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“It is in a way but raising and breeding horses is not where I’m at in my life. Are we going to have this argument again or are you going to let me do what you called me for?”
I smiled, shaking my head. “And what did I call you for?”
“For me to tell you to man the fuck up. Give her a chance. You can be with a woman who wants more out of life than existing on that ranch.”
“And how exactly is that supposed to work, Garrett? Our parents are in Texas, you’re wherever the hell you are, so it’s just me here handling things. If I don’t, we lose all we’ve worked for.Thisis our legacy.”
“I know that and it’s not what I’m saying. Like always you’re hearing what you wanna hear.”
“I’m hearing what you said. I can be with a woman who wants more than I have to offer, which isn’t gonna happen.”
“So all you have is the ranch?”
I closed my eyes and let my head fall back. “No.”
“Alright then, my point is, you love that shit. I get it, but things won’t fall apart if you invest in yourself. Take some time away, travel, create a life where the woman you love can have more than just horse shit and hay. You can do both, you know? Run the ranch and be happy.”
“Not if she doesn’t understand the priority of me running the ranch.”
Shore fitted perfectly here. She seemed happy working alongside me but she also had a life back in Boston. Not that she loved that life but being here wasn’t anyone’s dream.
“You saying this woman doesn’t or won’t?”
“I don’t know what the fuck she’ll understand. I’ve known her for less than a week.”
“Well shit, then you’d better get your ass in gear with her. If she has you crying on the phone with me at midnight, she must be something special.”
I barked a laugh. “I’m not crying, Garrett, just needing a sounding board is all. I bet you’ve been waiting all your life for this very moment right here, haven’t you?”
“Hell, yeah I have, big bro.”
I raked a hand down my face. “I don’t know why this matters. Her life’s a mess and she’s only here for a week,” I murmured more to myself than to Garrett.
“It matters because you feel something and all jokes aside, that’s worth being open to. Not very many women make usfeel, Wilde. Those that do, mostly make us feel something more physical. If this were just about getting her in your bed, you’d fuck it out your system and get it over with. You called because there’s more to it than needing to get off.”
He was right.
I felt a profound pull to Shore. When she was telling me about the reason she ended up in Miller’s Pointe, all I could think about was how the hell I was going to fix this for her. I wanted to know she felt at ease like she’d been experiencing since walking into my house. I witnessed what that looked like, in her smile, and experienced what it felt like in her spirit. I was willing to do anything I could to make it right. And then there was the kiss. The way everything in me settled when she kissed me was enough reason to want her here. She felt right, she felt like she was mine.
“Yeah, it’s more than that.” There was no need to lie to Garrett. He would see right through it anyway.
“Then go for it. What the hell do you have to lose?”
More mounting frustration and resentment when things didn’t work because my life was my life and not what most women hoped it to be. A cowboy was fun, a fantasy. But when the fantasy wore off, there was just me being a good man who wanted a good woman. One I would love better than she could ever imagine possible but not a lot of women valued a real man.
“Enough, trust me. There’s plenty to lose.”
“I’ve never known you to be a pussy, Wilde. Maybe I’ve been away too long and you’ve changed.”
I chuckled. “You’ve been away too long for sure but I haven’t changed. I get pussy, but I’m not one. Speaking of, where are you? Thought I heard a woman.”
“I’m in New York to visit Lyra’s family for Christmas.”
“Meeting the family? That sounds serious.”
“It’s not. I had business here. Some endorsement deals I needed to close before the first of the year otherwise I would have gone on the cruise with Mom and Dad. Lyra is just something to keep me busy and a way to get a home-cooked meal for the holiday.”
“That’s cruel, Garrett. Does she know why you’re there?”
