Page 30 of Marrying the Billboard Cowboy

“Seeing you and Jason together,” Kaitlyn began, her voice low, “it makes me a little sad that Zeke and I will never have what you have. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for everything Zekehas done. But someone like me...” She paused, then shook her head. “I’m just dreaming.”

“Someone like you?” Cassie’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

Oops. Cassie had caught that.

Kaitlyn sighed, tucking her hair behind her chin. “Look, I’m a homeless single mom. I’m not sure a man like Zeke could ever look at me the way Jason looks at you.”

“Kaitlyn,” Cassie said, her tone imbued with a warmth that felt like a comforting embrace, “love doesn’t count your scars; it just is.”

Cassie plucked a silver ornament from the cardboard box and held it up to the light, watching it as she twisted it. “You know, Kaitlyn,” she said with a wistful smile, “this ranch has seen more than its share of stories.”

Kaitlyn’s fingers paused on the string of lights she was untangling, the warmth of Cassie’s comment pulling her away from her own tangled thoughts. She looked up, curiosity kindling within her as she sensed Cassie was about to share something personal.

“Jason and I, our love story... it isn’t what you might think.” Cassie hooked the ornament onto a sturdy branch and stepped back to view it amid the evergreen needles.

The confession hung between them like the ornaments on the tree, and Kaitlyn felt a flutter in her chest. She leaned closer, her interest piqued by the seriousness in Cassie’s tone. “What do you mean?”

Cassie’s eyes dropped, tracing the pattern of the barn’s worn wooden floor before locking again with Kaitlyn’s. “We didn’t get married because we loved each other. My ex, he wouldn’t leave me alone. And Jason, well, he had this bad-boy reputation as a bull rider that wasn’t doing him any favors. We thought we could help each other out.”

“Help each other?” Kaitlyn repeated, shocked at the idea that the couple she’d come to admire had begun with such transactional intentions.

Cassie nodded, picking up another ornament and threading a piece of twine through its delicate loop. “Yeah. Marrying Jason helped send my ex a clear message and meant the ranch was out of his reach. And playing the role of a devoted husband softened Jason’s edges in the public eye.”

A sense of disbelief whisked through Kaitlyn as she imagined the two sharing anything less than the love that seemed so inherent to their every interaction.

“Then...” Kaitlyn began, her voice barely above a whisper, “the way you two are together now—”

“It grew.” Cassie’s smile returned, soft and knowing. “From respect, friendship, then into something deeper. Love found its way to us when we weren’t even looking for it.”

Kaitlyn’s heart thrummed in her chest. The honesty of Cassie’s admission was a balm to the fears that had been gnawing at her since her arrival at Redemption Ridge Ranch. Could a marriage that started out of necessity evolve into one of love?

“Maybe...” Kaitlyn ventured, her gaze returning to the tree, laden with symbols of joy and hope, “maybe there’s hope for Zeke and me too?”

“I think there is,” Cassie replied gently. “Believe me when I say, I’ve never seen Zeke look at anyone the way he looks at you.”

With each word, the knot of doubt in Kaitlyn’s stomach loosened, replaced with an unfamiliar sensation that she dared to name optimism. If Cassie and Jason could find their way to each other, perhaps she and Zeke could as well.

“He certainly never looked at Jenny that way,” Cassie said with a casual shrug.

Kaitlyn felt her pulse quicken, a prickling sensation creeping up her neck.

“That’s his ex?” Kaitlyn ventured, her voice steadier than the fluttering in her chest.

“Ugh, don’t get me started on that one,” Cassie huffed, her hands now busy arranging a skirt around the tree stand. “All flash and no substance. She cared more about Zeke’s bank account than his heart. It was all take, take, take with her.”

Kaitlyn’s hand trembled, sending a fragile angel ornament swinging perilously. She steadied it with a touch. The comparison to Zeke’s ex sent a chill deeper than winter’s breath through her. Wasn’t she here because Zeke offered her a lifeline? A home for her and her son, security, a chance at a new life? Wasn’t she take, take, taking?

“Sounds rough,” she managed to say. “Zeke deserves better than someone after his money.”

“Absolutely,” Cassie agreed, straightening up and looking Kaitlyn in the eye. “He’s a good man. He needs someone who sees beyond the dollar signs, who appreciates him for his... well, for his heart, you know?”

Kaitlyn knew. Oh, how acutely she knew. She could feel Zeke’s kindness in every meal he cooked, every gentle interaction with Stetson, every effort he made to include her in the ranch community. And yet, doubt gnawed at her insides, a relentless rodent feasting on her newfound hope.

“Appreciates him,” Kaitlyn echoed, her voice barely above the rustle of the tree branches. Her gaze dropped to the floor, where pine needles lay scattered like the pieces of her confidence. Was she really any different from Zeke’s ex? Her reasons for accepting his proposal were practical, born of desperation rather than affection. Did she even have the right to wear his ring, to share his name?

A knot formed in her throat, tight as the ribbons on the fake gifts beneath the tree. She turned back to the task at hand, her motions mechanical, as she grappled with the fear that she might be unworthy of the life Zeke offered her—a life she so desperately wanted not just for herself, but for her son as well.

Kaitlyn’s fingers trembled as they grazed the smooth surface of a glass bauble, her thoughts ricocheting between guilt and fear. She clipped the ornament onto a sturdy branch, feeling the prick of pine against her skin, a sensation that mirrored the sharp sting of her conscience.

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