Page 23 of The Rancher

She hesitates, biting that luscious bottom lip. For the first time, I'm not aroused to see it.

"Remy, if there's anything you need, I want to get it for you. Or help you get it." Taking her hands, I try to catch her eye again, but her eyes are riveted to the center of my chest. "Or…stay the hell out of your way, if that's what you need."

She's still quiet.

"Talk to me, baby. Please. I just want to help."

"That's just it, though," she blurts, her fingers tensing in mine. "You want to help and fix and nurse everything back to health…"

She's still staring at my shirt.

"Keep talking. Please."

"You seem to think I'm going to abandon my goals and just move in with you. Just be your girl… I can’t be just another animal for you to shelter and heal. I can't be a real partner if you see me as a broken bird. Here you are getting me proper shoes like one of your horses, overfeeding me, making sure I get enough daylight and fresh air. I'm not a project, Stone. I've had my life the way it is for a long time. I can't just change everything because maybe I kind of fit into the one hole you have in your otherwise perfect world. Don’t you see, I’ll only fit if I drop my entire life."

Shit.

She tears her hands from mine, stepping back abruptly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please…please don't get mad."

Shit shit shit.

I’ll bet any money her father yelled at her mother, so she thinks this is how arguments work. Well, I'm going to have to show my sweet girl that I do things very differently.

I walk into the living room and get right down on the carpet by the fireplace. “Would you like to come sit with me, please?"

She looks completely confused but comes over to sit cross-legged in front of me.

"This way, I'm not towering over you," I explain. "Look, Remy… If you think I'm going to yell, or get angry, you're mistaken." My hand reaches out to massage her knee, anxious to keep some point of contact.

"My parents have been happily married for over fifty years. When they have a disagreement, they have a system. They sit down and just breathe together. Then they hug for a full minute. Then and only then do they talk it out. It's important to remember that we're on the same team here."

Remy finally meets my eyes. "How can we be on the same team if we want different things, though?"

"We want what's best for both of us. Right?" She nods. “Do you want to try my parents' system?" When she hesitates, I add, "Or I can drive you to the bus. I can drive you all the way home, if you like. I'm not holding you hostage, beautiful. You’re in charge here.”

After a long, awkward pause, Remy bursts into tears.

I pull her into my arms, stroking her back as we sit on the floor. "Let's do the silence and the hugging parts at the same time, okay? Let it out, baby. All of it."

She nods, her face buried in my shirt as she cries and cries. From the way she clutches me, I think I understand. She's overwhelmed. A new environment, a new schedule, a new person in her world. It's a lot all at once.

Good thing that I love this woman so much that I have all the patience in the world for us to figure it out.

14

REMY

Holy wow. I was not expecting any of this.

Not for an incredible man to appear in my life like Prince Freakin’ Charming. Not to be suddenly terrified that he might turn out to be aggressive when he doesn’t get his way, although he’s never demonstrated that might be the case. What the hell is wrong with me for thinking that, anyway?

And then it’s not enough to blurt things out like a maniac, I start to cry? Ugh, I’m so embarrassed. Although…go figure… Stone doesn’t mind at all.

“Let it out,” he murmurs again, stroking my back. “We can talk any time you’re ready.”

I grab a tissue from my pocket to dry my eyes, then sit up straighter. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He keeps rubbing my back. “I want you to feel free to express anything and everything. Always.”