Page 14 of Rough Ride with the Grumpy Cowboy
I have no idea if Ella will listen to me and keep her best friend away, but she better do so unless she wants to see a side of me even I’m not a fan of. Ava is different from the person she once was—I kind of already knew that—but so am I. That accident changed a lot of things for us, stole my dreams and ambitions from me, and turned me into the bitter recluse that I am.
The sensible thing would be to let go of my pain and focus on the positive, but I guess I’m wired differently. The pain is what keeps me going; otherwise I’d have given up long ago, so I’ll clutch onto it.
I end up at one of my favorite spots on the ranch. It’s a sunset spot at the edge of a cliff with a river at the bottom. The other side of it is still part of the ranch, but it’s the lumber farm—another Morgan family investment.
I sit on the hood, lying back on the windshield, letting the scorching sun rays burn away my frustration.
I’m emotionally exhausted, so I end up dozing off. When I come to, the sun’s rays are much softer now than when I dozed off, meaning I’ve slept most of the afternoon away.
“Time to head back home,” I mutter to myself as I roll to my side and jump off the hood.
It’s dark when I make it back to civilization, dreading the human interaction awaiting me. I was right to feel anxious as I nearly turn around when I find Ava leaning against the door of my cabin. What is she doing here? Didn’t I ask Ella to keep her away from me?
I don’t say anything, just stalk up to her, nearly running through her. She jumps back in fear, but there’s nowhere to go as she’s trapped between me and my door. She holds her hands up to stop me, placing them over my chest.
Fuck, she’s touching me. It burns, but not in the way I expect it to. It’s excitingly dangerous, and I crave more of it, but no... I need her to stop. I glare at her hands, and she quickly drops them to her side.
“Sorry,” she mutters, her eyes looking everywhere but at mine. She opens her mouth to speak, but I cut her off...
“No.”
“But I haven’t said anything.”
“I don’t care... no.”
“Ella told me you asked her to keep me away from you, but I just want to talk,” she pleads.
“You’re about five years too late.”
“But...”
“Stay out of my way, and I’ll do the same. Enjoy your stay, but away from me,” I grit out. “Now get out of my way,” I demand.
“No,” she defies.
Her green eyes light up with a fierceness I find myself enjoying, but this is not the time.
I don’t have the patience to keep doing this with her, so I pick her up by her waist, making her squeal, turn around, and place her on the front steps.
“Stay! Away!” I assert as I unlock the door, let myself in, and slam it behind me.
I watch through the window as she stands there for a few minutes, contemplating, before she turns around and walks away. I sigh in relief, hoping that this is the first and last time she’ll try to pull such a stunt. I just want her to stay away from me, and I’ll do the same. It’s not too much to ask, is it?
5
AVA
Stay away. Stay away. Stay away.
The words of his rejection echo over and over in my mind, the crack and hurt in my heart getting worse the more his words settle in. I knew there was a possibility of Zane hating me, but I didn’t know it would be this bad—to the point where he doesn’t want to speak or see me.
I have no idea how I’m supposed to deal with this version of Zane. Five years ago, I confessed my feelings and he reciprocated them. It was the happiest night of my life until it wasn’t... Now I’m back here, and one of the biggest reasons I came back is because I thought I’d be able to fix things with him. But how can I do that when he’s not the same man I remember and seems to hate my very existence?
How did it get this bad? I know the answer to that, but I thought I’d at least get the chance to make up for it. But he didn’t even give me the chance or hear me out.
I’m still wandering around outside, trying to figure out this whole situation, when Ella walks up to me looking worried and a bit out of breath.
“There you are! Where have you been? I’ve been looking all over for you,” she demands, pulling me in for a hug.
