He nods, his gaze trailing off to the ground. The ache in my chest has gone straight to my stomach. It’s silent for what feels like an eternity until Miles stands up. He runs a hand through his rain-soaked hair before finally looking at me.
“I don’t want to be your friend, Katie. But if that’s what you want, if that’s what makes you happy, I’ll try.” He sighs, crossing his arms across his chest and looking at his boots. I can feel him retreating into himself as if all of the warmth is sucked out of the room. “Can I just ask you a question?”
“Of course,” I whisper. He takes my hand in both of his and I pretend I don’t feel the electric current.
“Do you feel this too? This thing between us?” His deep brown eyes capture mine as he looks at me with so much hope my heart breaks again. This time into pieces so small I’m not sure I can put them back together.
Do I feel it? The raging fire between us that I can feel even from miles away, over days of distance? The magnetic pull, so hard that even now I want nothing more than to jump into his arms and stay there forever? It started with a spark years ago, but that spark has grown into a flame so large it takes up my entire soul.
“Yes.”
He nods, looking back down at his feet as if he’s piecing something together in his brain. He drops my hand and my arm falls like deadweight. When he looks back up at me, he’s a different Miles altogether. His eyes are hardened, his lips pressed into a thin line.
“I’ll see you around then, Mac,” he grumbles, pushing past me to the door. I glance out the window long enough to see the rain has stopped, but the dark clouds linger in the sky.
It’s not until the familiar rumble of his truck pulling onto the road fills the air that the tears begin to fall.
Chapter 27
Welcome to my Crib
“Kate, you so under-promisedand over delivered here. This place is amazing. Why didn’t you tell me it’s literally surrounded by fields and mountains as far as you can see? I would have visited a lot sooner.” My best friend in the entire world looks around the completed cabin like it’s Buckingham Palace.
I laugh, breathing my hundredth sigh of relief since Hazel arrived in Wyoming. “I thought it was pretty clear when I told you the cabin issurrounded on all sidesby the ranch.”
“Well, you weren’t kidding, I’ll give you that.” Hazel absentmindedly twirls her dark brown waves in one hand as she walks down the hallway towards the back of the cabin. “Everything looks just perfect.” Her lilac dress swishes as she walks, giving her the illusion of floating, if it weren’t for the dirty cowgirl boots poking out the bottom. You can take the girl out of the ranch, but you can’t take the ranch out of the girl.
The past two weeks have been a blur of finishing touches on the cabin. With everything that happened with Miles, I’ve been happy to throw myself into working all day and night anyway. It’s definitely a welcome distraction.
Miles must have finished the floors after I left the other night. When I came back the next morning, they were done, cleaned, and all of his tools had disappeared. I suppose it’s for the best. I know I’m the one that wants to stay just friends, but I’ll admit, it’s not going to be easy.
The one and only silver lining of all of this time alone to work is that the cabin is done. Completely finished. Cleaned and decorated and ready for visitors. Codie and I stopped by a flea market in town one day, and I ended up getting quite a few vintage items for the cabin at a bargain. I picked out the larger furniture pieces from a few local stores, which hurt my company credit card quite a bit, but succeeded in helping the place fit into the high end brand MacPherson Enterprises has built.
The living room looks straight out of a western movie. Extra long off-white curtains reach the floor, tied back to let in the natural light. A brand new leather couch made in Wyoming sits in front of the fireplace, atop a brown and white cowhide rug. There are photo frames hanging on the walls and placed on tables with images of the ranch throughout the years courtesy of Walter. He brought those by last week.
The rest of the cabin is similarly decorated, with each room just slightly different. One bedroom focuses on sage green colors, while another has warmer hues. The kitchen was the easiest to put together, since it was already great on its own after installing new warm oak cabinets. I made sure the photographer came at sunset for the perfect glow in the listing photos.
The only detail I just can’t quite get right are the flowers in the garden out back. I’ve been watering them on a regular schedule, but for some reason, these past two weeks they haven’t been living their best life. They’ve all wilted and have lost a lot of their color. The petals on my marigolds are touching the ground. I’ve tried giving some more water and some less, with no change. I even bought flower food, and added some nutrient-rich soil.
Nothing has worked.
The photographer, luckily, is able to angle them out of most of the shots. I was so proud of my little garden, and now all of a sudden, it’s as good as gone.
“Are you ready for tonight?” Hazel smiles, looking out the large windows on the back of the house. For a second I think Miles is out there fixing the fence, but once I blink, he’s gone.
I sigh. “I’m ready to be finished with this project.”
“I’m sorry it’s been so hard lately, Kate. I promise the second we get home I’ll take you out for shakes.” Hazel’s arm wraps around me pulling me into a hug I didn’t know I needed.
I told Hazel a short version of what happened between Miles and I. I haven’t processed it enough myself to get into it now. Hopefully I’ll feel like talking about it when we get back to Idaho.
Tonight, I’m not thinking about it at all. I’m having some of my new friends over for a housewarming party at the cabin. It started small, just Codie and the girls, and Hazel since she’s in town helping me with the final details.
Then Codie and Hazel suggested I invite the crew. Then Parker and the ranch hands. Then some of Codie’s rodeo friends.
I’m pretty sure they even texted Miles, much to my chagrin.
Hazel squeals as the doorbell rings, a low chime I haven’t heard before. I don’t even remember this cabin having a doorbell.
