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

Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

December was the worst of it.

But then January came.

Duke hated the first several weeks he had to endure without Sophie being here to spend time with him. Spending time at the animal shelter dragged for him, just like everything else. Each time the door opened, he looked up expecting to see her even though he knew she wouldn’t be there.

Work was more tedious and difficult to push through, especially when he had to interact with Rob or Pippa. Whenever he saw them, he was reminded of what he’d lost.

His mother and sister returned from their trip safely and didn’t seem to be any worse off for not having him visit. At least they invited him to come for a summer holiday, but that was his busiest time of year.

Winter turned into spring.

Spring into Summer.

Summer into fall.

Duke had hoped that by the time September rolled around, he’d finally be able to get Sophie out of his head. It probably didn’t help matters much that he was obsessed with her blog. Thirty-nine posts. Or was there forty? He’d lost track.

Each one was carefully crafted and worded to perfection. Sophie had a strange sort of sense of humor—something he’d only caught glimpses of when she’d been here in person.

He’d learned so much about her while she was gone. All of her posts seemed so personal, as if she were speaking directly to him.

He’d also lost count of how many times he’d nearly written an email to her, wanting to touch base and tell her he liked what she was writing.

Each one was left unsent. The folder in his email was filled to the brim with countless messages. He’d started every single one with the intention of telling her he’d made a mistake. As the seasons changed and time slipped away from him, he’d lost his nerve. What would Sophie think if he suddenly reached out to talk to her after the long stretch of silence?

There were two scenarios in his head. She’d hate him. Or she’d be indifferent to him. Both of those options didn’t sit well.

Duke slung a lasso together after he’d put in some practice time with the immobile steer heads. He slipped it over his shoulder and turned toward the barn. The cool days would get only a little bit cooler from this point forward, but thinking about that only made his mind shift to that day when Sophie had lost her cool during the light snowstorm.

A chuckle escaped his throat, but then he tamped it down right as it started. The misery that draped around his shoulders was his only companion—mostly because the guys he worked with didn’t approve of his attitude.

“Duke!” A strident voice called out from behind him.

He turned as he reached the entrance to the barn, seeing a furious Pippa marching toward him. Her hands were at her sides, clutched into fists and her face was bright red. Duke couldn’t think of a single thing he’d done to anger her, but he knew better than to make it worse.

Then again, if he just hurried inside, he could saddle a horse in less time than it took her to get out the words she clearly so desperately wanted to yell at him.

Duke sighed with resignation then forced a smile. “What can I do for you, Pippa?”

She poked him hard in the chest. “What do you think you’re doing?”

He arched a single brow. “You’re going to have to be more specific.” He lifted the rope on his shoulder. “Right now, I’m putting this rope away before I start checking the horses for loose shoes.”

Pippa poked him again, this time harder.

“Ow,” he muttered rubbing the spot just below his shoulder. “What was that for?”

“That’s for not calling Sophie.” Each word was clipped and punctuated with her fingertip.”

He frowned. “What are you talking about?”

She groaned and rolled her eyes. “Do you know how much trouble I went to for you guys? Do you know how difficult it was to find the best match for my sister ?”

Duke held up a hand. “Technically, she isn’t your sister…” his words died in his throat as her glare darkened. “Right. Your sister.”

“I know she moved across the country and everything.”

“Try the world,” he huffed. Immediately snapped his mouth shut as he regretted his reaction.

“But you two had something going on. Everyone could see that. And doesn’t she get credit for bringing Gus home?”

He stilled and just like that every ache, pain, and disparaging thought came rushing to the surface. His jaw ticked as he attempted to keep his cool. Adding Gus into the situation was the rotten cherry on top. “I don’t know what you’re trying to get at here, but maybe you could hurry it up so I can get back to work?”

She snorted. “I’m talking about the fact that you ghosted her.”

“ I ghosted her?” He let out a sharp bark of laughter. “I ghosted her.” This time it was a derisive statement. “She got a job opportunity in Europe and I don’t even know if she was going to tell me about it. Did she tell you that little bit of information? Did she tell you she was scared to bring it up?”

“Did she say that?” Pippa shot back.

“Not in so many words, but there isn’t any other reason why someone wouldn’t do so.”

Pippa let out a frustrated huff and folded her arms, her evil glare still pointed directly at him. “Is that why you chose to break up with her? You were mad she got an amazing opportunity? Were you jealous or something?”

Her words stung. The slap of accusation made his whole body rattle. Was that what Sophie was telling her best friend? His face heated and he moved closer to Pippa with an angry growl of his own. “First of all, I would have never stopped her from going. I’m the one who told her to take it. Secondly, I broke up with her because she was going to be gone for six months, maybe more. And look! She’s been gone nine . Long distance relationships don’t ever work out, Pippa. They just don’t. There’s something about being able to see someone every single day that hits differently.”

She didn’t waver. “And that means you can’t just call? To keep the lines of communication open? I’ve heard Rob talking about you. He says you’ve been a real pain in the you-know-what ever since she left. Your mood is as pleasant as the horse manure you shovel from the stalls. So tell me something, Duke. Are you pleased with your decision to cut her out? Because she isn’t.”

He straightened, his walls crashing down around him. No, he hadn’t contacted her, but the lines of communication went both ways. She could have sent him something, too. “What are you saying?” he whispered, just needing to know if Sophie was still thinking about him.

“I’m saying that Sophie is going to be gone for two more months, then she’s coming back here and when I asked if you two were going to pick up where you left off… you wanna know what she said?” Pippa didn’t wait for his response. “She said, you two haven’t talked since Christmas.”

He flinched at the sharpness of her tongue. She might as well have been flinging daggers at him for how they penetrated deep into his soul.

Pippa’s voice softened but not by much. “Here I thought you weren’t dating because you and she were working though a long distance something or another, and I come to find out neither one of you is talking to the other!” She threw her hands into the air. “I don’t believe it! This is so ridiculous. Clearly you care about her, otherwise you wouldn’t be moping around and keeping to yourself. And she’s been?—”

He stiffened. “She’s been… what?”

Pippa’s eyes narrowed. “She’s having fun, Duke. She’s taking full advantage of the opportunity she has to travel, try new foods, and… meet new people.”

Once again, he flinched. “Oh.” Of course she was going to meet new people. Of course she was going to move on. He didn’t know why he’d been so hopeful she’d clung to the idea of seeing him again when she returned. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, he rubbed the back of his neck. “What did you want, Pippa?”

“What did I want?” She let out a sad-sounding laugh. “I wanted to see my friends find love and end up together. That’s what I wanted.”

“Yeah, well, that’s not going to happen.”

“Why not?” Pippa snapped. “I told you, she’s coming home at Thanksgiving. She’ll be back and you guys can?—”

He scowled, though he didn’t direct it at Pippa. “If she’s seeing other people?—”

“She’s not.”

His head snapped up and he stared at her, half-expecting her to laugh, point a finger, and tell him she was kidding. “She’s not? But you said?—”

Pippa shook her head. “She’s meeting people. I didn’t say she’s seeing anyone. Will you just listen to me? We were talking about her coming back. I asked about you. She said you weren’t speaking.”

“Did you at least get mad at her for not calling me, too?” He braced himself for the onslaught of her fury but it didn’t come.

“Yeah, I did.” Those words were softer, kinder. This time she was looking at him like she could see the pain he’d been enduring.

The silence between them hung awkwardly until he looked away. “Well, good. Did you also tell her I’ve been helping you take care of Daisy?”

“I thought I’d let you handle that on your own.” Pippa gave him a quick nod. “And I told her she should call you. If both of you have been this miserable for the last nine months, then maybe it’s a sign the two of you should… I don’t know… chat .” She sighed again then flung her hands into the air. “Or don’t. Do whatever.” Pippa stalked off and he watched her go. The second she’d been removed from his sight, he pulled out his phone.

Duke: Hey.

She probably wouldn’t respond. But then again, Pippa had put the fear into him, maybe she’d see it for what it was. An olive branch.

Over the next two weeks Duke and Sophie exchanged several text messages, GIFs and other forms of platonic communication. They didn’t bring up dating. They didn’t discuss what would happen when she returned home.

They simply got to know each other a little better.

For the two weeks after that, they spoke on the phone—a lot. He found he looked forward to her calls and he didn’t mind getting up at early hours to visit with her. Apparently she didn’t mind staying up late if he missed her call, either. Everything was great until he heard a female voice on the other end he didn’t recognize.

“Is that lover boy ?”

His heart was yanked right out of his chest. Their conversations had been nothing if not casual. There was no way he could be described as a ‘lover boy’ even by the new friends she’d made while abroad. His throat closed up as he heard their laughter and muffled sounds.

“Sorry about that,” Sophie said breezily. “Trina thinks she’s hilarious?—”

“It’s fine. I’ve been going on some dates, too.”

Sophie went quiet after that. “Oh?” The single word, single syllable was laced with curiosity and something else he couldn’t place.

He choked on his next statement. “Yeah, sure. Nothing serious, of course.”

“Right.” She grew quiet again. “It can be hard to make time for relationships when you’re busy.”

“Exactly.” That pit in his stomach was about to swallow him whole. Not only was his disappointment suffocating him, he also felt guilty over his lie. She may not be seeing anyone, but it was like Pippa had said, she was meeting people. He couldn’t fault her for that. Sophie wasn’t his girlfriend and they weren’t a couple.

He sighed but before he could end the conversation, she asked, “Are you going to see your family for Christmas this year?” It was hard to say, but he almost wanted to hear a note of hopefulness in her voice—as if she wanted him to confirm he would be staying in Sweet Bloom again.

Or, he could definitely be reading too much into her question.

“Not sure,” he murmured. “Things are a little in the air this year.”

“Are they okay? Your family, I mean.”

“Yeah, they’re great. I’m just not sure I can make it out there with everything I have going on here. It’s getting harder and harder every year.”

“That makes sense.” The smile had returned to her face, he could hear it in her voice. “I’ll be back for Thanksgiving.”

“I heard.” This time he smiled. If he was lucky, then when she got back, he’d be able to spend some time with her in person. I can’t wait to see you again. The words clung to his tongue, his lips, his throat, unwilling to be released as if terrified of the consequences. So instead, he wrapped up their conversation with a quiet, “I got to get going. Talk soon.”

“Talk soon,” she repeated.