Page 51 of Marrying a Cowboy

Sean leaned against the stack, grabbing out a piece of straw and chewing on it. “Man, you’ve got it bad,” he said, nodding in Austin’s direction. “You’re like a moonyteenager.”

Austin shot him a look. “I don’t have itbad.”

Sean shrugged. “I just call it like I see it. And I see it as you’ve got a crush on your wife.” He raised his finger. “I mean, your fakewife.”

“I don’t,” Austin said, throwing a handful of straw Sean’sdirection.

Sean batted them away and stood. “Oh, I’ve got it wrong. You don’t have a crush. You actually love yourwife.”

Austin’s heart pounded at the words. Love? He didn’t love Emma. Did he? “I don’t love my wife—err, fakewife.”

Sean just raised his hands. “I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. You should love yourwife.”

Austin turned to grab another bale of hay but then paused, his hands tucked into the strings. Suddenly, a rush of exhaustion raced through him and his shoulders slumped. As much as he wanted to deny it, there was truth to what Sean said. Could it bepossible?

He swallowed as he paused and studied the expansiveness of the fields in front of him. For the first time in a while, he listened to his heart. And it ached. Ached for how he treated Emma. Ached for the fact that she was no longer around. And it ached because he let her leave before he could tell her exactly how hefelt.

“You’re realizing it, aren’t you,” Sean said from behindhim.

Turning, Austin saw Sean studyinghim.

“What?”

Sean shrugged. “I can tell from your slouched shoulders, you’re realizing just how much you love that woman. That she wasn’t just a fake wife to you. That she meant more.” He tapped his forehead. “I’m not an idiot. I can see when two people love each other. And that girl loved you just as much as you lovedher.”

Austin’s heart soared at Sean’s words. Emma loved him? “She lovesme?”

Sean scoffed. “Bad.”

What a fool he’d been. Why had he pushed her away? How was keeping her far away keeping her safe? Regret and fear flooded his chest. “But, what if I hurther?”

Sean narrowed his eyes. “Accidents happen. You can’t protect everyone. But isn’t love worth fighting for?” He took a few steps toward Austin’s truck and leaned againstit.

Austin fiddled with a piece of straw in front of him. Sean’s words rolled around in his mind. Truth was, yes. Love was definitely worth fighting for. And Emma, she was everything he’d ever wanted and more. He was an idiot to let her slip through hisfingers.

“Go. I’ll take care of this ranch,” Sean said, clapping his hand down onto Austin’sshoulder.

Austin glanced over at his best friend. “Yousure?”

Sean nodded. “You’re no good to me here in your moony state. Go. She loves you. I’m sure ofit.”

Austin nodded. “Okay. I will.” He started walking toward his house but paused. Fear dominated isthoughts.

“You’ll be fine. She’ll forgiveyou.”

Austin turned back around and clenched his hands. He could do this. He loved Emma which meant nothing else mattered. He’d face every fear he had just to let her know how he felt even if it meant she’d reject him. He owed it to Emma and his heart, and he wasn’t going to back downnow.

Chapter Twenty

Emma

The music surrounded Emma.She sat at the back table of Samson and Dottie’s reception, trying to look as if she belonged. She didn’t know why she’d allowed her mom to talk her into coming to this wedding. She didn’t know anyone and was rapidly feeling like anidiot.

But, her mom had insisted. After she found out Emma had married Austin at the courthouse just to get her off Emma’s back, she proclaimed that their relationship needed work and insisted that they spend every spare momenttogether.

Going alone with her mom on a work assignment seemed a bit much but she didn’t want to argue. Plus, this was a lot better than her mother’s book group who thought that drinking wine and going over the latest gossip magazines counted as readingbooks.

She sighed as she leaned back in her chair. Why was she having such a hard time here? It wasn’t like she didn’t attend most weddings as a single girl. But now, she was a single sort-of-married-but-not-quite girl.Weird.

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