Cowgirl Up and Ride (Rough Riders #3)(123)

He didn’t respond—he actually looked a little sick to his stomach. At the prospect of loving her?


Enough. She’d had enough heartache to last a lifetime. “Goodbye Cord.”


She climbed in her car and didn’t look back. There was nothing here for her anymore.


Chapter Thirty-two


Don’t let her go. Jump in your truck and chase her down.


AJ left him. Just like Marla had.


She would’ve stayed if you’d had the balls to tell her the truth.


What truth? That he nearly went out of his freakin’ mind because she could’ve died last night? When he wanted to hold her up she preferred his mother’s comfort and company to his? That she handled everything by herself again, when he’d offered to fix it for her, and added insult to injury by tossing his offer back in his face?


What did you offer her?


What she needs.


No. You offered her what you need. You don’t even know what she needs.


Me. She needs me. Why won’t she admit it?


Dammit. He hadn’t planned to handle it this way. He’d imagined approaching her about them getting hitched over a nice romantic dinner. Between Ky’s questions, ranch business—including Kade volunteering to head the cattle experiment up in the northeast section over the next few months—and his mother’s constant cell phone updates about Colt, he hadn’t had a chance to consider an approach about how he’d convince AJ to accept his proposal for her own good.


Now it didn’t matter because she was gone for good.


***


Two weeks later…


Cord was on edge, snappy with Ky, his dad, his mom, Colby and his cousins.


Seemed everyone was avoiding him and leaving him to his own devices.


Alone in his own damn house again. He paced to the kitchen for a beer to ease his frustration when he noticed the sinkful of dirty dishes. Dammit. Why did crusted eggs remind him of AJ? Why did everything remind him of her? Fuck it. He headed to the porch and his dad’s truck parked in the driveway.


Ky hopped out of the cab, followed by Cord’s mother and Keely.


What was Keely doing here?


His son bounded up the steps and Cord caught him in a one-handed hug. “Hey, where you goin’, slick?”


“Thought if I ran by you really fast you wouldn’t have no time to yell at me.”


Cord froze. “What? Why would I yell at you?”


“You been kinda grouchy lately. Aunt Keely says it’s ’cause you got your head up your—”


“Kyler! You weren’t supposed to repeat that.”


Ky grinned and ran in the house.


“I didn’t know you were gonna be around to corrupt my son, Aunt Keely.”


“I’m on break and have a couple of things to take care of before I go back.”


He wondered if AJ was on break too. He sipped his beer.


Keely sighed. “See, Ma? I told you. He’s the most stubborn of all of them.”


“Yep. Just like his father.”


“What’d I do? Why you gangin’ up on me?”


His little sister teetered on the tips of her boots and stuck her nose right in his business. “Why don’t you ask the damn question I see in your eyes, Cord?”


“Fine. Why ain’t she returnin’ my calls?”