Page 59 of Taming the Billionaire Cowboy

“What?”

“Nothing. Go handle your business, Oliver.”

“I’ll call tomorrow, okay? Earlier, I promise.”

“Okay.”

“Goodnight, Carly.”

“Goodnight.”

The call ends before I can say anything else. I set the phone down carefully, like it might break. Or maybe like I might break.

This isn’t the first time a man has walked out of my life, promising to return. Bradley’s father made the same promise, and he never came back. I told myself Oliver was different, that what we had was different.

But what if I’m wrong?

I grab my phone and text Ferris:Are you busy?

Her response is immediate:Just watching trash TV. What’s up?

Need to talk. Can you come over?

Be there in 10 with wine.

True to her word, Ferris shows up at my door exactly ten minutes later, bottle in hand. One look at my face, and she wraps me in a hug.

“Wine or whiskey?” she asks as she pulls back.

“Whiskey,” I answer, letting her in.

She heads straight to my kitchen, familiar with where everything is kept. She pulls the bottle from the cabinet, pouring two fingers into a pair of glasses.

“Oliver?” she guesses, handing me one.

I nod, taking a sip. The whiskey burns going down, but it’s a good burn. Clarifying.

“What happened?”

“He’s staying in Houston longer. Another big deal.”

She sits beside me on the couch, tucking her feet under her. “How much longer?”

“He doesn’t know. A week. Maybe more.”

She studies me over the rim of her glass. “And you think he’s not coming back at all.”

It’s not a question. Ferris has always been able to read me too well.

“I don’t know what to think.” I take another sip, letting the warmth spread through my chest. “Ten days ago, he promised he’d be gone for one day. Now it’s‘a week, maybe more’.”

“Business trips get extended all the time, Carly.”

“I know that.”

“But?”

I stare into my glass, watching the amber liquid catch the light. “But what if this is how it starts? What if Houston reminds him of who he really is, what he really wants? What if Miralena, the ranch - me and Bradley - what if we were just a vacation for him?”