Page 72 of Ranch Rules

With moisture pooling in her eyes, Natalie forced herself to look at him. “I don’t want to leave,” she choked out before immediately bursting into tears.

“Oh, is that all?”

His words only made her cry harder. She brought her hands up to hide her face as she sobbed. She didn’t want him to see her like this, especially if he didn’t understand.

“Natalie... listen to me...”

But she didn’t want to hear his well thought out, reasoned words. She wanted to just be sad, damn it.

“Natalie...” His arms were around her, pulling her close and she leaned into him despite herself. “Little-bit...”

It was her undoing. Sobs racked her body and she cried until she thought she would never stop. Thomas held her tighter, rubbing her back and murmuring soft words of comfort that she couldn’t hear over her own wails but appreciated nonetheless.

When she finally stopped, brushing tears from her eyes, only lingering hiccups remained to remind her of her crying jag.

“Want me to get you a glass of water?”

“Yes, please,” she whispered, knowing the last thing she deserved was his kindness after snapping at him the way she had.

Thomas made quick work of it and was back at her side in a minute flat setting the cup in front of her.

Natalie took hold of it gratefully with both hands and drank it down in three long gulps.

“Feel better?” Thomas asked when she’d set the cup down.

“Yes, sir.” She wouldn’t meet his gaze.

“Good. I’m glad. Now we can talk.”

She swallowed over the lump in her throat. She had a feeling they were going to do more than exchange words. Regardless of her suspicions, Natalie obediently followed him to the couch, sitting on his lap when he patted his knee.

“Look at me, please.”

Reluctantly, she raised her eyes to his face.

“Now, let’s talk about what’s going on inside that pretty li’l head of yours.”

“You mean you didn’t figure it out with all my crying?” She attempted a smile, her first of the morning.

“Afraid not. We had such a good time yesterday, didn’t we, honey?”

“Yes.” She sniffled, blinking back fresh tears. “But that’s just it.”

“I’m not followin’.”

“I don’t want it to end. I don’t want to stop being with you and...”

“And?”

“Being your little-bit,” she blurted out, burying her face in his shirt immediately to hide her blushing cheeks.

“Ah, I see. So what you’re tellin’ me is you weren’t entirely truthful about that, huh?”

“I guess not,” she mumbled.

“I sorta had a feelin’. Anything else you wanna confess?”

Natalie took a deep breath and looked up at him once more. “I lied when I said I didn’t like being called ‘little girl.’”

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