Page 50 of Marrying a Cowboy

She took a deep breath when she heard a chair pull out. Turning, she saw Mrs. Maverick place her purse on the table and sitdown.

“So, Emma. I’m ready to listen,” she said once she wassituated.

Fifteen minutes later, Emma looked up to see Mrs. Maverick staring at her. She’d dominated the conversation, telling her every last detail. Maybe some of it wasn’t necessary, but it was almost as if Emma needed to say it. That through telling the story, she just might be able to figure out what had happened. What had caused Austin to backaway.

Mrs. Maverick took a long sip of her coffee and then set it down on the table in front of her. “So, it was all fake. Everything.” She glanced over atEmma.

Heat crept up Emma’s skin. “Yes. All ofit.”

“That little feelings confessional you guys held in the kitchen. That was fake?” she asked as she drummed to the table top with herfingertips.

Emma took a deep sigh. “Truth is, no. It wasn’t fake. Not from me. From Austin, it was.” She swallowed as the next words choked her throat. “I meant everyword.”

Mrs. Maverick raised her eyebrows. “What makes you think it was fake fromAustin?”

Emma leaned back and folded her arms almost as if she needed to protect herself. She wasn’t sure where Mrs. Maverick was going with her questions, but she didn’t want to open the wound that she was desperately trying to close. She didn’t need to hear that Austin really cared about her. That he was a fool and just scared. What she needed was closure. To board that plane and never comeback.

“Because he really hasn’t given me any indication that he cares about me. And dropping me off here? Doesn’t really sayplease stay married to me forever.” She motioned toward the taxing plane next tothem.

Mrs. Maverick studied her. “I’ve known Austin his whole life. Honey, that kid is the worst liar. He is even worse at acting. That boy tried to be Peter Pan but instead was like a robot kid.” She leaned forward and pointed her finger at Emma. “I knew that boy might try something like this. I suspected it. But when I heard him say those things to you, I knew what you had was real. Why do you think I signed the papers? That boy loves you and even though he’s being stupid right now, he’s going to figure thatout.”

Emma blinked, trying to push the tears away that threatened to spill. Why was he being like that? Austin didn’t love her. People who love other people don’t shove them into their truck and drop them off at the airport. They don’t let their wife—even a fake one—go around ring less when they have a perfectly good one in theirdrawer.

This was not what she wanted to hear. She couldn’t hopeanymore.

“It was good speaking to you. I hope you have a good life. But I need to go. My plane. . .” What was she going to say? Isn’t really coming for another few hours, but I need to go wait in case it decides to leave early? No. She’d sound like an idiot. “I need to check on myflight.”

She grabbed the handle of her suitcase and turned to walk away. A warm hand rested on her forearm, causing her to halt. When she glanced back around, she was Mrs. Maverick staring up ather.

“Don’t give up on Austin just yet. He’s a fantastic boy. He loves you, I’m sure of it. Just give him some time to work through his past.” Then she gave Emma a smile. “I don’t think this is the last time I’ll be seeing you. Mark mywords.”

Emma nodded, a tear slipping down her cheek. This wasn’t fair. Why was she doing this to her? Making her hope when there was obviously no hope left. “Thank you,” she whispered as she pulled her arm free of Mrs. Maverick’s grasp and race walkedaway.

She needed space. Dipping into the nearest bathroom, she rolled her suitcase into the nearest stall and slammed the door. After it was locked, she leaned against the wall and let the tearsfall.

This was what she needed. A good cry. Let out the emotions that she’d been bottling up. Let go of the stress of trying to fake a marriage that was slowly becoming a real one. And let go of the love that seemed to encircle her chest like a boa constrictor. She loved Austin. And no matter what he said to her, she was going to keep on lovinghim.

But he didn’t love her, despite what Mrs. Maverick said. It was time she accepted that. It was time she movedon.

After blotting her eyes with some toilet paper, she took a deep breath and opened the door. In a few short hours, she’d be home and in her own bed, living her oldlife.

Right now, the monotony of all of that sounded better than the uncertainty of Montana. At this point, she’d even take the over-zealous seniors than Austin’s pushy grandmother. Anything to get away from the pain that was suffocating her chest and breaking herheart.

Austin

Austin growled as he grabbed a hay bale and stacked it on top of the growing pile in his barn. It had been two days since he’d shipped Emma back to New York and no amount of physical labor seemed to push her from his mind. He worked from sun up to sun down. The labor was taxing and exhausting. He’d crawl under his covers physically beat, only to toss and turn from the memory of sleeping in bed withher.

She’d etched herself onto his mind and heart. And no matter what he did, he couldn’t forgether.

“Man, you look terrible,” Sean said, emerging from behind the stack of hay. He’d been mucking out the horses’stables.

“What are you talking about?” Austin asked, grabbing anotherbale.

“You’re pale. You have dark circles around your eyes. You’ve been growling like a bear these last two days. I’m thinking physically draining yourself isn’t helping you forgetEmma.”

Shocks erupted across his skin at the sound of Emma’s name. It was one thing when she lived in the crevices of his mind. It was a whole other thing when her name was said around him. It breathed life into hermemories.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Austin said, heaving a bale off the bed of his truck and tossing it onto thepile.

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