Page 33 of Parading the Cowboy Billionaire (Bluegrass Ranch 4)

There were versions of the truth, Ginny knew that. She could easily say that of course she was seeing Cayden. They were working together on his forthcoming race. She was sponsoring it, and she had to meet with him to sign contracts and approve banner designs.

That would be the truth, though probably not a direct answer to what she knew Mother really wanted to know.

Was that a lie?

Ginny wasn’t sure, and she took another long breath. “Could I…could I come to church with you next week?”

His surprise wasn’t hard to feel, and Ginny managed to glance at him quickly. “Sure,” he said easily. “What brought that on?”

“I want to be honest,” she said. “With you, and with Mother. It’s something I’ve always strived for in my work.”

“I want us to be honest too,” he said. “Sneaking around doesn’t seem that honest.”

“We’re not sneaking around,” she said. “Do you detail every date you go on with your mother?”

“I don’t talk to my mother about dating at all,” Cayden said, his voice turning a shade darker.

“There you go,” Ginny said. “I sense a story there I’d like to hear very much.”

“It’s somewhat boring,” he said.

“I think I’ll be the judge of that,” she said with another smile. “If I’m about to nod off, I’ll surely fall off this beast, so I’ll let you know to stop.”

He chuckled again, and she sure did like the low, rumbling quality of it. When he finished, he cleared his throat. “When I wanted to go to college, my parents weren’t very supportive of it. Well, Daddy was.”

Ginny knew the reason why before he even had to say it.

“Mom didn’t understand why I needed to leave the ranch for four years, spend a bunch of money, and then come back to run the public relations. I do most of the customer service here as well.”

“What’s your degree in?” she asked.

“I have a business degree, with a couple of things added on. One in public relations, and one in hospitality management.”

“Sounds like the perfect training for what you do.” Ginny took in the breadth of the sky as they went past the last building and the vast blueness spread before her. A breeze kicked up that was no longer stifled by the barns and row houses, and the last of Ginny’s tension fled.

This was what relaxation was made of. Sunshine, blue sky, and the scent of leather. No wonder Olli’s colognes for men had gotten off to such a great start. Ginny reminded herself to call her best friend that night after she left Bluegrass, because Olli wanted an update on Ginny’s relationship with Cayden—and howThe Stars Alignperfume had gone.

Cayden hadn’t even seemed to notice the new scent, and Olli might have to go back to the perfumery to spruce it up a little bit.

Perhaps Ginny simply didn’t bring the missing ingredient to the scent. She wasn’t sure, and she pushed the insecurity away as Cayden continued his story.

“I told my mom that I wanted the credentials to back up my role here. That Ineededthem.”

Ginny heard something desperate in his voice, and she dared to look over at him again. His beautiful, pale horse plodded along, seemingly undisturbed by the big cowboy on her back. Cayden rode with his head down, his cowboy hat shading his face. He wore a burnt orange shirt with tiny black lines to indicate the plaid, with shirtsleeves that rolled back to reveal a much thicker plaid in brown, orange, and white.

With the dirty jeans, real cowboy boots, and that dark brown hat, Ginny sure did like looking at him.

“Why did you need them?” she asked.

“To matter,” he said, looking up. He focused on the horizon for a moment, the miles of green grasses and white fences before them indicating the pastures. He turned his attention to her and gave a small smile. “I told my mother I needed the degree, because I wasn’t significant around here.”

“That is simply not true, Cay.”

“True or not, it was how I felt as an eighteen-year-old, with a perfect older brother who would run the ranch. Trey right behind me showed a ton of talent in the organizational systems of the ranch and he was great with horses too.” He looked away, his eyes still harboring something dark and dangerous.

“College, to me, would prove my worth. Anyone can do what I do around here, but at the same time, they can’t, because I have the training and the degrees.”

Ginny could’ve pointed out that he could’ve earned the training through experience, no college degree necessary. But she didn’t.

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