Page 57 of The Cowboy and the Bombshell
They seemed to come out of these type of situations with both their reputation and their dignity firmly intact.
Sad but true.
No, I had no choice. I had to take the option that protected me, even if I destroyed my heart to do it.
It was the only way forward.
I couldn’t stop the tears as I opened a new email, composing a hastily worded resignation letter and hitting send before I could think better of it. Deleting the two emails that had just imploded my entire life, I slammed the lid of the laptop down. Pushing away from the computer like it had burned me, because it sort of had, I gathered anything personal I had in the office and headed for the elevator. I had to get to the house and get packed before Stone showed up. If he caught me, either here or there, there would be no way to hide what was happening. I couldn’t let him get involved. He was just beginning to re-establish a relationship with his family. If he asked his father to choose, Constance or me, he’d likely be devastated when I lost, ruining the connection he was forging with Harold all over again. I couldn’t put him in that position, not for me.
As I entered the lobby, I could see Moira coming back from her own lunch. One look at my tear stained face and she was headed my way.
“Penelope, what happened?” she said, her eyes showing her genuine concern as she reached for me. “Are you alright?”
“Yes,” I said, trying my best to control the waver in my voice. “I will be. If I could ask you, Moira, to please book me the earliest flight out to New York. I will be leaving immediately.”
“Leaving? But I thought…” She didn’t finish, but I could see the confusion in her face. Yeah, I know what she thought.
“I’m sorry, Moira. I have to go. Please, just book me the flight. You won’t be able to reach me. I left my company phone on the desk upstairs.” I moved past her, dislodging her hands as I made for the exit. “Thank you. Really, Moira. Thank you for everything.” She just stared at me in open-mouthed shock as I left.
I was in a cab and back at the house before I realized it, my brain feeling like fog as I dashed inside, gathering everything I had brought with me and stuffing it into my ratty old suitcase as fast as I could. I barely looked around, not wanting to see the places in the house that held some of the best memories of my life.
I couldn’t bear it.
I managed to keep that focus, gritting my teeth and just moving, until I was on the plane, my first-class seat not expected, but very much appreciated.
As soon as we were in the air, I curled up in the extra wide chair and sobbed, watching the city I had come to love fade behind me, and Stone Pennington with it, leaving my heart as barren as the desert sands below me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Stone
I drove for hours, meandering around outside the city and tearing down dirt roads, leaving red clouds of dust in my wake. I was too wound up to go to the office, afraid of what I’d say when I saw her again if I didn’t get my fucking temper under control first.
What the fuck was her problem?
This is what you get for taking a chance. I spent my whole life avoiding emotions to prevent situations exactly like this one. I watched my mom as she wallowed in her broken heart, never quite recovering from the loss of my father’s love. I swore to myself that I would never let that be me. Never let someone have that much power over me, and sure enough, the first time I dare to let someone in, she stomped all over my heart the moment I offered it to her.
Penelope Lund. Who woulda thought? Of all the girls I could have fallen for, I had to pick the prim New Yorker full of fire and sass.
To be honest, that’s what drew me to her in the first place. The fact that she was one of the few people who knew I was Stone Pennington, and she didn’t care. She wanted nothing from me. Not fancy gifts or jewelry like so many other women I ‘dated’, nor did she want me to use my connections to get her ahead in her career. She only wanted my time. At least I thought she had.
Now I wasn’t sure about anything.
I guess it was selfish of me to just assume that she’d pack up and move. I should have discussed options with her, letting her know she had choices, even if I knew which I wanted her to make. She wasn’t the kind of girl who wanted to be told what to do. I knew that about her and I still let my mouth dig me a hole I wasn’t sure I would be getting out of. But if there was one thing I could count on, it’s that Penelope Lund was strong. Every time I threw my attitude at her, she stepped up and threw right back.
This time would be no different, and I couldn’t wait.
With that thought in mind, I turned my truck back to Las Vegas, following the setting sun as I made my way toThe Alamo.
Getting off the elevator, I went directly to Penelope’s office, only to find it empty. Her laptop was closed, but her phone was on the desk, so she must still be in the building. I wandered over to Moira’s desk, seeing her ending the phone call she was on.
She hung up the phone and jumped when she saw me, startled that I was so close to the desk. “Mr. Montgomery,” she said. I was really going to have to sort out this name thing, and probably sooner rather than later. “What can I do for you, sir?”
“Moira, I was hoping you could find me some dinner reservations for tonight. Nothing too fancy, but relatively soon, if possible. I am just going to find Miss Lund and then we’ll be heading out.”
Moira tilted her head and stared at me, confused. “Miss Lund?”
I sighed. Moira knew that we were both living at the Summerlin house, so even if she didn’t suspect the extent of our relationship, there was no reason for her to act like me taking Penelope out was a strange request.
