Page 44 of Trusting a Cowgirl

She shot out of her seat. “I’m sorry. We’re not going to be able to stay.” She pulled out a ten-dollar bill and tossed it on the table. “I’m going out to the truck.”

What was she going to do now? She should have known better than to let Riley pull her from her morals. She should have never suggested dinner.

Grace pulled out her phone and dialed Shane’s number. She needed to get out ahead of this if she wanted to ensure her reputation stayed in a good place. The second she hit send, she brought her phone to her ear. Then it was yanked from her grasp.

She sucked in sharply and spun around to find Riley with her phone at his ear. “Hello, Mr. Owens. It’s Riley Scott.”

Grace gasped again and lunged for her phone, but she was too short and Riley was too fast. “What are you doing?” she hissed. “Give me back my phone.”

“Yes, there’s something important I need to discuss with you. It’s about Grace.”

She froze. Her blood ran cold.No. He wouldn’t.

“I was planning on coming to your office to discuss this, but seeing as I have you on the phone, I figured I’d get this out in the open. I don’t want a new therapist.” He chuckled as his gaze landed on Grace and locked with hers. “I understand if you want to assign her to someone else, but I’m going to put up a fight. Yes, I know that doesn’t make sense. I’m getting to that.” Riley took a step closer to Grace, causing her to step back and bump into her truck. “I don’t know how to put this other than to just tell you. I’ve developed an attraction to her—more than that. I have feelings for her.” He was silent for a few minutes, and all Grace could hear was the mumbling sound of Shane’s voice on the other end.

Feelings?

He had to be lying. But why would he lie about something like that to Shane?

Riley rested his free hand against the truck right above her shoulder. The gesture was far more intimate than she expected and her breath hitched in her chest. His firm voice lowered. “I understand your policies, and I respectfully disagree. I don’t think it will hamper my ability to improve during our sessions. In fact, I feel the opposite. Miss Callahan is the single most amazing person I have ever worked with.”

Shane’s unintelligible voice buzzed through the phone again.

“Well, if that’s what you think is best, then find someone new. But in the meantime, I will continue my daily sessions—withGrace Callahan.” His eyes bore into hers as if he were talking to her and not to her boss.

It wasn’t hard to gather how their conversation had gone. Shane wasn’t thrilled about Riley’s confession. She was bound to get a conversation of her own. Riley was making demands, and Shane wasn’t one to get bullied.

In all likelihood she might have just lost her job.

Riley hung up the phone and held it out to her. “There. It’s done.”

She stared at the phone in disbelief. “What have you done?” she whispered. “He’s going to fire me.”

“He wouldn’t do that.”

She glowered at him. “You don’t know Shane like I do. He’s got the perfect excuse to fire me. He doesn’t have to find me a new client. He can just—”

Riley hooked his finger under her chin and tilted it upward. “He’s not going to fire you. He’s not thrilled about what I had to say, and he’s looking for a replacement as we speak—”

“See? Areplacement. You’re my only client. There aren’t any others who—”

“I’m not going to let you get fired.”

“You don’t have any control over that,” she sputtered. “What are you going to do? Threaten to quit? You were here against your own will as it was.”

Riley’s eyes flashed with irritation. It was brief, but it was there, and it reminded her of the times when he’d lost his temper out at the club. She snapped her mouth shut, hoping her dark gaze would be enough to make him understand she wasn’t happy with him either.

He dipped his face toward her, his eyes softening. “I may have come from nothing. But I made something of myself. You’d be surprised how easy it is for someone like me to throw some money around and make a difference.”

She let out a huff. “Shane has all the money he needs. You can’t manipulate him that way.”

“I never said the money would be for him.”

Grace stilled. “What do you mean?”

“Manipulating the business owner isn’t the only way money can change a situation. Reporters love stories like this. If he fires you, we have an arsenal at our fingertips. Besides, who wouldn’t love to write a story about a vet falling for the woman who helped him on his path to healing from PTSD?”

Whoa.

---