Page 25 of Some Cowgirls are Worth Protecting

Immediately she went on the defensive. Hadn’t she already told him something about herself that she wanted to keep secret? It was a big one, too. Anything else would be smaller—inconsequential. Surely, she could give him something if he was willing to do the same. “Okay,” she whispered. “But you have to go first.”

Even with the distance between them and the darkness, she could see his lips quirk upward. He didn’t smile much, but simply knowing that she’d triggered one gave her goosebumps. Hudson leaned back in his chair, hand behind his head. “You want to know why I don’t let people get close.” It wasn’t a question. And it didn’t appear as though he was going to shy away from it, either.

Her mouth went dry. She didn’t know why she wanted to know so badly. Maybe it was this feeling of camaraderie that had suddenly bloomed between them. Or it could be due to the unmistakable crush she’d developed for him. The room felt smaller, more intimate, which only added to the feelings swirling in her stomach.

“I’m sure Athena has told you about my parents.”

“She said your parents left you when you were kids.”

He nodded. “I don’t feel that I need to have more of an excuse than that. Abandonment carries one of the biggest scars a person can have.”

“It’s more than that, though. Your whole family starts off cautious with new people. But then they open up. You’re the only one who prefers to keep your distance. Even from your own siblings.”

He snorted. “That’s because nothing is guaranteed. They don’t seem to get that. Well, maybe Caleb did.”

“Your brother that left?”

Hudson didn’t move. He didn’t confirm that she was right. He looked toward the window and his voice carried more weight with it. “Nobody has to stay. It doesn’t matter if they promise, if they swear they’re going to stick around, or even if they have responsibilities to whoever depends on them. Anyone can leave at any time.”

“That’s… so sad.”

He huffed. “It’s reality. Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do about it. I prefer to keep my distance because that means there’s less pain when those relationships fail.”

She could hear the brokenness in his tone. His scars ran deep. It wasn’t any wonder that he didn’t want to grow attached to anyone.

“By your silence, I gather you think I’m wrong,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter what I think.”

He tilted his head. If there was enough light, she imagined he’d be giving her one of those curious stares. Finally, he said, “Your turn.”

She rubbed her nose into her knees. “I’m sure you know about my family history through Athena.”

“Your parents passed away. You were adopted. She was abandoned.”

She stiffened. “That’s hardly fair. We were separated. They looked for her. No one connected the dots.”

“Yeah,” he huffed. “I doubt that. Someone somewhere knew that there was a little girl matching her description and never reported it to the right people.”

Rachel fought the anger that came with that statement. He wasn’t blaming her for what had happened. He wasn’t even upset with her. He was harboring his own issues, and they were colliding with what had happened in her life. “You might be right. But that’s not what I’m going to talk about. Those are Athena’s experiences. You wanted to know why I have secrets. You already know one of them.”

“Yeah… apparently, you’re wealthy.”

She swallowed hard. Just by the way he’d said that she wondered if this was a mistake. Money changed everything. People treated her differently when they knew she had money. It was one of the reasons that moving out to a town where no one knew her had been so attractive. “I am.”

“Like really wealthy.”

Rachel sighed. “Money isn’t everything.”

“You’re right.”

She stilled.

“But it sure doesn’t hurt to have,” he added.

Rachel frowned. “You want to know why I keep that secret? It’s because of this, right here. You’re judging me for something I didn’t have control over.”

He went quiet.

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