Page 39 of All for You

“Just what? Play the poor little girl in need of rescue?” Her sneer is palpable. “It’s pathetic.”

For a moment, I am that little girl, desperate for approval, never quite measuring up. But beneath the sting, anger flickers to life. I refuse to let anyone, even Travis’s mother, reduce me to anything less.

“I don’t need to be rescued, Mrs. Kincaid. Not by Travis, not by you, not by anyone.”

Her expression is unreadable for a moment before she scoffs. “Now, that would be a first.”

Her dismissal burns, but I refuse to let it consume me. With her sharp tongue and judgmental gaze, this woman will not break me.

“Enough.” The growl of Travis’s voice on the other side of the screen door cuts through the tension like a hot knife through butter.

Both his mother and I spin around. How long has he been standing there? How much did he hear?

“I’ll take Rachel home now.” His tone leaves no room for argument, and I’m not sure if he’s angry with me or her.

Regardless of what think of her, or she of me, I don’t want to be the cause of conflict between them. The need to escape overwhelms me.

“No.” My voice is firm, though I’m shaking like a leaf. “I can get my own ride, thank you.” My gaze darts past him, seeing one of his men loading up a truck near the barn and I walk toward the steps.

Travis comes out the house, reaching out. “Rachel, wait?—”

I’m already moving, almost running toward the man representing my escape. My eyes blur with unshed tears, a storm of emotions threatening to break through, but I will not allow either Travis or his mother to see me cry.

His voice trails behind me, though, tinged with frustration and concern. I can’t make out his words over the pounding in my ears.

“Rachel!” His shout is loud and clear now, but it doesn’t stop me. The need to distance myself from his mother’s stinging accusations propels me forward, each step away from the porch lightening the anvil on my chest.

I reach the cowboy and somehow manage a breathless, “Can you give me a ride into town? Please?”

He looks surprised, glancing from me to where Travis is somewhere behind me. He must have stopped in his chase because I don’t feel his heat on my back. And that crushes me.

The man nods, a kind gesture that offers me sanctuary. “Sure thing, ma’am.”

“Thank you,” I murmur, unable to keep the quiver from my voice. As I climb into the truck’s passenger seat, I dare not look back toward the house.

Laura Kincaid’s words echo in my head, each a barbed hook reeling me back to the insecurities I thought I had overcome.‘Not good enough for him,’they whisper. Was that the truth? Or just the poison of an overprotective mother?

The truck rumbles to life, and as we pull away, a part of me aches to turn back to face this head-on. I can’t help but look, and press my fingertips to the cool window, watching Travis’s figure recede in the dust. He doesn’t move. His posture is rigid against the backdrop. I wish I could seek comfort in his arms and prove his mother wrong.

But I’ve spent too long letting others define my worth. It’s time to remember who I am and why I left New York and came to Cupid’s Creek. Travis deserves someone who can stand tall in his world, and I need to figure out if I can be that person—for both our sakes.

“Everything okay?” the older man asks, his kind eyes clouded with worried.

I manage a small, tight-lipped smile, not yet trusting myself to speak. My grip on my emotions is tenuous at best, and I need every ounce of strength not to let them spill over.

“It’s all fine,” I lie, staring at the man I love becoming a smaller and smaller imagine in the side mirror, until he disappears altogether.

Chapter 10

Travis

For years I’ve believed that my wealth and status could shield me from the pain of heartbreak, but Rachel has shown me the truth. Her love, her feisty attitude, and the way she stood up to my mother busted through the walls I’d built around my heart, and now I can’t imagine my life without her.

I’m in love with her. Completely and irrevocably in love.

The realization lands like a ton of bricks, but a sense of peace rolls over me instead of fear or pain. Rachel sees me for who I am, not just a wealthy rancher with a big home and a bunch of land. She’s never once brought my financial status into the conversation. I trust her with my heart in a way I never thought I could after my first wife. I can only hope she lovesme, a stubborn cowboy, just as much.

I know she’ll get home safe, so I stride back to the house, determination in each step. It’s time to make some changes, starting with my meddling mother. She’s been living in my home for far too long, and I’m done with her nonsense.

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