Hitching the Cowboy (Circle B Ranch 1)

Just as he finishes his speech, my phone rings, and I see it’s my mother. I ignore it, but then she calls Benjamin, which he answers with a grin.

“Hi, Mrs. Mitchell.” He pauses as I faintly hear my mom’s voice. “Yes, I found her. I know. I was worried as well. Yes, she’ll be on the plane with me tomorrow, and we’ll be there for dinner. She’s safe. I’ll pass on the message. Alrighty, bye.” He ends the call and glares at me. “She said she misses and loves you. So do you really want to ruin your mother’s happiness?”

I resist the urge to roll my eyes at his manipulation. “I’m already married, Benjamin. You’re too late,” I throw at him, shrugging so he knows the wedding is off, but instead, he laughs.

“A few thousand dollars can fix anything. It can get annulled in a few days. So, be a good little daughter for your mother and grab your things. We’re staying in San Angelo tonight.”

I look at him and feel sick to my stomach because I know I’d just be another thing added to his collection. All of this is a political move, and if my parents think I don’t realize that, then they’re the stupid ones. My happiness doesn’t matter, and being with Benjamin would be repulsive. Before Riley, I considered the idea for a minute, but I felt nothing for Benjamin. There’s no connection, no chemistry between us, and I have no desire to see him. I continued going on dates with him to appease my parents, but I was ready to call it quits before I even went to Vegas. Once I returned, and we got busy with the final details of Summer’s wedding, I didn’t get the chance to break it off for good. Then he put me on the spot with the proposal, and that was when I knew I had to get away from all of the bullshit.

Even if I liked him enough to actually marry him, I’d be nothing more than a trophy wife, and if we had kids, they’d just add to his list of accomplishments. Bile rises in my throat at the thought, but I swallow it down and try to figure out how I can appease him enough to go on without me. The way he’s looking at me tells me he won’t allow that to happen.

“Benjamin, I’m not going to San Angelo with you. I’ll check out in the morning, and you can pick me up here before the flight. It’s the only way I’m getting on that plane,” I counter, wanting to give myself just a little more time to clean up this mess of a situation I’ve created.

Blood drips from his nose, and when he gets it on his hands, he opens the car door and pulls out a box of tissues and hand sanitizer. A few guests exit the B&B and look at my tear-streaked face and then at Benjamin. There’s too much attention on the two of us, and he notices. I’m known for being stubborn, and if he wants his way, he’ll play by my rules even though I know I don’t really have a choice. If I’m not back in Phoenix tomorrow, my parents will come for me next. Handling this is something I have to do before it’s too late to fight for Riley. I have too many fires to put out right now and not enough water.

Between my parents, sister, job, Benjamin, and Riley, the stress and anxiety are real, and I don’t know how I’m going to solve any of these issues without hurting people.

After Benjamin’s cleaned himself up, he grabs my arm and jerks me closer to him. The pain of his tight grip shoots through me, and I try to pull away, but all he does is squeeze harder.

“I will do what you want this one fucking time, but when I come to pick you up tomorrow, you better not resist, Zoey.”

I stare out into the pasture, the rolling hills, wishing the land would swallow me whole, wishing he’d disappear.

“Pay attention,” he barks, pulling me back to reality, to the nightmare I’m living.

“Okay. No argument. I’ll go willingly in the morning.” As much as it pains me, I agree. I swallow hard, knowing if I don’t get on that plane, I’ll have more to deal with than just him. My parents will want an explanation, and so will Summer, considering she’s believed all this time that the annulment was processed weeks ago. I couldn’t find the strength to admit my doubts. I didn’t want to hear her try to convince me that marrying Benjamin was the right thing to do because I knew deep down it wasn’t. The pressure from it all was too much, and I made one bad decision after another. All of my secrets, everything I’ve been hiding, will have to come out in the open, and it scares me to death. Getting married in Vegas on a dare? It’s irresponsible, I know, but it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.