The Ashtons - Cole, Abigail & Megan

arms?
    But even as she questioned her reasoning, she knewthe answer. She simply didn’t want to be away from him. And that made no sense at all.
    They’d only known each other a little less than two weeks. But when she’d gone on the shopping trip with Mercedes, all she’d been able to think about was getting back to The Vines, and Russ.
    Removing her boots, she curled up on the couch and blindly stared at the small television. Could she be falling for him? Was it possible to care for someone that much in such a short amount of time?
    When she was with him, she had a sense of belonging, of being where she was supposed to be. And when they were apart, all she could think about was how much she missed his deep laughter, his warm embrace and the kisses that threatened to turn her into a cinder.
    Uncle Grant had always said that when she saw something she wanted, she knew it right away and wasn’t afraid to go after it. But he’d been talking about her education and career, not affairs of the heart.
    Was it time to release the tight grip she’d always kept on herself? Did she dare let herself go, and take the chance that she might fall in love with Russ?
    Before she could reach any conclusions about herself and her feelings for Russ, the door opened and he entered the trailer.
    “How would you like to go to a dance tomorrow night, honey?”
    “Is that part of the rodeo festivities?”
    “Not usually.” He grinned as he sat beside her on the couch to pull off his boots. “I was talking to a friend of mine down at the barn and he said some of the guys’ wives and girlfriends have been complaining about it being Valentine’s weekend and them being stuck here at the rodeo.”
    She laughed. “In other words, the men are trying to make amends by throwing an impromptu dance.”
    “Something like that. A couple of guys heard their names used in conjunction with ‘insensitive’ and ‘unromantic. ’ But when some of the women threatened to make them sleep in the barn with the horses, they figured the situation was getting serious.” Grinning, he stood to remove his keys and change from his jeans pocket. “So, would you like to go?”
    “Sure.” She laughed. “It sounds like a lot of fun. But I think I’d better warn you—I haven’t gone dancing in ages. I might step on your toes a lot.”
    His deep laughter sent a tiny electric charge skipping over every nerve in her body. “It won’t be a problem. I only dance the slow ones, and mainly just stand in one spot, hold my partner close and sway in time to the music.”
    The thought of having Russ hold her close made her feel warm all over. Deciding to put a little distance between them, she rose to her feet and looked around forthe small overnight bag that she’d given Russ to load into the camper before they’d left The Vines.
    “If you could tell me where you put—”
    Before she could ask where he’d stored the bag, he reached into the tiny closet and removed some bedding and her overnight case. “Here you go,” he said, handing it to her. “The bathroom is pretty small, but I think there’s room in there to change.”
    Stepping into the cramped little room, Abby quickly stripped out of her clothes and put on her nightshirt. But as she started to open the door, she realized that she’d forgotten to pack her robe.
    “Now what are you going to do?” she muttered, thoroughly disgusted with herself.
    “Did you say something?” Russ called.
    “No, just talking to myself.”
    Glancing down at the thin cotton shirt that ended well above her knees, she decided she had two choices. She could either change back into her clothes and go to bed fully dressed, which wasn’t at all appealing. Or, she could hold her head up and act as if nothing was out of the ordinary, walk the few feet to the couch and dive under the covers Russ had taken from the closet.
    She really didn’t see that she had a choice and before she could chicken out, she opened the door and walked out of the bathroom.
    “I could have made my own bed,” she said, when shefound him tucking the sheet and blanket under the end of the couch cushion.
    “You take the bed. I’ll sleep here.”
    His back was to her, but when he turned around, it was all Russ could do to keep his mouth from dropping wide open. In his entire life he’d never seen a sexier sight than Abby standing there in that light turquoise, oversize T-shirt. It wasn’t, by any stretch of the imagination, supposed to