ChapterThirty
Rhett
Olivia pulls upto Copper Hill in her Volkswagen, looking completely out of place on this ranch. She steps out of her car, dressed in jeans, cowgirl boots, and a plain white scoop-neck tank top. She looks incredible, and seeing her here makes my nerves tangle in my stomach.
My reaction to her presence is terrifying, but I need today. It’s become obvious over the last couple of weeks that Olivia is torn between being the overachieving, always-on-the-right-path person that she is and following her heart. I can tell she doesn’t want to go back to her life in San Francisco. I just need to figure out how to convince her to stay. I want to give love one more chance, but if Olivia won’t allow herself to be happy and stay here then there’s no point in opening up to her.
“Where’d you get your outfit from? Iknowthis hasn’t been sitting in the back of your closet in San Francisco,” I tease.
“I came straight from Callie’s. She was helping me with some fundraiser details this morning, and she insisted she help me dress properly for the occasion.”
“I like it.”
She gives me a little nod. “I like the cowboy hat and boots look on you too. Not too shabby.” She gives me a sly smile as her cheeks rouge.
“So, what’re we going to do today? Am I just going to be your shadow?”
She’s looking up at me as if I make the sun shine, a genuine eagerness filling her eyes. We might as well just go all in now. I want her, and for some reason, I fully believe we could make this work, but I refrain from sweeping her off her feet and kissing her, instead opting for a simple, “I already helped Austin with a few projects early this morning. I’m not going to make you do any physical labor in the sun with this insane heat wave we’re having, so I thought maybe you could help me clean out the horse stalls today.”
She rolls her eyes. “I am fully capable of doing physical labor, even if it is hotter than Hell out here.”
“So you don’t want to hang out with Maggie today?”
Crossing her arms and pressing her lips into a line, she mumbles, “I didn’t say that.”
I lead her toward the barn while she follows closely behind. After I drag the giant barn door open and turn back to her, she’s just standing there, her head slightly cocked and a small smile on her face.
“You have a little drool there.” I point to the corner of my mouth.
Her jaw drops open, but her lips quickly quirk into a smile. “I was just admiring the barn. Look at all the accents and details in here, like this.” She drags her hands against the wrought iron stall doors.
“Uh-huh.”
“Idolove this barn. I’ve always liked the rustic look in a home, kind of like in your house.”
“There’s a lot of rustic buildings in Roots. You could have a place of your own with this exact aesthetic if you stayed past your three months.” I shrug, trying to act nonchalant, but I am definitely failing.
“I’ve thought about it.”
“Where have those thoughts led you?”
“Nowhere really. Like I said last night, I don’t see a practical way to stay here. As much as I’ve loved my time in this little bubble of perfection the last couple months, I recognize this isn’t real life. I don’t have the stress of regular bills to pay here, and I don’t have a full-time job. I’ll be twenty-five in the fall. I don’t want to just rely on my parents’ connections to get me sweet deals on housing, and I certainly can’t keep working part-time like I am now. There just aren’t many job opportunities in this tiny town.”
“Is that all you think I am? Your parents’ connection?” I try to hide the hurt in my voice. I know Olivia is just trying to convince herself this isn’t the right option for her because she’s scared, but it still stings.
“Of course not. You’ve become—more.” Her brows knit together as she busies herself with picking at her nails. “I can’t keep getting handouts. If I moved here, I’d need to find my own place and pay for it like a real adult.”
“Paying rent doesn’t make you an adult.”
I unlatch the first stall, slipping into it and hooking a lead to Maggie’s bridle.
“I don’t know, Rhett. It’s just so complicated to stay here. It wouldn’t make any sense.”
“You’re just scared of what your life could be like if you stayed here. You may not like your life in San Francisco, but at least it’s familiar. Here, there’s a whole new realm of possibilities for you, and I think that scares you.”
“No! It’s not just that. You’re not the first one to ask me why I don’t stay here. Callie has said things about me staying too, but I talked with my dad yesterday, and it just reaffirmed that no matter what I want, I can’t give up everything in San Francisco to stay here.”
I tie the mare up to the rail outside of the stall. “Do you want to stay out here and pet Maggie or do you want to clean her stall?”
