AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Max
But my life has already changed, I think.
Still, I click the link. Wrinkle my nose at the cold clinical trial speak. Ablation. Catheters. Hospital stay. Scrape your heart and hope for the best.
I don’t know what my best is.
I don’t know what I want anymore.
I should do the study. It’s in California, and Max is right. It aligns perfectly with my to-do list.
Truth is, I’ve been moving slowly the last week. Ever since Colton attacked me in my cottage, my heart feels shaky. I’ve had heart rate spikes so strong they wake me up at night. I think I’m smart, escaping downstairs to let my heartbeat come back to normal, but Charlie always finds me and carries me back to bed.
It scares me.
For the first time since I’ve been on the road, my heart isn’t cooperating.
I wring a dish towel in my hands.
Screw doubt. That’s best left with my father and brother. I am healthy. And happy. My heart has never been better. Because of this summer.
Because of Charlie.
My eyes flutter shut. His sweet words from that day in the barn—I love this beautiful beat of yours—lit a fire inside of me. They shouldn’t mean anything, but they mattered to me. So, so much. They gave me hope, like maybe he could understand my SVT if I told him. That he’d forgive me for keeping the truth from him about my health. Even if the whole idea is ludicrous.
We have a deal, though. Runaway Ranch for the truth about why I’m on the road.
And he hasn’t ponied up, so why should I?
Sighing, I shut my laptop and slide off the stool. Still, I hate lying to him. The guilt that crashes over me is as frenzied as my heartbeat.
I scan the kitchen, deciding to tidy up. I set Charlie’s mug in the copper bucket sink and shut off the coffeepot. I put my creamer back in the fridge, throw away my apple. Mundane tasks that calm my heartbeat.
Although I miss my charming cottage, I love Charlie’s log cabin. It has a personality as big and powerful as the man himself. Wood, log, and stone—the holy trinity of Big Sky country—keeps it true to its western roots.
My gaze lights on the calendar tacked to the fridge. Tomorrow’s August. My deadline to leave looms.
Four weeks.
Should I leave Resurrection? It’s a question very much in need of an answer.
If I don’t go, what does that mean for me and Charlie? But does he even want me to stay?
It seemed like he might. The way his hands gripped my waist, scorching me through my dress. The strange look on his face. Haunted. Nervous.
My tough cowboy was nervous.
A huge smile overtakes my face. What if he feels the same way?
I love you.
I imagine him saying it in that deep southern drawl that’s like a caress over my entire body.
Oh god, I’ve never wanted anything so bad in my life. Being loved back would feel beautiful. Not dangerous or dumb.
I chose this man, and maybe he’s choosing me.
Maybe we could do this.
