Page 8 of The Rancher’s Ecstasy

Emily looked away for a moment before turning back to him.

“That’s kind of personal, isn’t it?”

Cole leaned his forearm on the horn of the saddle as he leaned forward in a relaxed pose. “Yes, I would say it was personal.”

Emily nodded and looked at the horse in front of her, thinking, hoping the subject was closed.

“So, where is he?”

Emily rolled her eyes and then looked back at him. “For one thing, he’s my ex...”

“Good.”

“And he’s currently living in Dallas with his new bunny.”

Cole laughed. “Bunny. I like that. I’ll want to hear more about it later.”

She shrugged. “Nothing to tell.”

He waited a moment. “Don’t you want to ask me about my ex?”

Emily snorted and then laughed. “Not really.”

Cole slapped a hand against his chest. “That’s hurtful, Em.”

A piercing pain hit her midsection as she thought about the memories of a happier time. There was a moment of silence. “My uncle used to call me that.”

“What? Em?” He continued when she nodded, “Where is he?”

“My aunt and uncle are gone.”

“Shit, I’m sorry. It's hard losing people you love. I lost my parents not too long ago.”

“I’m sorry for you.”

Cole nodded and looked around. “By the way, I divorced my ex because she loved—hell, needed—and was obsessed with needing constant male attention, and it didn’t matter where it came from.”

Emily looked toward Cole. The man was so incredibly handsome and funny. He had a confidence about him that steadied her and made her feel safe somehow. So far, he had been unbelievably sweet to her, and Emily got the impression the night before that Daisy had thought the world of him. How could any woman not feel blessed to have this man?

Emily gritted her teeth. “She was an idiot.”

“Thank you for that. But the worst part was the drugs and the way she treated Cain, our son.”

Emily’s heart hurt for him and his son. She couldn’t imagine abusing her girls. They were the best part of her.

“I don’t understand how a person can mistreat a child, much less their own,” she whispered, mostly to herself.

Cole heard, nodded, and then looked ahead.

The horses walked along a curve in a large hill until they came to an open vista of color.

Emily pulled back on the reins and gasped. The scene before her was almost too much to take in. So many different colors and shapes. She could sit there all day and not see every little thing.

Cole smiled as his eyes scanned the valley before them, coming to rest on her expressions of wonder and amazement at the area.

“Yeah, I feel that way every time I come here, and I’ve probably been here over a hundred times.

Emily’s heartbeat increased, and her breath stalled in her chest at the splendor. “I think this is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.”