She stared at me for the longest time, then let out a scream that I was positive could be heard by Mike all the way across the ranch.
“You jerk! You asshole! You stupid idiot!”
“I admit I am all those things. That and more.”
Her hands flew up in the air. “You don’t get it, Rip. You just don’t get it.”
She was full-on crying again, and I wanted to hit myself for making her feel this way. Especially since she was already so upset about Patches.
“It was supposed to be you for everything! For all of it!”
“Chloe, what are you talking about?”
“Don’t you see? Don’t you understand that every single dream I’ve ever had I had with you?”
Chloe walked up to me and hit me on the chest with both her fists as she cried harder.
“You, Rip! My first real kiss should have been with you! My first date with a man who adored me should have been you! When I lost my virginity… God.” Sobs rushed from her body. “It was supposed to be with you!”
She took a step back and placed her hand over her mouth before she whispered, “The man who got down on one knee and asked me to marry him… It should have been you…”
She cried so hard that she couldn’t speak for a moment. Looking into my eyes, she whispered, “I wanted those things with you. And now it’s too late. You’re too late.”
I closed my eyes and tried to hold down the sick feeling. “Please don’t say that, Chloe. Please.”
When I opened my eyes, I felt my own tears on my face. Chloe started to walk to me, then stopped. Her fingers pressed against her lips. She shook her head, then took a few steps back.
Crossing the distance between us, I took her into my arms. She cried so hard I was positive she was having a hard time breathing.
“I’m sorry, baby. I’m so damn sorry.”
Chloe buried her face in my chest for what felt like an eternity before she pushed away from me. Shaking her head, she stepped back until she got to the door. “You’re too late.”
“Chloe! Please don’t do this. I’m begging you not to marry him.”
The door jerked open, and she started to walk out, but stopped. With a slow, deep breath, she looked me in the eyes once more. “I told Easton last week I couldn’t marry him.”
The air in my lungs felt like someone had set it on fire. “Wh-what?” I managed.
She stepped through the door and shut it, leaving me alone in the small cabin. I stumbled back and sat on the small sofa.
My fingers jerked through my hair while I cried out, “Fuuuck!”
If she had broken up with Easton last week, why had she said it was too late for us?
I broke down and cried like I had never cried before.
Rip
BY THE TIME I made it back to the barn, there was no one around. Chloe’s horse, Lizzy, was put up in her stall, as was the horse Gage had been on.
I took care of Walter and fed him oats before I made my way back up to the house. As I approached, I avoided going to the back door and walked down the driveway, instead. Chloe was probably back at her house anyway.
Right as I got to my truck, Steed’s voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Rip, where are you going?”
Clearing my throat, I looked at him. He was standing on the front porch of Melanie and John’s house.
“I figured I would head on out.”
“You’re not going to say goodbye to Chloe?”
“With all due respect, sir, I don’t think she wants to see me right now.”
He gave a thoughtful nod and then motioned for me to join him on the porch.
My heart was hammering. Steed Parker was one man I never wanted to make angry.
“Sit down, Rip. We’re going to have ourselves a little talk.”
I swallowed hard. “A talk?”
“Yes, a talk. Sit.”
Sitting on the rocking chair beside him, I rubbed my hands together nervously.
Steed took in a deep breath, then exhaled. “I’m going to guess you told her you loved her.”
My eyes widened in shock.
“Don’t look so stunned, son. Everyone in this whole damn town knows the two of you love each other. Why in the hell you’re both too stubborn to admit it is beyond all of us.”
I glanced down at my hands.
“Chloe told me once, right after we had moved to College Station. She said she wanted more than friendship, and I freaked. I mean, there were so many times I wanted to tell her how I felt but I was afraid she only thought of me as a friend.”
“You’re an idiot.”
I smiled. “I know, sir. I’m stupid as a box of rocks. That day I told her we couldn’t be more than friends, I was so scared of losing her as my best friend, Steed. But five minutes after I said those words to her, I wanted to take them back. Things didn’t work out that way, though, and we both moved on.”