She took off at a gallop, eager to put as much distance between Rhett and herself as she could. She had too much work to do, and she didn’t owe him a single thing. But she did owe her great-grandfather her absolute best attempt at preserving his legacy, at making sure Saddleback Ranch would live another day.
Now where had those darned cows gotten off to?
She reached the creek and turned Susie Ann around to search in another direction. Much to her surprise, a tiny figure bobbed on the horizon. Rhett had accepted her challenge, even though she didn’t literally mean for him to follow her.
Okay, so she was impressed. What kind of fool would try to chase after a horse on foot?
Maybe he really was sorry.
Maybe he did have a good reason.
Still, none of that changed the fact that she didn’t have time to allow herself to fall for the foolhardy stranger, no matter how sexy he looked as he huffed and puffed across her scenic family ranch.
But the least she could do was slow down and allow him to keep up. Because, after all, manners. He’d say his piece and then probably collapse to the earth in exhaustion. She’d have given him the courtesy of hearing him out while maintaining a safe distance on the back of Susie Ann. Which meant he couldn’t kiss her even if he meant to. And especially if she wanted him to.
He was closing the gap between them and she certainly didn’t want him to see her acting like a school girl with a crush. She took a deep breath, yanked at Susie Ann’s reins, and trotted over to Rhett.
“You’ve got some nerve.” She tried to sound angry, but it came out much more flirtatious than she’d intended.
“Oh, you have no idea.” He winked, and she felt her knees soften. Thank goodness for the sturdy steed beneath her!
“I’m still mad at you for standing me up,” she reminded him.
“I know you’re mad, but…” He kept running alongside her and Susie Ann, determined to make small talk despite his obviously growing exhaustion. “I didn’t stand you up. At least not on purpose. By the time I got there you were gone, and I…” He took a deep breath. “I made sure I found you, so I could explain.”
“So, go ahead explain.”
“Well, you see, I’ve always been really good at running, and—”
She laughed despite herself. “That’s your explanation?”
“Let me get to it, will you?”
She nodded and motioned for him to go ahead.
He spoke slowly, deliberately, but not from the exertion of his run. “I guess it’s in my blood, the running. My father ran out on me and my mom when I was just a little kid. He ran away, and all my life I’ve been running, running, running, and never looking back. But now I’m looking at you, and I don’t want to run away. I want to run with you. I want to run to you. Cassie, I want to get to know you, if you’ll let me. Will you? Let me?” He took a huge breath, almost wheezing, but he kept pace with her and Susie Ann.
This whole thing came straight out of some romantic comedy. At least that’s what it felt like. Men showed up and made declarations like this to beautiful women in movies, not to tomboy cowgirls like herself.
Never to girls like her.
If it seemed too good to be true, then it definitely was… Right?
She felt herself softening to him like she had two nights before, but, no, she couldn’t. In another time, another place, maybe, but too much was at stake here. She couldn’t afford to be selfish, so instead she had to be cruel even though she, too, wanted to run toward Rhett and never look back.
She couldn’t even look at him as she delivered her line in this absurd drama. “That’s a nice speech, but no. One chance is all you get, and honestly I shouldn’t have even given you that.”
Neither of them said anything for a moment, but he continued to jog alongside her as he waited for whatever it was she planned to say. Well, she’d say it, but he wasn’t going to like it.
“Look, thanks for stopping by to apologize, but I have to find these missing cows before they wander even further away, so…” She ventured another look at him, and he smiled even though he had to know what would come next. “So have a nice life.”
She dug her heels into Susie Ann and took off in a full gallop, leaving Rhett in her dust.
Before too long she found all the missing cows, all of them except Maybel. When at last she found her at the absolute edge of the property, she also found Rhett sitting in the grass beside her.
“What are you doing here? I thought we said our goodbyes.”
“Actually, neither of us said goodbye. You just said you needed to find the missing cows, and I decided to help. She’s nice,” he said, patting the cow between her eyes. “What’s her name?”
“That’s Maybel. She’s my favorite actually.” Why was she telling him this? None of it mattered since they wouldn’t be meeting again.
“Seems all the excitement has worn her out.”
“Well, I should say so. She’s thirty-seven weeks pregnant.”
“You seem worn out, too.” He walked around behind her and placed a hand on each of her shoulders, then pressed tiny, soothing circles into them. “Is this okay?”
She should have said no. She should have told him to go away and never come back, but she was tired, and he was so close she could…
“Mmm,” she answered.
He laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes. C’mon over here and sit down. Let me rub those knots out for you.”
“Well, if you insist.” She settled into the grass and let herself melt into his touch.
“I know I said it before, but I’m really so sorry about last night. My ex showed up unannounced, and I felt like she deserved an explanation as to why I really couldn't see her anymore.”
“And what explanation was that?”
“That I’d already fallen for somebody else.”
He leaned forward and kissed her cheek softly.
His stubble tickled her skin, and Cassie had to work to keep in a giggle.
“In case you had any doubts, that somebody else is you.”
It would have been so easy to stand up and walk away, but it was every bit as easy to turn her head, find his mouth, and press hers to it in their first real kiss.
“I knew you liked me,” he whispered on a shared breath.
And she did like him, way too much for her own good. Well, since they were already here… “Shut up and kiss me.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Chapter 6
Everything about Cassie felt so right. Rhett trailed his fingers across Cassie’s cheeks as their lips continued to meet with soft and sweet kisses. He loved what a study in contradictions she had proven to be—rough and tumble but also a lady. Strong yet soft, beautiful yet natural. He never wanted that moment to end, there in the meadow. But he also needed to be sure there would be more moments like this for them in the future.
Funny how he could be both so wrapped up in this perfect moment and thinking ahead to the future. He, too, was becoming a giant oxymoron, a giant oxymoron who was falling head over heels for this sweet farm girl who sat tangled with him in this soft meadow grass. He’d never wanted anything as bad as he wanted more time with Cassie, and he still couldn’t understand all the feelings that came rushing to the surface whenever she was around, but he wanted to. He just needed the promise of more time.
“Give me another chance. Please, Cassie. I won’t let you down again.” He pulled back to look at her, but she shook her head and closed her eyes.
Maybel mooed from a distance, and Cassie jumped to attention.
“Oh, shoot. She’s wandering off again.”
Rhett jumped to his feet, too, beating her to the cow, whom he then led back toward Cassie and her horse. By the time he’d managed to get the stubborn creature back to the clearing, Cassie had already hopped onto Susie Ann’s back. She sat tall and stiff, twisting the reins in her hands and actively avoiding his gaze again.
Rhett knew she needed to be the one to speak n
ext, that for whatever reason she was hesitating even though she obviously felt that same undeniable attraction that he felt for her.
She took a deep breath and focused her eyes on a nearby patch of wildflowers. “Rhett, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you. I shouldn’t have let you… I-I just can’t.”
He waited for her to say more, and after a few moments’ hesitation, she finally did.
“The timing is all wrong. Maybe if it weren’t…look, the ranch is in trouble. It’s my life’s work, my family’s legacy. If in the end I lose it, I’ll be devastated, but if that happens I need to know that I did everything in my power to make things work. And that includes not allowing myself to—”
She gulped and hopped off her horse, finally looking him straight in the eye.
“To get distracted by you or… or anything else.” She took in a long, shaky breath as if delivering this proclamation had weakened her, and she needed to build up more strength to finish whatever she planned to say next.
“But enough about my problems. The point is I just can’t and that’s going to have to be good enough. I’m sorry, really, I am. I wish things were different, but this is the way they have to be. This time I’ll make sure to say goodbye to avoid any confusion. Goodbye, Rhett, and thank you for helping me prove to myself how much I want this, how committed I am to saving Saddleback.”
He nodded slowly, knowing that it would only take a few choice words, a few sweet kisses to make her change her mind.
But he also knew that he would hate himself for manipulating her like that. She needed to come to him willingly when she was ready. Part of the chase was knowing when to fall back, and the time had now come for him to step aside and let Cassie focus on the one thing he now knew she wanted more than him.
“I understand, Cassie.” He drew close and gave her a tight hug. “If you change your mind, I’ll be ready. This could be so good between us.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed each of her fingers one after the other.
“I—I won’t... Change my mind, that is.” She choked on the words but took a step back to put some distance between them. “I’m sorry, Rhett. Goodbye.”
And he swore he saw tears threatening to spill at any moment.
She shook her head then pulled herself back onto the saddle.
“Goodbye, Cassie. Thank you for the great morning.”
This time he walked away slowly, feeling as though each step put not just a few inches but an entire chasm between them. How had she gotten so under his skin, and why did it hurt more saying goodbye to Cassie than it had to Trish? This was crazy, the way he felt.
Rhett had never been a touchy-feely relationship kind of guy, but then again, he’d never found a woman like Cassie before either. Were these feelings all about her, or did they just mean he was ready to give more of himself to a woman? And if Cassie didn’t come back around, would he ever find another woman who could measure up to her? So many questions swirled in his mind, and unfortunately only time would be able to answer them.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he was glad to see his cousin Oscar was the one on the other end of the line. Oscar would know exactly what to do.
He pushed the big green button to answer the call. “What’s up, man?”
“Your mom told my mom who told Lolly to have me call you and ask if you’re coming to the family reunion.”
Rhett laughed. “The old Rockwell grapevine at work.” It felt good to have something other than Cassie to focus on. Leave it to Oscar to have the perfect timing.
Oscar sighed, and Rhett could imagine him rolling his eyes. “You know how it is. The moms always get their way in the end.”
Rhett did know. When his mother had married Fred, she’d been adopted by the whole family and quickly become best friends with Oscar’s mother, Kelly. Now the two Moms knew just whose ears to pull to get things done.
“When is it? Next month? I’m not so sure. Maybe, I…” He let his words trail off, and Oscar caught on immediately.
“Rhett, what’s going on? Is everything okay? Do you need me to tell the Moms to back off you for a while?”
“No, it’s fine. I mean, everything’s great—better than great, actually.” Rhett stumbled over his words, frustrated that he couldn’t find the right things to say. Especially because he knew his cousin, Oscar, always gave great advice. Would he know what to do about Cassie? There was only one way to find out…
Rhett took a deep breath. “It’s just there’s this girl.”
“Oh, gotcha.” His cousin chuckled, but urged him to continue.
“I just can’t stop thinking about her. I’m going out of my mind. I know she wants me, and—oh—do I want her, but she keeps putting me off.”
“Ahh, the classic hard-to-get maneuver,” Oscar said with a sigh. “You know it was like that with Lolly, too. I had the hardest time convincing her to give me a chance. But now look at us.”
“At this point, I think I’m asking for a third or fourth chance. I keep messing things up, and I know I should just give up and move on, but for some reason, I can’t.”
“So, you’ve found your Lolly?”
“I think so.”
“And I bet you’re losing your mind, wondering if you’ve gone soft or if you can actually feel the way you’re probably feeling right about now.”
Rhett glanced over his shoulder, but there was no sign of Lolly or Oscar, even though it felt like one stood in his heart and the other right in his brain, thinking his thoughts along with him. “Yeah, that’s exactly right. What am I supposed to do, Oscar? Now that I’ve met her, I can’t just forget about her, but that’s exactly what she’s been telling me to do. If women confused me before, now they’ve become an unsolvable mystery. Nothing I’m feeling makes sense. Nothing she’s saying makes sense either. I’m just…”
“Confused out of your mind? Yeah, you’ve definitely found your Lolly. Look, let’s take it like football. Most people think that it’s all about scoring in football, but you and I both know that’s not how it is. It’s not just about who can get the ball to the end zone. It’s about playing to your strengths. When there’s a strong defense, you don’t just pass the ball, you mix it up with runs. You get your yards piece by piece. You play it smart and think about the whole game. Worry about getting your first down instead of thinking about the score. Make sense?”
Rhett thought about this for a moment. “So, you’re saying I need to run the ball?”
“Yeah. You should be good at that, Mr. Pro Football. As for me, I haven’t handled a ball since high school, so I think my sports metaphors for the day are spent. Would you like a veterinarian reference instead?”
“No, I really don’t need to be compared to a dog, not when I already feel like one. I think I get what you’re saying though.” Laughing felt good. He could always count on Oscar to give it to him straight.
“Yeah, but one more thing. When it comes to love, you basically have to throw out the playbook and just do whatever feels right. Old dogs can totally learn new tricks, and you’re the oldest of them all”
And now things were serious again, and all his anxiety came flooding back. “Being with Cassie is what feels right, but she keeps turning me down.”
“Well, keep at it. Every dog has his day, right?”
“Oscar, you’re being ridiculous, but…” And just then an idea struck him. “But that actually kind of makes sense. I think I have an idea.”
“Let me know how it turns out, and don’t forget about the reunion.”
Cass watched as Rhett stalked away. No small part of her wished he would turn around, come back and refuse to leave. But he never did. Instead, he took out his phone and started to have a conversation she couldn’t hear—he’d already gone too far away from her. This time for good; she’d made sure of it.
“C’mon, girl,” she said to Susie Ann. “Let’s get this cow back to the barn.”
They had to take it slow since Maybel’s gait was mired so heavily by he
r giant pregnant belly. By the time they made it back to the barn, half the day had already gotten away from Cassie and she hadn’t even begun on her daily chores yet, plus she still had damage to clean up from last night’s storm.
She’d taken to mending the fence when a woman in a crisp business suit strode up, her heels sinking into the dirt. When she finally made it over, she offered her hand along with an uneasy expression.
“C-can I help you?” Cassie rose to a standing position and wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead.
“I heard you’re looking to sell some land. You’re Cassandra Brown, right? We spoke on the phone yesterday. If this is a bad time, I can—”
“Oh, no, it’ s a great time. Sorry, I was so busy cleaning up after the storm that I completely forgot about our appointment. Thanks for coming by.” She wiped her palms on her jeans and then shook the woman’s hand.
“It’s really no problem. You have a beautiful piece of land here. Are you looking to sell the whole thing to one buyer or to split it up a bit?”
“Well, I’m hoping neither. If you could help me out with an appraisal, I could figure out how much I need to come up with, so I can buy out my sister, and then maybe she’ll let me set up a payment plan, and I won’t have to sell it at all.”
The realtor’s expression softened. “This place means a lot to you, doesn’t it?”
“More than you could ever know. If I have to break off pieces to sell, I will, but first we need to exhaust all the other options. Can you help me with that?”
“Well, I can certainly try, but I can tell you right now that it’s going to take a lot of cash to buy out the other stakeholder. Your sister, is it?”
Cassie’s heart sank. “Yeah.”
“We’ll do everything we can, I promise. I’ll schedule an appraisal for some time later this week. Until then, try to relax. I know how stressful things like this can be, but you’ll need your wits about you to make this work, one way or the other. It probably wouldn’t hurt to say some prayers.”
“I understand, thank you, Ms. Genet.”
The Alaska Sunrise Romances: A 9-Book Sweet Romance Collection Page 38