Page 82 of The Guy Who Stole My Ranch

“Hey,” I said in a weary voice.

“What’s up?”

I’d been keeping her abreast of what was happening each day since William had arrived. “So much.”

“Tell me.”

I spent five minutes updating Jessica about today’s fiasco. After I finished, she cleared her throat. “Let me get this straight, he helped you strip down to your underwear, hosed poop off of you, then delivered you to your bedroom.”

“Correct.”

“I thought you said he had cooled off.”

“He had.” I laid back, regretting the decision as a bout of dizziness hit me.

“What happened to your plan to get him off your land?”

I stared at my off-white ceiling. “I—I’m not sure I want to dissuade him.” My throat seized up at the words, but they felt right.

“What do you mean?” Jessica asked.

“I mean that I think he’ll be good for this place.” He’d shadowed me, practically inhaling every lesson I taught, since he’d arrived. He wanted to make the ranch something new. Who was I to tell him no?

“And what about you? What will you do?”

That was the million-dollar question. My dad paid me for working, so without that, I wouldn’t have an income. I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else. I could probably get into a law firm without too much trouble, but I’d have to start at the bottom, and at this point in my life, I wasn’t in the mood to be the girl who got coffee for everyone for six months. “I’m not sure. William said I could stay for as long as I wanted.”

“Are you considering sticking around?”

“I don’t know.” Would he be here? Or would he have people here to do all the work? Would he hire me? Did I want to work for him?

No, I didn’t want to workforhim. I’d rather workwithhim.

The certainty of that statement hit me so hard it took my breath away. I’d come to enjoy our time together, and I was pretty sure his friendship for me was real.

“Sounds like you need a vacation,” Jessica said. “You should come visit me.”

I laughed. “Like you have time to host a guest.”

“I can make time.”

“You don’t need to do that.”

“But I would.” Jessica paused. “Besides, William is from here. We could skulk around New York while stalking his family and friends.”

I pictured myself in dark clothes, standing at the end of an alley with my phone, filming William getting out of a limousine and going into a restaurant.

When I imagined a pretty girl on his arm, my teeth ground together.

“Brooke?” Jessica asked. “You still there?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I ask a very personal question?” Jessica said.

“Go for it.” After William seeing me in my underwear, I didn’t feel like I had much more to hide.

“Are you falling for this guy?”

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