“No,” he said immediately, but he could tell she wasn’t convinced.
“I’m not sorry we got to know each other like this, on normal terms.”
She shook her head.“There is nothing normal about us.”
“Who’s scared now?”
“The thing is, I’ve always needed a man, had a man to help me, fix me, and disappoint me.I need to do this for myself and by myself.I need to know I can provide for myself and my family.I need to fulfill my potential and this dream.”
“I understand, I really do.But that doesn’t mean we can’t still be together.”
She shook her head no.“But don’t you see, I can’t be some famous NFL star’s small-town hookup, or sometime girlfriend, and be taken seriously.And you’ll be in Atlanta and all over the country for games, while I’m hours away in Sandy Point.”
“What if I want you more?We don’t have to go public—we can make it work long distance until you get the business up and running.”
“I think we need some time to both see where our paths will lead us.And not treat each other like security blankets.”
“Fine, we’ll do this your way.I can wait until you’re ready, but I won’t promise to stay away or pretend I’m not falling for you.”
“I need to get Thor ready for the auction,” Miranda said, taking a deep breath.
“Okay.”His mind was going a million miles a minute, but he knew she needed to focus on her business.And he was going to have to bide his time and hope she chose them too.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Miranda
Play Your Cards
Thor and Beastperformed flawless turns around the arena before the auction, and if someone had told her that her horse was going to break the auction bid record she would have said they were crazy.
After toiling over her decision on whether or not to sell Thor, she decided it was the best way to find out which ranchers were interested in her work.She could contact each rancher who had bid on Thor and offer first-time discounts for breeding services with Beast.And she was able to set the first bid amount, so if no rancher wanted to pay what she knew Thor was worth, he’d go back home with her.
With her adrenaline pounding, she led Thor into the auction circle and waited breathless to see what would happen.A minute into the bidding the offers were well over her asking price and then Dixon ranch made the final offer, beating everyone by ten thousand.
She was ecstatic.And the first person she wanted to hug and celebrate with stood off to the side of the arena with a huge proud grin just for her.But when she led Thor out of the auction circle to a holding stall where the auction house would confirm the fund transfer for the sale, a wave of sadness hit her.She’d had Thor for two years, after spotting him at a smaller estate sale.Trained him herself, and now she’d have to let him go.But this was part of the price of starting her own business—she was having to make sacrifices.And her debts weren’t going to pay for themselves.
“I bet Dixon ranch will let you visit him,” Renn said walking up behind her.
She rubbed the white patch along Thor’s snout and blinked back the tears.“It’s probably silly to get so attached to them, but he was really the one that taught me to believe in my ability to do this.Train them, hone my own line of polished, beautiful horses.”
Renn rubbed her back and she didn’t have the energy to pull away from his comfort even if she knew she wouldn’t get to keep him.
“Mrs.Sutton, I’d like to speak with you a little about Thor’s training routine if you have time?”A polished middle-aged woman approached, but when she recognized Renn her arms opened up wide in a big hug.“Renn Walker, I heard you were here and was wondering why you hadn’t been over to see me yet.”
“Mrs.Dixon, I didn’t realize you were here too.”Renn hugged the woman for a long beat, and something passed between them.
“How have you been holding up?I miss your mama every day.”
“Same, but somehow the world keeps moving on.”
“It sure does.”Mrs.Dixon looked from Renn to Miranda.“Why am I not surprised you found a woman with a love of horses.”
Renn smiled.“I told Miranda that my mama would say she has the touch.”
“Yes, she would.I was looking at your social media, Ms.Sutton, and we will definitely be interested to see how your expected foals look when you’re ready to show them off.”
“Yes, ma’am.I’m excited to welcome them to BB later this month.”
