Page 25 of Unbroken (Poplar Springs #2)

TWENTY-THREE

ELI

I could barely get Fiona to glance in my direction as we worked through the post-ride chores with the horses. I was trying to focus on hosing down Indy, who loved the attention, but my eyes kept wandering Fiona’s way, attempting to figure out what was wrong.

The trail ride we’d just finished had consisted of a group of friends meeting up for their twenty-year high school reunion the next town over in Beaumont, a laughing crew of men and women who acted like no time had passed since they’d last seen each other, even though it’d been ten years for some of them—since their last reunion.

Hearing them talk about the fun they’d had in high school during the ride had me glancing at Fiona to see if it reminded her of our own hijinks, but she seemed like she was on another planet.

She’d even skipped her usual comedic interruptions during my safety presentation.

I was worried I knew exactly why she was acting so weird.

The kiss.

It’d been two days since we shared that moment in the rain.

I’d crossed a line with her, and even though there was no question that she’d been into it at the time, the way she was acting seemed to indicate that she was regretting it now.

When we were first setting up the parameters of our fake relationship, she’d mentioned something about needing to outline exactly what we could and couldn’t do, physically, to prove our couplehood to the rest of town.

I’d agreed, but we’d never gotten around to figuring it all out.

I knew that basic stuff like hand-holding or throwing my arm around her shoulders was fine, as we’d both done that already, but a kiss that set me on fire?

When there wasn’t even any audience for it until the end?

I’d crossed that invisible line, I was sure of it.

Now I was kicking myself for taking things to a level that she’d never asked for and clearly didn’t want.

I wasn’t about to let things fester between us.

We weren’t in high school anymore. We’d learned to navigate through our differing work styles and personality quirks and ended up in a working partnership that suited both of us.

There was no way I was going to let a foolish, impromptu kiss ruin everything we’d built over the last few weeks.

Even though all I could think about was doing it again. And again. Because, after my son, kissing Fiona was the second best thing I’d ever done and I hated that she might regret it.

I mustered up my courage to meet the issue head-on and waited for a moment when no one else was in the barn, which seemed to take forever as the other hands were in and out with their own chores.

“Hey, Fiona, what’s on your mind?” I finally asked her when she drifted by. I was still using the curry comb on Indy who was currently in horsey heaven with all the attention I was giving him. “You seem distracted.”

Damn it, she even looked good with her hair messy and the front of her jeans dirty.

The way she had her arms wrapped around the saddle made them look muscular, and I wondered if the rest of her body was also adapting to the hard work.

I mentally slapped myself for thinking about her body when I was trying to make amends for something I didn’t entirely regret.

Fiona stopped walking abruptly and glanced at me like she’d just remembered that I was there. “Me?”

I managed a half smile. “Yeah, you. You’ve been so quiet today. Is something wrong?”

I left it open ended on purpose, so she had the space to bring up the kiss first.

Fiona walked over to me, plopped the saddle down on the edge of one of the stalls, and let out a long sigh. “It’s probably best if I get it out there. No sense in ignoring it.”

“Okay.”

Worry clawed at me as I waited for her to go on. I kept busy working on Indy and avoided looking at her, waiting for her to feel comfortable enough to speak.

She sighed. “I got a job offer.”

I almost laughed out loud. It wasn’t the kiss! I recovered and adjusted my face to look appropriately interested. “Where? And how did it happen so fast?”

“Denver. From one of my old company’s main competitors: Edge. They’re an amazing organization, and from the message they sent me, it sounds like it’s a done deal if I want the job.”

I set the comb down and came around the horse so I could see her better. “Wow, that’s great news. Congrats.”

As I said the words, I realized that the job offer meant that she could be heading back to Denver soon. Our time together was speeding to an end even faster than I’d anticipated .

“What do you think?” She stared at me, chewing on her lip. “Should I take it?”

How did I respond to that? I didn’t know how she was when she lived in Denver, but since she’d been back on the ranch, she seemed …

happy and relaxed. Even Josh had mentioned how thrilled he was to have his whole family all together again.

Given everything they’d lost when their parents died, my gut reaction was to say that Fiona needed to stay on the ranch. Close to her family.

And close to me.

But that was a selfish response, especially when my application to Easy Eights was already submitted—thanks in part to Fiona—and I was hopefully on my way to greener pastures too.

Well, different pastures at least. I knew I would miss Lost Valley and everyone here, but I was in desperate need of a fresh start. Maybe Fiona needed that too.

“Would it make you happy, being back in the city?” I asked, avoiding answering the question.

Fiona stared outside. “I do love the city. Denver is a special place. And I really did enjoy my job, most of the time: the fast pace and the shifting projects. It kept me on my toes, you know?”

We were both quiet, and I realized that neither one of us had actually answered the other’s question.

“Well, then take it,” I said in what I hoped was an encouraging tone. “Go for it. If that’s where you want to be, then make it happen. You deserve to be happy and doing what you love.”

Love. I wasn’t going to think about that.

She looked at me like she was shocked by my answer, then seemed to collect herself.

“Exactly. Yeah, you’re right. I should seriously consider the opportunity.

I mean, it would be a lateral move. There wasn’t any mention of a higher position or higher pay, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have room to grow into a bigger and better position. Thanks, Eli.”

Fiona picked up the saddle and walked away before I could come up with anything else to say.

But there was nothing to say. She had her dreams and I had mine, and they just so happened to lead us both in opposite directions, far away from Lost Valley Ranch.