Page 62 of The Cowboy’s Intriguing Love

“It’s not goodbye, Shay – not unless you want it to be.”

“I don’t! I …”

He stopped walking and wrapped his arms around her. She clung to him. “I hope it’s not.”

He shook his head. “I told you. I’ll come see you as soon as I can. I’m thinking next weekend – how does that sound?”

She realized that she’d hesitated for too long when his eyebrows drew together and he asked, “Or is that too soon?”

“No! I …” She blew out a sigh. “Of course I want to see you next weekend. I’d want to see you every weekend if we could. But … you know how things are for me. I have to work. Next weekend, I’m at the barn both mornings. I’m helping at Violets on Saturday afternoon and The Boathouse on Saturday night. I don’t know what schoolwork I’ll have to fit in, but I usually finish whatever I have left to do on Sunday night.” She tightened her arms around him. “I’m not saying that I don’t want to. I’m just saying that I don’t know how to make it work.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw as he looked down into her eyes. “Do you want to make it work? Do you think it’s worth it?”

“Yes! I really do, Ty. You’re amazing, and we … we’re good together. I haven’t had a lot of relationships. I … honestly, I haven’t even been in a relationship for a few years. I’ve been on a couple of dates here and there but … I just don’t have the time. But with you? I want to make time for you. I want to spend time with you. You’re the best guy I’ve ever been out with but … even if we lived in the same place, I don’t know how we’d make it work.”

He nodded slowly, and from the look on his face, she feared the worst. A wave of relief rushed through her when he finally spoke.

“Are you working Friday night?”

“No, but depending on what assignments I have, I might need to catch up on those.”

“And Sunday afternoon?”

“That’s when I hang out with our little family.”

“How do you think they’d feel about me joining you guys?”

“You’d want to do that?”

“I’d love to. I know it’s not going to be easy, Shay, but I don’t want to give up. If this is your way of telling me that you don’t want to do this, then tell it to me straight.”

She shook her head rapidly. “It’s not that, Ty. It really isn’t. I want to see you again – I want to keep seeing you, I just don’t know how.”

“If you want it – if you want me – I’ll find ways to make it work. I can get there for Friday evening. I can hang out and be quiet while you do your schoolwork. If your friend’s okay with it, I can help you at the barn in the mornings. If Xander and Tori don’t mind, I can work behind the bar with you on Saturday lunchtime. I don’t imagine that’ll work at the other place – The Boathouse. So, I could either sit at the bar while you work or if you don’t want me in your hair while you’re busy, I can do something else. Maybe go back to Xander and Tori’s place until you finish. And if you think your family wouldn’t mind me being there, I’d love to join in your Sunday afternoon.” He smiled. “I’d be happy to do the cooking, maybe that’ll help?”

“You’d really do all of that?” Her heart was pounding.

“Of course. I want to see you, sweetheart. I want to spend time with you. I’m prepared to do whatever it takes.” He frowned. “But I don’t want to force myself on you. I don’t want you to feel like I’m muscling my way into your life.”

“I don’t! I’d love it. I want you to be part of my life, Ty. I want to be part of yours.” She frowned. “My classes end soon – the semester’s almost done. I’ll have a bit more free time over the summer. I … I’ll find a way to come and see you, too. I don’t want you to feel like you have to do all the work. I …”

He smiled and rested his forehead against hers. “I’m prepared to do whatever it takes, Shay.”

She pressed a kiss to his lips. “Thank you – and I need you to know that I am, too. I hate to feel like we just overcame one set of obstacles and I’m already lining up more but …”

“You want to know what the next step is?”

“Yeah. I mean … You … you don’t want to leave Montana, do you?”

“No.” He gave her a pained look. “Shit. I told you that being honest sucks sometimes, but I have to tell it to you straight, Shay. I don’t want to leave. My family’s there, my whole life’s there. I left once, but I always intended to go home and now that I’m there … But it’s the same for you. You grew up in Summer Lake. You have your family – they’ve been good to you; you don’t want to leave them, and I get that. You don’t want to leave Booker – and I respect the hell out of that. It sounds like the kid needs a big sister; you make his life better.”

“Yeah.”

Her heart was heavy as she stared into his eyes. It didn’t make any sense for them to even try, but she didn’t want to give up before they got started.

His arms tightened around her. “Our chances don’t look too good from here, do they?”

“No, but …”

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