Coulda Been a Cowboy. Brenda Novak

across Gabe’s face. Or maybe it was her imagination.

      “Is something wrong?” she asked.

      He seemed slightly hesitant, as though he was unsure whether or not to speak his mind.

      She shifted the baby, so her hip could help support his weight. “What is it?”

      “I hope I did the right thing.”

      “What do you mean?”

      “Nothing.” He smiled again, but it wasn’t quite as genuine as before. Now it was tempered with a hint of worry.

      “Gabe?”

      A furrow formed between his eyebrows. “I don’t want to see you get hurt, Dakota. I envisioned this as a great opportunity for you, but—”

      She waved her free hand in an unconcerned motion. “I’m not going to get hurt.”

      “I hope not. Lord knows you deserve a lot better than what you’ve had. I’d like to see you get it. But…”

      “Tyson would never go for a plain girl like me?” Dakota’s chest constricted. It was one thing to know the truth in her heart and another to have someone she admired as much as Gabe point it out to her. But she added a scoffing laugh so he wouldn’t know he’d hurt her. “Come on, Gabe. I know he’s way out of my league.”

      Gabe’s eyes fell to Braden. “I wasn’t talking about Tyson.”