Page 82 of Live, Ranch, Love

I should be getting more involved with this riding lesson, yet here I am, unable to stop myself from gravitating towards him.

And when I check his expression, there’s a small twitch of his lips too. A softening of his features and a stare now cast off in the distance, beyond the riding lesson ahead, as if he’s been lured into an enticing daydream. One I’m hoping is the same as mine, where we might actually get to carry on this venture together.

Where I feel strong enough to do this.

Especially when he’s by my side.

After a few beats of silence, Wyatt’s fingers suddenly brush against the small of my back, making small circles from behind the fence. Just like I’d been craving. I’d be lying if I said my tears didn’t well a tiny bit. My shoulders instantly drop too, even though I was unaware how tense they had been.

He lets out a long sigh. “You know it’s okay to rely on other people sometimes, right? I know you want to be able to feel strong by yourself, Aurora, but it’s okay to have some help.”

“Old Rory never needed to rely on others to feel strong,” I say, letting his touch soothe me. I press my back against the fence, trying to give him as much of me as possible.

“Maybe that was old Rory for a reason.” Wyatt’s hand spreads out across the small of my back. It rests there, like he’s holding me up. “What if levelling up to the next best you is all about letting yourself lean on others occasionally?”

I flash a glance up at him, letting myself indulge in the thought momentarily. “Maybe.”

“Either way, Princess, I want you to know that I’m always gonna be here to hold you up if you need me.” Just like he has throughout these past months. God, what did I do to deserve this man?

Wyatt clears his throat. “Anyway, want to know a secret?”

“Go on…”

“I tacked up Jake’s horse with the reins I tied you up with.”

My lips pop open and I have to smack my hand over my mouth to quickly fight the cackle emerging out. A strangled noise gurgles in my throat instead, grabbing the attention of Priya, a breathwork instructor who I met at a wellness festival a year ago. I throw a thumbs up to encourage her on with her riding.

“You are terrible, Hensley.” I perk a brow up at him and bite back my grin. He flashes me a smug smile, giving me a shot of hope that he’s not as pissed off at me as he might seem.

I close my eyes, listening out for the soft summer breeze whispering through the grass and the distant calls of fluttering birds in the sky to ground me again. We just need to get through the second half of this week, and then Jake will be gone. It can go back to being just the two of us again, exactly how I love it.

And then, well, as daunting as it sounds, maybe it will be time to start considering my permanent position here at Sunset Ranch.

Just a few more days.

“Terribly handsome, I think is what you meant to say,” Wyatt jibes and then squeezes my waist, making me squeak and whip around to jab him back—

“Hey, lovebirds!” Flynn suddenly shouts, knocking down the professional image we’d been trying so hard to maintain. Guess we forgot to mention that to him. “You two done flirting and ready to head out for a ride with us all?”

As we head on over to mount our own horses, I don’t miss the way Jake glares at us.

thirty-five

Wyatt

“It’s nice of you to entertain her little daydream,” Jake’s hushed voice tumbles down the porch stairs as he descends them. Every muscle in my body grows tauter. An oily, slimy energy follows him.

I don’t bother to look his way, staying leant against the fence, watching Aurora and the rest of the group say their final goodbyes to Elio, who is the first guest to leave. I’m smirking at the fact that Colt is also here bidding him goodbye—though not for long, something tells me.

Even though I’ve enjoyed hanging out with the guests and getting to talk so freely about my passion for ranching and riding, a huge weight has finally lifted from my shoulders knowing it’s the final day. When it finally becomes just Aurora and I again. Nothing more standing in our way.

“Hmm?” I try not to sound too interested, hoping maybe Jake will just walk straight past me.

He chuckles, the smug, breathy kind that already has my skin crawling. I’ve done my best to stay out of his way this week, respecting Aurora’s baffling desire to want to prove she can be strong when he’s around. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t piss me off. I’d also be lying if I said I didn’t aggressively chop up a tonne of wood the night after she told me her decision to let him stay, choosing to give her the cold shoulder instead of sitting and talking like she probably wanted.

Because what Aurora said hurt me.

It’s not your ranch, it’s mine.

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