Second Chance Ranch: a Hope Springs novel (Entangled Bliss) (14 page)

He rubbed his hands over her arms, heating her skin with his deliciously callused palms. She grinned up at him and he smiled right back, like they were in on some secret that was all theirs. And they were. This was their special place with their very own starry sky overhead, and the only thing that mattered in the world was here and now. She wanted to capture the bliss wrapped around her like a second blanket and hold it next to her forever. It was all so perfect it almost seemed like a dream.

The ring of her cell phone broke through the sound of the nearby rushing river and popping fire. She bit her lip, wanting to ignore it, sure Nolan was calling again—she should’ve known he’d keep calling.

Maybe it’s Mom or Grandpa or Grandma, though.
She felt around for her phone and then looked at it. She was right the first time. She glanced at Royce and decided whatever it was, she could deal with it better with him next to her.

“Sorry. Just give me a minute.” She pulled on her shirt so she wouldn’t freeze and answered her phone, thinking she might be too late to catch it before it rolled over to voicemail.

“Sadie. Didn’t you get my message?”

“Don’t you ever sleep?”

“Not when I’m sitting on news like this. Remember the hall of fame ceremony when you did that cover of ‘Next Time’ before Blue went onstage?”

Since it was pretty much the most awesome moment in her singing life, she thought it was a silly question.
Of course
she remembered. “Yeah.”

“Well, one of the junior executives from Belle Meade Records heard you sing, and apparently you made a big impression. Now that she’s been promoted, she wants to meet with you. They’ve already agreed to fly you out, but it needs to be this weekend. As in, you need to fly here tomorrow afternoon so we can meet with them first thing Saturday.”

Excitement danced through her stomach. Belle Meade was
huge
!

But then she glanced at Royce, watching her with his steady gaze, and confusion crept in. A month ago, she wouldn’t have thought twice about jumping all over an offer like this. It was everything she’d worked for for six years. All the tears, the heartbreak—it might actually pay off.

But what would she lose in return?

Everything’s still so new between us, though. It’s not like…
She almost thought it wasn’t like she loved Royce, but her heart filled up with all of their memories, old and new, and she knew that wasn’t true.
I do love him. I’m not sure I ever fell out of love with him.

Royce sat up, the blanket falling to his waist. He grabbed her hand, squeezed it, and mouthed, “Everything okay?”

“Sadie?” Nolan asked.

“Um, can I call you back? Like tomorrow morning?”

“We need to jump on this now, Sadie. Remember what happened last time? This is a fickle business, and if you don’t grab onto an opportunity, you might lose it.”

Cold spread through her gut. She clenched the phone tighter. Clenched Royce’s hand tighter. Her dreams were within reach but in danger of slipping between her fingers, and she wasn’t sure which dream to hold onto.

Country star?

Starting a life with an amazing horse rancher?

“I’ll call you first thing tomorrow, I swear.” Sadie hung up and twisted to Royce. She could see all the questions in his eyes. If only she knew how to answer them.

“It was my agent. A record exec from Belle Meade wants me to go sing for her this weekend.” She swallowed. “It’s…well, it’s unbelievable, really. But I’m not sure what to do. I don’t want to leave you in the lurch with the ranch.”

The ranch?
Why’d she start with that?

Because she was being a chicken. Things between them felt fragile and new, one breath away from tipping one way or the other. Another few weeks and they’d be head over boots in love, settled into a pattern.

Or maybe she was the only one falling all over again, thoughts about the future starting to whisper at her.

Sadie bit her thumbnail. “And of course it’s not just about the ranch. You and I…” Her heart beat against her rib cage. “I’ve had such an amazing time this past week.”

“Yeah, it’s been nice.” He grabbed his clothes and started pulling them on, his movements quick and precise, his attention focused on the motion. “Don’t worry about the ranch. We’ll be fine.”

She quickly dressed and then stood up and caught his arm. “Royce. Wait. We need to talk about this.”

He sighed, put both of his hands on her shoulders, and kissed her, one soft press of his lips. “There’s nothing to talk about. It’s a second chance with your music, just like we were discussing earlier. You’ve got to go.”

He snuffed out the fire, gathered the equipment, and untied the horses. Then he got onto Thor. Sadie wanted to tell him to slow down and give her a damn minute to try to figure out everything, but she didn’t have it figured out, and she wasn’t sure that she could say she didn’t have to leave.

Shit, shit, shit.

When they got back to the barn, they unsaddled the horses and put them in their stalls. Royce checked in on Chevy and Shadow as Sadie watched on. He moved to put away the bridles, and Chevy hung her head over the stall, begging for her head to be rubbed with a soft neigh. Sadie ran her hand down the mama horse’s nose and watched as her filly wobbled around between her legs. They felt like her horses, too, and suddenly she couldn’t imagine leaving them right now. Chevy was still recovering, and what if the baby needed extra attention?

And what about Duke? She glanced back at his stall. One ride wasn’t enough for them to get to know each other the way she’d planned.

Then there was Royce… Yearning and worry pressed against her lungs as she watched him move around the barn, now onto positioning the saddles just so.

If she left, who was going to remind him to slow down and take a break once in a while? To get into water fights, sing in the truck, and race on horseback to the river?

Everything was happening too fast, and panic over making the wrong decision filled her up until it was impossible to breathe.

Finally, Royce turned around and she placed herself in front of him so he couldn’t ignore her anymore.

“Royce.”

He stared down at her, his expression unreadable.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. For a moment it was like hugging a log, but then he gave in and hugged her back. His clothes were cool from being outside, he smelled like grass and cologne, and as she listened to his heart beating under her ear, she couldn’t imagine ever letting go. “Maybe…maybe I should just say no. It’s not really a good time for me to leave.”

“For what? To stay here?” He shook his head and laughed, a hollow sound that made pain radiate through her chest. “Sadie, we agreed this was just a fun thing while you were here. I guess I should’ve made it clearer before, but…I’m not looking for a serious relationship.” He turned and rattled the gate like he was checking to see if it was latched and then glanced at her. “So don’t be stupid
—y
ou’d be crazy to turn down an opportunity like that.”

If she could talk past the lump rising in her throat, she’d tell him that she wasn’t stupid.

Apparently she was just unrealistically optimistic. Maybe that was the same thing as being stupid, though. She’d thought he’d felt the same. That they were both falling together. All this time she worried she’d accidentally hurt him again, and he was the one breaking her heart. But he was also right. What was she going to do? Turn down a contract opportunity with Belle Meade? To work on a horse ranch with a guy she could never fully have?

“Morning will be here too soon, and I’ve got a lot on my plate tomorrow. I better turn in.” Royce reached out like he was going to put his hand on her back, and then quickly dropped it. “I’ll walk you to your truck.”

Their footsteps against the hard dirt of the driveway sounded so loud in the quiet.

Were they really going to leave things like this?

“Aren’t we at least friends anymore?” she asked, her voice just above a whisper.

Royce reached over her and opened the truck door. “Of course. We’ll always be friends. So you can, you know, call or whatever to tell me how the meeting goes if you want to. Or I guess I’ll hear it through the town grapevine.”

She wanted to scream that friends didn’t learn things about each other through the stupid-ass town grapevine!

Sheer force of will was all that was holding back the tears. “I’ll be back for the rodeo, so I can tell you myself—I already committed to singing, and then I can say good-bye to the kids before they all return to their homes.”

“I’m sure the kids and the town would understand if you canceled.”

“Well, I wouldn’t be okay with that.
I’ve
gotten too attached.”

The way he was staring at the ground, the brim of his hat covering his eyes, made it impossible to tell if he’d even had a reaction to that.

“So I’ll see you at the rodeo,” she said. “And if I don’t get a chance to tell you before your events, good luck.”

“Yeah, you, too. With the singing.”

A tear slipped down her cheek—so much for her force of will. She leaned in and kissed his lips, a quick peck that was nowhere near worthy of being a good-bye kiss.

But Royce certainly didn’t bother making it anything more.

Chapter Fifteen

“Addison. Eli.” Royce had given the rest of the kids their instructions and sent them on their way. At the sound of their names, they flinched—he also noticed they’d been holding hands, but quickly let go. “You’ve got five days to prove to me that I can trust you. If you work hard and there are no more incidents, you can go to the rodeo.”

“Really?” Addison squealed, and Royce smiled despite himself.

At the feel of a hand on his arm, he turned to find Mom beaming at him. Apparently she approved.

“Make me regret it, and I’ll take it away in an instant. Don’t think I won’t.”

Eli looked around. “Where’s Sadie? She’s the one who talked you into the rodeo, isn’t she?”

Her name sent stabbing pain through Royce. Working to keep his face neutral, he nodded. “Now, go get to work so you’ll be done in time to ride to the river.”

“Yes, sir,” Eli said, not even an ounce of sarcasm in the words. He grabbed Addison’s hand, and Royce was about to say something about it, but he let it go. He just didn’t have the energy to get on them for a relatively innocent gesture.

“Where
is
Sadie?” Mom asked, glancing toward the empty spot her truck usually occupied.

“Gone.”

Mom’s eyebrows drew together. “Gone?”

Royce clenched his jaw and breathed out his nose, trying to counteract the way his chest tightened. Their conversation last night about her leaving had left him raw and exhausted in ways that sleep couldn’t fix. He’d been sure Sadie was going to see through him—see how much he was tempted to beg her to stay. Every time she talked about music, though, he saw it—she wasn’t going to be happy giving up on it. It’d been there in her voice last night, and he’d seen the longing on her face during that phone call. So he’d forced away thoughts of the future he dreamed of having with her and pushed her as hard as he could, not wanting to be a decision she later regretted. She’d had to go and draw out the good-bye, making it so damn hard to hold back his emotions. That tear that’d run down her cheek at the end had nearly killed him, and watching her drive away had made him ache in muscles he didn’t even realize he had.

Then he’d walked into his empty, empty house, thinking how her laughter would never bounce off the walls again. How there’d be no late-night chocolate milk or hours spent in his bed, both awake and asleep.

Misery ebbed in and out with every beat of his heart.
How the hell did I let this happen again?

Mom waved a hand in front of his face. “Hey. Are you purposely being vague to drive me crazy? I thought you two were…well, it looked like you were together again. You both seemed so happy.”

He worked to keep his voice even. “She told me she couldn’t promise she’d stay.”
I should’ve seen it then. Should’ve put a stop to everything before it turned into this.
“She’s flying back to Nashville today. Has some big meeting with record execs tomorrow, and, unless they’re deaf and blind, I have no doubt she’ll have a recording contract within a few days. So, I’ll see about hiring someone else before the next group of kids comes in, but you, Cory, and I will be stretched thin this week. Sorry about that.”

He turned to go, nearly tripping over Oscar, which earned him a hiss.

“You let her go?” Mom said from behind him, and the spot between his shoulder blades tightened.

He slowly spun around. “
Let
her? Mom, I can’t compete with a record contract. And this land, my horses, even the camp…” Until he’d mentioned the camp, he didn’t realize how much it meant to him. Probably because Sadie’s being here had allowed him to relax long enough to see the changes in the kids instead of just the stress of running the place. The alternative camp had been his dad’s legacy, but it was his now. He put a hand on his chest. “It’s everything I am. I’d never leave it behind, and that means I could never make her happy. She’s destined for bigger things.”

“Did you at least tell her how you feel?”

Clearly, Mom could see that he’d fallen back in love with Sadie. He hadn’t dared to even think it, but the knowledge that he did love her washed over him, shoving the ache deep into his bones. And he found himself opening his mouth to admit the thing he’d never told anyone. Not Cory. Not Dad. He’d expected people in town to find out, but Sadie must not have admitted it either—well, except to Quinn. He had no doubt Sadie had told her what’d happened. He’d proposed. Like the lovesick fool that he was. “I asked her to marry me.”

Shock flickered across Mom’s face. “You asked her to marry you? When? Last night?”

“Six years ago.” He remembered the silence in the truck after he’d asked her. He hadn’t really planned it—didn’t even have a ring. He’d just looked across the cab and known she was the one. So he’d asked her to marry him. She’d started to cry, and he’d instinctually known that they weren’t tears of joy. “She took off for Nashville right after. I’m not going to be the schmuck who gets left for that place twice.”

Mom’s mouth opened and closed a few times before she got any words out. “I didn’t know.” She hugged him, and he sighed. Now she was upset, too, and treating him like he was a little kid who needed consoling.

“I’m fine, Mom. It was a long time ago.”
And I’d be over it if I hadn’t gone and reopened the wound so it’d have to heal all over again.
He gently patted her back. “Now I’ve got to get back to work.”

At least today would be busy with rodeo prep and the ride to the river. Saddles would need to be checked, and he still had to gather all of the fishing gear. Of course, when he got to the barn and saw Shadow, he realized it didn’t matter how busy he was. He’d still see Sadie every place he looked.

…

Sadie’s entire family had decided they were dropping her off at the airport, and from the grim looks on everyone’s faces, you’d think she was going to a funeral, not on her way to the biggest opportunity of her life.

I’ve got to be careful. Building it up too much will just make it worse if it doesn’t work out.
And that was what she wanted. For it to work out.

It should be what she wanted, anyway.

Sadie hugged Grandma first.

“Don’t forget about us once you’re a big fancy star,” she said with a smile.

Tears pushed in on Sadie’s eyes, and suddenly everything seemed so final that the grim expressions made sense. Even though she was planning on coming back, she knew the next few years might be a whirlwind, and she worried about not being there for her family. She’d never even learned how to make rolls the right, non-lumpy way. Or the amazing fudge frosting for the brownies.

Not that she thought she’d have a lot of time to bake. Or that she could eat any of those things anymore. Her smallest jeans no longer fit, and even the next size up was getting snug.

The smile on her face was hard to hold onto as she turned to Mom. “I thought we’d have all this time, and now it’s gone,” Mom said, wrapping her arms around Sadie. “I should’ve known it’d only be a matter of time before someone saw you were as amazing as I know you are.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It’s just one meeting, I’ll only be gone for a few days, and then we’ll take it from there, depending on what happens.” Sadie said it for her benefit as much as Mom’s. “Either way, I promise to visit more. This isn’t our last opportunity to talk. Okay?”

Mom started to pull away, but then she hesitated. “I know I don’t say it enough, but I’m so proud of you. Most people would’ve given up, but you just keep brushing yourself off and hitting it again. I don’t know if I could’ve done it.”

Sadie nodded, her throat too tight to talk.

“But you know I’ll be proud no matter what happens, right?” Mom ran her hand down Sadie’s hair. “I never wanted you to make my mistakes, but I’m afraid that somewhere along the way, I gave you the impression I’d only be proud of you if you became a big star or made a lot of money. For all my griping and complaining, I’m happy with how my life turned out. I’ve got my parents, I’ve got you, and while my job’s exhausting, I like what I do. The real secret’s finding joy in whatever path you end up on. Whichever one you take, I’ll always be on your side, and I’ll support you however I can.” Mom squeezed her hand. “I love you, Sadie.”

Her heart expanded and constricted all at once. She’d needed to hear that so badly right now, yet it made it that much harder to say good-bye. “Love you, too, Mom.”

She pulled her in for another motherly hug. “Now you be sure to call once you land, and keep us updated on the meeting, okay?”

Sadie nodded, blinking and taking deep breaths to try to fight the urge to cry.

Grandpa stepped up for his good-bye last, and then no amount of blinking or breathing held the tears at bay. She hugged him with every ounce of strength she had in her. Now she was thinking about Mom’s talk of paths, and she was only more confused. “I’d be crazy to turn down this opportunity, right?”

“Oh, don’t ask me. I’m just an old horse rancher who’s never even been on an airplane and has no desire to live around so many people. But your voice would sure sound pretty on the radio. I know that much.” He pulled back and squeezed her shoulder. “You need me to carry your luggage inside?”

She sniffed and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “No, they’ll get mad at you if you leave your car.” A quick tug on the handle of her suitcase extended it to hip height. “I can just roll it, anyway.”

She glanced off in the distance, at the blue mountains set against a clear sunny sky. For some reason, all she could see was Royce. This was where he belonged, and this past month, she’d started to think she might, too.

Just having fun. That was all we were doing.
If things were different, if he wanted more… But that was a dangerous line of thought, one she couldn’t indulge in without getting hurt—and her heart already ached so badly she wasn’t sure it’d ever recover. So Sadie took her last breath of Wyoming air for a while and headed into the airport.

Hopefully on her way to all of her dreams coming true.