Page 57 of Wishful Cowboy

Hannah smiled at that and laid her head back again. “Maybe I’m just too far inside my own head,” she whispered as she closed her eyes.

* * *

Luke didn’t returnthat evening, or the next day. He didn’t text her to say why at first, either, but Ginger. That made sense, as Ginger was technically his boss.

By Tuesday when she arrived at the construction site, Hannah had only slept for a few hours at a time, and she’d put in an order at the grocery store for four quarts of butter pecan.

She’d texted Luke a half-dozen times, and he hadn’t responded to her yet. Ginger had told her that he’d asked for a few days off so he could “take care of some things” in Beeville. When Hannah had asked to know what things, Ginger had met her eyes with an even gaze.

“I don’t know, Hannah,” she’d said. “I didn’t ask him those types of personal questions. I expect he’ll tell you if he wants you to know.”

Hannah had nearly fled from Ginger’s front porch, where her friend and boss had been sipping coffee with her husband while their baby lay on a blanket on the ground.

Ginger had texted to apologize for what she’d said, and Hannah had apologized too. She hadn’t really asked what Luke was doing in Beeville. She’d demanded that Ginger tell her.

Her words still cut through Hannah, though. Luke hadn’t told her, which meant he didn’t want her to know what he was doing in Beeville.

A horrible thought hit her, and she pulled her phone from her pocket. She hadn’t called Luke yet, preferring to give him the space he so seemed to want.

The line rang and rang, Hannah’s heartbeat picking up steam with every second that passed. “Hello, Hannah,” he said, his voice even and pleasant.

“You’re alive,” she said breathlessly. “Are you alive? Have you been taken captive?”

Luke let a few seconds of silence go by, and then he started laughing. Instant foolishness filled her, and Hannah stared off at the horizon as she fought back her tears.

“I am alive,” he said through chuckles. “Since I answered the phone, I thought you’d know that.”

Hannah reached up and wiped her eyes. His voice held a definite teasing quality, but Hannah wasn’t in the mood. “I’ve texted you a bunch of times,” she said carefully. “And I had this sudden, terrible thought that maybe you hadn’t answered me because you couldn’t. I was worried.”

“I’m sorry to make you worry,” he said calmly. “I’m okay. I’m just…facing some things, and it’s taking longer than I thought it would.”

“When will you be back?” Hannah pulled the phone from her ear so she could sniffle without him hearing her.

“…not sure,” he was saying when she got the phone back to her ear. “I’m staying with Uncle Tucker, and I’m doing fine.”

“Okay,” she said, nodding. What else was she supposed to do? Demand he call her every night and check in?

“Wild about Slate and Jill, right?” he asked, and Hannah seized onto his words.

“What do you mean?”

“Haven’t you heard? They’re expecting already.”

“I hadn’t heard that,” she said, turning back toward the row of cabins she’d left behind when she’d nearly run from Ginger’s porch earlier that morning.

“Shoot,” Luke said. “Maybe I wasn’t supposed to say anything. Pretend like you don’t know, okay?”

“Okay,” Hannah said, but she was terrible at pretending. It also stung that Jill hadn’t told her the moment she’d found out about her pregnancy. If Luke knew already, why couldn’t she?

“I have to go,” he said. “I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Okay,” she said again, hating that she’d said it so much during this conversation.

“Bye, angel.” The call ended, and Hannah let her hand fall back to her side. She turned in a full circle, surveying the ranch in all its glory. She saw a tractor moving out in the field, and plenty of activity surrounding the stables. Horses got led out in a steady stream, and Jess organized everything with a clipboard resting on her very pregnant belly.

She still had a month until her baby was due, and Hannah turned away from her, sudden bitterness coating her tongue.

She put her head down and worked, the sun baking everything that day. She showered that evening and stayed in her room though she lived alone now. She didn’t want to run the risk of bumping into Ginger and her beautiful baby.

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