A Naughty Cowboy Christmas by Avery Hunter

Author:Avery Hunter [Hunter, Avery]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-12-20T16:00:00+00:00

15

Jenny

Once I pulled myself together, I delivered the news I’d been dreading.

“Cade, I know you don’t understand, and I’m not even sure I understand, but I… I can’t say yes. I don’t want to say no, but I can’t say yes,” I said, trying not to cry again.

“The day after tomorrow, I’m getting in my truck and heading for California. I know you can’t go. I know all the reasons why, and I can’t make you believe them,” I continued. Each word felt like a dagger in my throat.

“But I have to! It’s inside me, deep in my heart! If I had to walk there, I would! It’s like those fish that have to go back to their spawning grounds, you know? Salmon? It’s calling to me, Cade,” I said, staring into his face for some sign of forgiveness.

He slowly looked at me, then at the ground, then back at me.

The look on his face was heartbreaking.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I’d never do anything to hurt you! Never, ever, ever! I love you so much, you’re so special to me! You deserve everything good, every happiness you ever want!” I exclaimed, trying to make him see.

He looked at me in utter disbelief. The notion that I wouldn’t say yes never occurred to him.

He still held the ring in his hand, still held it up, as if it might hypnotize me somehow into saying yes.

“Jenny, all I ever wanted is you,” he said with heart-rending sincerity.

I went to hug his neck and he moved back, away from me.

“Jenny, are you serious?” he said, suddenly realizing the deadly intensity of my goals.

He sounded like a hurt little boy. All I wanted to do was hold him the way he’d held me.

I bit my lip and nodded my head, unable to speak.

He pushed himself to his feet and staggered a few steps away, turning to look at me like I was some sort of grotesque thing, something unrecognizable.

“I…” he began. “You can’t… oh, shit!” He stumbled a few more steps, turned as if to say something, but instead he just shook his head.

He looked at the ring in his hand and balled his fist, drawing back his hand and threw it, with every muscle in his body coiling and releasing in perfect unison, into the woods behind the north end zone.

He stood and stared at those woods a minute, then walked to his truck.

Cade got in and drove away.

He didn’t get far.

He drove to the other end of the field, scraped paint off his doors squeezing between the edge of the fence and the concession stand, and drove to midfield, right to where I had completely deflated.

I couldn’t find the strength to even stand up, much less climb into his truck.

Without a word, he got out, walked around, opened the passenger door, and lifted me up onto the seat. He buckled me in and drove me home.

All without saying anything.

When we got there, he lifted me out of the truck and carried me up, setting me down on the rocking swing that hung from the edge of the cover porch.

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