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)
I knew Sammy was leaving. I knew she had to go and create the program. Yet somehow hearing her say she was going had set off a bomb in my chest. Then her whispered confession had rocked me to the core.
She loved me.
And as I had realized in some moment of complete and utter soul-crushing clarity, I loved her too.
But I had nothing to offer her. Not what she was used to. Her family was wealthy—her connections and world an entire universe away from the starkness of mine. I worked long, endless hours, and sometimes even that wasn’t enough. The ranch would always require my focus. My money. My time. I couldn’t be the husband she needed. I couldn’t give her children of her own. Expensive trips away. I had no private jet to whisk her off anywhere. There was little I could offer her. And she deserved the world.
My mood grew darker as I heard the campers come back and the sounds of the group preparing to leave. I had made a point of saying thank you to each of them last night. Offering my sincere appreciation for their time, talent, and hard work. Like the coward I was, I watched from the darkness of the stables as Sammy’s family said goodbye to everyone, shaking hands, hugging my crew. Rachel had already been inside the RV, no doubt expressing her thanks, crying, and making sure Sammy would be coming back.
I shut my eyes as the pain lanced through me. I didn’t know what I would do when she was gone. When she came back. How I would handle it. The thought of breathing without her seemed impossible. But I had to let her go before she decided to walk away when she grasped the reality of the situation and what a life with me would be like.
“Aren’t you going to say goodbye?” Rachel asked, coming up behind me.
“I said my thanks and goodbyes last night.”
“And Sammy?”
“She’ll be back.”
Rachel sighed, the sound impatient and frustrated. The RV slowly started to move, and an incredibly painful ache began in my chest. It took everything in me to keep my feet planted on the wooden floor.
“Sammy isn’t Anne. Or Marie.”
At the mention of my ex-fiancée and the woman from hell, I shuddered. “I know.”
“She’s amazing.”
“I’m not arguing.”
“But you’re letting her go.”
I turned and looked at my sister. “What can I offer her, Rachel? No kids, a husband tied to a ranch that requires all his attention, a life of uncertainty and hard work? Living in the middle of nowhere, after what she is used to?” I barked out a laugh. “I hardly think so. You’ve met her family, seen the pictures. She’s accustomed to so much more than this.” I swung my arm, indicating the stable.
“Maybe that matters more to you than to her.” She narrowed her eyes. “This life of uncertainty and hard work you talk about also has a lot of amazing things in it. Family, friends, satisfaction of a job well done. The beauty of living here. Love. Our parents thrived here. We love it. Why can’t you allow that Sammy might too?”
“I can’t ask that of her. I couldn’t stand seeing the regret later.”
“Listen to yourself,” Rachel snapped. “Who gave you the right to decide what Sammy wants and doesn’t want? Did you ask her?”
I furrowed my brow. “No.”
“I did. I asked her if you wanted her here, if she would stay.”
I swallowed. “What did she say?”
“She said yes. There was no hesitation. She said she could work from anywhere.” Rachel stepped closer, gripping my arm. “She loves you, Luke. And if you would stop all this nonsense, I think you would realize you love her too.”
I met her eyes, and they widened.
“You do. You love her.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, it does.”
“But—”
She cut me off. “Stop throwing up roadblocks. Talk to Sammy. Tell her you love her. Work with her, not against her. Don’t throw away a chance to be happy.” Tears filled her eyes. “I almost lost Tyler. I know that worry, Luke. That fear. Don’t let it stop you. Grab it, grab her.”
Hunter’s words suddenly hit me.
“To me, our relationship was a huge, insurmountable obstacle.”
“And to Ava?” I had asked.
“A challenge we could overcome together,” he had replied.
I looked out, the dust kicked up from the RV already settling as if it hadn’t been disturbed at all.
“She’s gone,” I replied.
Rachel snorted. “The RV left ten minutes ago and is driving down a dirt road, slowly. Maverick could catch up fast.”
“He’s not—” I stopped speaking when I saw he was saddled and ready to go.
“Go after her, Luke. Don’t let her think this time she wasn’t enough.”
I grabbed Rachel and hugged her. Then I strode to Maverick and vaulted into the saddle. I was about to do something reckless, stupid, and that could possibly blow up in my face.