Claiming the Cowboy (Circle B Ranch 7)

“You deserve someone who’s gonna make you ridiculously happy, and I want that so damn much for you. Whoever you end up with will be the luckiest woman in the world.”

He shrugs as if it doesn’t matter, but it does to me. “Hopefully, she’s out there waitin’ for me somewhere.”

“She is.” I wholeheartedly believe that. “You’re the perfect guy, Kane. Seriously, you have so much to offer.”

“Maybe someday.” The corner of his lips tilts up slightly.

“I’m so relieved I’m not losing you. I wasn’t sure you’d ever want to see me again after today.”

He smiles. “There’s nothin’ that’d ever make me not want to be in your life. We’ve been through thick and thin, Hads. That’s not gonna change just because we tried to be more, and it didn’t work out.”

“Thank you,” I tell him.

“So that was it?”

I choke out a laugh. “Yep, I guess so.”

He checks the time. “Then I should probably get back to work. Riley’s been actin’ like a dick lately, and I need to finish stocking the hay before the next group of trail riders arrives.”

“I understand. Thanks for meeting me. I feel a million times better now that we’ve talked.”

We stand, and he opens his arms. I hug him tightly one more time.

“Can I ask you something?” I ask when we step apart.

“Yeah.” He studies me, making me nervous, so I just blurt it out before I lose the courage.

“When did you realize things between us weren’t going to turn into more?”

He smirks. “When I saw the way you looked at my brother last weekend. Your connection to him is different from ours, and I noticed how you two interacted. You both light up around each other, even if the bastard won’t admit it. I’ve never seen him like that with a woman before. After some soul-searching, I refuse to be the selfish asshole who comes between you two. What you’ve got is the real deal, Hads.”

I swallow hard, thinking about Knox and how he’s pushing me away. “Yeah, well, I don’t think anything will happen between us.” I shrug. “But at least I’m not losing you.”

“You can’t get rid of me. I care about you too much. It’s why I flipped my shit about you being with my brother. I know how he is, and I didn’t want him to hurt you. He’s a dickhead eighty percent of the time, but he’s not a bad guy. Hopefully, he gets the stick out of his ass before it’s too late, and I steal you for good.” He shoots me a wink, and I snort.

He walks me to my Jeep and opens my door for me. “You should stop by the B&B and get lunch. Maize made chicken and dumplings, and I know how much you love them.”

“Ooh, I think I will.” I climb inside and roll down my window.

“What are your plans this weekend? You gonna be ’round?” he asks, leaning against the door.

I think about everything I have going on.

“Taking Ivy shopping with Harper, then I’m seeing The Nutcracker with a co-worker. Speaking of, any ideas of what you want for Christmas?” I leave out the part where that co-worker is a male doctor even though I hardly know him and we’re just friends.

He laughs. “A vacation.”

“Not sure I can help with that, but I’ll put in a good word with Santa for ya,” I tease, then we say goodbye. I wave, then back out of his driveway. The relief covers me like sunshine on a summer day, and I breathe easy again with the possibility that maybe things will go back to normal. I didn’t lose my best friend, and that’s all that matters.

I head to the B&B, and it’s busy as always. After filling a bowl, I sit down to eat with Grayson and Payton. It’s obvious they want to give me shit about the twins, but neither of them talks about anything other than the weather and work stuff.

My eyes dart toward the door each time it opens, hoping Knox will walk in. Though I doubt he’d even speak to me anyway since he’s hell-bent on ending things before giving them a chance. After not telling him my decision at the party, he’s taking that as a rejection. He’s made it very clear that he’s walking away, so why do I still want him so much?

I wake up feeling light on my feet. After clearing the air with Kane yesterday, I’ve been in a much better mood. Around one, I drive to the mall to meet Ivy and Harper for some last-minute Christmas shopping, and the parking lot is packed.

Since they carpooled, I met them at the main entrance. As soon as Ivy sees me, she rushes up and hugs me.

“You look so pretty!” I tell her, twisting her reddish-brown curly hair around my finger. She’s wearing a dark green sweater that makes her eyes pop.