Page 18 of Falling Hard for the Billionaire Cowboy

Her words warm me, and I find myself blinking back in unexpected tears. "Thanks, Marcella. Really."

"You're always welcome here," she tells me, and we share an awkward hug, her pregnant belly getting in the way.

As I continued to stack the dishes, I could hear the kids' muffled voices upstairs, probably arguing over who gets to use the computer first for their homework. The familiar sounds of family life make me smile, even as a twinge of loneliness hits me.

Three hours later, my car arrives as promised. I load up my suitcases, pop on my sunglasses, and blast Charlie XCX on the radio as I make the journey to the ranch.

I realize that coming back here might not be as bad as I'd feared. There's still a place for me here, even if it's not quite the same as before. And who knows? Maybe this time, things will be different. Better, even…right?

That’s what I thought for a brief second.

As I approach the entrance, I instantly spot several trailers blocking the gate. I slowly remove my sunglasses, scoffing. "If this is his way of saying I'm not welcome, it's darned petty," I mutter.

This isn’t the only gate into the ranch, but going around to the second gate would add an extra twenty minutes to my trip.

I press down on the horn, not planning on taking the long way around. I am going to stay here for as long as I can.

One.

Two.

There's still no response.

Suddenly, I spot a man approaching, weaving his way through the trailers.

I lower my window but keep my sunglasses on. "Excuse me," I call out. "I'm trying to get to the cottage."

The ranch hand scratches his head. "Oh, you must be Miss ….

I reach for the volume bottom, lowering the music so I can hear what he is saying.

“… Mr. Austin said he will see you later," he completes.

My blood boils as I realize that he has indeed done this on purpose. "Right, what did I expect?” I think sarcastically to myself. The jerk would want me to go the long way around.” He even sent someone instead of coming down himself. That coward.

The ranch hand looks confused, but before he can clarify, I'm already throwing the car into reverse. "Tell Austin he can take his petty games and play them on someone else!" I yell, spitting gravel as I press down hard on the accelerator.

As I’m about to drive away, fuming, my mind begins to plan on what to do in response.

Call me petty or not.

Heck yeah, I’m petty. And yes, I’ll be getting back at him.

“But who knew my chance would come sooner than I thought,” I wonder as I stare at the side mirror.

Chapter eight

AUSTIN

It’s not even dawn and I’m only half awake when I hear a noise in the back of my head.

Dan. Dan. Dan.

I had set the softest melody as my alarm so that I could wake up feeling refreshed.

But now, even the softest sound has become a nuisance.

Dan. Dan. Dan!

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