Page 43 of The Cowboy's Wild Side

“She sure has. Besides everything that happened today, she was terrified Gino would find her. Being on edge all the time is exhausting. But she doesn’t have to worry anymore. It’s over now.”

But as the words left his lips he suddenly realized what he’d just said.It’s over now.

Would she return to Dallas?

Weretheyover now?

* * *

After giving the dogs their treats, Karen found a bottle of white wine in the refrigerator and poured herself a glass, then walked slowly into the lounge. Dropping on the couch and taking a sip, she leaned back and closed her eyes.

The relief that Gino was gone was almost overwhelming, but she wondered if she’d ever forget the horrifying sight of his grisly body. But as she sipped the crisp wine and silent minutes ticked by, the dreadful scene drifted away and she thought back to wonderful moments she’d had since arriving at the ranch.

The moment Astro had walked over to her when she’d fallen in the mud.

The amazing sight of Cade riding his horse with no reins or saddle.

Sitting on the bareback pad and feeling Lily moving beneath her.

The thrill when Cade had swept her up and tossed her into the small lake, and the salacious time they’d spent together in the storybook cottage.

Unexpected tears began dribbling down her cheeks.

She didn’t want to return to Dallas.

She didn’t want to say goodbye to Lily.

She’d felt something special with Astro and she wanted to spend more time with him.

But mostly, she wanted to stay at the ranch with Cade.

“Hey, darlin’, what’s wrong?”

Startled, her eyes popped open and she found him standing over her.

“I don’t want to go home!” she exclaimed, the words falling from her lips before she could stop them. “Sorry, sorry, I shouldn’t have—”

“Hey, don’t ever apologize for sayin’ what you feel,” he interjected, sitting next to her and bringing her into his arms. “For the record, I don’t want you to go either.”

“You don’t?” she sputtered, pulling back and gazing up at him.

“Hell, no! It may be early days—really early—but we’ve been through a lot together. Besides, I’m just gettin’ used to havin’ you around, and so far it works for me.”

“You mean I can stay for a bit?”

“As far as I’m concerned you can stay as long as you want, though you’ll run out of clothes pretty soon. Mind you, that might not be a bad thing. I’d love to have you walkin’ around the place naked.”

“You’re terrible,” she said with a grin as she punched his arm.

“Yep, and that’s not about to change. So…will you hang around a while longer?”

“I would absolutely love to. But you’re right. I do need to go back and get some things, and of course I have to talk to mom and dad. They won’t be expecting any of this, and I can’t even imagine what they’ll say when they hear about Gino. Especially when I tell them I was the one who stumbled across him,” she added, lowering her voice. “About that. Uh, Cade?”

“Yeah?”

“I have a confession to make.”

“I’m listenin’.”

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