Page 42 of Riding Into Love
“Wow, that’s incredible, Mr. Miller. I’m honored.”
“You should be,” he agrees. “We’re one of the biggest ranches in the county, and the job pays well.”
“Well, I don’t know what to say,” she replies. “I’m definitely interested.”
“Perfect. Why don’t you swing by the ranch on Monday morning? We can talk about it more then.”
“Monday’s good for me,” River says.
“Excellent.”
He turns to me, and the smug expression on his face is enough to set my teeth on edge. “Colby. Always a pleasure.”
“John.”
He stands and gives River a polite smile. “I’ll see you on Monday, Miss Thurston.”
“Thank you, sir,” River replies.
River doesn’t turn back to me, and I know exactly why. She’s avoiding my eyes. She’s afraid of what she’ll see. Afraid I’ll be hurt or pissed. If she thinks I’m going to try to talk her out of it, she’s wrong. Of course, I want River to stay. Of course, I want her here. But what I want doesn’t matter. She needs to do what’s best for her.
Even if that means leaving me.
?Chapter Thirteen
?River
The job offer fromJohn Miller is like an uninvited guest who won’t stop knocking—polite enough to make you feel bad for ignoring it, but obnoxious enough to ruin your whole damn day.
It’s the opportunity I’ve been working toward for years, the kind of career move that should have me jumping for joy. Instead, every time I think about leaving Wild Horse Ranch, and Colby, I feel like someone’s yanked the reins right out of my hands and left me flailing. So, naturally, my solution is to avoid him entirely, which works about as well as a screen door on a submarine.
After the way he laid his feelings out the other night, I thought for sure he would beg me to stay. But Colby didn’t say a single word about it. Instead, he just looked at me with those stormy gray eyes of his and gave me a tight-lipped smile.
I have one more day to decide. One more day before I have to choose between the future I’ve been chasing for years and the man who’s quickly becoming the love of my life.
Colby is sitting in the living room, reading a book, when I walk into the kitchen. I stop and just stare at him, taking in his handsome features, and I have to fight the urge to run over and kiss him. But instead, I force myself to keep walking and go into the pantry.
