Page 39 of Catch Me, Cowboy
“Don’t invest.”
“I don’t think that’s possible.”
“Then own your investment.” Shelby tilted her head to one side and Cassie said, “He did things on his terms. You do things on yours.”
“I don’t even know what that means.” Shelby brought her forehead down to rest on her folded hands, then quickly brought it back up again.
Jason Grey didn’t like it when people passed out in his establishment, or looked as if they were passed out—especially not this early in the evening.
“It means take what you want. Don’t expect anything in return.”
“I’m not wired that way.”
Cassie leaned closer. “How are you wired?”
“I’m wired to give and get. And to not be left behind.”
Cassie frowned at her. “Being left behind was your choice.”
“It was my choice with Ty.”
“I don’t understand…” An expression of dawning understanding crossed Cassie’s face. “Your mom.”
Shelby gave a small shrug. “I have a thing about losing people.”
“I can understand that, but… Ty rode broncs when you guys were together. Didn’t that bother you?”
“Yes.”
“Yet you said nothing—to me anyway.”
“I refused to think about it.” Cassie frowned at her and Shelby made a small gesture. “I never acknowledged that it bothered me.” Not even to herself.
Weekend rodeos during the summer had been hell enough, but when he’d announced that he was going to be on the road full time…
“I was never okay with his riding. I… think I was afraid of losing him. Kind of like I lost Mom. I’ve only deeply loved three people in my life. I lost one. I wasn’t ready to lose another.”
Cassie leaned even closer. “Did you let him go on purpose?”
“I don’t know.”
But even if she had, it didn’t change the here and now. She certainly would never again ask himnotto go. Now that she was older, and hopefully a touch wiser, she realized had he stayed four years ago, when he’d so desperately wanted to pursue his career, it would have spelled trouble for their relationship—exactly as he’d tried to tell her before. Ultimatums were not the answer.
And trust her to learn that the hard way.
She looked up at Cassie and sighed. “Cass… I think I still love him and I don’t know how to handle it.”
*
Ty flopped overon the uncomfortable bunk, then sat up and leaned his head back against the jalousie window before scrubbing a hand over his face. He was still angry—almost as angry as he’d been when Shelby had told him to never call her again. When she’d shut off a two-year relationship just like that and he’d gone cold inside. Told himself if that was the way she wanted things, that was the way they would be. Fooled himself into thinking he’d moved past the anger into the realm of not caring about her if she didn’t care about him.
He’d managed to fool himself until he drove into Marietta and had headed south toward the Forty-Six like a homing pigeon. But there was no happy ending waiting for him on the ranch. He’d hurt Shelby and she’d hurt him. He was willing to try again, but he’d been the only one in that frame of mind. Or rather, he’d been the only one until tonight. Now neither of them was in that frame of mind.
She wanted him gone and as soon as he got the fucking fence done, wish granted.
His phone rang, startling him, and he scooped it up off the window sill beside him, sitting up a little straighter when he saw his brother’s name on the screen.
“Austin, what’s up?”
