Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23963 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23963 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
I roll my hand in front of me. “Blah, blah, blah. Did you rest? Hang out by the pool? Go to the bar?”
He laughs and shakes his head. “Yes, I rested a little.”
I rest my hands in my lap. “Good, you deserve it.”
He lifts his mug and drinks some of his coffee before setting it on the table beside him. “So what about here? Anything I need to know about?”
“Nope, everything was fine.”
He laughs out loud. “Oh yeah? I figured I’d come back and shit would have hit the fan. Needless to say, Rhett had a meltdown when he found out you went to the cabin in the north pasture in a snowstorm.”
I try to play it off. “Yeah, your friend is a little bossy.”
He leans forward, and I start to fidget under his stare. I reach for my tumbler and take a drink from the straw before setting it down. “I actually was hoping we could talk about something.”
He tenses. “Okay, what about?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. I was thinking I might like to travel a little bit.” I hold my hand up. “I’m not leaving you empty-handed. You know most of the work I do, I can do from anywhere. As long as I have Internet or Wi-Fi, I can do the website and send the guys the orders. And I’ve thought about it. I won’t be here, breathing down your neck about everything.”
I realize I’m rambling and stop suddenly. Elliott is shaking his head. “Where is this even coming from? You love the ranch. You’ve said yourself that you never want to leave.” His forehead creases, and he leans forward. “What happened while I was gone?”
I stand up and walk to the other side of the porch to look out at the ranch. “This is my home, Elliott. I’m not going to be gone forever. I just want a break. You went to Vegas. I think—”
He stands up. “I went to Vegas for a cattleman’s conference. I was gone a week, and now I’m home… You need a vacation? Take one. But you’re acting like you’re going to be gone for a while.”
I lift my shoulders. “It’s just a few months.”
He comes to stand next to me. “A few months! You’re going to leave for a few months?”
I’m fighting to keep myself together, and this conversation with Elliott is not helping. I try to keep the sadness off my face when I turn to look at him. “Look, bub, just give me some time. I’m dealing with a few things, and I just need some time. That’s all.”
“What are you dealing with? Talk to me and I’ll fix it.”
I smile, but I know it’s a sad smile. “You know, ever since Mom and Dad died, you’ve taken it upon yourself to take care of me. You’ve fought battles for me, you’ve listened to me, heck, you made me realize how stupid I was being about Wes. But you don’t have to fix everything. You’re still the best big brother.”
He stomps his foot, and I can’t help but laugh. He scowls. “Tell me what the problem is and I’ll fix it. If you’re running away from home, I have a right to know why so I can fix it.”
Because I know I’m about to lose it, I put my arms around his waist and hug him tightly. “You can’t fix this, bub. I appreciate that you want to, but it’s not fixable.”
I pull back and hold my hand to my head. “I feel a migraine coming on. I’m going to go in and lie down for a bit.”
I get two steps before he reaches for me and wraps his hand around my arm. “Does Rhett have anything to do with this, Maddie?”
I cover his hand with my own and force a smile to my face. “This is a me problem, Elliott. No one else.” I pat his hand and then go into the house.
I wait until I’m in my bedroom with the door shut behind me before I break down. I’ve been a mess since the day Rhett asked me for one more night. Looking back, I regret telling him no. I did it to try and protect myself. I already knew that I was going to be a mess, but I wasn’t prepared for this complete feeling of hopelessness. My mind has gone crazy with what ifs. Like what if he meets someone? Can I really just go on like it doesn’t hurt me when I know it will rip out my heart? And then what if he gets married or has kids? How can I survive it?
The tears come stronger, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t get them to stop. When my phone dings, I ignore it and try to pull myself together. It’s probably Cammy or one of my other friends. The need to talk to someone is strong, and I grab my phone and open the messaging app. I wasn’t prepared to see Rhett’s name.