Page 27 of Bucked By Love

It won’t.

I saw this play out before—Bonnie and Rafe. I know how this story ends.

I’m not stupid.

I will leave this alone. I will give up this foolish little game we’re playing.

I will, probably, break Ransom’s heart.

It’s his own fault for getting involved with the heartless Preacher girl.

23

CLAIRE

Summer ends. I return to college, resolved to leave the entire summer behind me.

Except late at night, when I’m deep into homework and studying and not at all thinking about Ransom, he calls me.

FaceTime, to be exact.

I prop the phone up on my desk and answer his call. “What do you want?”

Of course, the second I see his stupid face on the screen, my resolve melts. He doesn’t know how to hold the camera, and he’s way too close to it, giving me a full view of his great, big grin.

“We’re celebrating,” he says.

“Who’s we?”

The camera twists and spins as he turns the view around. Chaucer comes into focus. He’s happily chewing away at a carrot.

“Today was Chaucer’s first studing.”

I gasp. “You got him to stud?”

“Yep. Discovered he’d taking a liking to the penny-horse in the back.”

He fumbles the camera back to his face. I frown. “The penny-horse? Daddy bought that years ago. Back when he thought it would be cute to have children tour the ranch. And then he remembered he hates children. I haven’t seen it in years.”

“Well, you’re about to see a lot more of it. He’ll only stud when she’s in the room.”

I roll my eyes. “How voyeuristic.”

He’s still grinning. That smile makes my heart clench. “How’s school?”

“Less exciting.” I casually push my hair back. I chance a glance at myself in the screen. It looks better over my shoulder. “Reading. Studying.” I press my lips together. “Do you ever think about going to college?”

He snorts. “With what money?”

“You could get a scholarship, dingbat.”

“Sure. What exactly can college teach me that the farm can’t?”

I think about it. “The Canterbury Tales.”

“What’s that?”

“Chaucer wrote it.”

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