A Miracle for the Confident Cowboy (Love in Sweet Bloom)

Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Sophie stared at the closed door with shock. That wasn’t how she’d wanted any of this to go, nor could she have predicted any of it. Duke hadn’t been angry. He hadn’t been sad. He hadn’t been desperate to make her stay, for heaven’s sake.

Nothing.

He’d shared absolutely nothing with her.

She might even be able to make the argument that he didn’t even want her anymore.

That hurt more than she wanted to admit.

It had been excruciating to watch him—the lack of emotions that had played out on his face, the way he’d insisted that she go and that they wouldn’t be able to continue the relationship they’d started.

Embarrassment stung her cheeks even though she was alone in her apartment with no one to notice. He’d told her to leave. He’d told her he was proud of her. But he hadn’t told her that he loved her.

It wouldn’t have mattered. That’s what she told herself when the room had gone quiet again. If he’d told her he had deeper feelings for her and that he wanted her to stay, she wouldn’t have.

Would she?

Sophie shook her head and moved to the front window of her apartment. She couldn’t see much of the small town from her window, but there was an assortment of twinkling Christmas lights scattered in the darkness. She wrapped her arms around herself and let out a long, heavy breath but it did nothing to ease the realization that she’d just been dumped.

Never in her life had she truly understood what it meant to feel hollow inside—until now. And she hated it. She hated this feeling of helplessness—like she’d lost something valuable even though it had never belonged to her in the first place.

A tear dragged down her cheek and she swiped it away with rough fingertips. She wasn’t going to cry over him. It was like he’d said. Their relationship was too new to put so much pressure on it. He’d also been two hundred percent correct when he’d said this just happened to take place at the worst time.

If she’d been offered this gig a year from now—heck, if she’d been offered it six months from now—things might have been different.

Sophie shook her head to clear it. Christmas was going to be in a few days and then she’d leave. She needed to take a bunch of stuff back to her parents’ house so she could prepare for living abroad for who knew how long.

She marched into her bedroom and started pulling things from her closet before tossing them on the bed. The more she tore things from their hiding places, the angrier she got.

Duke didn’t even try to fight for her!

So much for the connection they’d had. So much for the quiet moments where they’d shared parts of themselves they hadn’t shared with anyone else. She huffed as she retreated to her room. Maybe he was right. This was for the best. She was going to head over seas and she wasn’t going to be coming home any time soon. To try to get close to him when they could see each other in person was hard enough as it was. But to try to claw at a relationship he assumed was doomed to fail would be impossible.

The next couple of days, Sophie was torn between three distinct emotions. Pain from the walls Duke had intentionally placed between them. Frustration that she knew what she wanted and yet it was out of reach. But most of all, fury. Fury at herself for allowing her heart to take the reins this holiday season—allowing herself to fall for a cowboy she had no business loving.

In the end, Sophie had to shove down all the temperamental emotions, leaving only one.

Acceptance.

Duke had been kind in his words. He’d given her an out—all but pushing her to live her dream. She couldn’t even be mad at him for it.

Sophie spent her last day in town, wandering along the main street, lingering at the brightly colored window displays. She paused in front of the pet store, smiling as she recalled the errands she’d taken with Duke.

Everywhere she looked, Christmas was evident. There were more people wandering in and out of shops carrying large bags or wrapped gifts. Carols filtered through the open doors as shoppers exited the buildings, only to grow silent when the doors swung shut. It even smelled like Christmas—but to Sophie, it didn’t feel like it.

Somehow, she’d lost her interest in the holiday. Everything felt bland and grey. She wasn’t even looking forward to the end of the year when she could dive fully into her trip. She’d leave here, visit her folks, then head straight out to Europe for the tour.

Work.

It was all just work and more business.

No more love. No more frivolous daydreaming. No more magic.

She heaved a sigh and continued down the street.

At this point, she wouldn’t have minded seeing a little bit of snowfall. At least then she could say it felt like Christmas. As much as she’d been furious with the snow a few weeks ago, now she found she craved it.

Duke’s face filled her thoughts as the memory of that first snowfall preceded it. Everything about Sweet Bloom made her think about him. She couldn’t get away from it even if she tried. And maybe she deserved it.

A soft mewing sound caught her attention as she passed by the alley beside the pet shop. It was so quiet she nearly thought she’d imagined it. Turning, she peered into the darkened alley, but she didn’t hear the sound again.

Her eyes narrowed and she folded her arms, straining to listen for the sound again. Seconds ticked by, but—nothing. Great, now she was imagining things. She turned on her heel and took two steps before she heard the sound again.

Sophie gasped and spun to face the alley. In the far reaches of the alley, in the darkness of the shadows from the dumpster, she saw them just as a car drove past. The light reflected against metal and two little glowing eyes.

The eyes blinked.

Sophie took a step toward the animal and tisked her tongue. The cat mewed once more but didn’t retreat. One step followed by another and then another, until she closed in on the small creature who had found a discarded plastic crate to call its home.

She crouched and held out her hand. “Hey there, little guy. What are you doing out here?”

The cat’s eyes dipped to her hand but it didn’t emerge from its hiding place.

Kissing noises were Sophie’s next go-to. She inched forward and lifted her hand so she could pat the animal’s head. The cat stretched out its neck, its head coming into the light pouring from an old bulb attached to the brick building at her right.

Sophie gasped. This cat was familiar—more than familiar. She would have recognized the animal from miles away after having studied pictures of him that Duke had given her. Gus was grey with a white patch on his nose and matching ones on both of his front paws. His tail flicked back and forth as he moved even farther from the box.

He rubbed up against her leg and a distinct purring sound filled the air around them. Tears sprang to Sophie’s eyes as she wrapped her arms around Gus and brought him to her chest. She couldn’t believe it. She’d found Duke’s cat—and in the middle of town, no less. She didn’t know how exactly the animal had found his way to town when the ranch where Duke worked was so far away, but she didn’t need to know.

She’d found him.

Elation filled her whole being. Duke was going to be so excited to see him. Sophie pulled Gus even closer and thankfully he didn’t object like most cats. He was probably just as thrilled as she was that he had been found by someone who wasn’t going to hurt him.

Without a second thought, Sophie cut her trip to town short. She hurried to her car and the second she had Gus secured, she drove the few miles to the Duncan’s ranch. Gus was far more behaved than she would have thought possible as he settled into the passenger seat and eyed her while she drove. “Duke is going to be so happy you’re safe,” she said aloud. “He’s going to…” Her voice trailed off and her skin heated.

What was she about to say? Just because she found Gus didn’t mean anything would change between them. She was all set to leave. Her tickets had been purchased. Her reservations had been made. This wasn’t some grand gesture for her to win him back.

This was a farewell gift.

Her heart sank and by the time she made it to the house, she was just as disappointed in herself as she’d been when they’d had that little chat on her couch.

Sophie clung to Gus with each painful step she took toward the wrangler’s cabin. It was silly, but holding Gus seemed to be exactly what she needed to find comfort this evening. She hesitated before knocking, realizing that it was past ten. Duke didn’t like to stay up late. And she probably should have waited until morning but she knew he’d want to know right away that his treasured little buddy was okay.

Sighing, she raised her fist and knocked. A few moments later, the door opened and a bleary-eyed cowboy she didn’t recognize answered the door.

“Is Duke here?” she asked quietly.

The cowboy dragged a hand through his hair then turned his head and shouted. “Duke! It’s for you.”

Sophie shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she listened to the shuffling sounds inside the building. The first cowboy retreated only for Duke to appear in the doorway. Immediately, his eyes dipped to the animal in her arms and his face split into the widest grin she’d ever seen him wear.

Relinquishing the cat, she tried not to think about the way his touch affected her.

“Oh praises be! Where’d you find him?” Duke asked, unable or unwilling to contain his relief and excitement.

“In town. Between the pet store and the coffee shop.”

His brows furrowed, causing lines to form between them. “He was in town?”

She swallowed, nodding. He didn’t look like he’d been sleeping very well, but that was to be expected. Duke had admitted himself that December had been a rough month.

And she’d contributed to it in more ways than one, she reminded herself.

Duke held the cat close, his eyes locking with hers. “Thank you, Sophie.”

She smiled even though she was more tempted to cry. “See? I told you. Magic .” Her voice broke on the last word and she had to clear her throat to cover it up. Her eyes darted away and she shoved her hands into her pockets, refusing to fidget in front of him and give herself away. “How are you?”

The question escaped her before she had a chance to control it.

His sharp gaze never left her face. The look he gave her mirrored her own. He didn’t want their breakup to happen, either. They’d both wanted to see where it could go.

But they were also both too stubborn to make sure that would happen.

“I’m fine,” he murmured as he stroked Gus behind his ears. “You?”

She nodded sharply. “Fine.”

The tension thickened with each passing second. She found it hard to breathe as she continued standing there and her skin started to itch for no other reason than she knew she needed to leave before she made any bad mistakes.

“That’s good,” Duke nodded.

“Yeah, it is.” She shifted again then moved toward him and gave him a quick hug, telling herself she only wanted one more second to touch the cat in his arms and this was the only way. “Good luck, Duke,” she whispered. “And Merry Christmas.” With that, she brushed a ghost of a kiss against his lips before pulling back.

Without another word, she hurried away—toward her car. Zero strength. That was what she had by the time she made it to her vehicle. When she glanced behind her, she was disappointed and yet not surprised at all that he hadn’t chased after her.

Duke had made his choice—one that was right for him.

Just because she didn’t agree didn’t mean he was wrong. It simply meant that she had to grow up and accept that not everything turned out the way she wanted it to.

Sophie thrust the key into the ignition and drove away, spitting gravel to get away from him before she threw herself on his mercy and begged him to take her back.

Christmas came and went in a blur. Sophie returned to Rocky Ridge to organize everything she needed for her trip.

Every so often, she’d check her phone. Of course he didn’t call. Of course he didn’t message her. He’d made a decision and he’d stuck to it as had she. And if they couldn’t come together to make things work as a couple, he definitely wouldn’t be trying to maintain their friendship.

Sophie shoved a blouse into her suitcase with a huff the day before setting out. Snow covered the ground. Five inches had been forecasted but it sure felt like more than that. The cold had officially settled into her bones, reminding her that she’d already adapted far too quickly to the temperate weather in Texas.

In less than twenty-four hours she’d be out of the country and off doing what she’d always wanted. She’d done it. She’d cracked the glass ceiling of her personal goals. She was going to Europe! And she was going to share another side of food with her followers she thought was just out of reach.

So why did she feel so miserable?