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“Why haven’t you talked to me in twelve years? Or at least in the eight years since I came back from college?”
I knew that she was going to ask me about this, but I had hoped that it wouldn’t be until we had spent more time together. I owe her the truth.
“At first, it was because I ended things and didn’t think you would want to talk to me. Then it just seemed like so much time had passed, and I had missed out on you. I’ve always wanted you. Even when we broke up, I did that for you.”
“What?”
“Yeah, I knew you were going to meet all these smart guys who wanted more out of life than being a cowboy. I thought that breaking up and not being tied to some guy back home would let you experience everything college had to offer. We hadn’t been dating long and I thought it was the right thing to do.”
“That is the stupidest, fucking thing I’ve ever heard,” Georgia stands and starts pacing around her bedroom looking for her clothes. “I come from a ranching family. My dad and brothers are cowboys. What on earth would make you think I want some smart, rich guy and not a cowboy.” She throws her hands up. “This was all a mistake. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you. We’re just attracted to each other, but that doesn’t mean anything does it.”
“Georgia.” I stand to try and do something other than sit naked and watch her meltdown. I feel helpless as our once amazing night takes a nosedive.
“No, you need to go. Take the pizza.” She walks toward her bathroom door. “I’m going to the bathroom. Please lock the door when you leave.”
How the hell did everything go so wrong so fast? I get dressed fast, grab the pizza, and lock up her house. My whole drive back to the ranch I try to think about how to fix this and if I’ll even be able to fix it.
5
Georgia
I am my own worst enemy. Boone did nothing wrong last night, he did everything right. He was sweet, attentive, and sexy, and only made a move after asking if it was okay. Then I turned chickenshit and kicked him out of my house with pizza in hand.
Surely, they are going to let me out of that Cowboy Day thing now, right?
“Elly, it’s Georgia.”
“Hi, Georgia. What can I do for you? Did you and Boone pick a day for you to come to the ranch? I can get it on the calendar.”
“Um, you haven’t talked to Boone?” I assumed he would have told Elly or Cole about my post-sex meltdown.
“No, I haven’t seen him today. Did you guys not pick a day yet?”
“No. This isn’t going to work. I will pay three times the auction amount, but I can’t do the day with a cowboy thing. It’s not just that it’s a conflict of people, um, I have a horse allergy?”
“Are you asking me if you’re allergic to horses?”
“Yes,” I sigh. “I mean, no, I don’t have a horse allergy. I just don’t like being around them. You can ask anyone, I’m a number and business person. Not a horse person.” It hurts my heart to utter these words. I’m a huge horse lover and everyone knows it.
“That’s strange because Boone told me the other day that he wasn’t surprised you tried to donate extra money because you love horses so much. Why don’t you tell me the truth and see how that works.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“You’re friends with Boone.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I’ll tell him your business. I promise whatever you tell me will stay between us.”
I take a deep breath. I’m not sure if I believe that she’ll keep it between us, but I need to get out of spending a whole day with Boone. My heart won’t survive it. I already feel bruised from one sort of date with him.
“Okay, I’m afraid I’ll fall in love with him, and he’ll break my heart.”
Elly doesn’t say a word on the other end of the phone.
“Um,” I try to come up with more to say. “We used to date when we were teenagers. He broke up with me for a stupid reason and I was hurt. We weren’t together long, and I’ve always said my heart wasn’t broken, it was just bruised. But it still hurts all these years later, so maybe it cracked more than I thought. We spent time together last night and it was so easy with him. Then things got—well, you know, and it was amazing, but the pizza came, and we stopped. We watched a part of a movie, and things were amazing again, but this time we weren’t interrupted. Then I realized that my self-preservation instincts were right. Boone could squash me, not physically, he would never hurt me that way, but my heart, he could eviscerate that.” I take a deep breath and wait for Elly to say something.
“You have to do it,” Elly says.
