Page 75 of A Jilted Bride for the Cowboy

Paul had sent her a nasty message saying never mind, she could consider his offer of marriage irrevocably off the table and not to come begging to him anymore.

As if she ever had. Cadence had sighed with relief. She was free. Sort of. She still owed Graham, but he wasn’t going to accept anything from her.

“So, Graham.”

Cadence glowered at her roommate as they walked toward staff housing. “Hmm? I’m not sure I trust your help. Or if I even want it.”

“Of course, you trust me.” Paisley rubbed her hands together. “You need a new social media hashtag or two. True love at SRR, maybe. Or start sticking hearts in the corners of your images. Or…”

“You’re crazy.”

Paisley shrugged. “But it might work. You know he follows the resort on all the sites. You can send him a message no one else will pick up. Except me and anyone else in the know.”

“I’m not going to send him secret messages on social media. That’s… lame.”

“Got a better idea?”

Talking to him in the conference room hadn’t worked. He was too focused on his own agenda, on his solid belief that she wasn’t truly interested in him but only desperate for relief from her overwhelming problems. He’d provided a way out that didn’t involve hearts.

But her heart was already involved. If she were honest, it had been since that night he’d arrived on her doorstep dripping with pool water.

Maybe Paisley was on to something. She needed to send Graham a message that he couldn’t interrupt. Where he couldn’t second-guess their interactions. Where time and perseverance would reveal her heart to him.

And not with a heart in the corner of every social media image, either. How tacky would that be?

She glanced at Paisley, walking along beside her. “Okay, so let’s talk about social media. But I definitely need better ideas than you’ve come up with so far.”

“Ooh! Let’s make an idea board and do some brainstorming. This sounds fun.”

Fun wasn’t the word Cadence would have come up with, but she’d go along with it for now. Paisley had an overactive imagination, and maybe this would put it to good use. At least, Cadence could glean from her ideas and reject the ones that were way over the top. It wasn’t like she had to fulfill Paisley’s agenda.

Maybe she should make her own scheme to keep Paisley at Sweet River over the winter. Because if all went well, Cadence wasn’t going anywhere herself. Of course, if it went poorly, maybe she’d need a job in Vail, too. Maybe Paisley would let her tag along.

Paisley tapped her jaw thoughtfully as they strolled along the road.

Cadence sent a prayer heavenward. Was it okay to pursue Graham blatantly? She’d been studying biblical love the past week or two. She’d come to the conclusion that Paul’s attitude toward her had never resembled God’s love in any way at all.

But someone who was willing to buy a house for her that neither of them would likely ever live in… that was an act of love.

Even if Graham wasn’t ready to acknowledge it yet.

Chapter Twenty-One

Graham hated how fervently he stalked the Sweet River Ranch social media accounts. Cadence hadn’t uploaded a lot of selfies since the early days, but it was still a chance to see the ranch resort through her eyes. To imagine what the rest of the growing number of followers saw.

It only took a couple of minutes a few times a day. She took her job seriously, so there was usually something new to see.

Had she had a chat with Grandfather? Because the tone of her posts had changed slightly with more behind-the-scenes stuff. There was Grandfather leaning back in his office chair, hands linked behind his head. He wasn’t exactly smiling, but he seemed more approachable than he often did. The list of hashtags seemed to go on and on. Graham’s vision blurred — pretty sure it wasn’t that he wore smudged glasses — with the list that included #SweetRiverRanch #owner #come2Montana and at least a dozen more.

Later that afternoon, an image popped up of Jude fixing a tap with a look of focus on his face. Some of the same hashtags had been listed, but there were others. #renovation #restoration

Graham rolled his eyes. If Cadence was trying to get people to #come2Montana, she needed to find staff who smiled and looked welcoming. Which counted him out. He’d forgotten how to smile lately, if he’d ever known how.

Had he misunderstood her? Because he hadn’t quite figured out the reason she’d called him to the conference room two days ago. He’d jumped to conclusions — that quick brain of his could be a liability — and she’d shut him down in three seconds flat.

She hadn’t even seemed relieved about the house. About her freedom to make her own choices.

He wanted her to choose him. Not because he’d erased the threats over her, but because she loved him.

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