Page 32 of The Cowboy and His Beauty
I don't waste time. I dive in and tell her what's happened in the last few days. We talk for a few hours, and by the end, I have a solid game plan. Now all I have to do is put it in place.
Dash
I've been awake all night, and now I lie here waiting for dawn so I can get up. I thought about last night over and over again, every word that was said.
I've decided I want to talk to Sky. I want to fight for her. I screwed things up once, but I'm not doing it again. This time, I'm going to fight for her. I'm going to fight for us.
I don't make coffee, and wait for her to join me, but she doesn't. I make breakfast for the ranch hands before going to check on her.
I knock on her door, but nothing. I knock again and listen. There's no movement inside. Then I notice her car isn’t in the driveway. I head back to the house and grab the keys to unlock her door.
The place smells like her, with a few key differences. Her clothes aren't in the closet. Her dresser drawers are open and empty. When I finally make it back to the kitchen, I find a note on the island.
Dash,
Like I said in the car last night, I need some space to think and process all of this, and I can't do that here with you.
I'm heading down to spend some time with Sarah in Rock Springs to clear my mind.
I don't know when I'll be back, but I plan to spend my time doing what I should have been doing here—figuring out my next steps.
Sky.
She left.
Did she leave last night? I wasn't before I got up this morning. Instead of sticking around to work it out, she left. The worst part is I can't even get mad at her because last time it was me who left instead of staying around to talk it out.
It's the perfect taste of my own medicine, isn't it?
But I have to know she's okay. I have to know she made it to Rock Springs safely, if nothing else.
Me: I got your note. Please let me know you’re okay.
I didn't expect a text message back so soon.
Sky: I'm fine.
Two words are all she sends me, and I guess I deserve that.
Me: Can we talk? Please.
Sky: There's nothing to talk about.
When I get her text, I feel like I can't breathe. I can't lose her again.
How many nights did I stay up in my bunk, thinking of her and promising myself that If I ever got another chance with her, I wouldn't screw it up?
Well, here I am with another chance and I screwed it up, but I'm sure as hell not letting her go so easily.
Chapter 20
Sky
I arrived in Rock Springs late last night and barely got any sleep. I was up at dawn, lying in bed, when Dash's texts came in.
After that, I knew there was no way I was going back to sleep, so I got up, got dressed, and went for a walk on the ranch. Every ranch looks different at the first light of dawn before people get moving and the ranch comes to life.
If I listen hard enough, I can hear everyone starting their day back at the house, but the further I walk into the field, the quieter it gets. That quiet is what I crave right now. And I know one place on the ranch I'll be sure to get it.
