Second Chance Ranch: a Hope Springs novel (Entangled Bliss) by Cindi Madsen Page B

trying to rise up in him. “I’m not doing this, Sadie. The past is the past.”
    “I just…” She shrugged. “I miss you.” There was no denying he’d missed her, too, but he couldn’t say it. Couldn’t let himself go there again.
    She put her hand on his arm and stepped so close her chest pressed against his. The moonlight glowed on her hair, highlighted her pretty features and spotlighted her full lips. He wanted to drop the soda, take her in his arms, and kiss her. Desire seared a path through his veins and his heart started pumping faster and faster. He shouldn’t still want her the way he did, but heaven help him, he did. Every inch of him trembled with want.
    It’d be too easy to pretend he could give in to it without consequence, but having Sadie as an employee helped minimize risks. Things were finally getting manageable, and he needed her to stay working at the ranch as long as possible. After the whole mess with Cory’s girlfriend quitting after he broke up with her, Royce knew better than to try to mix business and relationships—especially knowing how volatile he and Sadie were together. The odds of it not affecting the camp were pretty much zero, and he couldn’t afford to screw up what was keeping his land and Mom’s alternative camp protected.
    No, he had to be smart, something he rarely was when it came to Sadie. “The ranch and the camp are my life, and my responsibility is to them. I won’t do anything to mess that up. You and I work together, and I have enough on my plate to deal with without adding complications. We need to keep things on a professional level. Do you understand?”
    Her chin quivered, and he had to clench every muscle in his body to keep from reaching out to console her. It was so unfair how girls could cry and make you feel like shit.
    “I understand.” Her eyes lit on his and his stomach lurched. “But if you want to keep things professional, that also means not being an ass to me. I know it’s not all the time, but I don’t deserve it.”
    “You’re right. I’m sorry. You being here has helped me a ton. I should’ve told you that sooner.”
    “Thanks.” She reached up and wrapped a strand of hair around her finger. “Maybe we could even be friends? I could really use a friend right now.”
    His insides turned to mush. “Well, you’ve got me. But that’s all it can be.” The words came out thick, hitting him harder than he’d thought they would. He immediately wanted to take them back, but he held on to his resolve, telling himself it was for the best for both of them in the long run.
    Her smile was laced with sadness, but at least it was a smile. She hooked her hand in the crook of her elbow and they headed toward the rest of their group.
    Maybe they really could be friends. But already, he was starting to feel like he was getting lost in her.

Chapter Seven
    The friendship with Royce was coming along better than expected. Lately they’d gotten along and had conversations that lasted almost a full ten minutes. Of course he’d chosen now to get ready for the upcoming Fourth of July rodeo, what with it being a month away, and watching him rope and ride was a new form of torture. But Sadie had only wanted to throw herself at him a couple of times. A day. Or maybe more like a couple times an hour, if she were being completely honest. So, yeah…totally friends.
    It was progress, anyway.
    Still, when her best friend let her know that she was coming to town for a visit, Sadie called an emergency meeting at the Dairy Freeze. At the time she’d been focused on the getting-ice-cream aspect, but as soon as she stepped inside, she knew she should’ve chosen another location. The Dairy Freeze was just another one of those frozen-in-time places, bursting at the seams with memories of being here with Royce after school, sitting on his lap as they shared the five-scoop banana split.
    There were also framed newspaper clippings covering the wall, everything from