Page 28 of A Miracle for the Confident Cowboy

Sophie sucked in a breath,her lungs aching from holding her breath. This couldn’t be real. The rest of the email had a list of the restaurants that had agreed and her manager would begin putting together a schedule.

She settled back in her seat. Two and a half months with the list growing. She’d told her manager to reach out to everyone who might be interested in working with her, but she would have never imagined that so many would respond.

The ache in her chest shifted to something different. It wasn’t anxiety. It wasn’t worry or concern. But it felt too erratic to be exhilaration. Maybe it was a combination of it all. She sucked in another breath then let out a laugh as she jumped up from her seat and did a little dance around the room. She was going to Europe! The food, the sights, the sounds, all of the experiences she was going to have would only add to the following she had already developed. She’d have so much to share with her readers! This was a dream come true. She had to tell Duke.

All at once her excitement drained from her body and her legs crumbled beneath her. Thankfully, she was close enough to a chair that she caught herself before hitting the floor.

Duke.

What would he say when he found out she’d be leaving for three months? She’d told Rob and Pippa that if she got this gig, she’d want to go sightseeing, too. This was the opportunity of a lifetime.

But now the deliciousness of happiness was completely devoured by a deep-seeded ache of the unknown. Her legs trembled. This wasn’t the reaction she’d been expecting from a relationship that was still so new. Maybe that was the problem. What she had with Duke hadsomuch potential—limitless, really. If she walked away now, there was no telling what she’d be missing out on.

The more she thought about it, the more she really knew. Duke wouldn’t wait for her. He wouldn’t try to make something long distance work. He’d told her his opinion of her career and despite being told that was what ticked her off in the first place, he’d never verbally taken it back. An opinion like that wasn’t going to change just like that—not even with an opportunity like this one.

She nibbled on her lower lip, letting all her dismal thoughts pull her under, making it hard to breathe again. Duke was going to think it was selfish—or at least he was going to tell her it wasn’t worth risking what they’d found.

That chemistry.

Her blood heated at the thought of that kiss they’d shared.

Sophie moved to her desk and picked up her phone. Rather than emailing her manager, she shot off a single text.

Sophie: How long do I have to think about it?

She staredat the message for what felt like an eternity before she sent it off. The response was almost immediate.

Bernadette: What’s there to think about?

Sophie winced.She should have known better than to send this message via text. A call would have been better. But she also knew that projects like this had timelines that needed to be etched in stone far sooner than later.

Sophie: So I can talk to my family about it before I make a decision.

The wait was longerthis time. Sophie stared at the screen, waiting for her manager to start typing. She had said she was in a meeting, but clearly it wasn’t as important as she’d made it sound. The next message was just as short and Sophie could imagine the clipped tone in her manager’s voice.

Bernadette: The end of the month.

It feltlike the air had been sucked out of the room. That was barely a couple weeks. Of course they wanted to know as soon as possible. Sophie tossed her phone aside as she struggled with what she needed to do. Any normal person would tell Duke that this was a career changing event and they were going to chase their dreams.

But what if Sophie’s dreams included a certain cowboy?

She groaned. One week wasn’t nearly enough time to figure this out and she certainly couldn’t make the decision on her own. She needed to talk to Duke.

Her heart hammered with trepidation. They’d grown so close so quickly and she didn’t want either one of them hurt. But she wasn’t about to keep this from him. He needed to know.

She heaved a sigh then picked up her phone again.

Sophie: Can I see you today?

Duke: My place or yours?

She smiledand a sense of peace seemed to flood her insides. She was making this out to be more than it really was. He’d understand. He had to. If he cared about her as much as he’d insisted, then he’d give her some advice and they’d work it out.

Sophie: Yours.

Pippa would belivid if she didn’t get a call about this news the second Sophie had heard, so that was the next person she called. Sophie dialed the number with glee. She wouldn’t tell Pippa that she hadn’t decided yet. For now, all Pippa had to know was that something was in the works.

Sophie waited beside her car,the nervous energy in her body flowing like an electrical current. There was no use trying to hide the nervous smile she wore on her face. The first person she’d thought of sharing her news with would be coming out to see her any second and she’d be able to celebrate. All she wanted to do was crow her news out loud.

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