Page 17 of Bringing Home A Cowboy
Her breath catches. “You bought an engagement ring.”
“Couldn’t help it.” I pick it up between my fingers, the diamond flashing once before settling. “It reminded me of you. Simple. Strong. Brighter than it knows.”
She goes still, eyes glimmering. “You’re impossible.”
“So they say.” I nod toward her hand. “Come on, then.”
She hesitates, then extends it slowly—small, pale, trembling just enough to give her away. When I slide the bandonto her finger, something in me settles. The metal’s cool at first, then warms against her skin.
I add the diamond ring, twisting it gently until it rests flush. “There. Now it looks real.”
She stares down at it, voice soft. “It feels real. Really, you didn’t need to spend your money on this. I’ll pay you back.”
My throat tightens. “No, I won’t accept it, Olivia. Besides, once the marriage is dissolved, these rings will be the only physical item I have left to show for it.”
The words hang between us, heavier than I meant them to be. Her eyes meet mine, searching, maybe hoping, maybe afraid to hope.
I clear my throat and step back before I do something stupid like kiss her again. Stepping away, I head for the window. Outside, snow keeps falling, soft and relentless, covering the city in white. Behind me, she exhales — a sound halfway between wonder and confusion. I know there’s no going back to pretending.
I told her the rings were proof for the world. Truth is, they’re proof for me. Somewhere between the ranch and this apartment, I crossed a line I can’t uncross. And God help me, I don’t even want to.
Chapter 11
Olivia
The apartment is quiet except for the muffled city outside. I can still hear his words … “once the marriage is dissolved, these rings will be the only physical item I have left to show for it.” It shouldn’t affect me the way it does. He said it so simply, like a man stating a fact. But something in his voice… the way it roughened around the edges… it sounded like grief. Like he was already missing something that wasn’t gone yet.
The rings catch the lamplight as I turn my hand. Two bands, one with a diamond that sparkles every time I move. He went out into the cold and bought them because it didn’t seem right without them. Who does that? What kind of man does something like that when this marriage isn’t even supposed to be real?
James does.
He stands at the window, shoulders filling the frame like he was built to hold our world still. He looks like he’s thinking of home. Maybe he is.
I’m still staring when he turns slightly, catching me. He doesn’t speak. Just gives me that slow, quiet nod that says he’s not sure what to do either.
I set my hand flat against the table, the metal cool against my skin. “You didn’t have to do that,” I whisper.
He shrugs, still facing the window. “Didn’t feel right not to.”
I rise from the chair before I can talk myself out of it. “James?”
He turns. For a moment, I can’t find words. I just look at him and step closer, drawn by something I don’t want to name.
“You said these would be the only proof you had when it’s over,” I murmur. “But what if it doesn’t feel over?”
His eyes darken a shade. “Careful, Olivia.”
“Of what?”
He exhales, slow. “Of saying something you can’t take back.”
I smile faintly. “Pretty sure we passed that point last night when you kissed me at the holiday party.”
He huffs a laugh, quiet but real, and that’s all it takes to close the last bit of space between us. I reach out, tracing the edge of his sleeve.
“James…”
He catches my wrist gently. “You’re shaking.”
