Page 94 of The Cowboy's Country Charm

“Likely she wants to tell me she’s gone back to him.” He shook his head. “It was going really good. And no, I shouldn’t have hit the creep. But is that a reason for her to throw away our relationship? You’re a woman. Explain.”

She laughed, a sorry, small laugh. “I don’t think that makes me an instant expert oneverywoman. But I can say that misunderstandings are common in relationships. And the only way to clear them up is to talk to each other.”

“Talk to her so she can blow me off? Mom warned me of this.”

“Mom? She told me at the gala that she liked Kristy. And she was glad to see you so happy. Me too. When Kristy won the bid, she was jumping up and down like a schoolgirl at the home team’s winning football game. That’s not the action of someone who’s suddenly ready to go off with another man.”

“Then explain what he was doing at her apartment.”

“Ask her.”

He shook his head again.

“At least come back home. Misty can’t stay out here forever. Did you even bring enough grain for her?”

“I don’t neglect horses. Of course I did.”

“But likely not enough for another night?”

She had him there.

“I brought some biscuits and butter. You chow down, and I’ll go tack up Misty and we’ll ride out of here. Deal?”

His stomach was flipping over the biscuit smell. “Fine. But I’m not calling her.”

“If you don’t want to call her, okay. Just come back home. Mom’s been calling too. She’s worried.”

“What did you say?”

“That you were out in the field doing something for Cort. That will only hold our mother for so long.”

He took the bag. Bandit made a mournful whimper.

“After me, buddy.” He ruffled the border collie’s fur.

As he rode back with his sister, he wondered how he was going to go on without Kristy in his life. One minute he was imagining a future together, the next he was mourning the loss.

“I haven’t been to that cabin in years,” Lexi said. She’d ridden one of Cort’s ranch horses, a dun-colored mare with an easy gait.

“Since you and Cort were teenagers?”

Lexi had been a pretty “adventurous” in her teenage years, so it had been a surprise when she went into something as stuffy as investment banking. Now that she was back on the ranch, she seemed much more like the Lexi he’d grown up with. Energetic, creative, and horse crazy.

She giggled. “Maybe.”

“Junie and I knew you were sneaking off with Cort. I was this close to having a word with him when he took off.” He’d been concerned that the young city slicker had been leading his sister on. When Cort disappeared, Rusty had been angry with himself for not confronting the teenager sooner. Lexi’s heart had been sorely broken. He’d often wondered if her move into the corporate world had something to do with Cort abandoning her like that.

“I was devastated. If he’d just talked to me, we wouldn’t have wasted all those years apart.”

“Well, she’s the one taking off. So she needs to do the talking.”

“And you need to listen. Not jump to conclusions.”

“It’s not such a big jump, unfortunately.”

Rusty fished his phone out of his side pocket. There was only one bar. He checked the call list history. There were several from Kristy, one from his former commander, no doubt asking for an answer, and a recent text from Ariel. What did Ariel want with him?

Chapter 24

---