Page 73 of Long Hard Fall

“You know him?” Jessica breathed. She stood right next to Abbi, staring out the window.

God, Cash looked good. The clothes he wore under his standard tan coat made her mouth quirk. Black jeans and a white button-up shirt. He’d worn his good clothes for her.

“I just want you to know how sorry I am.” Hope flared in his expression, then died. “I can finally see why you were angry. You and I were a good team and I know we didn’t date long, but I didn’t need long to know you’re the girl for me.” A spark of alarm lit his gaze. “Unless you’ve found someone else, then Patsy Cline and I will get on along.”

Jessica slapped the speaker button. “She hasn’t. Totally single.”

“Jessica,” Abbi hissed. She slapped Jessica’s hand away to talk to Cash. “Cash, you’re on a damn horse in Green Bay in January.”

He lifted a shoulder. “Since we’re having a streak of unseasonably warm weather, the guys and I planned…this.”

“Just to talk to me?”

“We thought it struck a good balance between crazy and sincere.”

“They helped you plan this?”

Cash nodded solemnly. “They called me a ranching zombie on Christmas.”

Abbi swallowed, her throat suddenly tight with emotion. “I think they’d call me that, too. A banking zombie.”

“I would,” Jessica muttered.

“I talked to your parents,” he said.

Abbi’s jaw dropped again.

“I explained everything about Dan—Perry. And me.” He lifted a brow and gave her a pointed look. “Everything. I can’t say I won them over about me, but I think they’re reserving judgment until they see what you do.”

“You talked to my parents?”

He ducked his head. “Me and Dillon.”

Oh. She had to take a moment to process. What had they thought when Cash had shown up on their doorstep? How much did it matter to her what they thought?

Pasty Cline shifted, Cash atop her, calm as could be. Granted, they’d had a warm streak all week, but he’d driven here—with a horse. For her. And her parents. Because no matter what she told herself, it was important her parents accepted Cash. Not critical, but a deep need she wanted met.

He was here. After she’d given him a huge brush-off. Patsy Cline whinnied. Cash wouldn’t risk his horse. He was being smart, and crazy, but not irresponsible—because he knew that was what she wanted.

She tapped the speaker button. “Got room for one more?”

Cash waited for Abbi to slide into the booth, then he parked himself next to her.

“Oh!” Frankie’s mouth flickered like she was fighting a huge grin.

He glanced up. “I hope you don’t mind I brought a friend.”

“Travis’s plan worked, I see.” She sat across from them and her coworker loaded their table up with water and coffee.

“Barely.” Abbi rolled her eyes. “I mean, he had to beg and plead, and I just felt sorry for him and gave in.”

He draped an arm over the back of the booth and around Abbi’s shoulders, as if he hadn’t held her all weekend. Well…they’d been doin’ other stuff.

“Yeah, that’s why you rushed out and vaulted onto Patsy Cline’s back.”

“I did not vault.”

“High-jumped?”

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