Page 63 of Falling Hard for the Billionaire Cowboy

I drag myself up to my room, the dogs following close behind. As I collapse onto my bed, fully clothed – I know it would take herculean strength to get up and change. I groan as one of my dogs bounces on my chest. "Ugh, to side," I mumble, transferring the dog next to me.

As the dogs finally settle around me, their familiar warmth and the sound of their breathing feels comforting.

For the first time in weeks, I feel truly at home. I'm not sure when I fall asleep, but when I wake up, it's early morning, and the dogs are nowhere in sight.

Rolling to the side, I can't help but groan. I've lost feeling in one of my arms, and I can only imagine that it was one of the dogs that had slept on me.

Yawning, I'm about to go to the bathroom when my phone rings. It's Russell.

"Hey Russell, it's been a while."

"Good to hear from you Austin. How are the horses?"

"I haven't run into any problems so far. Did something happen?" I ask, stifling a yawn.

"Are you around now?" Russell asks.

"Yes, I came back in the middle of the night," I reply, and at the same time, one of the dogs runs in.

"Will you be able to come to the car show?"

"Car show?" I trail off, a frown settling in my brow. My mind goes back to the time that I had purchased the horses, and truthfully Russell had mentioned it back then. "I thought it has passed?"

"Yeah, but another one will be taking place on Saturday. The boys and I will be there."

I'm about to turn the offer down when I remember that Hayley might like to see it.

"Alright, I'll get back to you tomorrow."

"Okay, rest up," Russell says, and then the line goes off.

Finally standing up, I go to the window. As I pull the blinds back, my gaze turns to the direction of the cottage – It's a beautiful day, isn't it?

Chapter twenty-six

HAYLEY

A day before…

"Hnngh." I roll to my side, adjusting the pillow under my head. A few seconds pass, and this time – I open my eyes. The familiar dark ceiling above my bed immediately greets me. I blink away the last traces of sleep, groaning softly once more as I roll to my side.

My hand absently taps the nightstand, searching for my phone. When I press the side button, the sudden burst of light makes me wince - it's much brighter than the dim room around me.

Squinting, I check the time. I'm fifteen minutes ahead of my alarm clock, which is a good start to the day. I sit up with a yawn, stretching my arms above my head.

That feeling of euphoria that hits you when you hit the right spot while yawning? Well, it just hits me. A contented grin spreads across my face as I put my arms down.

Finally, I muster the energy to get up and turn on the light. As I walk towards the bathroom, I realize that I’m feeling pretty happy. "Thank you, earth. Thank you. We are finally aligned," I mutter.

In the bathroom, I splash cold water on my face, the shock helping to wake me up even more. I quickly brush my teeth, and then I'm heading to the kitchen. I start the coffee machine and pop some bread into the toaster.

The early morning hours at the ranch are peaceful. Birds chirp from outside, and the soft sound of crickets creates a soothing backdrop. I lean against the kitchen counter, feeling relaxed as I decide to check my phone for any work-related messages.

There are none, but I find myself still fumbling with the device – alarm clock, wallpaper, calculator; you name it.

Well – to be honest, there's a reason for this.

Behind my seemingly calm exterior, my heart is racing – and I don't mean the racing heart due to the start of the new day. No, I'm silently going through a full-blown panic. Last night, in a moment of boldness (or perhaps madness), I sent Austin a text message telling him I miss him. Now, anxiety gnaws at me as I see his name hasn't popped up on the top of my screen since I sent that text. No reply.

---