Stick in the Mud Meets Spontaneity (Meet Your Match, book 3)
Page 21
“Why not?”
“Because… because I can’t.”
He took her by the shoulders and gave her a slight shake. “It’s win-win, Samantha. NYEC is a pretty big operation, and I plan to come away with a lot of improvement ideas. It’s a good opportunity.”
“But—”
“But nothing. The ranch has been in our family for almost one hundred years, and it’s not going anywhere. It’ll still be waiting for us whenever we decide to go back.”
We. It sounded so strong and permanent with no room for change at all, as though she and Colton were in this together no matter what. Take that, Derek Lindstrom, she couldn’t help but think. I told you I was taken. And so is Colton.
“What about your family?” she said. “They need you.”
“They’ll be fine. I had a long chat with my parents before I made this decision, we all agreed that my brothers could use a lot more responsibility and Kajsa’s itchin’ to do more than muck out stalls and feed animals. Things will be fine back home. I promise.”
“What about you? Will you be fine here?”
His dark eyes became pools of warmth and desire. “Do you really have to ask? I’ll still be working with horses, and I’ll be with you. Of course I’ll be fine.”
Her head felt like a bingo cage. Too many thoughts and feelings churned around and around and around. Guilt, excitement, worry, elation, what ifs, possible regrets—What was the right way to feel? Could she really let Colton do this for her?
“I don’t know what to say,” she finally said.
Colton’s hands moved from her shoulders down her arms, causing an eruption of goose bumps to ripple across her skin. How she’d missed that feeling. How she’d missed him.
His fingers laced through hers. “Say you’re excited,” he said. “Say you still love me. Say you’ll marry me.”
Her breath caught. Her heart ceased beating. The hallway tilted on its side. “Marry you?”
His gaze remain fixed on hers. “I’ve had a taste of what life feels like without you in the everyday of it, and I don’t like it. I want us to be together from now until we’re old and wrinkly and delusional.”
The pounding of her heart thudded in her ears. “I won’t get delusional.”
“I might.”
“If you do, I’ll pretend you aren’t so you’ll never know.”
A smile lifted the corners his mouth, and he pulled her into a warm embrace. “Now I know we’re going to make it. Say yes?”
Sam’s heart swelled. The dingy hallway became bright and sparkly and dazzling. As if he had to ask. “Yes,” she breathed.
“Good.” His large hands cupped the sides of her face and his thumb traced the contours of her cheek as though he needed to remind himself what she felt like. And then he was kissing her, lightly at first, and then stronger, deeper, and harder, making up for all the weeks they’d spent apart. A powerful energy surged through Sam’s body, brightening each dark crevice of her soul until not even a shadow existed.
Colton had flown to New York on an airplane, asked her to marry him, and was actually moving here. Sometimes miracles and magic and wishes really did come true.
A door opened and closed down the hall, and Colton pulled back slightly, still holding her face in his hands. “What do you say we take this reunion inside?”
“Yes, let’s.”
Sam nodded a hello to the Latin American guy who lived a few doors down then dug through her purse once again, this time finding her keys.
Colton followed her inside and hung his hat on the hat rack before looking around. “Looks nice. Where’s the rest of it?”
She grinned, gesturing to the room. “You’re looking at it. There’s the kitchen, the not-so-great great room slash bedroom, and through that door is the tiniest bathroom you’ll ever see. Welcome to Manhattan.”
Colton’s arms came around her waist from behind, and his chin rested on top of her head. “Compared to this, The Shack is a mansion.”
Sam laughed, and it echoed through the space, sounding almost foreign, like her walls weren’t sure what to do with the noise. She felt like she should warn them. If Colton’s coming, be prepared to hear that sound a whole lot more.
She turned around and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him close. Life couldn’t possibly get any better than this.
Her father once told her that she would only be as happy as she made up her mind to be. Over the years, Sam had taken that advice seriously, always trying to seek out the good, the fun, the friendly; to find something to smile about even when the world looked gray and dreary. Most of the time, she was successful at it, always thinking her life was pretty darn full. But that was before. Before summer. Before the ranch. Before her attempted fling with a cowboy.
Now, happiness had a new benchmark, and its name was Colton McCoy.
Novels
Prejudice Meets Pride (Meet Your Match, book 1)
Rough Around the Edges Meets Refined (Meet Your Match, book 2)
Working it Out
The Reluctant Bachelorette
Novellas
Righting a Wrong (A Ripple Effect Romance)
Twist of Fate (A Holiday Romance)
The Meltdown Match
Dear Reader,
Thanks so much for reading! I hope this story took you out of reality for awhile and into a world of escape and rejuvenation because everyone deserves that once in awhile.
If you’re willing, I’d love a review from you on Goodreads or Amazon or wherever else you’d care to post one.
Or you can find me online at RachaelReneeAnderson.com.
Thanks again, and happy reading!
Rachael
If you enjoyed the Meet Your Match series, you will also love…
A massive thanks goes to Karey White, Kathy Habel, Sheralyn Pratt, Braden Bell, Rebecca Talley, and Karen Porter. I love and appreciate you all for your honesty, encouragement, friendship, and help. This book would be in a sorry state without you.
And, as always, a special thanks goes to my family—particularly my husband, Jeff, for your love and support. You make me feel very blessed.
Rachael Anderson is a USA Today bestselling author. She’s the mother of four and is pretty good at breaking up fights, or at least sending guilty parties to their rooms. She can’t sing, doesn’t dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating. You can read more about her and her books online at RachaelReneeAnderson.com.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-one
Twenty-two
Twenty-three
Twenty-four
Twenty-five
The Meet Your Match Series
Other Books by Rachael Anderson
Author’s Note
Recommendations
Acknowledgements
About Rachael Anderson
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