Chapter 8
Two Months Later…
Cash
The snow is mostly gone now. Everywhere I look, there are patches of green pushing up through the thawing ground, but the ranch still feels cold.
Empty.
It’s been just over two months since Kali drove away, and I’ve felt every single second of that time.
The work is fine. The ranch is fine. The horses are fine.
I am not.
I walk the fence line, looking for more things to fix. There are always things to fix. I check on the new foals, focus as much energy on the horses as I can, and keep myself busy. At least until the sun goes down and there’s nothing left but silence.
Then, she’s all I can think of.
When I close my eyes, she’s all I can see. The way she throws her hair back when she laughs. The sweet sight of her standing at the stove, burning dinner. Her lips open as ecstasy claims her. Her hair spread on the pillow. Her eyes wide and full of—
No.
I still can’t believe I’d been so wrong about her. That I could have been so blind.
That I’d let my guard down and let her in.
I knew better.
I’ve trusted my gut my whole life. It’s never let me down. Until now.
She tried to call.
For weeks, my phone lit up with her name. And then it stopped. I deleted the voicemails without listening to a single one because hearing her voice try to explain the unexplainable would have broken me.
I’m in the barn when Wyatt and Travis catch up with me. Their boots are heavy on the floorboards as they stamp past the stalls to me. “You planning on hiding in here forever?”
“Not hiding.”
Wyatt grunts. “I don’t call this living, brother.”
I start to protest, but before I can, Travis drops a glossy magazine on the feed barrel beside me. I can’t stop myself from looking.
A copy of Flourish.
Kali’s magazine. And there it is. The article.
My chest goes tight.
Rock Creek Ranch: The heart behind the horses.
With a snort, I look away.
“Read it.”
“I don’t—”
“Cash.” Brody’s tone sharpens. “Read the fucking article.”
I sigh, they won’t leave until I do, so I wipe my hands on my jeans, pick up the magazine, and flip it open to the feature.
The first picture stops me cold.
It’s me leading Diesel through the corral, sunlight reflecting on the snow. Kali must have taken it the day she stood by the fence, breaking down my walls.
I started reading and brace myself for the worst.
But it’s not what I expect.
There’s no mention of the previous scandal that threatened to ruin my career. There’s no twist of words. No cheap shots.
Just truth.
She wrote about the horses and the work I do with them.
She touched on the history of the ranch, but not in a way that highlights the harsh history of our bastard father.
Instead, the focus is on us. My brothers and I, working to build Rock Creek Ranch into something we can be proud of for generations.
Every line is beautifully painted with Kali’s words.
By the time I reach the end, my throat’s tight.
Wyatt and Travis are both leaning against the barn wall, their arms crossed over their chests.
Travis is the first to speak. “Pretty impressive piece, huh?”
I nod once, unable to find words.
“Not the only ones who think so either,” Wyatt says. “The phone’s been ringing all morning.”
I lift a brow.
“Studios,” my brother tells me. “Horse buyers. Investors and even people looking for a dude ranch experience.”
I don’t answer. I can’t.
Because all I can see are her eyes, wet with tears. The way she begged me to believe her.
It’s not what it looks like. You have to believe me.
Goddam it.
I rub a hand over my face, shame burning through me. “I screwed up.”
Wyatt smirks. “You think?”
I stare at the article again, her name on the title. Kali Collins. I trace it with my thumb, heart pounding. She did it. She wrote a career-changing article. And it’s all factual. She didn’t screw me over. It was never about that.
“I screwed it up bad.”
Wyatt shrugs and glances at Trav, who only nods before he says, “So fix it.”
“Yeah.” I roll up the magazine and slap it against the stall once before moving toward the door. “That’s the plan.”
Kali
It’s been two months, but the city that’s always been my home still doesn’t feel right. It’s too loud. Too busy. There’s too much traffic. The grey rain that never seems to end. Everything feels too much.
Too fast.
Too many people.
And not one of them is him.
Cash is still all I can think about. He consumes almost all of my waking thoughts. It was a miracle I was able to get the article written. But I did it. And I’ve never been more proud of something I’ve worked on.
I sip my tea, wishing it were coffee, and scroll through the comments under the article that went live two days ago. Rock Creek Ranch: The Heart Behind the Horses.
There are hundreds of shares. Dozens of comments from people who were moved by the piece. Who wished they could live there. Or visit.
This should feel good.
And it does, in a way. But it’s also hollow.
Because he still hasn’t called. He never answered one of my calls, and finally, I stopped trying. But I’d been so sure he’d call after the article came out.
But there’s nothing but silence from him.
And I’m afraid that there’s no amount of glowing reviews or shares or positive comments that can fill that space.
I press my hand against my stomach, absently tracing small circles over it. My period’s officially two months late. I haven’t told anyone yet. I’ve barely been able to admit it to myself. I think I’ve been waiting for things to change between us. For him to call and tell me he’s sorry and…
I shake my head and pull myself from the familiar fantasy. It’s too late for that.
I need to face the facts. Whatever we had in that short time it’s over. It obviously didn’t mean the same for him as it did for me. And maybe that’s the hardest thing to accept.
My eyes fall to the magazine, and I let my lips curl up into a small smile. If nothing else, I hope the article helped the ranch. Helped him.
A click of heels on tile breaks through my thoughts. I lift my head as Brooke approaches.
She has the magazine in hand, her mouth curved into some kind of expression between a sneer and a smile. I’m surprised it’s taken her so long to stop by. “So this is it, huh? The big story?”
I sit back. “That’s it.”
Despite what she might think, Brooke has no room to criticize. Not when the editors are thrilled. They even offered me a full-time features gig. I just don’t know yet how I’m going to—
“But there’s no scandal.” My attention is drawn back to my co-worker. “No dirt. No, nothing.”
“It’s the truth,” I say evenly. “Because that’s what journalism should be.”
Her eyes narrow and she shakes her head with a scoff. “You could have had something real, Kali. A headline that would turn heads. All you had to do was—”
“I’d never do that to him.” I stand up to face her head-on.”
“Oh yeah.” She sneers. “Don’t tell me you fell for him or something.” It must be the look on my face that gives it away, because Brooke starts laughing. “Oh shit! You did, didn’t you?”
I don’t bother denying it, because what’s the point? “I did,” I admit out loud for the first time. “I fell in love with him.”
Brooke’s smirk fades. She opens her mouth to respond, but a familiar low voice stops us both.
“You did?”
Something shifts in the air behind me.
I turn, my heart already hammering out of my chest.
He’s here. Standing in the middle of my offices, hat in his hands, his dusty boots a stark contrast with the polished tile. He looks so completely out of place and absolutely perfect at the same time.
“Cash,” I whisper, not trusting my voice.
He smiles faintly, eyes soft but tired. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“I did.” I don’t hesitate. It’s long past time he heard exactly how I feel. “I love you, Cash.”
The words are barely out of my mouth when he takes a step toward me. “I love you, too, city girl.”
For a second, the whole world stops.
He takes another step. “I was wrong, Kali. About you. About the story. About everything. I’m so sorry. I should have believed you.”
Tears blur my vision. “You read it?”
He nods. “More than once. The phone hasn’t stopped ringing at the ranch either. Your article…” he shakes his head. “It’s going to give us a real chance with the ranch, Kali. Thank you.”
“It was the truth,” I say. “That’s all I ever wanted.”
He closes the remaining distance between us. “I don’t deserve you.”
“That’s not true.”
His thumb brushes my cheek. It’s both rough and gentle all at once, and something in my chest loosens. “Can you ever forgive me for not trusting you, Kali?”
I nod, the tears spilling freely. “We already do, Cash.”
He frowns, just slightly. “We?”
I take his hand and press it against my stomach. His eyes drop, and I watch his reaction carefully while he realizes what I’m telling him.
For a long moment, he just looks at me, his deep blue eyes taking in all of me. Then he leans in and kisses me slow and certain and in that moment, the whole world falls away. The last two months, the misunderstanding, none of it matters anymore.
“Marry me,” he says when he pulls back, his voice rough. It’s not a question, but I nod anyway. Of course, I’ll marry him. His hand slides down to my stomach. “Raise our babies on the ranch. With me.”
“Yes!” I laugh through the tears, nodding. “Of course I will. Yes.”
He grins, pulling me close, his hat still in one hand as Brooke, the rest of my coworkers, and the entire office disappear.
“Let’s go home, city girl.”