Taunting Callum (Big Sky Royal 3)

They share a glance again.

“Women are bloody frustrating,” I grumble and push my hand through my hair.

“And there we are,” Jacob says good-naturedly and claps his hand on my shoulder. “Let’s talk it out.”

I shake my head and take a sip of Guinness. “I fucked up. I admit it, and I’ve apologized for it, for two damn years. She says she’s forgiven me.”

“But?” Sebastian asks.

“Something doesn’t sit well,” I reply. “I’m not sleeping. I can’t get her off my mind.”

“I’ve never known a woman to catch your fancy like this,” Jacob says as he raises a brow. “If she’s so difficult, just move on.”

“Tried that,” I say. “But I can’t seem to stop thinking about her.”

“Well, then go to London and talk with her,” Jacob suggests.

I laugh and shake my head. “She’s actually here, in Cunningham Falls.”

Sebastian’s eyes narrow. “Aspen?”

I nod.

“The new owner of Drips & Sips?” Jacob asks. “I quite like her. She’s intelligent and has made good business decisions. Not to mention, she’s quite lovely to look at.”

I stare at my friend. “You’re married to the most perfect woman in the world, remember?”

“And I’m as dedicated to her today as the day I married her. It doesn’t mean I can’t admire a pretty girl. So, you fucked up, and she won’t speak to you?”

“She’s speaking to me. Like I said, she says she’s forgiven me.”

“So, what’s the problem?” Sebastian asks.

“I don’t want her to simply forgive me. I want to get to know her better. I want to spend time with her. Ellie talked me into escorting her to the benefit this weekend.”

“That’s a good start,” Jacob says. “Does Aspen know you’re taking her?”

“According to Ellie, yes.”

“Like Jacob said, it’s a good start. See how the evening goes and take it from there. And, Callum, my gut tells me that she’s not someone you can play with.”

“No. She’s not. And I’m not interested in games with her. I can’t put my finger on why, but she’s different. I want to figure her out.”

“I don’t know that we can ever figure them out,” Jacob says. “I’ve been with Grace for a long while now, and there are still moments I feel like I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.”

“I’m going to try,” I reply. “I’m going to convince her that I’m not a daft idiot who just wants to get in her knickers.”

“You mean, you don’t want to get in her knickers?” Jacob asks.

“Of course, I do. But that’s not all I want.”

“I do believe my little brother just admitted that he’s going to court a woman.” Sebastian raises his glass. “Cheers to that.”

“Cheers indeed,” Jacob says. “I’d love to be a fly on the wall.”

I laugh, but inside, I’m nervous. I’ve never had to work for a woman’s affections before. I have a feeling Aspen’s going to make me work harder for this than I’ve ever worked for anything in my bloody life.* * *Whenever I have something on my mind, the best way to work it out is exercise.

Now is no different.

David and I took our run yesterday and discovered a whole network of amazing paths that wind through town and along the lake. There must be hundreds of miles of them, and we decided the best way to explore them is by bicycle.

We spent the morning at a local cyclery shop and walked out with two state-of-the-art bikes that will be a joy to use. I’ll simply store them at Sebastian’s home for anyone who might fancy a ride.

I refuse to wear spandex. I’m not trying to win any races. Instead, we’re dressed in our typical casual wardrobe of cargo shorts and T-shirts. We did invest in helmets and riding gloves, though.

There’s no sense in being foolish.

The path is clean and paved as we ride along the lake, the glistening blue of the water sparkling through the trees. The foliage is changing color, going from green to orange and yellow.

It’s a stellar day.

We’ve just passed a new home construction site when my bicycle blows a tire.

“Bloody hell,” I mutter as I climb off the bike and stare at the flat. “Tell me you have a kit with you to fix this.”

David, with his mouth in a thin, unhappy line, shakes his head. “Negative, sir. I didn’t think to buy one. I’ll just call and have someone come and get us.”

“Everything okay?”

I glance back to see none other than Aspen Calhoun come riding up behind us. Her eyes widen when she recognizes us, but she slows and stops next to me.

“Flat tire.”

She glances down at my tire, then hops off of her bicycle before leaning it on its kickstand and fidgeting with a small pouch under her seat.

“I can fix this,” she says. “It’ll only take a minute.”

“I can call someone,” David offers, but she’s already shaking her head and squatting next to my bike.