Page 47 of Wrangling Hearts
Weston came to my side, looking at my shaking phone. “Well, answer it, you dipshit!”
I cleared my throat and brought the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“Hello, is this Beaumont McLeod?”
Sweat beaded at my temples. The creek began to spin. “Yes.”
“Hi, this is Trent with Cavendish Equestrian Academy. We met last month when I came to view Circle M with my colleague.”
My chest felt like it was in a vice grip, making each breath a struggle. “I remember.”
“Well, we were really impressed with your ranch and the vision you and Joseph have for our expansion. We believe Circle M is the ideal partner for our company. On behalf of Richard Cavendish, I’d like to offer you a partnership with us?—”
Trent’s voice faded, and everything came to a standstill. I fell to my knees, the rocks biting into my skin, but I couldn’t care. I couldn’t fucking believe it. I did it. Joseph and I did it.
“Thank you so much,” I rasped, white knuckling the phone.
We ended the call, and I fell forward, my forehead meeting the rocks beneath me. “Holy shit,” I whispered, breathing hard. “This can't be real.”
“Good?” Weston asked. “Or do I need to let the Bull Pen know we’re coming to drown our sorrows?”
I stood, feeling invincible, untouchable, worthy. Finally worthy. “So good.” I grinned.
Weston smiled wide. “Hell yeah!” he yelled, his voice bouncing off the trees, and pulled me into a hug, clapping my back. “Congrats, Beau. You’ve worked your ass off for this. You deserve it.”
Everything I had been working towards led up to this moment. Every grueling hour I spent pouring over spreadsheets, sleepless nights working on presentations, hours spent withJoseph so I didn’t screw things up. “Oh my God, I have to call Joseph.”
My hands shook as I found his contact, and when he answered, I couldn’t help it. I cried like an absolute baby. “We did it,” I wept. “We fucking got it.”
“Are you serious?”
I wiped my face, sniffling. My face hurt, I was smiling so hard. “They just called. They’re sendin’ over the paperwork today.”
Joseph started yelling, and I grinned, tears rolling down my cheeks. “Oh man, that’s absolutely incredible. I can’t believe it. This might send Anna into labor,” he laughed, sniffling a little.
I ran a hand over my mouth, laughing. “I couldn’t have done it without you, brother.”
“Yuck.” Weston grimaced next to me, and I smacked his arm, shoving him away.
“We’re in this now. Circle M and Cavendish are going to rule the horse training world.”
“You’re goddamn right!” I shouted, my voice ringing out through the valley.
We got off the phone, and I was floating on cloud nine. I was already wondering what Mount would say. How soon we could start construction.
But when Weston said, “How are you gonna tell Claire?” it all came crumbling down. The excitement, the pride, the joy, the relief—all of it vanished in the blink of an eye. In that moment, I suddenly understood what she meant when she said she couldn’t do this because now I wasn’t so sure either. How was I going to tell her I stole her dream? That she’d have to figure out something else?
It stole the breath right out of my lungs.
I slumped down on a fallen log, head hung between my shoulders. “God, this is gonna break her fuckin’ heart,” I rasped.I didn’t know if I could do it, if I could break the woman I loved’s heart.
I didn’t know when it happened, probably somewhere between that dance and the car ride home from the hospital, but it did. I fell for her—fast and hard—and it was probably about to go up in smoke. How could I have lost something that hadn’t even really begun?
“Claire’s tough,” Weston said. “She’s resilient. I’m sure she’ll be okay.” He sounded like he was trying to convince us both.
And that was the problem. I wasn’t sure she would be okay hearing this news, not with everything going on with Charlotte.
“I gotta go.”
