Waiting on a Cowboy - Jennifer Ryan Page 0,29

prompted, then caught the fear she couldn’t hide from him. “This is about him. What else did he do?” She tried to pull her hand free, but Tate held on. “Na-uh. You start talking. I mean it, Liz. What happened?”

Her heart shot up to her throat. She tried to get the words out, but fear shot through her again.

“Shit.” Tate drew her to the dining table and pulled out a chair. “Sit before you pass out. You’re white as a sheet.” He loomed over her.

“I’m okay.”

“You don’t look it. Start talking or I’ll go find that fuck and make him talk.”

She leaned back, stuck her foot on the edge of the chair across from her, and pushed it out. “You sit and calm down.”

Tate took the chair, pulled it out and close to hers, then sat down. He took both her hands and held them in his. “Talk to me, Liz. You’re tough. Nothing really gets to you. So what did he do to rattle you so much?”

“He wouldn’t stop.”

Tate’s eyes went wide with shock. “What does that mean?”

She knew his mind had gone to a dark place. “No. Not that. He didn’t force me or anything.” She took a breath and tried to explain. “He showed up at the spa as I got off work. He was waiting at my car. I told him it was over.”

“Good. Then there’s nothing stopping us from seeing each other.”

She dipped her head, then looked up at him. “You’re really serious about this.”

“If you need me to prove it, I can kiss you again.” He squeezed her hands.

“I really can’t believe this is happening.”

“It’s strange. But that will wear off. And I really do want to kiss you again.” The sweet smile warmed her heart and made her giddy with anticipation even if she was having trouble switching gears from he-just-wants-to-be-my-friend mode.

Someone honked a horn outside and she jumped.

Tate frowned. “Okay, sweetheart, you need to tell me what he did when you broke up with him.”

She sighed. “He didn’t believe me.”

“Well, that’s too damn bad. You said you didn’t want to see him again, that’s the end of it.”

“He tried to convince me otherwise.”

“How?”

She pressed her lips together and fought the urge to wipe her mouth again because she really liked holding hands with Tate. “He forced a kiss on me.”

Rage filled his eyes.

“I pushed him away and told him I was done. He thinks I didn’t mean it, that I’m delusional to think you’d ever want me unless it’s out of pity, and that he and I can find our way back to when things were good.”

“Of course you didn’t believe any of that bullshit.”

She didn’t know what to say because there was a ring of truth in what Clint said. The last thing she wanted to do was discover that all the times she’d foolishly hoped Tate would love her back only made her a fool.

Tate cupped her cheek in one hand. “The best couples I know—Drake and Adria, my mom and dad—have one thing that helps keep them together. At the heart of their relationships, yes, they have a deep love, but it’s more than that. They’re best friends. They trust each other. They know how to talk to each other with respect and consideration. We have that already.”

“That’s not the same,” she couldn’t help pointing out. Their friendship didn’t mean they’d have a long and lasting romantic relationship.

“I admit that up until now, I purposefully didn’t allow myself to think that you and I could be more. I didn’t want to lose what we had. Truthfully, I thought you deserved better.”

She squeezed his hand, stunned by that admission. “Tate. No. The truth for me is that no one else ever measured up to you. I tried to do the same as you, protect our friendship and find someone else so I didn’t screw us up.”

“I’d see you happy with someone and think that proved my point.”

“You’d go from one woman to another and I’d think, ‘Why can’t he see that I’d make him happy?’”

“I never meant to hurt you or make you think that—”

She touched her fingers to his lips to stop him from explaining. “I know, Tate.”

“I wasn’t ready to make some big commitment. I never thought about being someone’s long-term anything. Boyfriend. Husband. That just wasn’t in my head. I don’t know if this will work. I’m scared as hell I’ll fuck it up and lose you. But I’d rather let the feelings I’ve buried all these

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