Page 11 of Taming the Billionaire Cowboy
“You promised!” he says. “You said we’d see the animals again.”
The weight of his words settles heavily in my chest. “We will,” I tell him. “We’ll see them again. I just… don’t know when.”
“But how?” His face is small and serious, reminding me again that he’s growing up too fast.
“I need some time to figure it out,” I say, more to myself than to him.
“Okay,” he says. “But Mack already sold the ranch. You can’t make a new plan.”
I reach over and ruffle his hair. “Sure, I can. Making new plans is what moms do best.”
“But we will see the animals again?”
God, he’s not letting this one go. His anxiety, so like my own, is getting under my skin, and I have to hold my tongue so I don’t snap at him.
“I already answered your question,” I say. “It’s bath time now.”
He pouts a little bit, but by the time he’s bathed and is in his twin bed listening to a story podcast for kids, he seems to be distracted enough. Smoothing his hair, I give him a kiss on the forehead.
“Goodnight, baby,” I whisper. “See you in the morning.”
“And don’t forget about pancakes,” he says, voice almost lost in a yawn.
“I won’t. I promise.”
I switch off the light and linger in the doorway, watching him as he settles into dreams. When I’m sure he’s finally out, I head back to the kitchen.
Gripping the edge of the sink, I gaze at the dark window, where my reflection looks depleted. Even if Bradley weren’t so worried, I would still be freaking out. There’s no way I can let Oliver handle the animals alone. No way at all.
An idea forms in my mind, and I grab my phone, knowing I need to take action before I have the chance to talk myself out of it.
“Hey,” Ferris answers.
“Hey. Sorry to call so late.”
“No, it’s okay. What’s up? Everything okay?”
“Yes, yes. It’s fine.” I sit at the table, trying to figure out where to start explaining the current situation to my cousin. “Can youcome over here for a while? Bradley is asleep, but I need to run out, and…”
“Totally…” she hesitates. “Are you sure everything is fine?”
“We’re okay. The ranch, though, I’m not sure. This new owner is completely clueless. He’s some rich guy who wants to play cowboy, and he thinks he can do it himself without any help, but he’s never even seen a red chicken before — didn’t even know they could be that color. And the way he smirks all the time… I dunno, it doesn’t matter, but I’m not sure he even fed the animals right and?—”
“Hey, Carly, it’s all good. I got you. I can be over there in ten.”
I suck in a long breath. If she hadn’t cut me off when she did, I might have passed out. “Thank you. See you soon.”
I hang up and sit in the dark, the house too quiet without Bradley’s running commentary. Ferris will be here soon, and then what will I do? Go to the ranch and ask Oliver to run through the feeding checklist with me like he’s some kind of toddler who needs to have his hand held?
I’ll probably look crazy.
My thumb is back on my phone screen, ready to call it off, but the animals’ faces fill my mind again. Rusty. Lou Lou. The brown and white baby goats. Even the grumpy old barn cat Mack calls Chester. Oliver has no idea what he’s gotten himself into, and if I don’t step up, then no one else will.
I don’t know what I’ll say when I get to the ranch, how I’ll explain my appearance without sounding patronizing. All I know is that I need to get there ASAP.
By the time Ferris arrives, I’ve slipped on my sneakers, grabbed my purse, and moved on to pacing the living room. She lets herself in through the front door, our ease in each other’s homes an extension of the open door policy we basically lived by as kids. Growing up, we were down the street from each other, and now she’s only a few blocks away from my place.
“That’s…” I say, checking the time on my phone, “ten minutes on the dot.”
