Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
She looked at me, her voice quiet. “It’s for you too, Luke.”
I waved my hand. “Not my dream. I’m still not sold. I’ll hold off on the celebrations until the real numbers come in and we weigh the work against the profit. If there is any.”
I ignored Rachel’s gasp of indignation and the hurt look on Sammy’s face.
“I’m going to go and make sure everything is ready for the camping night. The project is complete, you can head back to your world, and life can get back to normal around here. I’ll see you later.”
I hurried out of the house, my legs eating up the distance to the barn fast. I had to get away. My eyes burned and my stomach churned.
I cursed the day I ever agreed to this.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
SAMMY
Luke slammed out of the house as if being pursued by the hounds of hell. His dismissive words and cold tone echoed in my head.
“I’m not sold. Get back to normal.”
Rachel looked at me, stricken. “He didn’t mean it, Sammy. He was upset.”
“He knew I had to leave to create the program. It only makes sense to catch a free flight with my family. I’ll be back soon.” I rubbed my neck, trying to ease the sudden tension in my muscles. “Why is he so upset?”
She smiled sadly. “Because he cares about you. More than he can admit.” She regarded me. “And I think you care about him as well.”
“I like your brother a lot,” I admitted. “But he made the rules, and I agreed to them.”
“How much?”
“Pardon me?”
She leaned closer, her expression serious. “How much do you like him?”
I opened my mouth to tell her I felt the same as Luke. This was temporary. We’d set the boundaries, and I was happy with them. But I couldn’t. The words died in my throat. I stared at her as realization hit me.
I loved him.
I had fallen head over heels with my cowboy, and the thought of leaving him, even for a little while, twisted my heart into a ball of misery. When my dad had pointed out it made sense to fly home with them, a small part of me had protested even as I agreed with him. The few extra days would give me that buffer I needed to make sure our timelines were adhered to. Still, I felt an ache I couldn’t explain until this moment.
I didn’t want to leave Luke, even for a couple of weeks.
“I…” I shook my head and tried again. “Um, I…”
“You love him.”
Tears filled my eyes. “Yeah, I think I do.”
“Tell him.”
“He doesn’t want this, Rachel. He’s made it very clear.”
“He doesn’t want to be hurt again. Loving him won’t hurt him. Let me ask you a question, okay?”
I wiped my eyes. “Sure.”
“Could you do what you do from here?”
“Yes.”
“If he told you he wanted you to stay here—with him. What would your answer be?”
I thought about it before I spoke, even though I already knew the answer.
For the first time in my life, I saw myself living somewhere other than Port Albany. That elusive something I had sought all my adult life was here. It was Luke. This place.
I wanted to stay on the ranch. I loved it here. The rhythm of life here was different from what I knew, but it suited me. Luke suited me. I liked how he challenged me. Teased me. How it felt to make love with him. His strength and protectiveness. Even his over-the-top worrying at times. He’d stood over me, silent and intense, as Aiden pulled out the stitches in my hand, worried that it would hurt me. I felt his anxiety, the way he rested his hand on my shoulder, only relaxing once Aiden was finished.
I also saw how he hid his emotions, showing only calm detachment to his staff, running the ranch with efficiency. He stayed strong for Rachel, for everyone. What had happened with his fiancée and Marie had hurt him deeply, and he refused to open himself up to that emotion again.
But I still felt the same way. I loved him. And I wanted him to love me back. I wanted to build a life with him.
“I would stay.”
“Then tell him. What have you got to lose?”
“My heart.”
She stood. “I think you already lost it to my idiot of a brother. He’s buried his emotions deep so he wouldn’t be hurt again. And by doing so, he is hurting himself even more. I see how he looks at you. The way you make him laugh. He’s…lighter, for lack of a better word. Happier. And I think he’d make you happy. He’d love you the way Tyler loves me. The way my dad and mom loved each other.” She smiled and lifted her shoulders. “And I’m selfish. I’d love to have you as a sister. Have you around here all the time.”