A Miracle for the Confident Cowboy (Love in Sweet Bloom)

Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Nothing burned quite as bad as the way Sophie’s lungs did after running in the cool evening air. There was an old barn on the edge of the property that wasn’t in use, and the most likely place she could hide from both Duke and Pippa.

Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, but nothing compared to what was churning in her stomach. She felt lightheaded and the only explanation was that she’d put so much effort into her dislike of Duke that when he’d managed to change her mind, it left her dizzy and off balance.

Sophie reached the old barn and hunched over, her hands on her knees as she gulped in deep breaths. The worst part was she only had herself to blame. What had she been thinking when she reached for his hand?

Duke had been clearly struggling with the talk of home! She’d felt it internally and she’d needed to do something to help. At least that was what she tried telling herself but it ended up sounding like a lie even in her own head.

Unfortunately, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that wasn’t the biggest problem. The biggest problem was Duke might be thinking she was leading him on—that was if he was interested and paying attention at all.

Who was she kidding? The way Duke had looked at her recently, there was no denying he was interested. The whole situation gave her the distinct feeling of whiplash. Hadn’t he been cold toward her recently? Judgmental? Then out of nowhere he was giving her these compliments that made her feel… seen.

A soft sound behind her reverberated in her ears as if it were fireworks. She whirled around to find Duke’s silhouette in the doorway. The moonlight was at his back which made it near impossible for her to see his expression.

Her heart hammered, betraying her more than it already had. The hot flashes that filled her face were intolerable. She scowled at him, though he probably couldn’t see her in the darkness of the barn, either. There was no reason to be angry with him. It was a gut reaction—a way to protect her heart. “You didn’t have to follow me,” she snapped.

“And you shouldn’t be in this barn.” His voice was low and calm. There was a comfort in the way he spoke and she found herself wishing she could just throw caution to the wind and ask him if they could start over. But that wouldn’t be wise. They might have certain things in common, but they were bound to find even more about each other that didn’t quite fit.

She lifted her chin and folded her arms. “You’re not the boss of me.” It was a childish statement, but it was the only thing she could think of to keep him at arm’s length.

“That’s not the point,” he grumbled, taking a hesitant step into the shadows the barn offered. “Even I can tell this structure isn’t safe. There’s a reason why your brother hasn’t put any animals or supplies in here. One gust of wind could knock it over.”

She huffed, but her eyes darted around the barn. “It’s fine,” she said more to herself than to anyone else.

Duke heaved a sigh and took another step toward her, arm outstretched. “Look, can we… just… talk? Outside?”

She tightened her arms around herself and shook her head slightly, though he likely didn’t see it.

His voice grew darker. “Sophie, if you don’t come with me willingly, I’m going to scoop you up myself and take you outside. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want?—”

“Then leave ,” she pleaded quietly. She needed to get her head on straight. She needed to figure out if this was the path she wanted to take. Right now, there was so much going on with the future of her blog and volunteering at the shelter. She hadn’t wanted to date anyone in the first place. In hindsight it had been a relief Duke had felt the same on their first date.

He stopped, his arm dropping to his side. She could practically feel the pain coming off of him in waves.

Sophie pushed through the guilt and the latent desire she had to be with him. “You should probably go before Pippa comes out and tries to play matchmaker again. There’s a reason we didn’t work on that first date. You can’t deny that.”

For a moment she thought he might do as she asked. He hesitated where he stood, glanced over his shoulder briefly then he faced her and shook his head. “No.”

“No?” she stammered. “What do you mean, no ?” Sophie fidgeted, all the arguments in her head attempting to yell louder than the next. “Whatever you’re doing here?—”

“What I’m doing is telling you I have feelings for you.”

She snapped her mouth shut and every single one of those voices in her head went silent.”

Duke motioned to the exit behind him. “Now, will you please come with me? I will never forgive myself if something happened to you.” There was something about the tone of his voice that sent a shiver racing down her spine. “Sophie… please.”

At that moment the structure shuddered as a gust of wind rustled outside.

Sophie gasped and scurried forward, brushing past Duke to the safety beneath the stars. But the second she was outside, she turned to face him. Chiseled features were highlighted by the moon overhead. His dark eyes never left her face as he took several steps to close the distance between them.

Her whole body was on edge. This was happening. It was really happening and there was nothing she could do about it. Like the avalanches back home in the mountains, sometimes all it took was a small pebble landing in just the right spot to loosen the snow from the ledges.

And she was terrified. Before she had a chance to speak, he took both of her hands in his grasp. “I know this is going to sound crazy. You’re probably not going to believe me. Heck, I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t. But I have to say something and you need to listen.” Duke dropped her hands and took a step back to give himself some room for pacing.

He moved back and forth only a couple paces at a time, his outward frustration building. “From the moment you showed up at the shelter, it did something to me. I’ve been in denial for so long maybe I didn’t recognize it at first.” He stopped and stared hard at her. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

She shook her head.

“No, of course not.” He let out a groan and started pacing again. “I held back because I didn’t—couldn’t—believe you would share the same feelings. Or maybe I didn’t feel like I deserved your attention.” His hands dropped listlessly at his sides and he faced her once more. “I can’t do it anymore.”

Sophie blinked. She’d missing something. Maybe this wasn’t about him wanting to start a relationship at all. Maybe he couldn’t stand to be around her any longer and this was his way of telling her they should avoid one another.

An unexpected ache wrapped its talons around her heart and squeezed hard. As hard as she’d tried pushing him away, the disappointment that came with this realization turned everything on its side. She opened her mouth to tell him she understood and she would leave him alone, but he cut her off again.

Duke swooped closer to her, placing his large hand to the side of her face, forcing her to meet his gaze. “I can’t deny my feelings anymore. I can’t go on living day-to-day wondering where we could be if that first date had gone differently.”

Her breath caught in her throat, lodging there like Winnie the Pooh stuck in that tree. Sophie couldn’t drag her eyes from Duke even if she wanted to.

“It’s against everything I thought I wanted.” His words broke the spell and she let out a huff as she tore away from him.

“I’m not interested in being that person, Duke.” Her heart ached as she strode toward the house with quick, sure steps. “It’s beyond me why anyone would want to be with someone who despises them so much.” And she would know. How hard had she fought these quiet feelings from bubbling to the surface? But for her, everything had changed.

They’d reached the side of the house when his hand shot out and snatched her wrist, spinning her to face him.

“Will you just let me say what's on my mind ?” he ground out, his eyes flashing with desperation and a frustrated whisper.

Duke dropped her hand and she held her breath. This wasn’t what she had been expecting when she came to dinner tonight. Sophie peered at him in the moonlight, watching, waiting for him to say his peace. At this point she didn’t think he could say much of anything that would convince her he didn’t despise her. There were too many instances where he’d shut her out.

He took in a deep breath then released it. His eyes found hers once more. “I need you to believe me when I say I care about you.”

She opened her mouth to argue out of habit but he placed both hands above her shoulders on either side of her head, snuffing out that idea immediately.

“Do you know how hard it’s been for me to keep my distance from you? It’s been utter torture—these thoughts and feelings wreaking havoc when I know you don’t feel the same.”

Sophie froze at that statement. He thought she hated him.

Well, hadn’t she? At least a little bit?

Her face flushed hot, a contrast to the cool air swirling around them, threatening another winter event.

Duke’s eyes softened and he shifted one hand to cup her cheek. “And I know you deserve better than someone like me.”

Reality hit her like a bulldozer and she frowned without realizing it. “Better than you ?” she scoffed. “Do you even know what you’re saying right now? Better than you ? There is no one better than you.”

He stilled. It appeared he finally didn’t feel it was more important for him to speak what was on his mind. For the first time she could remember, he was shocked.

Sophie released a quiet laugh. “You’re Mr. Perfect. You volunteer and donate to charities. And from what I can tell, besides criticizing my career choice, you’re one of the most respectful people I’ve met.”

One of his brows lifted almost imperceptibly.

“Better than you,” she muttered under her breath for a third time. “If I hadn’t been so stubborn in the beginning, maybe we wouldn’t be here right now arguing about… I have no idea what we’re arguing about.”

“We’re arguing about why you should give me a second chance,” he murmured, his face inching closer to hers.

Her gaze locked onto him then as if against her will, they fluttered closed and her lips parted. She knew what was going to happen before his mouth crushed over hers, and she welcomed it.

Fingers sliding into his hair, she released all her inhibitions. She couldn’t think of a single reason why this was a bad idea anymore. There were no niggling negative thoughts to stop her from relinquishing everything she had to him. A moan slipped past her lips as their kiss deepened and he pulled her closer.

His kiss was scorching. Flames licked up and down her arms, setting her whole body on fire. She’d never forgive herself for not seeing how good they could be sooner. Why had she let her stubbornness get in the way of this?

Sophie was the first to break off their kiss, turning her head to the side to catch her breath. His kisses nipped at her jawline and trailed up to her earlobe. Sophie bit down on her lower lip as she sucked in a breath. “We can’t tell anyone.”

His kisses stilled and he pulled back to look at her fully, brows creased.

She blushed deeply. “It has nothing to do with you, I swear. But are you really ready to see that smug look on Pippa’s face if she finds out?”

Understanding pushed out the clouds of confusion and he chuckled. “Definitely not.”

“Not to mention how my brother might actually start treating you.”

This time he grimaced. “He’s one of those brothers?”

“He’s one of those brothers,” Sophie confirmed. She glanced up at his hair and wove her fingers through it. “Besides, I want to keep you all to myself.”