My father had liked to remind me that it was my mother’s money and that I should be grateful that she left it to me. She came from a wealthy family herself. Her father had invented some medical equipment to help monitor oxygen or something like that. That was how my mother and father had met. Through their parents. My father, along with his father, who was also a doctor, came up with one of the top allergy medicines prescribed to date.
“I know you wouldn’t leave me stuck. I’m just surprised you would up and quit. That isn’t like you at all, Timber.”
I let a wide grin move across my face. “I know! It’s not like me and I love it! Since I was a little girl, I knew my soul was connected to horses. They have helped me through so many times in my life when I felt alone or frustrated with my father’s lack of interest.”
“Don’t even get my started on your father!” Candace said.
I grinned. “This is my way of paying it back to the horses. I know I can do this. I know I can be successful at this and do something I love as well.”
Candace flashed me her brilliant, confident smile. “I believe in you, Timber. You’re going to do great things; I feel it too.”
“And just think, you’ll have the apartment all to yourself. You can have crazy sex and not even worry about me hearing it.”
Her cheeks turned red. “It was one time!”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Candace had let herself have one crazy night of mindless sex with a hot guy she met at a club about a year ago. They’d kept me up nearly all night with the moans, groans, and pleading for it to be harder, faster, take me into your mouth, deeper. Ugh. It was the longest night of my life. No amount of burying my head under my pillow made it stop.
My face scrunched up at the memory, and I quickly pushed it away. “I can give Henry the rent check if you want and tell him it’s to cover my half for the next six months,” I said. “That way you don’t stress, and I won’t stress.”
“Are you not planning on coming back to Atlanta at all?”
I swallowed hard and shook my head.
Her eyes widened. “What about all your stuff?”
With a quick glance around the apartment, I faced her. “Sell it, keep the money, I don’t want any of it.”
“What?”
“I’m starting fresh!”
She shook her head in disbelief and then looked around as if taking the apartment in before she focused back on me. “I don’t think you have to pay for six months, Timberlynn. Our lease is up in four months. This is the perfect excuse for me to find a smaller place closer to work.”
“Well, I’ll write you a check for at least four months, then.”
She simply smiled and nodded. Her eyes looked troubled, and I hated that she was worried about me. Oh, how I would miss her and her mothering nature.
“Besides, maybe I’ll meet a handsome cowboy and have some of my own mindless hot sex where I’m begging the guy to give it to me harder.”
Candace laughed as her face went red again. Then she tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at me. “What about Ty’s brother...what was his name again? The one you said was so good looking. You couldn’t stop talking about him when you got back home.”
My chest did that weird flutter at the mention of Tanner.
“Tanner, that’s it!” Candace said. “I can’t believe I forgot his name with as much as you first talked about him. You said he was hot and had a smoking body.”
I deliberately kept my voice light. “Oh, he did, but I’m not even sure he’ll be there. He ropes for a living and might be out on the road.”
“Ropes?” Candace asked.
“Yeah, I told you what he did for a living.”
She stared at me with a blank expression.
“He ropes the steer’s head, and his partner ropes the back feet.”
“That’s right. Cowboys aren’t really my turn on. I must have forgotten it the moment you told me.”
I laughed.
She gave me a grin. “I do remember you saying something about how you’d like to see what he can do with his rope.”
I spun around on my heels and made my way toward the hall that led to my bedroom, praying she would drop the conversation about Tanner. “I wish I’d never told you that!” I called out over my shoulder. “I was drunk when I said it, remember? Drunk speak should be sacred.”
Candace followed me into my room, a teasing, mocking tone in her voice. “Was that really just the booze talking, Timber? You’ve never mentioned being attracted to any guy, drunk or sober. Well, I mean, since dickhead. That was a pretty big confession for you.”
“I never said I was crushing on him. I said he was cute.”
She leaned against the windowsill and smirked. “No, you said, wait, let me think of the exact words…” She tapped her finger on her chin as if deep in thought. “Oh, that’s right! You said he was one of the hottest cowboys you’d ever saw, and you could totally see yourself sitting on his face. Maybe even being a reverse cowgirl to his cowboy.”
My mouth fell open, and I smacked her on the shoulder. “I never said that!”
She laughed and sat down on my bed. “Fine, but we both know you thought it. And come on, Timber, even with the few dates you’ve been on, you’ve never once mentioned them afterwards.”
I sighed. Candace was right. I had gone out a few times with some guys, but none of them ever made me feel like Tanner did simply from his smile. Or that husky voice of his. I thought of the way he held me in his arms that night when we danced.
Is it getting hot in here?
“Tanner is very cute, but he is also never home with the job that he has. I also heard rumors that he’s a player. I’m not interested in that. I’m not interested in a relationship, period.”
“Don’t let your daddy issues ruin all men for you.”
I laughed.
“So, you don’t want to fuck him, then?”
This time I was positive my jaw hit the ground. “Excuse me? You are blunt today, aren’t you?”
She shrugged. “I believe in getting to the facts. Now, answer the question. Do you want to fu…”
I put my hand up and shot her a pleading look. “Please, stop. No, I do not want to sleep with him.”
Ugh. I wasn’t only lying to myself, but to my best friend as well.
“The last thing I want or need is a meaningless hook-up.” I prayed she didn’t hear the slight waver in my voice. From the moment I met Tanner Shaw, I had done nothing but dream about him. Lord, that smile. Those eyes that left my heart beating like hummingbird wings. But I knew a guy like Tanner was not the type of guy I needed in my life. I, unlike my best friend, was a realist. Not a romantic fool who believed the words of good-looking men who promised you the moon and stars. Been there, done that. All it had left me with was a broken heart and fifteen extra pounds when I laid in bed for a few weeks and cried my tears into ice cream and potato chips night after night.
“Well, I can’t fault you there. Are you thinking you’re ready to settle down, start a family, maybe?”
My body froze for a moment before I faced her. “Settle down?” I laughed a humorless laugh. “From my experience with men, all they do is try and win your heart, then once they get it, toss it to the ground and stomp on it.”