“Hey girl, you made it back to town?” she asks as I sink deeper into the couch.
“Yeah, just got back to the apartment. Thanks for checking on it while I was away,” I reply, glancing around at how eerily quiet it is. I got so used to the sound of boots and the voices of the guys out on the pasture—small breaks in the stillness—that now the silence feels unsettling.
“No worries.” She pauses. “How did the signing go?”
I bite my bottom lip. “I couldn’t do it. Honestly, I spent most of the meeting subtly threatening them with legal action, but it prompted them to leave and finalize a real offer,” I explain.
“But you’re planning to?” She doesn’t question me—not out of expectation, but because after months of phone calls back and forth, she assumed I was going to sign my portion away in a buyout. We all assumed that in six months I’d be back in Austin, but now I’m not so sure.
“I don’t think I can, Mandy,” I reply softly. “My heart and my head keep telling me this is wrong.” I close my eyes,the weight of the decision collapsing on me like a five-ton anvil.
“Is it because of the ranch or the cowboy?” she asks, and I groan, making her laugh. “Okay, well, based on that response, I’m going to say it’s both.”
“I think I love him, Mandy,” I say, admitting it out loud for the first time. My heart feels like it’s bursting, finally releasing something I’ve been holding back for far too long. I’ve known for a while, but I didn’t want to think about it.
I was scared to admit it because of how reserved Gage is. He’s a shell shaped by his past, locked into a pattern of never fully opening his heart. He’s a man of brute strength, but emotionally, he’s scared.
“So what’s the issue?”
“The issue is that he probably doesn’t feel the same way—and if he does, he’s so emotionally detached that he keeps pushing me away.”
She hums. “Well, maybe it’s time for you to step up instead,” she says, pausing before continuing. “Set your intentions, but make the first move. For all you know, he could be waiting for you.” I hadn’t considered that.
Could Gage really be waiting for me to make the move?
Then it dawns on me.
Of course he is. He didn’t want to trap me—he wanted me to choose him.
All this time, it makes complete sense—especially when he handed me the lien parcels. He never genuinely wanted me to sell, but he never fought me on it because he wanted the decision to be mine. He gave me an out, should I want it, because he’s so used to being abandoned and burned that protecting himself came first.
The question now is: am I too late?
I get up from the couch and grab my keys from the table. “Do you mind watching the apartment for a little longer?” I ask as I lock the door behind me.
“Yeah, sure—why?”
I smile as I reach my car. “I’m going to get my cowboy.”
The drive back is filled with anticipation and a steady sense of determination.
I’m still not sure what I’m going to say to Gage. Do I just come out and say how I feel? Do I ask him to tell me how he feels? There are too many thoughts running through my mind, and none of them give me the exact answers I need. They leave me with more questions—but strangely, no doubts.
Everything tells me to trust my gut, and my gut says he feels the same way—he’s simply scared. I know, a grownman scared of love sounds ridiculous, but after everything he’s been through, it makes sense.
The idea of letting anyone in terrifies him, and I don’t blame him. I’ve had my share of bad boyfriends, but none of them nearly bankrupted me, and none of them were dropped off at their grandparents’ house by parents who never came back.
That kind of loss would make anyone lose faith in people, which is why I need to be the one to step up and hold my ground—stand for us.
I grip the steering wheel tightly as I pass the city limits and get closer to Bell River—closer to Gage.
Every mile back feels heavier than the last—not with doubt, but with truth. I’m done waiting for certainty. Some things only become clear when you choose them.
Now that I’ve figured out what I have to do, the next question is what my life looks like if he decides we’re worth showing up for. Do I stay and work on the ranch like I have for the past six months?
My life has always revolved around the city—helping landowners outside the limits get the most out of their property by providing resources, strategy, and guidance to expand cropproduction.
I hum thoughtfully as the sky darkens the longer I drive. Can I really be a business owner in Bell River while also managing the ranch?
