The Price of Passion (Texas Cattleman's Club: Rags to Riches 1)

But Trent Wingate wasn’t a man you could easily ignore. He’d given her one of his famous sit down, shut up and listen talks and, thankfully, it had gotten through to her. Especially the part where he’d told her that he was disappointed in her, letting a man dictate how she acted.

He was right. And oh, how she’d hated to admit it. Because of what Cam had done, she’d completely lost herself. That was the day she had realized that her future was up to her to design. She’d turned it all around, graduated at the top of her class with a business degree and had come home to Royal to join Wingate Enterprises.

“I let my own life go to hell because Cam left me,” she admitted, though it cost her a ding to her pride. “It was pitiful, Piper. I needed him so much that without him, I was completely lost. I never want to be that way again.”

Piper grabbed her hand and held on. “I know how hard it was, sweetie. But do you really think you could ever let that happen to you again?”

“Not a chance.” She wasn’t that naive young girl pinning all of her dreams on the boy she loved. Now she stood on her own. She was strong enough to sway with the wind, not break. Beth had learned that she could make it on her own and that sharing her life with someone was a choice—not a necessity. She’d never really thought about it before, but without the pain of losing Cam, would she have discovered who she really was?

“Then what’s the problem?” Piper shook her head. “Beth, everyone wants to be needed. Even the strongest man needs to be loved as much as anyone else. And so do you. You’re right. You did fall apart when Cam left. But you also pulled yourself back together.

“You’re the one who made the choices for your life. You built a career you can be proud of. You became a terrific woman with friends and family who love you. All of that happened because Cam left, too.”

That was probably all true, she thought, knowing that if Cam had stayed, she would have made different choices because she’d have had different opportunities. Would that life have been better? She’d never know.

What she did know was that she liked who she was. Liked her life.

“Beth, what if Cam’s waiting to see if you need him?”

She hadn’t considered that, but she wasn’t convinced. If he was waiting for her to call him, why hadn’t he told her that? And that thought didn’t even make sense to her.

Rubbing the spot between her eyebrows in a futile attempt to ease a budding headache, Beth heard Piper say, “If you don’t make a move, you’ll never know what you could have had. Are you willing to live with that kind of regret?”

She looked at her aunt. “Shouldn’t you be telling Cam the same thing? Shouldn’t he be the one to come to me?”

“Is this about winning?” Piper asked. “Or about love?”

“Maybe it’s both.”

“No, it can’t be. If you’re both trying to win, then you both lose.”

Beth frowned at her aunt because she just might have a point. But wasn’t it supposed to be the guy who did the chasing? The groveling, if necessary?

“Mmm-hmm.” Looking completely pleased with herself, Piper added, “I’m glad you’re willing to think about it, anyway. All I’m saying is, if you want something badly enough, you find a way to make it work.”

Really hard to argue with something that made sense, and Beth was just too tired to try.

“Okay, that’s enough of the well-meant lecture portion of our evening.” Beth turned and headed up the stairs. “I want a bath.”

“A bath is a good time to do some serious thinking...” Piper called after her.

Beth should have brought a bottle of wine with her.

* * *

The following night, the Texas Cattleman’s Club was crowded with members coming in for the monthly meeting. The outside of the place hadn’t changed too much while Cam had been gone. The building had been there forever, a piece of Royal history.

The TCC was a large, rambling single-story building made of dark stone and weathered wood, and boasted a steep slate roof. Once women had been welcomed into the club, the interior had undergone some major changes, according to Tony. The walls were painted a cream color that softened all the heavy dark beams lining the walls and the high ceilings.

Polished dark wood floors carried the marks of generations, with more than a few scars made by indiscriminate spur-wearing by the members. Hunting trophies and historical photos and artifacts hung on the walls, and heavy brown leather furniture invited people to sit and talk for a while.

Here in one of the big meeting rooms, though, banquet style, straight-backed chairs were set out for the members attending the meeting. Cam decided to stand against the wall and Tony was right beside him.

“How’s Beth?” Tony asked.

“No idea,” Cam answered through gritted teeth. She hadn’t called him once all week. She’d been glad enough to have him with her the day of the fire. But since that day, nothing. It was as if she was deliberately shutting him out because she’d been vulnerable the last time they were together.

“Why the hell not?” Tony asked.