of Break the Barrier

“Thea, I know you got a past, baby. I understand how horrible it was when you went through that.” I sigh, thinking about how I can ease her worries. “I know that how we came to be here isn’t conventional.” I raise my brows, and she nods,letting out a slow breath. “But we’re here now because I care about you, because these past few weeks have been good.”

“Logan, they have been good. But you have to understand that the last time I put complete faith in a man, I got burned, and so did my sisters.”

I stop our movements and stare down at her, waiting for her eyes to connect with mine. “I am not him.”

She must get that feels like an insult to me because she shakes her head and squeezes her eyes shut tight. “I know you’re not.” Her eyes open again. “I swear, I’m not trying to put you two together or compare you. I’m trying to tell you that you’re the only two people I’ve ever trusted with my heart, and whether it was broken out of trust or love the first time, I have a feeling that with you, it would hurt way more.”

Her words settle over me, and this feeling of how serious she is, how serious her feelings for me must be if she voiced this all out loud, fills me with hope that we were far more on the same page than I’d originally thought.

We resume our swaying dance, glancing over at the group when we hear them break out into laughter.

I turn my attention back to her. “You already put your faith in me when we went to that courthouse.” I squeeze her hand, and she quickly looks to make sure no one heard me. “Now that you trust me on paper, it’s time to put a little more faith into what I’m willing to bet could be something amazing.”

Her eyes, big and bright and beautiful, water.

“That is.” I nod my head to the side where I see my daughter. “If you’re up for it.”

She licks her lips, her grip on my hand growing tighter, and I wait on bated breath to see how this is going to play out. “I’m up for it.”

“Good,” I answer quickly, not giving her a chance to change her mind or back out. “Now dance with me and tell me I’m pretty.”

The comment gets the reaction I want, which was for her to laugh and finally let go of the tension she’s been holding in her since we started this conversation.

“Oh, Mr. Cowboy, I don’t think your ego needs that kind of stroking.”

Though her words are a clear challenge, like the gentleman I am, I keep my mouth shut and raise a brow at her.

Her giggling erupts loud enough that family members glance over at us.

And for the first time since Thea came to me for help last year, I finally feel like we’re on the track to something great.

The horse beneath me works their hooves into the dirt, pushing themselves to go faster and faster until I signal them to slow down, getting them to go at just a walk. I breathe heavily myself, wiping my forehead with my sleeve before replacing my ball cap on my head.

I pat the horse on the neck and walk him around, letting his heart rate come back to normal.

It had been a week since my accident, and I was finally back to work. Thankfully, Stetson and CT had kept up with the young ones I work with so they weren’t as fiery as they could have been.

The horse I was on currently is only two, and he has a lot of potential for the shows if they wanted him to. CT had broughthim in, asking me if I could get him broke so he could take over and train him as a cow horse.

“Lookin’ good out there,” my cousin calls from the door to the arena. I slow my horse until he stops, and when I’m sure he’s cool enough, I dismount and make my way over to Dani.

“Yeah, he’s a good one. Your fiancé has a good eye.”

Dani blushes and rolls her eyes. “You don’t need to call him that.”

“Oh, right. Soon-to-be husband is better.”

“Personally, I like the term ‘bridegroom,’” my brother says from whatever spot he just popped out of.

“What the hell is a bridegroom?” I ask, taking the bridle out of my horse’s mouth and replacing the whole thing with his halter and tying him to the cross ties. Dani immediately starts to help, loosening the cinch.

“It’s the old term used for men who were to be wed.”

“Oh, yeah, we should definitely start calling CT a bridegroom.”

Dani chuckles at me. “Don’t tease him.”

Stetson and I glance at each other, and I’m sure his expression matches mine. “Yeah, no, you can’t take that away from us. It’s our duty.”