She winced as she shifted in her seat when he slammed on the brake in front of the house. She could feel his nervous energy emanating off of him. Worry crept up inside of her chest. She must have done something wrong. For him to be reacting this way, she must have really made a mistake.
“Wait,” he said as he pushed open his door and got out.
Emma played with the door handle on her side, but didn’t move to open it. If he wanted her to stay, she’d stay.
When he pulled open her door, she glanced down at him. There really was something bugging him. He wouldn’t even look her in the eye. Deciding the best thing to do was lighten the mood, Emma rested her hand on his shoulder.
“Austin, look at me,” she said.
His jaw muscles flinched as he kept his gaze trained on anywhere but her.
“What’s going on?” She wasn’t going to get out of the truck until he started talking to her.
“Emma, just let me get you inside and clean you up,” he said. His voice was low and full of emotion.
Something was really wrong. But, she’d respect his feelings. So, she just nodded and held onto the hand he’d extended. He guided her as she climbed down.
Her body was sore, but there wasn’t anything broken. They walked in silence as he helped her into the house and led her into the bathroom. Emma sat down on the toilet while he started running water. After he got a wash cloth good and soaked, he turned back around. There was a pained expression as he reached out and began dabbing her cheek.
“Aus—”
“Emma.”
Emma met his gaze. “You go first,” she said. Honestly, she really wasn’t sure what she was going to say. If he was willing to break the silence, she’d let him.
“After you’re cleaned up, I’m going to take you to the airport.” His voice had dipped so low, she had to lean in to hear him.
“What?” There was no way that he’d said what she thought he said.
“You need to go back to New York.”
In eight tiny words, Austin had reached into her chest and squeezed her heart so hard, it took her breath away. “Excuse me?” There was no way she was going to sit here and let him say these things to her. No way she was going to let him send her away. What had she done? Did he really not mean those things he’d said in front of his grandmother just a few hours ago?
No. Austin Maverick wasn’t going to run away. She wouldn’t let him. As she swallowed against the emotions that choked her throat, she steadied her mind. She was going to fight for this. She just hoped he’d let her. There was no way she could handle another heart break. Not from her fake husband and not from Austin.
Chapter Eighteen
Austin
Austin focused on Emma’s cheek as he dabbed at the dried blood. His stomach was in knots as he tried to sift through his emotions. The memory of watching Emma’s body fly back after the cow had rammed her. The thought that she could have been seriously injured or worse, dead. All of those feelings had taken up residence in his chest making even the slightest movement unbearable.
He needed to clean her up and get her out of here. This was not the place for her. He was not the guy for her. She’d only get hurt around him and he couldn’t be the cause of someone else he cared for getting hurt. Not when he had something to say about it.
He might not have been able to save his mother, but he’d save Emma. Save her from his stupidity. He should have known better than to involve her in the rescue. Who was he kidding? He couldn’t keep anyone safe. History had taught him that and it was time he started listening to his past mistakes.
So, no matter how hard she as staring at him, he wasn’t going to give in. He would clean her up, pack her bag, and get her on the first flight back to New York as soon as he could.
“Austin, why are you sending me away?” Her voice was strained, like she was trying to keep her feelings at bay. Feelings that he desperately wanted to hear, but knew the moment they were spoken, he’d never be able to let her go.
So, he muscled down the ache in his chest and said the words he knew weren’t true but needed to be said. “Because we’re done. Gran’s signing the ranch over which means you’ve completed your end of the bargain. You don’t need to be here anymore.” The statement tasted disgusting on his tongue.
Especially when he knew it wasn’t true. His heart was breaking at the thought of her leaving. At the thought of not having her around in the darkest of night or brightest of day. He wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to walk around his house again without thinking about her.
He clenched his jaw. That wasn’t his choice anymore. He’d already failed someone in his past, he wasn’t going to do it with Emma. She deserved someone so much better than him. And he’d make sure she got on the plane so she could find that person. After all, he was kidding himself to think that he was the one. He wasn’t the one for her or anyone else.
He dared the pain in her eyes and met her gaze head on. He steadied his emotions enough to show her that he had no feeling for what he’d just said. They were business partners in this, that was all.
Emma’s eyes were wide and the pained look in them broke his already hemorrhaging heart.
“What are you saying?” she asked.
Austin moved over to the sink where he rinsed out the wash cloth. “We’re done,” he said. He tried to force strength into his voice but it sounded weak, even to him. “You need to go back.”
When he turned back around, Emma’s gaze had turned to stone. “What?”
He shrugged, forcing every move. He needed to act like what he was doing wasn’t breaking his heart. She needed to believe that he didn’t care about her. That he wasn’t sick to his stomach from the thought that he’d never see her again. Or that she’d never really know just how much he’d grown to care for her.
She shrugged. “Never mind. Let’s just get this done so I can get out of here. I never realized until now, how much I missed home. I’m ready to get out of this tiny town with nothing but fields.” She folded her arms and dropped his gaze. She remained still as he finished cleaning up her cut.
Once he dabbed the last bit of antiseptic cream on her cheek, she stood and pushed past him. “I’ll pack my bag. Be down in a minute.”
Austin stood there, watching her race up the stairs. Unable to even look at himself, he flipped on the faucet and washed his hand. He wanted to run after her. To tell her that he’d lied. That he couldn’t imagine his life without her. That letting her go just might break him in a way that he’d never be able to heal again.
He clenched his hands. There was no way he could do that. Pulling her into a life with him was selfish. What would he do if she’d gotten hurt and there had been a chance that he could have gotten her far away from him? He could never forgive himself. His last mistake was buried in Moose Falls cemetery. He wasn’t going to make another mistake again.
After wiping his hands, he grabbed his keys from his pocket and stood by the front door. She was going to leave. He’d push all his fears of loneliness aside and put her first. Right now, Emma was all that mattered.
A few minutes later, the sound of Emma’s suitcase banging down the stairs filled the silence. She came into view. Her expression was just as sour as it had been in the bathroom. Without looking at him, she wheeled her luggage behind him and up to the door. Austin turned the handle and pulled it open.
She continued walking into the late afternoon air and over to his truck. Not waiting for him, she pulled open the door and jumped in.
Austin spun his keys around his finger. Good. This was what he wanted. She couldn’t have feelings for him. She needed to believe that he didn’t want her around or she would never leave. Even if it broke him inside to see her hurt, he knew that her safety was the most important thing and he was never going to put his own feelings above someone he cared about. He loved her too much to do that.
The ride to the airport was silent. Austin decided it was best to keep his gaze on the road and
not let it wander over to Emma. He was afraid that if he did that, he just might lose his resolve and confess to her how he was really feeling.
As he pulled up to the airport, Emma shifted and waved toward the ticketing drop off. “Just let me out there,” she said. Her voice quiet but her tone was icy.
“I can park and walk you in.”
She shook her head. “No thank you. Just let me out here. I can find my way home.”
Austin swallowed down the protest on the tip of his tongue and nodded. If that was what she wanted, he’d respect that.
As soon as his truck stopped, Emma opened the door and hopped down. Austin moved to get out but she waved him away.
“I can handle it from here.” She pulled her suitcase out and moved to shut the door.
Fear griped his chest. The thought that he’d never see again settled in his mind. What was he doing? Was he an idiot? They couldn’t part like this.
“Emma,” he said, leaning over the console to catch her attention.
She hesitated but then met his gaze. There was so much pain and anger there that rattled Austin’s resolve. But he swallowed, and steadied his mind. This was better for her. He needed to remember that.
“Thank you. For helping me. You really went above and beyond.” And he meant it. She really helped him out of a bind. And he was going to keep his word to help her. Pushing her away was the first step. Emma needed to move on, she just couldn’t move on with him.
“I’m happy it worked out for you,” she said, stepping back and placing her hand on the door. She paused, looking up at him. “Have a nice life, Austin.”
The words she spoke cut like daggers in his chest, but he couldn’t pull back now. “You too, Emma.”
She shot him one more pained look and then slammed the car door. Austin watched as she walked into the airport with her luggage trailing behind her. He swallowed as the urge to run after her caused his muscles to twitch. He could be strong. Strong for Emma like he hadn’t been for his mom.
A car’s honk ripped him from his thoughts. He glanced behind him and stuck up his hand. The car could wait another minute. But by the time Austin moved his attention back to where Emma had been walking, she was gone. He swept his gaze around. She must have made it into the airport.
He blinked as he watched the automatic doors open and close. She was just on the other side of them. Still within his reach. Before he let himself delve into the thought of bringing her back, he put his truck in drive and pulled out of the drop off. He just needed to get far away from her.
Once there was a good distance between the two of them, he’d finally feel like his chest wasn’t getting crushed by the realization of his decisions. She’d be able to move on without him there to keep her down. It really was the best thing for the both of them. Now, if only his heart understood that, he just might be able to begin to get over Emma George.
Emma
Emma let out a huff as the airline attendant’s nails clicked on the keyboard in front of her. Her mind was swirling as it seemed it was trying to keep up with what had just happened. She tightened her grip around the handle of her luggage and glanced behind her.
Yep. She was still alone. Austin had abandoned her at the airport. And why? She still wasn’t sure about that little bit. What had she done? Every time she replayed the afternoon events in her mind, she kept coming up blank.
There was no reason for him to react the way he did. They had been getting along. The feelings he confessed to his grandmother had been true. She’d felt it. As sure as she felt the counter in front of her.
But he’d never said them with only her in the room. And because of that, she could never believe them as truth. He didn’t seem to be the kind of guy that would play with a girl’s emotions like that. He was different. Even if he seemed hell-bent on convincing her that he was like that.
There had to be a reason he dismissed her like he did. There just had to be.
“Miss? Miss?”
Emma blinked and glanced up at the attendant. “What?” she asked and then cleared her throat. She hadn’t meant for her voice to come out that loud. “What?” she asked again at a more manageable decibel.
“The only seat we have left is on an eleven o’clock flight tonight.” She tapped a few more times on the keyboard and then glanced up at Emma again. “Does that work?”
Emma sighed. Six hours of waiting at the airport before she was on her way home. But, what other choice did she have? It wasn’t like her husband even wanted her here. So, she sighed and nodded, removing her credit card and handing it over. She was ready to get as much distance between her and Montana as she could.
Five minutes later, she stood in the checkpoint line, staring up at the random build boards that lined the wall. They each talked about the experiences that Montana had to offer. When her gaze fell on a cowboy riding a horse, heat crept up her spine. Nope. She was done with this. Forgetting Austin needed to start now.
“Well, if it isn’t my new grand daughter-in-law.”
Emma groaned as she turned to see Alayna Maverick standing a few people behind her, clutching a boarding pass in her hand. This was not what Emma needed right now. So, pretending she didn’t see her, Emma stared down at her boarding pass as she shifted her body ever so slightly back around.
“Oh, come on, sweetie. I know you see me. Do you mind if I go up there? I’m her family.”
There were some shifting noises behind her, but Emma didn’t look up. How was this going to look to Mrs. Maverick? Emma heading home hours after the contract was signed.
A warm hand engulfed her elbow, pulling her attention upward.
“Are you avoiding me?” Mrs. Maverick asked.
Emma pulled the biggest surprised expression she could. “Mrs. Maverick! I didn’t see you there.” Why was her voice coming out all high and squeaky?
Mrs. Maverick stared at her. “You looked straight at me, love.”
She didn’t have any energy to keep up this lie. “You’re right. I saw you. I just hoped you didn’t notice me.” Her shoulders slumped as she moved along with the line.
“Why did you not want me to see you? And where are you going?”
Emma tried not to groan as Mrs. Maverick moved along with her.
“To New York.” Because your grandson broke my heart and banished me from being around him. Ugh, she sounded like an idiot even in her own mind. Maybe she should see a shrink when she got back. There was something seriously wrong with her.
“Why?”
Emma sighed. She didn’t want to lie anymore. “Because Austin and I aren’t really married.”
Mrs. Maverick’s eyebrows rose. “Excuse me?”
Emma slipped off her shoes and placed them in a tub that a security guard handed her. Once it was full, he placed it on the conveyor and motioned her to step forward.
Thankful that they limited the amount of people who could go through the metal detector, Emma enjoyed the silence as she finished up and then was reunited with her belongings.
Too bad, Mrs. Maverick was hot on her heels as Emma started walking toward her gate. She was fast for an old broad.
“Emma,” she called.
Emma kept walking but then she slowed. Why did it matter if Mrs. Maverick learned the truth? Perhaps this would help Emma get some closure. Something she was going to need a lot of help with. Especially since just hours ago, she had almost confessed her feelings to Austin. That was something she wasn’t going to get over easily.
Slowing her gait, she turned around to see Mrs. Maverick catching up to her. As she approached, Emma waved her hand toward a table just outside of a coffee shop. “Let’s talk.”
Chapter Nineteen
Emma
Mrs. Maverick place her order with the barista at the counter and then joined Emma who’d picked a table right by the airport’s huge picture windows. She watched as the airline workers walked around the tarmac, moving luggage or chatting with each other.
She took a deep brea
th when she heard a chair pull out. Turning, she saw Mrs. Maverick place her purse on the table and sit down.
“So, Emma. I’m ready to listen,” she said once she was situated.
Fifteen minutes later, Emma looked up to see Mrs. Maverick staring at her. She’d dominated the conversation, telling her every last detail. Maybe some of it wasn’t necessary, but it was almost as if Emma needed to say it. That through telling the story, she just might be able to figure out what had happened. What had caused Austin to back away.
Mrs. Maverick took a long sip of her coffee and then set it down on the table in front of her. “So, it was all fake. Everything.” She glanced over at Emma.
Heat crept up Emma’s skin. “Yes. All of it.”
“That little feelings confessional you guys held in the kitchen. That was fake?” she asked as she drummed to the table top with her fingertips.
Emma took a deep sigh. “Truth is, no. It wasn’t fake. Not from me. From Austin, it was.” She swallowed as the next words choked her throat. “I meant every word.”
Mrs. Maverick raised her eyebrows. “What makes you think it was fake from Austin?”
Emma leaned back and folded her arms almost as if she needed to protect herself. She wasn’t sure where Mrs. Maverick was going with her questions, but she didn’t want to open the wound that she was desperately trying to close. She didn’t need to hear that Austin really cared about her. That he was a fool and just scared. What she needed was closure. To board that plane and never come back.
“Because he really hasn’t given me any indication that he cares about me. And dropping me off here? Doesn’t really say please stay married to me forever.” She motioned toward the taxing plane next to them.
Mrs. Maverick studied her. “I’ve known Austin his whole life. Honey, that kid is the worst liar. He is even worse at acting. That boy tried to be Peter Pan but instead was like a robot kid.” She leaned forward and pointed her finger at Emma. “I knew that boy might try something like this. I suspected it. But when I heard him say those things to you, I knew what you had was real. Why do you think I signed the papers? That boy loves you and even though he’s being stupid right now, he’s going to figure that out.”
Marrying a Cowboy Page 14