Don't Trust the Cowboy

A black sheep. A runaway. The American dream. And an old friend that reappears from thin air…bringing Billy’s past with him…setting his future with Piper to a grinding halt.
The stain on my secondhand blouse taunts me as I drive to Billy Barnes’s ranch. He hasn’t called me for an interview, despite my numerous messages. I’ve been away at school long enough that I’ve been removed from this small town. Word is that Billy Barnes went away, too, to the military. Came back a different man, not fit for a woman. Doesn’t matter, since my only interest is work. He’s put off by me, but I don’t give up. Next thing I know, he’s following me like some lunatic, until he learns my secret, and then we’re both in a heap of trouble. He’s not the only one with nightmares. He’s not the only one living a nightmare, either. But then he looks at me with something in his eyes that I’ve never seen before. When I learn that it’s love it’s too late.
***
My brother Cassidy points out Piper Charlton’s resume from a stack on my table. But I grumble, as he shares points about her, and the fact that she’s the last thing I need. When she shows up unannounced, I’m not impressed. The second trip is plain ballsy, but I’m too exhausted to fight, and I end up doing two things I’ll later regret. Her brains, her drive, and her heart are what open my eyes to things I would have never cared about before in a million years. She’s more intuitive than what’s good for her, and she finds out a certain something about me that I’ve never told a soul. I never meant for Piper to be a victim. And I’ll be damned if she ends up that way. That’s why I have to stop it before it starts. I just hope that I don’t break her heart in the process…or my own heart, for that matter.