Page 65 of The Love Rematch
“No.” Emily pulls back and meets his crystal-clear green eyes with a smile. “It came out exactly right, and I love you for that.”
“It’s just, I’ve spent every day of my life on a horse, or near a horse, and when I saw the opening to get a ride in, I—”
“Cooper.” Emily covers his lips with her palm, showing he doesn’t need to explain. They’ve spent probably six hours total together, and he’s been in love with horses his whole life. She isn’t offended in the slightest. “I get it.”
He nods, his chin dipping in such a way that for a moment, Emily can’t help but envision a cowboy hat on his head, à la Brad Pitt inLegends of the Fall.
He really is one attractive man, she thinks, somewhat sadly. Hopefully her next question won’t ruin everything.
“Can I ask you one more thing, before the crew tracks us down?”
“Shoot.”
“Why did you really come on the show?”
“You want my honest answer?” he asks.
In the back of her mind, she hears Jake’s voice.Real answer?
It was a game they used to play, to demand the truth from one another. Not the surface-level truth, but the real, deep-down, nitty-gritty, vulnerable truth everyone is afraid to really say. If she asked Jake for a real answer now, about the past, about them, about his feelings, he would give it. She knows that. She still trusts him that much. But unlike when they were seventeen, she’s too afraid to ask. She doesn’t want to know the truth.
From Jake, at least.
To Cooper, she simply nods.
“I do want to find love,” the cowboy says evenly, gauging her reaction. She silently encourages him to continue. “It’s not the easiest thing to meet someone when you live on a massive ranch hours away from the rest of the world, but if I’m being honest, was that the main reason I decided to take the casting call? Not exactly.”
“What was?”
“The ranch. It’s everything to me, to my family, and my father is very resistant to move anything into more modern times. I was hoping that a little publicity, maybe some social media following, some sort of platform would show him that change doesn’t always have to be for the worse. I knew the show could give it to me. And I really believe in my heart it’s the only way to ensure the business stays alive for my children and their children after that. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do or try or sacrifice to—”
The sound of an engine cuts him off.
They both turn.
A production van careens around a tree and across the grass, racing toward them. A cameraman hangs out the window, desperate for a shot. Booms poke out like antennae, stretching for audio.
Coopers meets Emily’s gaze, waiting for her lead. A question lingers in his eyes. Now that she has the truth, what is she going to do with it?
Jake might be in that van.
He might not.
For once, it doesn’t matter. These few moments of honesty meant a lot to her after so many days of constant doubts and double meanings and shrouded intentions. So Emily threads her fingers through Cooper’s silky hair and lifts her face. The cowboy closes the distance, understanding his role as he seals their silent pact with a kiss.
It doesn’t reach her toes.
It doesn’t burn.
It doesn’t knock her over the way the briefest glance from Jake seems to do.
But it’s a start. To giving someone else a real chance. To moving on. To putting the past in the past and making this opportunity count.
Not for revenge, but for self-preservation.
Seconds later, the van pulls to a stop and the cameramen jump out. With Cooper’s help, Emily gives them a show.
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
