Page 7 of Brand Me, Cowboy's Second Chance

"You're gonna do great here," he says softly. "You'll be running the whole damn place by the time I get back."

My throat burns. I nod again because it's all I can do. And then he squeezes my hand. Just once. His fingers are rough, warm, and familiar. I don’t squeeze back. Because if I do, I won’t be able to stop myself.

I might cry. I might beg. And I know Fallon, that’s all it will take to make him stay. If he stays, he will resent me for the rest of his life.

It was only six months earlier that I sat with Fallon, holding his face in my hands as he cried over the loss of his contract with the Southern Knights NFL team in South Carolina. He’s worked hard for this moment and deserves to go. So I let him.

Fallon hesitates but I tell him to leave. He turns and walks away. The brake lights flare red. My heart shatters. And just like that, he’s gone.

A few seconds later, Hunkleberry trots up beside me. He’s still a gangly puppy with paws too big for his body. He whines and presses against my leg. His tail swishes back and forth like he doesn’t understand what we just lost. I drop my hand to his head. Even now I can still feel the way my fingers sank into his soft fur as we stared at the empty road together.

I didn’t tell Fallon about the baby back then and I thought I never would. I told myself that letting him go was the kindest thing I could do. That if he stayed, I’d ruin him. That he deserved more than a girl with a maybe-baby and a fear that she wasn’t enough.

But watching that truck disappear broke something in me. And it never fully healed.

We don’t use the old barn on the ranch anymore. It’s too small for the way the ranch has grown. It’s frozen in time and falling apart, just like me and Fallon. But for years, I went back to that spot anyway.

Any time I felt like texting him and ruining his new life, I walked out to our spot instead. It’s like I thought if I stood there for long enough, I’d feel him again. Maybe even reverse time and change our conversation. The old barn is magic, but it didn’t work.

Now, lying in bed still feeling the touch of Fallon’s arms around me from earlier tonight, my memories web and tangle with the present.

Letting Fallon back into my world feels like playing with fire.

But I don’t know if I want to put it out.

CHAPTER6

FALLON

After a night spent twistedup in memories of Anny, I wake before the sun. My heart pounds like it's trying to outrun the past. Sleep didn't come easily. My mind kept circling back to the look on her face when I pulled her in close. The way her voice trembled when she said she didn't stop caring.

It feels damn good to be back in her orbit again.

It took every ounce of self-control in me to walk away from her last night. I wanted to kiss her. God, I wanted to throw caution to the wind and remind her exactly what we used to be. I wanted to show her what we still could be.

But I'm playing a long game this time because I'm not here for a second chance. I'm here for forever.

The sun's barely up when I start repositioning the security cameras across the ranch. It's part distraction and part purpose. We've got the Farm-to-Table Gala coming up, and if the mayor's planning any more stunts, I need to be the first to know. By the time the crew arrives, I’m back in my office.

"You talk to the sheriff about extra security for the gala?" Alex's voice cuts through the morning quiet. He hovers behind me, arms crossed and brows furrowed like he's already in a fight.

"I am the security," I mutter, still focused on the monitor.

"I'm serious, Fallon. While you were gone, Bellcourt cut off our water supply. He's trying to bulldoze a road through the property. Now we're inviting him to dinner. I want to make sure?—”

But I stop listening.

Because something on the upper right-hand feed catches my eye.

Anny.

She's posted up near the paddocks, laughing and holding court like she owns the damn place. Hair falls loose from her bun and her cheeks flush pink from the sun. Her denim cutoffs show every curve in her thighs and cling to her ass. The sight knocks the wind out of me.

Alex is still talking, but his voice fades into background static. I lean in closer to the monitor.

Cornhole. Of course.A fierce game has broken out between the ranch hands, and from the way the guys are looking at her, it's clear Anny is the prize for every round. My jaw tightens. I don’t like the way they’re looking at her.

"Yeah, yeah. I've got it, man," I cut in, eyes still glued to the screen. "Don't worry about it. We'll be good to go."

---