Page 16 of Cowboys Can't Kiss

“I know you hate him, but he’s being accused of a serious crime. He could go to jail for something he didn’t do, Riley. You’re better than that.”

“And how can I help him with that? Why should I?”

The longer the pause in Gabe’s answer, the more my head pounds. Chase is a headache that never ends.

“He was on a date with you the night his wife said he hit her. She logged proof at the hospital for an assault. She didn’tpress charges then, but she is now. Unless he can prove without question that it wasn’t him, it’s another charge against him. I don’t think I need to tell you, Riley, how serious this one could be for him. Impersonating someone to defraud others is one thing, but domestic assault is a whole other matter.”

Running a hand down my face, I drop my head back to stare at the ceiling. Chase Kenney, will you ever leave my life for good? I owe him nothing. He lied about his identity. Cheated on his wife. Made me fall in love with him, and he was nothing but a con artist. A man in the closet living a secret life that I fell for.

Hard.

If it wasn’t for Gabe asking a few unsuspecting questions when Chase fucked up, it may have ended differently. Chase wasn’t a big, important oil baron. He was just a cowboy who liked to spend money faster than he earned it.

I blame my soft heart for falling for him. It certainly didn’t hurt that he had a silver tongue and a face that belonged on a magazine cover, but he wove a story of loss and family drama that I could relate to. Chase knew every button to push for me and I lapped it all up. I ignored every single red flag because he made me feel like I was a king.

When Chase’s elaborate façade crashed down, my hope for my own happily ever after burned along with it. Trust was obliterated. My heart that once gave so freely was an empty sack, drained and so scarred I wonder if it will ever beat for someone again.

As much as I dislike the man for making me his target and not seeming to care about any of the collateral damage he caused, Gabe is right. I wouldn’t forgive myself if he went to prison for something he didn’t do.

“Fine. Just try to make it fast. I’m right into the wedding planning season. I’ll be swamped.”

“You made the right choice, Rye.”

“Yeah, well, he’s still a cowboy who needs to be castrated with the next round of calves. I feel like he’s a mistake that will never go away.”

“He might not, Rye. It’s okay to admit you loved him, you know. Yes, he wasn’t who he said he was, but you didn’t know. It’ll get better.”

“Yeah, I know…I just…I thought he was my prince, and he broke my fucking heart, Gabe. Smashed it into a million pieces and I felt like such an idiot.” My laptop screen saver kicks in and it’s a photo of me with Aunt Agnes. The one good thing about this mess with Chase is I quit my escort job and moved back home. Not that I hated being an escort, I loved it. But it’s how I met Chase.

I needed the distance from the profession. The constant reminder that he ruined something I loved was too much to handle. Being closer to my aunt is a wonderful bonus. I’ve missed her. One silver lining in the whole shit show.

And it kick-started me to set up the wedding planning and romance business I’d always had on the back burner. It turned out to be the best thing I’d ever done. I won’t go as far as thanking Chase for it, though. I’m just looking at the positive spin of it all. If I don’t, I’ll only spiral in a loop of self-pity and I’m done going there.

“Well, I think if this vegetable-loving mystery man makes you want to get back to dating, then this is a good thing.”

“Speaking of, it’s time for me to get to the park.”

“I won’t keep you then. Good luck!”

Gabe doesn’t even say goodbye. He just ends the call and I shake my head.

Stepping into the office bathroom, I adjust my shirt and apply fresh deodorant. I tousle my hair and aim for the trendy, fresh-out-of-bed look. Before stepping out, I rinse with mouthwash.

“Good grief. I’m nervous.” Laughing softly, I stare at my reflection. I used to date strangers for a living. Most of them I even had sex with. I was never nervous because there was nothing to be nervous about then. It was a job.

But this is different. He’s interested in me and not because he saw my face on a website with hourly rates. He wants me, and I’m meeting him on my time. On my lunch break! It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this excited about a date. If you could call it a date. Jack may have spoken to me from behind the flowers initially, but he wasn’t hiding. He’s just shy.

A far cry from some of my former clients who hadveryspecific requests.

Noting the time, I speed walk down to the park with my lunch bag. The picnic table is empty and no feet poke out from the flower bed.

Okay, no big deal. We missed each other before. Maybe something came up. Last time that happened, we were able to meet up again. If he doesn’t show, I’ll keep coming back until we connect again.

No big deal.

Except it is.

Because I got my hopes up to see Jack today and he didn’t show. The disappointment sits like lead on my shoulders, and I’m not in the mood to psychoanalyze myself about what that means.

---