Page 21 of Cord

I consider how he said he’d go to the ends of the earth for me, how he went on the hike with no questions asked, joined me on the helicopter ride, and spent our entire honeymoon following me around. “I’d like to visit the ranch you love so much.”

The grin that he gives me lights up his entire face. I think I’m about to learn what it really means to be a cowboy’s wife.

Chapter 10

Mira

“Stay with me, Greene. Don’t you leave, you son of a bitch!” The words are familiar to me now as they wake me from sleep. I don’t even bother checking the time. I know it’s about two in the morning.

I slip from my bedroom down the hall and pad into Cord’s room. Like I have every night this week, I sit on the bed next to him, the mattress dipping under my weight. I reach out and run my fingers along his forehead. In his sleep, he leans into my touch, and my heart aches for him.

We’ve spent the past week together, and it’s been the second nicest week of my life. The first being our honeymoon. Despite my no sex rule, Cord hasn’t once pressured me. Sure, he wanders around the townhouse shirtless, but what girl is going to complain about getting to see her husband’s six pack on the regular?

After a few minutes, he stops murmuring, and I stand to leave. I don’t think he even realizes that I’m here at night. I usually just come in long enough to help him back to a gentle slumber.

Tonight, his peace fades before I’m even at the door. I can’t leave him like this. Not when he’s hurting, so I climb into bed next to him and wrap my arms around his body. I can’t fix this for him. I can’t change his past, and I can’t stop the nightmares. But I can keep him from being alone in them.

“You’re the strongest guy I know,” I whisper to him before I start humming an old song that my mom used to sing to me. He settles again, his head resting over my heart as I run my fingers through his hair.

I only mean to stay for a few more minutes, but I must drift to sleep instead because when I wake up again, it’s morning and the sunlight is streaming in. Somehow, I manage to sneak out of his room and into the shower without him rousing.

I try not to think about what’s going to happen to him when the year is over. Will he be alone in those nightmares again? Will he still get out of bed and pretend to be cheerful over morning tea with someone else?

I push the painful thoughts away. I’ve only known him for two weeks. I can’t possibly care this much about him. Just like he doesn’t care that much about me. We’re just two people who are living together. That’s all this is.

“How close are we?” I ask Cord as he navigates his aging truck onto a tree-lined road with an abundance of potholes.

He points to a sign that reads, “Welcome to Courage County”.

“Wow,” I murmur, already feeling like I’m a million miles away from the bustling city that is Asheville. “This is pretty.”

“It’s only going to get better from here,” he answers as we continue down the road. He points out various places as he drives. “That’s Sew Cute, a clothing shop. There’s Ernie’s Diner, voted best burgers in the state for years on end. Then we have Seize the Clay, Bloom Anywhere, and One More Chapter.”

I take in the craft store, flower shop, and bookstore that he’s pointed out. This whole street looks like something you’d see on a postcard. It’s beautiful in the bright sunlight, and I can only imagine what it would look like to walk down the street holding hands with Cord in the early evening.

“You have a donut shop?” I shriek when I see the sign for Sprinkles. “I want to try that one out.”

“Sadie’s donuts are legendary,” Cord tells me. “Unlike other bakeries that buy pre-made filling, Sadie makes all of her own fresh. It’s why her donuts are so delicious.”

There’s a cute little suburb in the heart of town, complete with small homes with white picket fences in the front. Young kids play on the lawns while the older kids race up and down the sidewalks on scooters and bicycles. Grandparents sit on front porches sipping sweet tea while harried looking parents call out greetings to each other in between fussing at the children to slow down and watch for the non-existent traffic.

Tears prick my eyes at the unexpected longing that fills my heart. Could that be me one day? Could I be sitting on the front porch holding hands with him and watching our kids raise kids of their own?

“You live in paradise,” I tell Cord when I can speak around the lump in my throat.

“It only gets better from here,” he reassures me as he turns down another road. The longer we drive, the further we get from town. Now, big barns, livestock and country homes dot the landscape. They’re far apart, sometimes miles between them.

Finally, he turns down a road with a sign declaring the place is Valor Ranch. I spot the horses grazing in the pasture and let out a happy sigh. “This place is magical.”

He grins. “Yeah, it is.”

As he drives down the dirt road, he points out various buildings. “That’s the silo. It’s not really in use right now, but it kind of came with the place. Over there is the barn and beyond that, you see the big house. That’s where Bronco lives with Lauren.”

“She’s the one behind the Cuddle a Cowboy event,” I say, remembering her name from the emails we exchanged.

“Yeah, she sweet-talked Bronco into letting her put any willing cowboy up for auction. The money earned went to save Lauren’s favorite place, the Wildflower Retirement Community.”

“I remember that. I read about it in the article,” I tell him. “It’s how I found you.”