Page 39 of Taming the Billionaire Cowboy
The air turns sticky and thick, the smell of rain working its way through the ranch. It’s heavy on my skin and on the top of my tongue, heavy in my lungs when I take a breath. The horses toss their heads and prance, anxious from the oncoming storm.
I know before I’m in the saddle that we won’t make it to the barnyard in time. We’re a mile away, and the lightning is closer than that. We need to take cover, quick.
“Come on!” I shout above the wind. “There’s an old stable close by!”
A crack of thunder breaks over our heads, closer than before, and the wind howls through the empty space around us. We duck our heads against the rain, and I guide Oliver down an incline to the weathered, broken-down stable by the tree line. It hasn’t been used in years, its boards cracked and falling down, but it should do to shelter us from the storm.
The rain picks up right as we reach the stable, big fat drops making it hard to see. We bring the horses inside, both of them skittish and wide-eyed but safer than they were out in the open.
Inside, it’s musty and dark, but it’s better than being out in the storm. Oliver ties the horses and pets them while I find some dry hay for us to sit on. To my surprise, there are also some old blankets, only a little dusty.
The noise outside is a mess of wild energy, but at least the horses have calmed down now that they’re in the familiarity of a stable, even if it’s not the one they normally call home.
“Think we’re stuck for a while,” Oliver says, shaking out his wet hair.
The rain drums against the roof, and it feels like my heart. Fast. Loud. Certain. My clothes are damp, my hair slicked to my neck, and I take a seat on a blanket, unsure of what to do with myself.
“So what should we do? Play Truth or Dare?”
He lifts an eyebrow and grins, and I immediately regret the suggestion. “Never mind.” I shake my head. “We’re not ten.”
He sits next to me, his arm only inches away from mine. His clothes are as damp as mine, and I try my hardest not to stare at the way they stick to his form.
“No, let’s do it. I’ll go first. Truth or dare?”
I suck in a sharp breath and pray to God I won’t regret this. “Truth.”
“What did you think of me when you first met me?” He starts to smile, but it quickly falls away, and I can see the tension there. He really cares about my opinion.
“Can I be honest?” I ask.
“It’s truth or dare.”
“I didn’t think you’d last a week,” I admit.
“I didn’t think I’d last a week either,” he says, leaning back on his hands. “But now it feels like… I don’t know. Feels like maybe it’s not so impossible.”
“You’ve changed a lot, Oliver.” I want to tell him everything, how proud I am, how amazing he is.
I want to tell him that I care. That I care too much. I want to tell him it’s too good, and it scares me, and I can’t let him break my heart.
“I had to.” He’s quiet for a moment, and I can see the wheels turning, can see him thinking about what to say next. “I had a panic attack,” he finally says. “Back in Houston. That’s why I bought the ranch.”
His eyes stay on me, waiting to see if I’ll pull away. I don’t, even though I want to. Not because I don’t care, but because I do.
“I was in a meeting and the deal went south, and I thought I was dying. My heart was going like crazy, and my hearing cut out. It was bad, Carly.” He shakes his head. “Real bad. It was the first time something like that happened… I really thought I might die.”
“I’m sorry,” I say softly. The storm thrashes at the walls, and it feels like the wildness is far away now, all outside and not in here with us.
“The doctor said it was from stress,” Oliver continues. “He told me to chill out.” He looks at me with a little smile, a tiny, hopeful smile that makes me want to kiss him more than I’ve ever wanted to kiss anyone. “Thought I’d give it a try.”
“And is it working?” I ask.
“You tell me,” he says. “I’ve never felt more alive.”
He’s honest, and it tears down everything I’ve been holding up to separate us. It breaks through every wall, every defense I have, and leaves me sitting here, ready for more.
“You know what?” he asks.
