Page 40 of Promise You Forever

“How?”

He slips his hand away and goes into business mode. “I’ve thought about this long and hard. There’s two ways we can go. Either we get serious about breeding and selling livestock at a much bigger scale, or we lean into tourism. There’s a lot of people wanting a ranch experience for vacation. Something where they come stay in a cabin, ride horses, work with animals, experience a different way of life. I personally think we have the perfect setup for that.”

I nod. This type of thing had been on my mind as a possibility, as well. Though, I am surprised to hear him suggest it. He’s not the most personable man.

“I was actually thinking of something similar. Converting one of the barns into a rustic event space for weddings.”

“Both ideas could work in combination with each other. It wouldn’t take me long to build a few more cabins like the one I lived in. As long as you don’t mind me staying in the main house as your roommate.”

“You don’t seem to be too interested in leaving anyway.”

“I like being close to you.” He smirks. “In case you need me to reach the top shelf of the cabinets or kill a spider.”

“I’m capable of doing both those things,” I reply, rolling my eyes.

“Without a doubt, but I want to be there for you.”

The sincerity in his voice is only matched by the look he’s giving me. It feels like he’s imploring me to give him my trust. Bit by bit he’s wearing me down. I fear that my heart is already opening back up to him, but my mind is screaming no, never again.

So I do what I know best and push all those feelings to the side, lock them away in a dark corner of my heart where I can deal with them later. Time to pivot the conversation back to business. It’s our safe zone.

Sixteen

LUKE

Ithink I made inroads with Eli tonight. Sure, she changed the subject every time I ventured from professional business to personal relationship. It could be worse though, at least she didn’t tell me to go fuck myself. That wouldn’t be out of bounds, all things considered.

The dogs are all stirred up as we get out of the truck and head into the house, but when I look toward the sheep, I don’t see them looking panicked. I go left to finish my laundry around while she calls for Charlie to go out to use the bathroom. Just as the dryer starts up, I hear her terrified scream from the backyard.

I drop everything and run toward the back of the house, grabbing Paul’s shotgun from the gun safe. My stomach drops as I hear the unmistakable hiss of a mountain lion as it squares off against Charlie. I whistle to alert Baby and Goldie, our Great Pyrenees livestock guardians.

Eli’s eyes dart to mine, terror shining in the beam from the floodlights. I shoot the shotgun at the feet of the beast just to scare it into running off. I want to avoid killing it, if at all possible. Eli keeps calling Charlie back, but she’s frozen to the spot, her ears pinned back and fur standing on end while she growls.

The mountain lion growls one more time before running off into the night. Luckily the other dogs are barking and alert, I doubt it’ll try to hunt any of the livestock tonight, but I’ll drive out and check the fields before I go to sleep anyway.

“Charlie, come,” I call to her. She steps sideways toward us but keeps her eyes focused in the direction the cat took off. “Charlie, now.”

A sob rips from Eli’s chest, and that’s what breaks Charlie from her trance. She runs over and sniffs at Eli’s hand with a whimper. Eli drops to her knees and hugs the dog, her body wracked with sobs.

It feels like a knife to the gut, listening to her cry like that. I never, and I mean ever, want to hear her scream like that again. Adrenaline pumps furiously through my veins as I come down from the moment. My pulse pounds loudly in my ears as I take off walking around the side of the house to go check on the cattle and sheep.

“Go back inside after she goes to the bathroom,” I call over my shoulder.

“Wait!” Her panicked voice halts my progress. “Where are you going?”

“To check on the livestock and make sure the stable is secured.”

She chews her lip and looks at me, a battle taking place within her eyes. “Be careful.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be in the truck and have the gun. The cougar is probably halfway over the ridge by now.”

“Okay.”

The tremble in her voice kills me. It takes all my strength not to go wrap my arms around her. I don’t think I’d be able to let her go if I did.

I check on the sheep first, they’re all inside their barn with Baby and Goldie patrolling the area just outside. I’ll be giving them extra treats tomorrow. The cattle look good, they’re bunched up together but don’t look spooked. Finally, I make it over to the stable. Since I’m the one who locked up earlier, I don’t feel the need to check on them. I know it’s locked up and the other dogs are inside their stall safe and sound.

I’ve only been gone twenty minutes, but by the time I get a glass of water and go up to my room, Eli’s door is closed. I stand outside it for a minute, debating whether to knock and check on her. Ultimately, I turn around and go into my room. I don’t have it in me to handle a possible rejection right now. I’m still shook up.

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