The Cowgirl Meets Her Match (Elk Heights Ranch)

by Kristin Vayden

  “An IOU. Collectable whenever the winner wants,” Sterling interrupted.

  “Deal.” Harper nodded then held out her hand.

  “I get twenty questions to figure it out.” Sterling shook her hand.

  “Ten, and they can’t use numbers,” Harper corrected and then nodded to the Ellensburg rodeo arena.

  “Cool, do you race there too?” Sterling asked as they slowed down to survey the arenas.

  “Yeah, but mostly it’s bull riding and such. Not my thing.”

  “Funny, but I’d think it was totally up your alley.” Sterling regarded Harper.

  “I like to watch it, but it’s not the same as watching barrel racing. I like horses more than cows,” she answered.

  “I think I like cows more than horses,” Sterling replied. “I’ll take a steak any day over having to ride a horse.”

  “That’s not exactly what I mean, but fine.” She gave a chuckle. “So, what are your questions? You have a few minutes till we get to the Yakima Canyon.”

  “Is that our next stop?”

  “Yup.” Harper swung the truck around and headed back on the road.

  “Favorite song?” he asked.

  “Johnny Cash, ‘I Walk the Line.’”

  Sterling frowned. That didn’t exactly give anything away.

  “One down. Nine to go,” Harper replied in a tone that implied she was assured of her winning the bet.

  “What was your first phone?” Sterling asked, a smile creeping across his face at his insightful question.

  “Damn. That’s a good question.” Harper gave him a wary glance. “LG Cosmos.”

  Sterling nodded. “What did you use to talk with your friends online?”

  Harper frowned again. “I just texted.”

  “Facebook account?”

  “Yes.”

  “Twitter?”

  “No.”

  “Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian.”

  “Neither?” Harper gave him an annoyed expression.

  “What I mean is, who was more of a hit when you were in high school?”

  “Oh, Paris.”

  “And you already talked about Jason Bourne. Okay, how about this one. What did you have for your first drink on your twenty-first birthday?” Sterling asked, watching as her lips twitched slightly.

  “Nothing.”

  Sterling gave her a sidelong glance, watching as her pink lips twitched in amusement. “How many selfies do you take a month?”

  Harper grimaced. “Maybe one...usually with Spartan. So, it’s not really a selfie.”

  “Sure, sure.”

  “Pain in the ass.”

  “Yup. What kind of dress did you wear to prom?”

  Harper glanced to him, her lips twisting. “A red one.”

  “Nope, not good enough. Was it strappy, or sparkly....”

  “Why do I feel like this is a trap?”

  “Because I have a little sister. And I’m comparing all your answers to her....” He gave a wicked grin.

  “Damn, I forgot about that,” Harper grumbled.

  “So, dress?” Sterling encouraged.

  “Gah, okay. It was bright red with a halter neckline and mermaid fit. Not sparkly.”

  “Damn, I bet you looked amazing.” Sterling whistled low, giving her a grin.

  “I did, thank you very much.” Harper flicked her hair behind her shoulder and gave him a flirtatious grin.

  Sterling chuckled then considered her dress, narrowing the gap by a few years. “Finally, are you a spring, fall, summer, or winter baby?”

  “Fall.”

  “You’re twenty-five,” Sterling answered then relaxed back in the truck’s seat, watching Harper’s expression freeze then thaw into an irritated grin.

  “Damn.”

  “I’m good, I know.” He stretched slightly, quite self-satisfied.

  “No, I mean, damn, you’re so close.” She cast him a smug smile.

  “No.” He sat forward and ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m wrong?”

  “Yeah, I’m twenty-four. I’ll be twenty-five next month.” Her lips pinched as she tried to restrain her laughter.

  “That is freakishly close. I think it still counts.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

  “Nope. Not counting. You’re still off. I’m not twenty-five yet. No dice.”

  “So freaking close.” Sterling sighed. “Can I at least get some credit for being as close as possible?”

  “Credit given.”

  “Thank you.” He nodded. “So...your birthday is next month?”

  “Yup.” Harper nodded. “Check out over there.” She nodded ahead. “We’re going to start winding around the canyon. It’s gentle right now, but as we get farther along, the cliffs drop off, and it’s pretty spectacular.”

  “Yeah, I think Laken said something about this. But every time she mentions it, she and Cyler do this secret smile thing and I, yeah, I leave the room.”

  “I know, I get that. It’s like with my brother and—” Harper stopped her words and bit her lip, casting a worried glance to her passenger.

  It is now or never, Sterling thought.

  “Kessed and Jasper are just as bad, huh? That’s good. They better be. All I can say is that as awkward as it is for Cyler to be constantly checking out my little sister’s ass, I’d be doubly pissed if he didn’t love her like that. I’m glad that it’s the same way with Jasper and Kessed. She deserves that.”

  Harper glanced from the road to him then back. “Is it hard for you still? Kessed and Jasper, I mean.”

  Sterling shook his head. “At first, yes. It sucks being rejected. Who likes that? Plus, Kessed and I go way back. But I think...” He frowned slightly then continued. “...I think I was holding on to the idea of Kessed being something safe and familiar, rather than pursuing her because I loved her like that. Does that make sense? It makes me sound like the biggest ass ever, but hindsight is always twenty-twenty. But it was never meant to be, I see that now. She’s with who she belongs, and Jasper needs her too.” He smirked. “I get the feeling she’s the spice in his life, and he kinda needs that.”

  Harper’s lips twitched. “Yeah, he’d be boring without her. And she’d be aimless without him. It just works.” She smiled broadly. “I’m glad you’re doing better with that. I know that Laken was worried about you.”

  “Laken worries about everything,” Sterling replied.

  “She loves you, like a sister. Trust me. As a little sister, it’s our job to worry about our overprotective and overbearing brothers.” She gave a little shake to her head. She froze for a moment then glanced to Sterling. “Did Jasper say something to you?”

  “About?” he asked, trying to lure the answer out of her.

  “Did he... He didn’t threaten you or...assume...” She didn’t finish, just kept glancing from him to the road.

  “Is there a place we can pull over up here?” Sterling asked, growing slightly uneasy with how she was winding around the canyon cliffs and kept glancing back to him.

  “Getting nervous?”

  “Yes,” Sterling answered honestly. Plus, it would be much easier to have that conversation without her focus divided between him and the road.

  It was as good a time as any to lay it all out there. Unknowingly, she’d given him the perfect opportunity.

  And this was one chance he didn’t want to screw up.

  It was a good thing he knew how to work well under pressure. Laying one’s heart on the line seemed even more dangerous than enemy fire.

  And way more threatening.

  He was proof that your body could heal.

  Something told him it wasn’t as easy to heal a heart.

  CHAPTER 14

  Harper bit her lip as she crested the top of the canyon
and started down the winding road, keeping her eyes open for the campsite on the other side. As the sign for Big Pines came into view, she pulled in.

  “Can you take out my Discovery Pass? That way we won’t have to pay to get in,” Harper asked Sterling as she pointed to her glove compartment.

  Sterling sorted through the papers within and lifted the pass with a questioning expression.

  “Yup, that’s the one.”

  Harper took it from Sterling’s outstretched hand and hung it on her rearview mirror. There wasn’t a person stationed at the check-in, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t be back to make sure all the visitors abided by the honor system.

  And it was far cheaper to pay for the annual or day pass than to be given a ticket for trying to sneak in.

  Sterling hadn’t engaged any further in their conversation, and Harper wondered what that meant. Was it good? Bad? Instinctively, she built up the walls around herself. If she closed off, then nothing could hurt.

  And she had dealt with enough hurt for a lifetime. She didn’t need any more.

  But what had Jasper said to him?

  As she put the pickup in park, she turned to Sterling, keeping the engine running to let the A/C cool the cab.

  “So?” she asked, her curiosity fighting against her will to remain uninvested.

  Protected.

  “So, you asked a good question, and Harper, you deserve a straight answer.”

  Harper’s shoulders tensed, her hands flexing slightly as she waited for whatever Sterling was going to say.

  Fleetingly, she thought how pathetic it was that she was expecting something bad, something that would hurt.

  That was always her first instinct.

  It wasn’t an expectation for good.

  But for pain, for something that would hurt. And this was no different. Did she have any reason to think that Sterling was going to say something to hurt her? No, but that didn’t change the fact that it was a real reaction.

  Not because of anything he’d ever done.

  But because of her.

  The issue was within, and that was what made it so damn difficult to conquer.

  “You all right?” Sterling asked, his gray eyes narrowing as he studied her in the close confines of the cab.

  Harper took a shallow breath.

  It was too close—everything was just too close.

  “I need some air,” she replied as she opened the door. After slamming the pickup door shut, she absentmindedly wrapped her arms around her middle and strode to the river, keeping her eyes on how it rippled across the canyon, lapping at the shore.

  She heard his footsteps behind her then the jingle of her keys.

  Hanging her head in irritation at herself for forgetting to turn off the truck, she hazarded a glance at Sterling, who was holding the dancing keys out to her. She gave him a tight smile and took them. “Thanks.”

  “No problem. I’m assuming you didn’t want to keep the engine running?” he asked, but without sarcasm, just a gentle tone.

  Harper relaxed slightly and shook her head. “No.”

  As she waited for Sterling to ask about why she’d bolted again, she grew tense with the anticipation.

  Nothing good came from silence.

  Did it?

  Just when she was about to speak up, break through the silent barrier, Sterling bent down, sifted through some stones and picked up a few.

  “You ever skip rocks?” he asked, glancing up at her, squinting in the bright sunlight.

  Harper felt her body relax in posture, and a smile cracked her lips. “Once or twice.”

  “You any good?” Sterling asked, his grin widening.

  Harper looked away, his expression causing butterflies to dance in her tummy. Damn, she both hated and loved the sensation. It had been a long time since she’d had that reaction.

  It was innocent yet...not. That tingling sensation could lead to stupid choices.

  And Sterling was a constant temptation to acting on those crazy impulses.

  She took a deep breath of pine-scented air and cleared her head. “Good enough,” she finally answered.

  “I won’t issue any challenges then. I’ve lost enough for one day,” Sterling replied as he stood back up, taking aim.

  “Where’s your sense of adventure?” Harper asked, feeling more at ease. Teasing, sarcasm, even a little bit of flirting—those she could handle. Those didn’t freak her out.

  They were just surface interaction.

  But things got real when she felt the pressure build in her chest, constricting her lungs and stealing her breath.

  Skipping rocks? Baiting the bear? Now that she could do.

  She bent down and picked up a flat river rock. After taking aim, she let it sail over the river just as Sterling hurled his as well. Both skipped several times before disappearing under the rippling water.

  “How many?” Sterling asked.

  “I think it was a tie.”

  “That sucks.”

  Harper giggled. “I know, right? The most anticlimactic ending.”

  “Round two?” Sterling offered her a flat rock.

  Harper grinned, plucking the rock from his hand and flicking her wrist in anticipation.

  “Ladies first.”

  Harper flung the stone over the river, watching as it skipped once, twice, then disappeared under the clear water.

  “That was not my best throw.” She winced.

  Sterling winked. “I think it’s safe to say I’ll win this round.”

  Harper rolled her eyes but watched as he skipped the stone four times before it sunk to the bottom.

  “Winner!” Sterling fist-pumped the air.

  “All hail the champion.” Harper sighed, giving a small clap.

  “So, why did I freak you out earlier? I mean, I know kissing you can have that reaction—and I haven’t figured out if that’s a good or bad thing.” He gave her a side grin. “But I guess the thing is...” He faced her, his gaze magnetic and stealing all her ability to run. “...I want you to run to me, not away. And I don’t know how to do that, but...a wise woman once told me that I need to lay it all out there. So, this is me, probably making an ass of myself.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I want to be the one you run to, not from. And I can’t promise that I won’t screw up, or that I won’t hurt you, but I want you to know that I think you’re worth the risk. Because all the things you’re scared of, I’m scared of too. And I know that this is a bigger step for you, so I’m putting the ball in your court, so to say. No guessing, no wondering. Here it is. You’re in control. Just tell me what you want...if anything. And I’ll do my best to be what you need.”

  Sterling took a deep breath and stepped back, giving Harper some space.

  She thought over his words, her body simultaneously trying to run both away and to him, and in the confusion, she was rooted to the ground. His words were everything she needed, yet everything that freaked the hell out of her.

  Control.

  He had said the magic word.

  Did she want this? Want him?

  Hell yes! But could she do this? Really?

  If she had control...

  If it was on her terms, her pace...

  Would that be enough to combat the fear?

  I want you to run to me, not away.

  She breathed in, breathed out, repeating the words over and over in her head, thankful for the space, but also knowing that she needed to give him an answer.

  He deserved one.

  Could she be as brave as he? Lay it all out there, damn the consequences? Even if it hurt.

  If it failed?

  Even if it gave her a broken heart?

  Control.

  She lifted her gaze and studied Sterling. His broad shoulders were tense, even a
s he was trying to appear relaxed, accepting of her choice.

  It took a brave man to risk his heart with someone as messed up as she. She didn’t just have baggage, she had a luggage factory. But it was also something that Sterling understood.

  He was broken too.

  Not in the same way, but broken was still broken.

  And maybe, just maybe, two broken people didn’t make a mess.

  Maybe they made a whole.

  “Okay.” Harper breathed. Releasing the word into the air was both liberating and also terrifying—but didn’t give her the oppressive pressure she’d expected.

  It set her free.

  “Okay...” Sterling took a tentative step toward her.

  Harper took a breath. “I don’t want to run away from you either. I’m scared as hell”—she shook her head—“but if you can be brave, so can I.”

  Sterling’s face softened. “Can’t be outdone, can you?”

  “You’re learning.” She gave a gentle laugh.

  “Starting to. I think I have a long way to go, though.” Sterling took another step toward her.

  “Eh, you’ll get there.” She shrugged, the familiar territory of teasing releasing some of the tension.

  “I’m a quick learner.”

  “Unless it’s on horseback.”

  “Mean.” Sterling shook his head.

  “At least you know what you’re getting into,” Harper challenged.

  Sterling glanced to the rocky ground, a grin widening his full lips. He met her gaze again, his gray eyes dancing with amusement and...something else.

  Hope.

  “I’m pretty sure I’m at least marginally aware.”

  “You still think it’s worth the risk?” Harper asked as he came toe to toe with her. Heart pounding, she couldn’t tear away from his gaze. She not only needed to hear his answer, she needed to see it reflected in his eyes.

  Wow, she was an insecure mess.

  “Absolutely,” Sterling replied immediately, his gaze warm, smoldering, as he lifted a hand and trailed a fingertip down her arm then laced her fingers within his own.

  “I’m going to kiss you now. Is that okay?” he asked, murmuring the words, not breaking eye contact.

  “Yeah.” Harper’s heart seized as she answered, fear and anticipation freezing her. She fluttered her lids closed when Sterling lowered his head, brushing his lips ever so softly against hers, then retreating.