Page 82 of The Cowboy's Second Chance Bride

She looked up at me and smiled. “No.”

“Then why were you so quiet just then?”

“Because I was thinking of all the time we’ve lost. His advice would have been good ten years ago.”

I kissed the top of her head and pulled her closer, almost on top of me. “We can’t do that. I did what I thought was best then. I’m not convinced it would have all turned out okay if I had done otherwise.”

She pushed up onto her elbow and looked down at me. Goddamn, this woman is beautiful. Her eyes told you everything. And at the moment, they were telling me she was a little bit horny and a little bit…

“You’re right. We needed to have all the information about my mom and your dad. I’m not sure my dad would have told us.”

Acceptance. That was the other thing I saw in her eyes. It was the best gift she’d given me besides forgiveness. And her body, of course. She was no longer reliving the past but looking toward the future. Speaking of the future…

“I have an idea.”

“So do I.” She climbed on top of me.

I was already hard. In one second, she held me in her hand as she lowered herself onto me, then she bent forward and angled her hips back to take more of me in. I groaned from the heady pleasure of it.

“Before I lose you.” She leaned forward and whispered her idea into my ear.

Did I say how much I loved this woman? Damn, she’s a dream.

ChapterThirty-Two

CAL

In the morning, we made our plan with Paul and our friends. I’d be lying if I said a part of me wasn’t hesitant. It came from years of trying to protect her. I didn’t mind taking risks; I was good at that. It was my job. Risks with her, though, I preferred not to take. It wasn’t that I didn’t have faith in us. It was just that I’d never been able to predict my father, and I didn’t like that. I didn’t like to see her cry because of what he did to her. I didn’t like that she was the bait.

The only obstacle to our plan was Sabrina’s ankle. “We need to solve the entire problem of walking and weight bearing,” I said.

Sabrina’s eyes lit up with an aha moment that shone brighter than a million-watt Q beam. And that was how I ended up back at the doctor’s office with Sabrina getting a cast put on while my jet was preparing for a flight.

“Okay,” she said, putting her phone back in her purse. “My connection is having a bunch of dresses delivered to the hotel.”

“Remember when I said the X-ray didn’t show a break?” Dr. Bryant asked her. “That didn’t mean you should be doing this. It’s bad enough that you should stay off it. Since you won’t listen, this will help protect your ankle, but even then, try your hardest to do minimal walking.”

“Maybe we should wait until you have time to heal a little more,” I said.

She shook her head. “The gala is perfect. When will we have that chance again?”

She was right, of course.

Two hours later, we were in the air with a final destination of LA, making two quick stops on the way, one in Vegas to tie up loose ends and the other in Seattle to pick up my tux. I’d changed out of my jeans and flannel shirt and into dress pants and a button-down. Business attire. I was sliding back into the Cal I’d been before she came into my office, and though I didn’t want to give him up, I didn’t want to ignore how different I’d felt since being at the ranch.

Sabrina sat across from me in a pretty navy dress that complemented her red cast, with her foot in my lap and my hand over her toes to keep them warm. My long legs were stretched out, capturing her other leg between them. The collar on my shirt felt tight, and I tugged at it in hopes of stretching it.

Sabrina chuckled.

“What?” I asked.

“That day in your office, you were all buttoned up. Now, after some time living your cowboy life, it looks like buttoned up might not really suit you anymore.”

I smirked. She could read my mind.

“What?” she asked.

“I did stay away too long. I realize how much I missed it—how important the ranch is to me and how it suits me.”

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