Page 32 of A Jilted Bride for the Cowboy

Then that’s exactly what she’d do. Cadence pushed back from her desk.

Tate glanced up from his workspace nearer the door.

She took a deep breath. “Do you have any idea where Graham is? I need to talk to him.”

Tate studied her.

So, he did know something. She tilted her eyebrows up.

“He had a meeting with Maxwell’s team an hour ago over in the conference room, reevaluating budgets.”

“Think the meeting is still ongoing?”

“Could be. Not sure.”

It was something to go on, anyway. “Thanks.” She strode out of the office, down the corridor, across the great room, and into the other wing.

The conference room doors opened at her arrival, and Maxwell, Heather, and several of their team exited, chatting among themselves.

Cadence ducked into the room as the last of them left. There he was. Her heart sped up.

Graham stood by the wall screen, flipped his laptop closed, and glanced up.

“Hi, Graham.”

“Hi.” His gaze seemed to measure the distance to the exit before coming back to her.

Which basically told her at least part of what she needed to know. He’d definitely been avoiding her. Cadence wrapped her arms around her midsection and studied him. “I’ve missed seeing you.” It was kind of surprising how much.

“Yeah. About that…” He adjusted his glasses.

They weren’t even really together, and he was going to dump her? After extracting a promise to stay for ten weeks? They weren’t even halfway through.

“What, Graham? Did you change your mind? Did you realize you only like rescuing damsels in distress but don’t actually want a relationship?”

“That’s not it.”

“Then what?” What had come over her? She wasn’t normally this forward. But maybe she’d never had a taste of something worth fighting for before. “My parents will be here shortly, and I need to know where we stand. I thought you’d said you wanted to explore something with me.”

His gaze slid past her face. “You’re on the rebound. I forgot that. I mis-stepped.”

“Pfft.”

That got his attention.

Cadence took a few steps closer, holding his gaze. “I thought we’d covered that already. Paul was a mistake. I didn’t love him, and he didn’t love me. Marrying him would have been the stupidest thing I’ve ever done, and that’s saying something. I’m not mourning the loss of a great romance. I’m far too busy kicking myself in the rear for being blind and stupid.”

She was probably making another mistake right now. Graham didn’t love her any more than his cousin had. Why should he? She’d been as flighty as a summer breeze. Now from the east, now from the south. Now here, now gone.

No more.

Graham shifted from one foot to the other. “It’s too soon for you to know that. I shouldn’t have pushed you.”

For the love. “You didn’t push me. And it is not too soon.” Cadence closed the gap, grabbed Graham by the front of his shirt, stood on tiptoes, and kissed him.

His lips were unyielding against hers for several long seconds before softening. Then his arms came around her, and he took control of the kiss.

Cadence savored his lips, the taste of him. He’d said he hadn’t dated much, but his mouth definitely knew how to do this kissing thing. She clenched his shirt tighter with one hand and cupped the other around the back of his neck, holding him in place lest he get any ideas about cutting this moment short.

---