Page 48 of Her Boss, Her Rancher: Sunrise On The Ranch

The thought of being back on the ranch, back in the Covington fold, even if it was only this one last time, pulled at Emma and made her want nothing more than to say yes. “Promise me I can leave if it gets too uncomfortable for me.” Reagan hesitated in her answer, and Emma pressed her. “I want your word, Reagan Matthews. I have to be absolutely sure I have a getaway car in the event things go south.”

“I promise,” she whispered.

Emma wiped at the sweat trickling down her temple. “When do you want me there?”

“First flight you can catch...and as soon as you find a bridesmaid’s dress.”

“Color preference?” she asked. “Length? Style? Fabric?”

“Don’t care. Anything dark will get dusty, so you make the call there. My gown’s ivory.”

“I picked it out, Reagan,” Emma responded, laughing.

“Right. I’m not nervous or anything.”

“I’ve got this covered. I have to make a few arrangements before I can leave, so expect me Wednesday.” Memories of her first visit to the ranch rushed over her. “I’ll rent a car,” she almost shouted. “Please don’t send anyone to pick me up.”

“He’ll be good, Emma.” There was a quiet conviction there. “I swear.”

“I’m not worried about that part.”Not too much, anyway.

“Then why are you so anxious about seeing him?”

Emma’s heart tripped, skipped a beat, and then began hammering like a heavy-metal drummer. “It’s...” She rubbed the heel of her hand over her sternum, fighting to breathe. “Some things aren’t worth revisiting, Reagan. Heartache’s one of them. See you Wednesday.”

Call disconnected, Emma sagged against the wall. Uncertainty swam through her. Had she said too much? Not enough? Indicated she was over Cade? Or worse, had she indicated that she wasn’t? Because what she’d said to Reagan had been the absolute truth—some things, like heartache,weren’tworth revisiting. But there was a worse consequence, one she feared far more. That she’d get a reunion with the only man she’d ever loved and realize the most she’d ever have from him were the memories, both those from before he hated her and now these, after. Then he’d close the door on her forever.

She had set her life in order, put her business on track once again and made the changes in the business that would allow her to move forward. Even better the company had quickly become financially solvent with Michael gone. He’d been charged with falsifying financial documents and unsound business practices resulting in intentional financial harm. It had all happened so quickly, she’d spun for two weeks solid.

But now that the spinning had stopped, she knew she still wasn’t where she was supposed to be. Her skin felt too tight in Manhattan, her opportunities too small. She was one of more than a thousand advertising firms her size. Her creativity was stifled. In order for clients to truly value her, she had to have the space to be unique. Maybe after the wedding she’d scope out opportunities in the Southwest, set herself up as a very small firm doing the kind of one-on-one work with clients whose companies she could really get behind—small accounts that would reach large markets. Clever advertisements that made a company’s name stick. Things she’d dreamed of doing before her parents pushed her to bemore, always more. She understood now that it wasn’t settling to be happy. It was settling if she wasn’t.

Yes, Emma would make a clean break after the wedding and seize the chance to open a new chapter in her life. It was terrifying, but if the past few months had taught her anything, it was that memories were cold bed partners.

EMMACOMESBACKto the Bar C today. It was all Cade had been able to think about, counting down the days to her arrival once Reagan had gotten her to agree to return. And today, the moment Emma stepped foot on the ranch, he would experience his emotional ground zero.

He’d been recalcitrant about having someone else pick her up, but Reagan had put her foot down. No one was going to pick Emma up. She wanted the chance to get her bearings, and a rental car would give her an element of safety while she was here.

“Like a rental car’s going to save her,” he muttered to himself, rinsing his soapy hands and drying them on a dishcloth.

But Reagan, who sat at the little desk off the breakfast nook, heard him, anyway. Tired of the administrative work, she’d insisted they get someone to handle the dude ranch’s books so she could focus on her vet practice again. To a man, no one had objected but had, instead, supported her request.

The response he received was accompanied by a withering stare. “You’re a smart man, Cade. Try to put yourself in her shoes. Coming out here at all took a heck of a lot of guts on her part. She needs to feel like she can get away from all of us, particularlyyou, if things go badly.”

Tyson, who’d been lying prone on the sofa, hat covering his face, chuckled. “That’s a funny image—you in her shoes. I personally liked the red stilettos, but her boots were pretty hot, too. You could pull off either, bro. Just work the walk.”

Too wound up to take much teasing, Cade reached over and, with the dishtowel he’d been using, popped Ty on his T-shirted stomach. His little brother yelped and fell off the sofa, dragging an authentic laugh from somewhere deep in Cade’s chest. Even to him, the sound was rusty. The look on Reagan’s face, one of surprised joy, only made him more self-conscious. “What? I laugh.”

“Not in months,” she said, pulling him down for a quick kiss to the cheek. “And never enough.”

Heat suffused his face and he fled for the kitchen, but not before an empty plastic soda bottle bounced off his head.

“Be glad I didn’t have something heavier,” Ty called.

“Like what?” Cade answered without slowing. “Morals?”

“Hey, you’re the one who jumped the guest on the way home from the airport, brother.” The smile in Ty’s voice rendered the words teasing, not biting. “You set a new bar for me. I leap and I leap, but so far I can’t clear that bar.”

“Shut up,” Cade ground out, heat spreading and deepening across his face until he was now flushed a healthy red.