CHAPTER EIGHT
Rhett
Something was off.
I’d been noticing it for the past couple of days—little things, subtle shifts in Maggie’s behavior that set off alarm bells in my head.
She was quieter than usual, more distant.
She still came to my bed every night, still responded to my touch like she was made for it, but there was something in her eyes. Something guarded.
And it was driving me crazy.
We were out checking her cattle, riding side by side under a clear blue sky, and she’d barely said ten words all morning. Just gave short answers when I asked questions, kept her gaze on the horizon instead of looking at me.
I’d had enough.
“Alright,” I said, pulling our horses to a stop. “What’s going on?”
She looked over at me, confusion flickering across her face. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb, Maggie. You’ve been acting strange for two days now. Distant. Something’s bothering you, and I want to know what it is.”
“Nothing’s bothering me. I’m fine.”
“Bullshit.” I dismounted, going over to her horse, and reached up to lift her down. She came easily enough, but the moment her feet hit the ground, she tried to step back. I didn’t let her. “Talk to me.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Then why won’t you look at me?” I cupped her chin, tilted her face up, forced her to meet my eyes. “Why do you keep pulling away?”
She bit her lip, and I could see the conflict warring in her expression. Finally, she sighed. “It’s stupid.”
“If it’s bothering you, it’s not stupid. Tell me.”
“I just...” She pulled away from me, wrapping her arms around herself. “I realized I don’t really know why you’re doing this. Why you’re spending so much time with me, helping me with the ranch, sleeping with me. And I keep wondering if—”
“If what?” A cold feeling settled in my gut. I had a pretty good idea where this was going.
“If you’re still hoping I’ll sell you the property.” The words came out in a rush, like she’d been holding them in for days. “If this is all just some strategy to get what you wanted in the first place.”
There it was. The insecurity I should have seen coming, should have addressed before it had time to fester.
“You think I’m fucking you to get your land?” My voice came out harsher than I intended, and I saw her flinch.
“I don’t know. I don’t know what to think.
” Her frustration bubbled to the surface.
“You made it very clear from the beginning that you wanted this property. That you’d been wanting it for years.
And then suddenly you’re all over me, and it’s amazing, but I keep thinking this can’t be real. That there has to be a catch.”
“The catch is that I want you, you stubborn woman.” I closed the distance between us again, gripping her shoulders. “Not your land. You.”
“But you did want the land. You admitted it.”
“I also stated I wanted you the first day I saw you.” I gave her a small shake. “This has nothing to do with the land, Maggie. And everything to do with you.”
“How do I know that?” Her voice was small, vulnerable. “How do I know you’re not just telling me what I want to hear?”
The question hit me like a punch to the gut.
Because she was right—I hadn’t exactly been open about my feelings.
I hadn’t told her what she meant to me, how thoroughly she’d gotten under my skin.
I’d been too busy taking her to bed, teaching her body pleasure, marking her as mine, to actually tell her why.
“You want to know why I’m doing this?” I pulled her flush against me wrapping my arms around her tightly. “You want to know why I ride over here every morning before dawn? Why I spend my days teaching you things I should be doing on my own ranch? Why I can’t keep my hands off you?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Because I’m falling for you.” The words came out rough, honest. “Because every time I see you, I want you more. Because you’re stubborn and sassy and so damn beautiful it hurts to look at you. Because when I’m inside you, I feel like I’ve finally found where I belong.”
Her eyes went wide, her breath catching.
“I don’t give a damn about the land anymore, Maggie.
I care about you. About us. About building something together that has nothing to do with property lines and acreage.
” I leaned in closer, making her look me in the eyes.
“So if you’re waiting for me to admit I’ve got an ulterior motive, you’re going to be waiting a long time. Because the only thing I want is you.”
I saw the war in her eyes. Did she dare believe a man who’d used everything in his power to get her in his bed was telling her the truth? “Damn it, Maggie. I love you.”
Her breath left her in a rush. “You love me?”
“Yes, baby. I love you. More than the next breath I take. More than any land. Hell, I’ll sell it all today if that meant you’d believe me.”
She searched my face and I willed her to believe me. Finally, one of her hands came up, stroking my jaw. “I love you too, Rhett. It’s just—this is all so new to me. The physical stuff, the emotional stuff, all of it. And sometimes my brain tries to convince me it’s too good to be true.”
“It’s not too good to be true. It’s real.” I kissed her softly. “And if you need me to prove it to you every damn day, I will. I’ll tell you how much I want you, how much you mean to me, until you believe it.”
“I want to believe it.”
I cupped her face, wiped away a tear that had escaped with my thumb.
“I love your smart mouth and your stubborn streak. I love the way you refuse to back down even when you’re scared.
I love every curve, every soft inch of you.
I love the sounds you make when I’m inside you and the way you look at me. ”
“I love you too.” The words were a soft whisper that the slight breeze almost carried away. But I heard her.
The relief that flooded through me was almost painful. “Say it again.”
“I love you.” She smiled through her tears. “I love you so much it scares me.”
“Don’t be scared.” I kissed her hard, pouring everything I felt into it. “I’ve got you. Always.”
“I’m sorry I doubted you,” she said quietly.
“Don’t apologize. You had every right to question my motives.” I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “But now you know. You’re what I want, Maggie. Not your land, not your property. You.”
“I’m still learning how to accept that someone like you could want someone like me.”
I tilted her chin up, made her look at me. “Someone like me? I’m just a cowboy, sweetheart. You could do a hell of a lot better.”
“I don’t want better. I want you.” She smiled. “Bossy, dirty-talking, stubborn you.”
“Good. Because you’re stuck with me now.”
And she was. Forever. Because loving Maggie Garrison wasn’t something I did halfway. It was all or nothing. And I’d chosen all.