Page 72 of A Jilted Bride for the Cowboy

At least, if they initiated it.

No, that wasn’t right. She’d have heard rumors if he’d been dating, and he wasn’t the kind of guy to kiss without some kind of real interest.

Graham cared about her. Obviously, or he wouldn’t be buying her parents’ house to give her — and them — a fresh start.

But caring for someone wasn’t enough. It wasn’t the same thing as love for a lifetime. People cared for friends. Cared for pets.

He’d rejected her. He’d bought her off. So now she was free to go wherever she wanted and find a new job, a new home, a new purpose. One that didn’t include being Paul’s wife or working for Bradley Consortium. One that didn’t include Sweet River Ranch, either.

Tears flooded her eyes. She didn’t want to leave this place. Paisley was a truer friend to her in two short months than any of her Chicago friends, even her chosen maid of honor. She’d hung out more with Kaci and Heather and Emma and the other resort staff than with her previous friends.

Cadence could start over somewhere else, but she didn’t want to. Not really. Walter Sullivan was a fair boss who ran a tight ship. There was a camaraderie here between the staff. The living conditions were solid if not phenomenal.

But could she stay and see Graham every day if he never returned her love the way she dreamed of?

She gripped the back of the chair, grounding herself back into the resort’s conference room.

Exactly how did she dream of Graham loving her?

More kisses. More slow, intimate smiles. More… everything.

Her cheeks warmed at the pictures forming in her mind. He seemed so sure she wouldn’t want him that he’d given her an out with no strings attached. But… what would prove to him that she wanted him with or without strings?

It wasn’t because of his bank account or the fact that he could buy a mansion without blinking. It wasn’t because he was a Sullivan. It was because beneath his awkwardness was a heart of gold, a heart that seemed to beat for her, though he seemed unable to believe it could be reciprocated.

Okay, fine. She had a mission. How to convince him they could build a love and a bond for a lifetime?

Chapter Twenty

The atmosphere in the dining room fairly shimmered with something Graham couldn’t define. Aunt Nadine beamed the biggest smile he’d ever seen on her face. A quick glance around the space revealed a glowering Weston. Nothing new to see there. Jude wasn’t present.

Hmm. Graham picked his choices from the sandwich and salad bar. Nadine made the best sourdough rolls he’d ever tasted. He’d sure miss those if — when — he returned to Chicago.

He hadn’t heard anything further from Cadence in the couple of days since they’d talked. Since he’d blown it yet again, because he seemed incapable of anything else. Now she came into the dining room flanked by Paisley and Kaci.

Graham’s gut clenched at the smile on her face. Nice someone was happy, because he definitely was not.

He heaped smoked roast beef onto his bun then added pasta salad as well as sliced tomatoes and cucumbers to his plate. Good thing he was working out, even though it was only jogging on the ranch lanes in the early mornings. So far, no one but a few guests had caught him, and they weren’t telling.

“Over here, Graham!” Bryce called.

Graham set his plate down across from his cousin and glanced around. “Any idea what’s going on?”

Bryce’s eyebrows ratcheted up. “Going on? Besides that this is the last full weekend of summer coming up?”

“Technically, summer doesn’t end until September twenty-sec—”

“For all practical purposes, it ends Labor Day,” Bryce cut in. “What do you mean by going on? Because Grandfather looks like the cat who swallowed a canary and then got a bellyache from it.”

Graham swiveled around. “He’s in the dining room? He never eats in here.”

“Almost never,” Bryce corrected. “Nadine usually has one of the girls run a tray to the office or to his suite, but if he’s going to show, it’s at lunch.”

The old man sat with his back to the expansive windows overlooking the lake and watched the main lodge doors between every bite. And Bryce’s description wasn’t far off.

Graham’s gaze narrowed. “I wonder…”

“Hmm?” Bryce took a giant bite of his sandwich as Maxwell set his tray down between them.

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