Her Christmas Cowboy (The Wyoming Cowboy #5) - Jessica Clare Page 0,80
hair back into a semblance of the tight bun it had been in last night.
“You can stay again tonight,” Caleb suggested.
Amy hesitated. She wanted to. Oh, how she wanted to. Just curl up in bed with her big, sexy cowboy and let the world roll past? It was tempting. “What’s the plan for tomorrow?”
He rubbed his jaw. “I do need to help with the chores around here before Jack kills me. Other than that, I figured we could wrap some presents together. I have a few things I bought for the others and I’m no good with packages.” He lifted his big hands and waved them. “All thumbs.”
Presents.
Oh jeez, he’d been doing an endless string of Christmas gifts for her and she had nothing for him. Nothing at all.
That clinched it. She needed to go home. If nothing else, she needed time to do some hasty online shopping so she could figure out what she could get him. “I should get home,” she said firmly. “I’ve got a few things to take care of. Can we just meet up tomorrow?”
He nodded and kissed her, pulling her in close. “What time?”
“You want to come over after five?” she asked, doing a little mental calculation in her head. “Bring your stuff over and we can have dinner and wrap presents.”
“Sounds good. I’ll bring dinner, too, unless you’re keen on more ramen.”
Amy giggled. “Not so much.”
“I’ll bring a pizza, then.” He kissed her again and then gazed down at her, eyes serious. “I’ll miss you.”
She was going to miss him, too.
* * *
* * *
Amy managed to sneak out of the cabin without running into Doc Ennis or Jack. She got to her car, settled Donner in the seat, and drove away with her face burning red. Leaving a party late the next day in her spangly green dress felt like the most obvious of obvious moves, but at least no one was there to point it out.
She drove home, her mood light. It remained light until she got to her place and noticed it was ice-cold inside. Frowning, she unhooked Donner from his leash and found the thermostat. It was set to heat. She messed with a few buttons and looked up videos online on how to work a thermostat. Hers matched the pictures, but the house was ice-cold.
Broken, then.
Figured.
Amy sighed, glaring down at her phone as she hauled a blanket around her shoulders and huddled on the couch with Donner, who cuddled close to share heat. She could always go back to Caleb’s, she supposed. Send a few angry texts to Greg, demanding that he fix things, and then go to Caleb’s and spend the night in his arms. It sounded like a good idea, but it niggled at her and bothered her for some reason. Did she expect Caleb to bail her out of every problem? Even the tiny ones? She knew he would—he was kind and warm and protective. He’d be here in a heartbeat to try to fix her thermostat—this after fixing her ceiling, and her faucets, and the cracks around the windowpanes, and . . .
She’d had enough.
Amy typed in “rentals near Painted Barrel” and started to browse.
Wasn’t this why she’d come to Wyoming? So she could be on her own? She remembered all the times that Blake had made her feel useless and stupid. How he’d deliberately kept her name off their accounts because it made him feel big to control her money. How he told her she didn’t need an education because she was with him. How he’d deliberately bought stick-shift cars because he knew she didn’t know how to drive them, and it made him feel good to hold one over on her.
Never again.
There was a small apartment complex two cities over, and despite the fact that it was Saturday afternoon, the girl at the front desk answered all her questions with chirpy, happy responses. The rent was a little higher than what Amy was paying now, and it was further out, but they took dogs and maintenance was on-site. She made an appointment to view an apartment tomorrow.
Then she texted Caleb.
AMY: Slight change of plans. Can you come by tomorrow by around 3 or so instead of 5?
CALEB: Sure can. What’s up?
AMY: A few things. I’m going to look at a new apartment tomorrow and thought maybe you could go with me. I’m tired of living here.
CALEB: Is that asshole bothering you again? Do I need to come over?