Charming the Billionaire Cowboy by Kris Bock

Author:Kris Bock
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance
ISBN: 9781958686461
Publisher: Tule Publishing Group, LLC
Published: 2022-09-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

The next day, Hallie got a text from TC: “Can I ask you something?”

“You just did.”

“Yes. I didn’t want to jump right to the question. It might make you feel anxious, so I wanted to give you some warning.”

“Okay. Thanks, I guess. What do you want to ask?”

“Is it okay if I research the effects of strangulation on the brain? I want to understand what you’re going through, but I don’t want to invade your privacy.”

Hallie closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. It made her squirm to think of TC researching strangulation and assuming what he learned applied to her. But how could she say no? Of course he had a right to research anything he wanted. By asking, he was considering her feelings, as she’d wanted him to do. Anyway, she wanted him to understand her, didn’t she?

No, she wanted him to like her. She didn’t want him to see her as damaged or not worth the trouble. She’d told him about the attack to get him to back off, but she didn’t want to scare him off permanently. She wanted them to be friends.

Yes, friends. She’d stick with that. Anything else was too intimidating.

So what was she going to do, pretend to be someone she wasn’t? He couldn’t like her unless he knew her, and that meant letting him get close. Being vulnerable.

Ugh. She hated being vulnerable.

She’d been working with a therapist since the attack. Seemed like she still had some work to do.

Her phone pinged again. TC had sent a picture, a close-up of a llama with its teeth bared in what could be called a goofy smile. His follow-up text said, Here is a picture of Llamanade to make you smile in case you were getting annoyed with me.

Hallie chuckled. Maybe TC already knew her better than she wanted to admit.

She typed in her answer. “Yes, you can research brain injuries. People are different, so please don’t assume anything applies to me. You can ask. I’ll try not to get annoyed.”

She hit send. Then she went over to the cage with the injured raccoon and pulled back the cover draped over the front. The raccoon lifted her head slightly and hissed. Hallie took a picture. She checked it on her phone. Yep, a perfect disgruntled look. She sent it to TC.

He sent back an emoji, the laughing with tears face.

Hallie checked the clock and the whiteboard. Time to prep for the next feeding. She found herself smiling as she worked.

Over the next week, Hallie got used to the security system and the alerts from the doorbell camera. She had to admit, she felt safer knowing cameras tracked any activity on the perimeter of the property. The security system signs alone might discourage anyone from trying to sneak in to mess with the animals. If someone did trespass, they might do damage before they were caught, but the chance of them being caught went way up.

The doorbell cam was especially convenient, because she

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