Page 67 of Cowboys Next Door

Months ago, those things were foreign concepts to me, but as I pull up to the Atherton Tower, the ache I feel being out of Montana is real and painful. I can’t wait to get back. I already feel like I’ve been in Seattle too long.

I check in and stare at the posh interior with some awe. I hadn’t been expecting such opulence when Eli promised to arrange for the room. Roman columns hold up gold twined balconies, the lobby reminiscent of a palace more than a place to crash for a couple of days.

“I’m not letting you stay in some shithole,” he assured me. “Let me handle it.”

Wow! How much money does farming hay make?

I’ve always suspected that Connor’s ranch does well, based on his shiny new truck and full staff at the ranch, his beautiful glass house, but I’d never suspected that Eli is so well off to afford such a place. His simple ranch-style home has never boasted the same kind of luxury as Connor’s, or even the spaciousness of Hudson’s.

All three of them do well for themselves!

It makes me even more excited to get the BB back up and running. I want them all to be more successful, too, and now it seems like they have more business experience than I thought.

“The pool is downstairs next to the gym,” the front desk employee informs me, handing me the keycard. “The concierge will be able to book your appointments at the spa. We have two restaurants—a steakhouse and one with Italian fare. You’re in room five-oh-seven. Enjoy your stay, Miss Winterbourne.”

“Uh… thanks.” I reach for my duffel bag, but an attendant is already at my side. “No, it’s okay,” I reassure him. “I can handle this.”

The kid backs off and grins at me as I hurry toward the gilded elevators, shaking my head.

I arrive at the elevator and reach into my back pocket to call the guys and let them know I’ve arrived safely, just like I promised Eli and Hudson I would when I left.

Connor hasn’t shown up since leaving the second I arrived from the grocery store yesterday, and he hasn’t answered my texts. I asked Gran about it, but she claims he’s just being a grump.

I write it off as him still being annoyed with me for coming to Washington, but I’ll make it up to him when I get home. There’s not much I can do about it from Seattle.

“Hello, Princess,” Hudson answers the phone, and I press the button to go up. “Have you arrived?”

“I sure feel like a princess in this place,” I laugh. “Is Eli with you?”

“No, he’s with your grandma tonight, and I’m home.”

I frown. “Isn’t Connor supposed to be with her tonight?”

Hudson pauses, and I hear his voice tensing. “Connor didn’t show up.”

My smile fades away as the elevator dings and opens, a small crowd of rowdy businessmen exiting. They eye me and move on as I slide inside in their absence.

“He didn’t?” I’m stunned. “Did you call him? Is he okay?”

“He’s not answering, and I’m sure he’s fine. I went there myself. He’s home, but he’s not answering the door. Katherine called to let us know.”

My brow furrows. “I’ll try calling him in a minute.”

“He’s pissed about something.”

“Me being here, most likely.”

“If that’s it, I’m going to kick his ass. That’s completely ridiculous. What if something had happened to your grandma? I don’t know what the hell is wrong with him sometimes.”

I admit that this is bizarre, even if Connor is mad at me for leaving. He wouldn’t put Gran in jeopardy. “Look, I’ll be home in a couple of days, and everything will settle down. Once we get back into a routine, Connor will be fine, too.”

“Just hurry back.”

“I will,” I promise. “I already miss you guys.”

“We miss you, too.”

I promise to call him in the morning, and when I hang up, I try Connor’s phone, but it goes directly to voicemail. I debate whether to leave a message but decide not to. If his phone is off, he doesn’t want to talk.

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