Page 100 of My Cowboy Freedom
“Elena!” Sterling’s sharp cry cut her off.
“What?” Hands on her hips, she faced him down, as fierce as any mother bear guarding her cub. “It’s true, isn’t it? He’s got an opportunity for something real here and you want to crush it.”
“What’s getting crushed here is my fucking head, Elena.”
She went on like he’d never spoken. “It’s all threats and lies with you. No carrot. Just stick, and stick, and stick, and I’msickof it.”
“Calm down.” Sterling said flatly. “Nobody’s locking anyone away. For God’s sake. Elena—”
“I quit, Sterling.” She strode right up to him and jammed her finger into his chest. “You arefiredas my boss. Find someone else to do your dirty work from now on.”
I gaped at her. Stunned. Hurt. Abandoned.
Abandoned.
“Elena?” My head couldn’t hold the idea.Elena is leaving?
“We’ll talk in the morning, Rocky, I promise you I will not abandon you. I just”—she held both hands up as if to avoid even the sight of us—“can’t live like this anymore. I can’t.”
She tip-tapped up the stairs, leaving me alone with Sterling.
When I turned to him, I saw the man who was costing me everything.
A man I’d looked up to all my life.
A man I’d wanted to seemeso badly—the real me, and not the performer or the athlete or the disability with a dog.
I wanted him to see the man I am, the man I could become, if only.
If only...
When I unlatched the door, my hands shook.
“Don’t you dare,” Sterling bellowed.
I dove outside and took the porch steps down, two at a time. Maisy scrambled after me. Both of us were scared as fuck.
Sterling followed, shouting, “I told you what would happen if you leave this house—”
Fuck. Fuck.
I took off at a dead run, Maisy close behind me, panting and confused. Our footsteps shattered the sleepy silence of the night. Pigs and chickens and goats erupted into chaos. Birds took wing, frightened by the back door slamming and the noisy human-dog parade.
Thethudof each footstep over the packed earth rang loud in my ears.
Suddenly, a pair of sturdy arms wrapped around me, pulling me against a lean, wiry body. I let out an embarrassing shriek.
“Shh.” Sky wrapped his hand over my mouth, which turned out to be kind of exciting.
Next to my ear, he whispered, “It’s me, shh...”
I nodded, and he took his hand away. “Hey.”
“What the hell happened in there? I heard shouting.”
I turned, and put my nose into his neck.
Right there—right there—he smelled like heaven and coconut shampoo.
