Page 35 of Alpha Crusher: A BWWM Romance Novella

“Aha… that’s it,” Joe said.

“What?” I asked.

“It’s him, isn’t it?” Joe asked. “You’re in love.”

My heartbeat quickened. I had to meet with Maggie in about an hour, so I told Joe, "I have to go. Make sure you do whatever the doctors tell you. I'll bring you dinner later." And I left before he could ask any more questions about Ward.

***

It took me an hour to get to the ranch. All the way there, I wondered if I was doing the right thing. Rebecca had told me Ward was trying to sabotage me. I knew who Rebecca was and what she was capable of, but did I know what Ward was capable of? I wanted to believe I knew him, but a girl could never be sure.

The ranch was busy when I arrived, but I was able to find someone who showed me where Mrs. Maggie Jimmy was. She was in the stable, feeding the horses. Looking at her, one wouldn't know she was the wife of a wealthy and powerful politician. She was casually dressed in work boots, a faded shirt, and pants. Her auburn hair was pulled into a ponytail, which made her look younger than her age.

“Hello, Mrs. Jimmy,” I said.

“Hi, Mira, what a pleasant surprise,” she said, “I would have hugged you, but I’m sweaty,”

“It’s alright,” I said.

She gave me a warm hug. “Shall we go inside the house?”

“I’m sorry for coming here uninvited,” I said.

“It’s okay. You are always welcome here. You are Ward’s girl, so we are family now,” she said warmly.

“Thank you. Can I help you feed the horses?”

She looked at me and laughed. “Honey, are you sure?”

“Yes, one summer, my parents took me to a ranch camp, and I had a wonderful experience there,” I said.

“Okay, first, let me introduce you.” She handed me a basket of fruits and took me to each stall and introduced me to the horses. Some of the horses let me pet them while some of them were not in a friendly mood. “You are doing a good job,” she said.

“Thank you, Mrs. Jimmy,” I replied.

“Oh, girl, just call me Maggie,” she insisted.

“Thank you, Maggie.”

“You are welcome,” she replied. “The horses love you, especially Grey and Rainbow.” She pointed to two old horses with an affectionate expression on her aging yet gracefully beautiful face.

“That’s because I gave them two apples each,” I said.

She chuckled. “What can I offer you? I have apple pie, lemonade…”

“I’m fine, Maggie.”

“How’s Ward? He hardly visits the ranch,” she said with a sad look in her eyes.

“He’s fine. Maggie, I came here because of Ward,” I said.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“No, I just want to know more about him. He’s so mysterious.”

"Well, Ward is headstrong, just like you," she said and laughed. “I’ve been married to a headstrong man for over forty years, so I know how it is. Thank you for giving my boy a chance; he’s a good man.”

“I truly feel that he’s a good man, but sometimes, I don’t know who he is,” I said. “He doesn’t talk about himself, his family, or his feelings. I’m not close to my family, and I don’t like talking about myself either, but I want to know more about him.”

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