Page 55 of A Jilted Bride for the Cowboy

He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

It was probably a beautiful evening. A few puffy clouds scuttled across the darkening sky. A murmur of voices came from a nearby duplex, not loud enough to keep him from hearing the loons call back and forth on the little lake.

He should relax and enjoy the quiet.

But he couldn’t. Not until he’d talked to Cadence. For all she’d agreed they needed to talk, she’d been mighty hard to pin down. The ranch’s social media accounts proved she led a frenzied life.

The quiet hum of a golf cart alerted him to someone turning down Hummingbird Lane. Cadence. His pulse quickened as he shot to his feet and jogged into the cart’s path. “Hey.”

Eyes wide, she veered around him toward the quarters she shared with Paisley.

But he wasn’t going to let her get away. Not this time. Graham was right there when she turned the key to the off position. “Cadence?”

His heart seized when he saw the dampness on her cheeks in the glow of the porch light. “Oh, honey. What happened?”

She stared at him, not moving off the seat. “My parents happened. Paul happened.”

Yeah, he knew that. “I have—”

“They’re headed back to Chicago in the morning.”

Hope bubbled up. “That’s good. Right?”

Cadence shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve only got a few more days to figure out what to do.”

Graham sucked in air. “About that. I have an idea.”

“You do?”

Shouldn’t she sound more hopeful? He held out his hand. “Come walk with me.”

Her gaze shifted to the duplex then back to him. “I’m exhausted.”

It wasn’t his imagination. She truly was avoiding him… the same as he’d avoided her for an entire week. He’d been dumb. Nervous, afraid, skittish… but dumb. He couldn’t let her make the same mistake. “Just for a few minutes.”

“Okay.” She clambered down and wrapped her arms around her middle.

Graham tugged one hand free and pulled her to walking beside him, back up the lane she’d just come down. It was darker there than toward the lake, but they wouldn’t be long. Most of the creatures he feared wouldn’t be prowling after dark. Except maybe mountain lions or skunks. He tightened his grip on her hand.

Now, how to begin? He racked his brain for the perfect opening, but there wasn’t one.

“What did you want, Graham?”

He glanced at her profile in the dim light. Man, she was beautiful. And, yes, she looked utterly exhausted. He turned to face her, gathering both her hands in his. “Will you marry me?”

Cadence yanked her hands away and stepped back. “What?”

So much for blurting out his question. “I want to marry you. I want to love you like you deserve to be loved. I want to take care of you.”

“You mean, rescue me.”

He relaxed infinitesimally. She understood. “Partly that, sure. But mostly—”

“No.”

Graham reared back. “But I love you.”

“Do you?”

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