Page 37 of Ride Me Cowboy (Coyote Creek Ranch #1)

Chapter Twenty-One

Cole

I ’M HUNGRY AS ALL get-out when I stride into the kitchen the next morning, having already been out working the land for a few hours.

My jeans are covered in dust, as is every part of me.

It’s dry out there at the moment, you can taste dust in the air.

Any thoughts of food skitter from my brain at the sight of Beth, standing at the head of the table, with my brothers, Caleb and Mackenzie all sitting around looking up at her.

At first, all I can do is look too, and remember last night, so it’s like a jolt to my whole body.

She’s mid-way through saying something when I walk in, and she freezes up instantly, her cheeks flushing pink with a reaction I belatedly recognize as guilt.

“What’s all this?” I ask, my voice gruffer than I intended.

For the shortest second, I actually worry she’s told them about the shitshow of the ranch’s finances, before I remember that this is Beth, and whatever else she’s got, integrity is right up there.

She wouldn’t promise to keep my secret and then spill it the next morning

But it sure as heck feels like it right now.

I ignore the rolling in my gut—partly out of suspicion and partly because she looks good enough to eat in a pair of black pants and a silky beige shirt that’s unbuttoned low enough to show a hint of her cleavage.

I close my eyes to push away the thought of the marks I’ve left there, marks that say ‘she’s mine’, even when I know she’s not—not for long, anyway.

“I hope you don’t mind, I started without you,” she says, her voice wobbling slightly like she knows I really do mind.

Almost like she planned this. But then, she tilts her chin in a gesture of defiance and no matter what else I’m feeling, admiration is a part of it.

Right alongside integrity, this woman’s got guts.

“Started what?” I cross my arms over my chest, holding her gaze steadily, talking just to Beth, like the others aren’t even in the room.

“Calm down, bro. Beth here’s got some ideas about how to take the ranch to the next level. Worth listening to, in my opinion,” Nash says. I don’t look at him. My jaw hurts from holding it clenched.

“Oh, yeah?” I wish I didn’t sound so royally pissed, even when that’s just how I’m feeling.

I can’t quite distill my reaction down to one reason.

I’m annoyed she’s taken this to my brothers without talking to me first, I’m annoyed that I feel excluded.

I’m annoyed that she’s taking pity on us—I hate that last one in particular.

She’s flushed to the roots of her hair, but I hold my ground, arms crossed, staring across the room.

“So, we launch you on social media,” she says, the words a bit rushed. “I’ve just been going over some ideas for content creation, but these guys had some excellent thoughts of their own. I’ll take care of all the posting while I’m here?—,”

“You’re only here another two months,” I say, sharply, then want to throttle myself at the look she gives me. Equal parts hurt and angry.

“Yes, I’m aware of that. Don’t worry, I’m not trying to maneuver myself into a more permanent position.”

My gut swirls with acid, and I don’t know why. We have an understanding, she’s just underscoring it.

“Mack’s offered to take over content creation once Beth leaves,” Austin says. “She’s good at this stuff, and reckons she can learn a lot from Beth over the next few weeks.”

I glare at Austin then turn my focus back on Beth.

“I still don’t get the point.”

“That’s ‘cause you’re a dinosaur,” Mackenzie says, surprising us all—I’m the only one she never talks smack to. She holds up a hand in apology. “But it’s true.”

“I’m twenty-nine.”

“Yeah, but you wouldn’t even have a phone if you could help it.”

“Damn straight.”

“That’s exactly my point. You’re selling a dream,” Beth says.

“The kind of dream someone like me would have loved to lose myself in, when I was in a New York apartment. This wild, untamed beauty, and freedom from all the modern life crap,” she gestures to the ranch beyond the kitchen window.

“You guys, so rugged and outdoorsy. Nature, the animals, the risk, the town, the community. Beau’s barbecues.

All of it. You have such a brand already, it’s just about marketing it. ”

I grind my teeth, hating every part of what she’s saying, except one.

If this is a way we can earn money, outside the ranch, and start putting it to good use, then maybe it’s worth considering.

And maybe that’s why she called this meeting today, behind my back.

Because she didn’t want to risk me saying no, outright, and her not being able to do a damned thing about it.

I hate feeling pushed into things though. I hate knowing she’s pushed my buttons.

“You don’t have to be in the videos,” she says, lifting her shoulders. “This can just be about the others. Beau’s more than happy to star,” she adds with a soft laugh, looking at my younger brother.

“What a surprise.”

“And I know social media will love him.”

“Careful, he ain’t gonna be able to swagger through that door,” Nash says. “What with his head fillin’ half the room.”

“Think of what we could do,” Beau says, looking at me in a way that makes me wonder if maybe he realizes things aren’t as rosy as we’d want. “If it means extra money for this place, why the hell not give it a try?”

Nash nods. “Plus, Beth wants to do it.”

My heart drops to my feet at how selfish I’m being.

She’s spent the last few years married to some jerk of a guy who robbed her of everything.

Her independence, safety, security, her trust, her sense of self.

And here she is, trying to forge that anew, to build her life up and put herself back together, to dive into a project she’s passionate about, and I’m going to be the one standing in her way? Not fucking likely.

“Okay,” I say, on a slow exhalation. “Let’s do it.”

Beth’s eyes hang on my face a beat, like she’s trying to see every angle of me, to understand what changed my mind, so I intentionally look away then stalk into the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee.

I don’t look at them as I take the first sip, and Beth resumes the meeting, outlining what she wants to film that day.

So, this is really happening then. That fast.

“Sunset would be amazing,” she says on a sigh. “Down by the creek.”

I ignore the way her words fill me with a desire to repeat last night, the sound of the creek forming the backdrop to what we’d done.

I open the fridge hard, pulling out some bread, corned beef and mayo, making a sandwich as she keeps talking.

I feel her eyes flick to me, every now and again, but don’t look her way.

I can’t shake the feeling she’s feeling sorry for me, for us, and it’s the last thing I want.

“You’re annoyed at me,” she says, when the others have left, and I’ve hung back in the kitchen rather than head out with them. I said I had to check a couple of emails, but it’s an excuse, and we both know it.

“This was an ambush, plain and simple,” I say, bracing my hands on the countertop.

I know I should tone down my voice. After everything Beth’s been through, I wonder if treating her with kid gloves is the way to go, but at the same time, I remember what she said last night.

She knows I’m not her ex. She knows she’s safe with me, even when I’m pissed off, like now.

“You’re being paranoid.”

“Don’t do that,” I say, taking my plate and putting it in the sink. “Don’t pretend we don’t both know what just happened.”

“Okay, fine, yes, it was an ambush. I didn’t trust you to push your pride out of the way long enough to see that my suggestion is the best option you’ve got, other than the offer I made last night.”

“Don’t,” I say, not wanting to have her throw Christopher’s money at me again.

“I wasn’t going to. But this is a way you guys could earn enough to get ahead. It’s not as quick, and it’s not guaranteed, but at least it gives you a chance, and it’s something you can do without interfering with the ranch operations.”

“I’ve already said yes, haven’t I?”

“You said yes, but I want to hear you mean it.”

I glare at her, the difference nuanced but important.

“I didn’t do this to hurt you.”

I close my eyes, because I know that’s the truth, yet it still doesn’t sit right with me. “You didn’t trust me to make the right decision.”

“What would your decision have been?” she asks, and now she’s right in front of me, staring up into my face, so I have to fight to hold onto my anger, to remember the point I’m trying to make.

“Cole? Tell me what you would have said if I’d come to you with this.”

“I’d have said no. I’d have said leave us to ranch.”

“Exactly.” She jabs a triumphant finger at my chest and keeps it there. “I had no choice but to rope them in.”

I glare down at her, but she returns the look with the same intensity. “You really can be your own worst enemy sometimes.”

I let out a short laugh. “All I ever do is work this place,” I mutter. “Saving it is my number one priority, the biggest goal I have. I wake up thinking of ways to undo the damage he did…”

“So why keep fighting me on this?” she demands. “This isn’t charity, Cole. It’s diversification, and it makes good business sense. Get your head out of your ass long enough and you’ll see that.”