Page 10 of Caught By A Cowboy

This man intrigues me, and I can’t remember the last time I met someone who did that.

“She was kind, and she could cook.” He takes his eyes off the road long enough to flash a sarcastic smirk. “My dad died a few years before she did so for a while it was just me and her… and the guys.”

“So, you're an only child?” I check.

“Yeah.” He takes his eyes from the road again, this time to frown.

“What’s that look for?” I giggle.

“You're beinginquisitiveagain,” he warns me.

“I’m simply getting to know you. We do live together.” I could add the fact that all I’ve been able to think about up till now, is what happened between us last night but he seems to be avoiding that subject, which leads me to believe he wants to move on from it.

“My mom would have liked you.” His words come from nowhere and for some reason the sad smile he makes as he says them puts a tiny prickle in my heart.

“So this is your place?” Jace leans forward on the steering wheel and looks up at the house through the windshield.

“Yep.” I take a long, deep breath as I stare at the front door. I left here thinking that the next time I came home I’d be Mrs. Adam Handley. All that seems so long ago now.

“So how do you plan on getting inside?” He readjusts the hat he’s wearing and something about the way he does it makes my pussy tingle. This man has a way of making everything seem sexy – unzipping dresses, smoking, driving, even eating freaking cereal.

“There’s a spare key under that pot.” I point toward the steps that lead up to the house, as the nerves start building heavier in my stomach. Thankfully, the way he shakes his head irritates me enough to distract me from them.

“Anyway, isn’t it a bit late to be asking that after you drove four hours here? Supposing there wasn’t a key under the pot?”I snap back when the tension becomes unbearable. There aren’t any cars on the drive, but Adam could have parked in the garage.

“You’re saying that as if it would be my problem.” He frustrates me even more, and at a time when I really need to focus.

Going inside isn’t going to be easy. I already feel bad for what I did, and sneaking back here to get my stuff feels like another insult to Adam. There's just no other way. I’m not ready to face him, or our parents yet. There will be too many questions.

“You know what, you really are…” My voice trails off when I notice Jace’s eyes point over my shoulder toward the house and as I turn my head, I see Adam charging down the garden path.

“Maddison!” He’s still wearing his tux, though it’s all creased up. His hair is sticking out in all directions and his red-rimmed eyes look furious as he rips open the passenger seat door. Everything inside me shrivels, my body turns rigid and I can’t seem to move.

“Where thefuckhave you been?” He reaches across my lap and unclips my belt, fighting to get the strap off me while tugging at my arm.

“Adam.” I push to get him off me, and when he suddenly gets ripped away, I gasp when Jace’s fist slams hard into his face. I didn’t even notice that he’d gotten out of the truck

“Adam!” I scurry out the door and hold my hands over my mouth when I see him lying on the floor.

“You punched him?” I look at Jace in shock.

“He touched you.” He shrugs as if that’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for his actions and I shake my head as I reach down to help Adam back on his feet.

“Don’t touch me!” He snatches his arm away from me, snarling up at Jace as he wipes the blood from his nose. “Now everything makes sense.” His eyes flit between me and Jace, as he chokes out a bitter laugh.

“Oh no, this isn’t...Adam, this is my boss,” I explain.

“Your boss?” Adam manages to get up and steady himself on his feet. “Maddison, you haven’t worked a day in your sweet, little life,” he reminds me, and I look across at Jace, smiling nervously when I notice him curl his fists.

“I know, and I also know that what happened yesterday will have come as a shock to yo–”

“A shock?A fucking shock?” He grips his hair with both hands. “Maddison, we were supposed to get married yesterday. I built my entire future around you.” His eyes turn sad as he steps forward and takes hold of my hand. “What the hell happened?” His brow creases and he stares into my eyes as if trying to read my thoughts.

“I woke up and realized I had no control of my life,” I tell him, honestly. “Neither of us did. We met through our parents, we dated through our parents. Hell, our parents even organized our wedding. Yesterday, after I put that dress on, I looked in the mirror and I realized I didn’t want to be the girl who was looking back at me.”

“It’s okay, we can fix this.” His tone softens, though his grip on me gets tighter.

“I’m sorry, Adam, I came back to get some things. I’m not coming home.”

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