Page 44 of Headstrong Cowboy
“Do you want to get out of here?”Chrissy asked when the music changed to something more upbeat.
“Sure.”He was more than ready to have her to himself.So many people had come up to her to congratulate her on the impressive ride.
As they walked through the crowd, he directed them toward the river path again, the same place they’d shared their first kiss.He wasn’t quite ready to let her go and, even though he wanted to entice her back to his hotel room again so that he could sample her body, he wouldn’t tonight because she needed her rest before the finals.
“It’s such a beautiful night,” she said quietly, leaning into him as they strolled along the river’s edge.
“It is.”The sky was clear and the weather was mild.Mother Nature was being nice to Marietta and keeping the cool fall breezes away for a little while longer.
This was what he loved about being with Chrissy—it was easy.They didn’t need to speak to fill the silence.It was natural and comforting.
Everything about Chrissy was right.They instinctively knew when either one of them needed to talk or just stay still.
She was everything he’d never imagined he wanted.In the past, he’d never considered what his future wife would look like, if he even had one.There had been times when he’d believed he was destined to be a bachelor.But the moment he’d run into Chrissy at Sage Carrington’s chocolate shop, he’d been intrigued by her.Such a fleeting moment, but it had been a monumental one for him.He’d been extra happy when he’d seen her at Riley’s.
The complication was the farm, and that wasn’t going to go away.
“How are you feeling about tomorrow?”he asked, as they sat on the bench, his arm around her shoulders.
“Good.I need...”She paused and he wondered if she would continue.In the back of his mind, he’d had his suspicions as to why she was competing again after such a long break and maybe now she’d tell him.“The farm is struggling financially.”
Ryder’s stomach dropped at her confession and the way her hand came up and covered her mouth, Chrissy had surprised herself by telling him.It was as he’d thought.
What did he say?Did he say that he could help her out?In more ways than one.Before he had a chance to say anything, she continued as though, now she’d started, she couldn’t stop.
“My dad, he was great with flowers.Not so much with the books.It’s a mess, but I can’t not try and fix it.I’m an accountant.I have strategies that help businesses, but when it’s my own family’s business, it’s hard to not get emotionally involved and to not see the solutions that make sense.But I’ve pushed through that because it is important that I disconnect from the emotion of it all.
“It’s why I need to win tomorrow.The prize money will inject some cash into the farm.It’s not going to be enough to get us totally out of debt, but I’ve got other things in the pipeline that will hopefully make the farm profitable again.I just have to convince my mom of the plan.She believes the only way to solve it is to sell.”
There it was, his opening to tell her about knowing that the property was up for sale and that, it didn’t matter what she did, he could offer a large amount of money and it would all be over.
“Why do you want to save it?”he asked, instead of saying what he should.“I mean, wouldn’t it be better for everyone if you did sell?Your mom wouldn’t have any financial issues, and you wouldn’t have to worry about it either.”
“Believe me, I’ve thought that would be the way to go,” Chrissy scoffed.“But then I think about Sunny.Tilly and I, while we love the farm...it’s not our lives, but it is Sunny’s.She’s more of a green thumb than Dad was.She’s smart and has so many innovative ideas when it comes to creating new varieties of flowers.She’d never get a chance to do that if I sold.I’m sure she could get work elsewhere, but it wouldn’t be the same.Also, Dad called me, and I didn’t return his calls.If I had, maybe things would be different, and we wouldn’t be in the situation we’re now in.”
Ryder recalled the excitement with which Sunny had talked about what she’d been working on when he’d seen her the previous night.The passion and love she had for the plants she immersed herself in was evident to him.“Can you get a loan?”
Why was he giving her more suggestions?
“We’ve applied, and I’m still waiting to hear.The bank moves slowly these days.”A yawn wracked her body, and she slumped against him.“I need to get home.I’m sorry for dumping everything on to you.”
“It’s okay.I’m here for you to vent to anytime you want.”
Chrissy moved so that she straddled his lap, and he immediately held her tight against him.“I like being with you, Ryder Chamberlain.A lot.”
“I like being with you too, Chrissy Bloom.”
No, he didn’t just like her.He loved her, but with a few words from him, her liking could turn to hate.
*
The morning dawnedbright and beautiful, but Ryder didn’t see any of it.He’d spent most of the night awake, kicking himself for his inability to tell the woman he loved his truth.He still hadn’t told her about his fortune.He didn’t know if that was self-preservation, not wanting to think that Chrissy was only after him for his money.Considering what she’d said last night, that would’ve been his first thought if she’d known about it earlier in their relationship.
On the drive home, Chrissy had fallen asleep.He hadn’t wanted to wake her when they’d reached her house, but knew he needed to because she couldn’t sleep in his car.They’d parted with some lingering, sweet kisses, and they’d agreed not to meet for the pancake breakfast.That way, Chrissy could be well-rested for the final rounds.
He was going to sit in the stands and watch her compete, all the while knowing that even if she won, it wouldn’t make much difference to the outcome of the farm.If he didn’t buy it, someone else probably would.
Eunice had signed a binding agreement and, unless there was something written in the contract that would enable her to get out of it before the expiry date arrived, there was nothing Chrissy and her sisters could do.
