Page 99 of Risking it for the Cowboy

The names tattooed on his heart. Charlie’s eyes widened, confusion swirling a cocktail in her mind and refusing to compute, when she closed her eyes, shame washing over her in a tidal wave.

The tears wouldn’t stop, despite her blinking them away and trying to shield her eyes from Daisy because her crying always distressed the girl who’d seen her momma in tears too many times.

He leaned into her ear, whispering, “Who’d you think she was?”

“Boy, leave her alone.” Faith smacked his arm.

He ducked out of the way of the smack, then wrestled his oldest sister still several inches shorter than him backward with a hand over her mouth.

Faith laughed, twisting out of his hold as he chuckled, but Charlie smiled contritely at the sibling affection-slash-warfare, the crushing weight lifting off her chest.

*

But despite Faith’s playful attempt to play off the moment, T.R. turned back to Charlie, pulling her away from the others, staring hard at her, cupping her cheek, absorbing her worry in each caress of his thumb.

“I handled all this wrong,” he admitted, brushing away the remains of her tears as she slipped her sunglasses back on to hide her eyes. “She brought something I wanted to surprise y’all with and got here early, so when she called, I couldn’t talk about it out loud ’cause I didn’t want to give it away in front of y’all. Forgive me?”

“I’m the one who’s sorry. I jumped to conclusions,” she admitted, which eased the pinch in his chest that had knotted there the moment he’d seen her crestfallen tears and known exactly what the moment looked like.

But her face was still creased with worry. She’d come early. Why? God, he’d known he’d made her suspicious, his untrusting wallflower.

“What’s wrong?”

She swallowed. Shook her head.

“Don’t lie to me, darlin’.”

Something was tying her tongue.

“Why’d you come early?”

“Why’d you not want me to meet your sister?” she countered. A deflection.

He shook his head. He really didn’t want to spoil the reason why. “Don’t change the subject, baby. There’s something else wrong, I can sense it.”

She exhaled hard, chewed her lip. Her tell. He just needed to nudge a little harder.

“Somethin’ happen?” His eyes dipped to a letter in her hand, crunched in her grip.

Her mail?

“I just, I don’t know that I’m going to do your band any favors.”

What?

He chuckled uncomfortably but held onto the cradle of her face. “You’re a perfect fit. Jack and Bo love you. You’re just what we need for Friday’s gig, for the award—”

“I mean, I just think, my past, any bad press…”

His brow furrowed. Where was this coming from?

“What are you talking about? My fans are wild to know more about you. If anything, the mystery of who my Flower Girl was has boosted our visibility online. Everyone wants to find out who you really are.”

“Seems like they got their wish.”

He shook his head, confused. She opened her phone. Tapped on a social media notification. And McClintock’s Alumni … faceless chicks, some he’d probably banged over the years … opened up.

He grimaced and paced a step, then another, then returned to her and gripped her nape, looking her dead in the eyes. “Get the fuck off that page, Charlie, it ain’t gonna do you any favors. I hate that it even exists,” he spat, jaw pumping. He had no control over it.