She took off for the bedroom, leaving me alone at her counter. I shoveled the food in my mouth, trying not to think about what she was doing in her bedroom. It was none of my business, but that didn’t stop my dick from wanting to find out.
“Down, boy,” I grumbled, shoveling another spoonful in my mouth.
I had to get out of here and fast. I finished off the cereal in record time, then brought it over to the sink and set it down beside her bowl.
I was about to sneak out when she came hustling out with a shoulder bag and grabbed her keys off the counter.
“All done?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
She smiled brightly at me, then headed for her door, waiting for me to walk out before she locked up.
“Well, I guess this is goodbye then.”
“Yeah.” I ran my hand across the back of my neck, feeling like there was something more I should say to her, but the words escaped me.
She jiggled her keys in her hand and looked down at the ground. If I were a betting man, I would say she was waiting for me to kiss her or something, but then again, my body was also telling me I should drag her inside and fuck her, so maybe it was my mind playing tricks on me.
“Well, good luck in New York,” she said, holding out her hand.
Laughing, I took hers and shook it, then tugged her in for a hug. “Thanks, Ellie.”
“Um…sure.” She patted my back awkwardly, then stepped back, her cheeks stained a pretty red that made me wonder if she blushed like that when a man stared at her naked.
“Right, I should leave,” I cleared my throat, taking off before I did something fucking stupid.
I waited for her to get in her Jeep, and when I was sure it wasn’t going to die on her, I pulled out and headed back to Murky Falls Ranch. It was time to pack up and leave. No point in sticking around when there was nothing waiting for me here.
After heading into my cabin, I stared at my bags, the urge to flee not quite as strong as it was last night. I walked over to the window and stared out at the horizon. I had been home for weeks and hadn’t once taken Jeff up on his offer to let me ride.
“Fuck it. One ride, and then I’m out of here.”
I drove over to the main property, and strode toward the stables. Jeff was feeding horses, which made it easier for me. I wasn’t interested in walking all over the ranch in search of him.
“Morning,” he said, tipping his hat at me. “Finally taking me up on my offer?”
“Thought I would before I took off.”
“You heading back home?”
“Yeah.” I glanced around the stables, searching for anything to look at other than another face searching for the latest gossip.
“Well, Susie’s a good girl,” he said, striding over to her stall. “I’ll get her tacked up for you.”
“Thanks.”
I walked back to the entrance of the stables and stared out at the mountain scenery. Fuck, I really missed seeing that so early in the morning. Going back to New York, I was in for noisy cab rides, excited tourists, and angry New Yorkers who didn’t want to deal with the tourists.
And yet, there were still parts about it that I liked.
But there was nothing like coming home. If only I had something to stick around for.
“Here she is,” Jeff said, walking her over to me. “You should know, she’s a little skittish.”
“Of?”
He grinned at me. “Oh, you’ll see. She’s a good girl,” he said, patting her backside.
