Page 2 of Dirty Cowboy

Mom stirs his tea, leans in, and presses a kiss to his forehead. He reaches up, fingers brushing her chin, and pulls her into a slow, tender kiss that feels like a goodbye wrapped in a memory.

“I love you, Wilma,” he whispers.

She blinks rapidly, swiping at her eyes. “I love you too, Fred.”

The grandfather clock in the corner ticks away the seconds, cruel and unyielding.

Losing him isn’t a possibility anymore. It’s a countdown.

He shifts, turning his attention my way. “Tell me about work, Ems.”

I swallow hard, forcing a smile. “Julian and Tristan are still treating me like their personal intern instead of a partner.”

His brow furrows. “Didn’t you jump the gun on that Markham case?”

I groan, throwing my head back. “Oh my God, are we still talking about that? Those photos were staged!”

“But your brothers took the credit, didn’t they?” he counters, his gaze sharp despite the weakness in his body.

Bingo.

I cross my arms. “It doesn’t count against my success rate.”

He chuckles. “Thorough investigators don’t act on impulse. Trust your gut and your smarts.”

My head drops forward. Trust my gut? Sure. But how can I prove myself when my brothers shove me into the background like an afterthought?

He taps my chin, forcing me to look at him. “You’re a Silver, Emma. You find a way.”

I wipe my eyes. “Thanks, but if that were true, Eric Waters would know I exist.”

He smirks. “Ah. That day in Lords Valley?”

Heat creeps up my neck. “Shadow was the foal’s name.”

“And you swore you’d ride her until Eric noticed you.”

I groan. “Can we not?”

He chuckles again, but then his expression shifts. “Eric’s struggling with Shadow.”

My spine stiffens. “He is?”

He nods, shifting in the bed. “I’d give anything to help him, but my body won’t let me. Maybe you can?”

The carefree moments of horse riding flash through my mind, but I can’t leave my dying father in his last days of life. My stomach twists. “I live in New York.”

“But your heart doesn’t,” he says simply.

Damn it. He’s right.

The clock ticks, the sound loud in the silence between us.

“Why would I go to Lords Valley?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

“To prove you deserve that partnership.”

I blink. “What?”

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