Page 110 of My Silver Lining

“Oh, there’s nothing sexier than an alpha cowboy,” she said.

Axel barked out a laugh as he grabbed a bale of hay off the back of his truck and dropped it on the ground. “That’s going in the group chat. We’re all going to start calling you Alpha Cowboy.”

“If the boots fit,” Lulu said over her laughter.

“Thanks for that.” I shook my head and climbed onto Hank. I’ve had him for about four years, and he was a stunning stallion. Lulu was riding his brother, Bucky, because he was much easier to keep in check. “You ready?”

“I’m ready, Cowboy,” she sang out excitedly, and I could hear my cousin laughing as we took off.

The mountains were gorgeous out here, and she hadn’t gotten to explore this side of Rosewood River a whole lot.

I took her down my favorite trail that very few people knew about, and she surprised me when she stayed right behind me through the narrow passes. We’d been out for over an hour, and I used my hand to motion for her to come up beside me as I came to a stop. “This is my favorite spot out here. You’ve got the perfect view of the river and the mountains, and the smell of pine makes it even better.”

“Wow. It’s stunning. It feels good to be outside today. I missed riding. Henley and I used to ride all the time at boarding school.”

She told me about her high school experience, and we laughed at how different ours had been. She went to boardingschool, and I was here in Rosewood River, attending a school that all my siblings and cousins attended, as well.

“I try to ride as often as I can. It clears my mind,” I said. “Haven’t been riding much with keeping the horses out at Axel’s ranch.”

“You seem a little distracted this morning. What’s on your mind, Cowboy?” she said, her voice laced with humor, but when I looked up, I saw the concern in her eyes.

Obviously, I was more than aware that this was our last weekend together, and that was weighing on me more than I thought it would. We still had several days until she left. I was being a pussy, and I wasn’t proud of it.

But I sure as hell wasn’t going to tell her that I was struggling with our brutal reality.

“I’m starting to think that Joseph is never going to support me leaving him. In fact, I would bet all the money I have in the bank that he’s doing all he can to keep me right where I am.”

“Yep. He’s a professional cockblock,” she said with a shrug.

I leaned forward on a laugh. “What the hell does that mean?”

“You know what a cockblock is. He’s just doing it professionally. He’s interfering with you breaking off on your own.” She shrugged. “And there’s only one reason that he would do that.”

“And what is that, ole wise one?”

“It’s because he knows how good you are. He needs you because if you leave him, people will follow. Employees and clients. So, in reality, he wants to hold you back because he fears you.”

“Damn. You appear to know a lot about this.”

“People have been trying to hold me back most of my life. I just see it more clearly now.” She shrugged. “And you know what?”

“What?” I chuckled.

“Fuck Joseph Chapman. He’s shown you who he is. The big question is, are you going to believe him?”

“It’s not that simple, Lu. It’s not the perfect time to jump. I need to get a few more clients to commit to me first,” I said. I’ve been crunching the numbers and saving for this day, but I kept changing the number I’d need to pull this off the closer I got.

“A very wise man once said, if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth.”

“Did you just quote Rocky Balboa?” I barked out a laugh.

“Damn straight. That man has helped me through half the decisions I’ve made in my life.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I stared out at the water.

“I have a better idea. How about I take your mind off of things and race you to your stables? Then I’ll let you have your way with me.”

“Now you’re speaking my language, Lulu Sonnet.”

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