had borne the brunt of that bitterness.
Karly loved her own career as an import buyer—loved the travel to foreign countries—and feared that love might not be enough for her, either, if she had to give up all of that. Had she been wrong about her feelings for her job? Could she have been happy being the wife of a ranch foreman in a remote part of Wyoming when all she’d ever known was living in a city with conveniences just steps from her apartment door?
She’d been so sure of everything when she left Seattle to come to the ranch for him to sign the new set of divorce papers. But then she’d seen him—stayed with him, had him treat her like his wife—and the doubts about her decision had set in.
She might have been able to keep things in perspective if she hadn’t been stranded on the ranch by the airport workers’ strike. She’d have gone back to Washington, filed the papers for the dissolution of their marriage and resumed her career with the confidence she was doing the right thing.
The trouble had come from seeing him again, being in his arms and experiencing the magic of his kiss. It all reminded her of what she’d wanted when she’d walked down that aisle in Vegas—what she was giving up—and had her questioning herself at every turn.
Had there been serious flaws in her reasoning? By insisting they continue with the divorce was she making the biggest mistake of her life? Would he even give her a second chance if she did want for them to try to make their marriage work?
Karly glanced over at Blake when he parked the truck beside the foreman’s cottage. The way he held her—kissed her—he seemed open to rekindling what they’d found together in Las Vegas. But he hadn’t once mentioned wanting her to change her mind. He’d even signed the divorce papers without a word of protest or even the slightest hesitation.
She sighed when he got out of the truck and she waited for him to walk around to open the passenger door. She wasn’t nearly as sure of everything as she’d been when she arrived here. And the only way she was going to determine what was best would be to stay with Blake on the ranch and give herself the time to sort it all out.
Six
O n Sunday morning when Blake walked back into the foreman’s cottage after getting their breakfast from the bunkhouse cook, Karly was seated at the table waiting for him. “I thought you’d still be asleep,” he said as he set the containers of food on the kitchen island.
“My phone woke me,” she said, her tone pensive. He noticed her tightly clasped hands resting on the table in front of her. Her knuckles were white and she looked like she had something pretty heavy on her mind.
Without giving it a second thought, he walked over to where she sat, took her hands in his and pulled her to her feet. “What’s wrong?” he asked, loosely holding her to him. He wasn’t sure why, but it bothered him to think she might be worried about anything at all.
Instead of her backing away as he thought she might, she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest. “The strike at the Denver airport is over. The airline can get me on a flight out of Cheyenne tomorrow morning.”
She didn’t sound overly happy about it and he took that as a sign that despite what she’d said last night on the way home from the main house, she wanted to stay with him a little longer. And that was just fine with him. He told himself that he was okay with it because he hadn’t yet discovered what had originally changed her mind about them. But if he was perfectly honest with himself, he would have to admit that he wanted to spend more time with her before he had to say goodbye and watch her drive out of his life for good. The way he saw it, having one more day with her was worth whatever hell he would have to face of a lifetime without her.
“You don’t have to leave.” He put his index finger beneath her chin to tilt her head up until their eyes
Karly loved her own career as an import buyer—loved the travel to foreign countries—and feared that love might not be enough for her, either, if she had to give up all of that. Had she been wrong about her feelings for her job? Could she have been happy being the wife of a ranch foreman in a remote part of Wyoming when all she’d ever known was living in a city with conveniences just steps from her apartment door?
She’d been so sure of everything when she left Seattle to come to the ranch for him to sign the new set of divorce papers. But then she’d seen him—stayed with him, had him treat her like his wife—and the doubts about her decision had set in.
She might have been able to keep things in perspective if she hadn’t been stranded on the ranch by the airport workers’ strike. She’d have gone back to Washington, filed the papers for the dissolution of their marriage and resumed her career with the confidence she was doing the right thing.
The trouble had come from seeing him again, being in his arms and experiencing the magic of his kiss. It all reminded her of what she’d wanted when she’d walked down that aisle in Vegas—what she was giving up—and had her questioning herself at every turn.
Had there been serious flaws in her reasoning? By insisting they continue with the divorce was she making the biggest mistake of her life? Would he even give her a second chance if she did want for them to try to make their marriage work?
Karly glanced over at Blake when he parked the truck beside the foreman’s cottage. The way he held her—kissed her—he seemed open to rekindling what they’d found together in Las Vegas. But he hadn’t once mentioned wanting her to change her mind. He’d even signed the divorce papers without a word of protest or even the slightest hesitation.
She sighed when he got out of the truck and she waited for him to walk around to open the passenger door. She wasn’t nearly as sure of everything as she’d been when she arrived here. And the only way she was going to determine what was best would be to stay with Blake on the ranch and give herself the time to sort it all out.
Six
O n Sunday morning when Blake walked back into the foreman’s cottage after getting their breakfast from the bunkhouse cook, Karly was seated at the table waiting for him. “I thought you’d still be asleep,” he said as he set the containers of food on the kitchen island.
“My phone woke me,” she said, her tone pensive. He noticed her tightly clasped hands resting on the table in front of her. Her knuckles were white and she looked like she had something pretty heavy on her mind.
Without giving it a second thought, he walked over to where she sat, took her hands in his and pulled her to her feet. “What’s wrong?” he asked, loosely holding her to him. He wasn’t sure why, but it bothered him to think she might be worried about anything at all.
Instead of her backing away as he thought she might, she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest. “The strike at the Denver airport is over. The airline can get me on a flight out of Cheyenne tomorrow morning.”
She didn’t sound overly happy about it and he took that as a sign that despite what she’d said last night on the way home from the main house, she wanted to stay with him a little longer. And that was just fine with him. He told himself that he was okay with it because he hadn’t yet discovered what had originally changed her mind about them. But if he was perfectly honest with himself, he would have to admit that he wanted to spend more time with her before he had to say goodbye and watch her drive out of his life for good. The way he saw it, having one more day with her was worth whatever hell he would have to face of a lifetime without her.
“You don’t have to leave.” He put his index finger beneath her chin to tilt her head up until their eyes
Similar Books
