Cowboy Take Me Away by Soraya Lane

but I managed to keep it from her.” Hope sighed and leaned forward, elbows on the bar. “I’m just pleased she didn’t see me lose our home. It would have broken her heart and then some, and the last thing she needed on top of cancer was to know the truth.”
    Chase knew he had to tread carefully here, didn’t want to push her too far. He took a sip of his beer, finishing it, and waved with two fingers in the air to the bartender, pulling out his wallet and putting the bills on the bar. “Unless something’s changed between now and when I knew you better than I knew myself, you weren’t exactly the kind of woman to take risks. Not risks that’d end up with you homeless and with no ranch to your name.”
    Her smile was obviously forced, her lips forming a tight line that gave away her true feelings. When Hope smiled and meant it, her eyes lit up like they were dancing, her lips turning up into a beamer that changed her entire face. He knew that look well because he’d always worked his ass off to make sure he got to see it all the time, and the look on her face right now was nothing like that.
    â€œSweetheart, tell me,” he said. “You’re breaking my heart here.”
    She took the second beer he’d offered, plucking at the label, her eyes downcast. “I made a bad decision, Chase,” she told him. “We were so careful not to let anyone close in college without being sure they weren’t after us for our money, and then I went and let this happen.”
    â€œWho hurt you, Hope?”
    â€œLet’s just say my husband wasn’t who I thought he was, even though I’d known him since I was a kid, and it cost me everything,” she said. “I don’t have a ranch, I had to sell everything. So what you see,” she said, gesturing to her body, “is what you get. I screwed up and I’m paying the price now.”
    His body tensed, the hand not holding his beer instantly fisting. “You gonna tell me what he did so I can do something about it?”
    She braved a smile, finally looking up and sipping her beer again. “No. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
    â€œYou would have told me eventually.” He couldn’t take his eyes off her, was so mesmerized by the way she kept pulling her hair over one shoulder, biting her bottom lip when she wasn’t sure about something. She might be one of the top AI specialists in the country, but right now it was like they were college kids again, like she was the same young woman who’d made him so damn hard all the time just from being around her and trying to keep things platonic that nothing, not even the most gorgeous goddamn cheerleaders, had been able to take his mind off her. “You know I’d do anything for you though, right? You want my help, you’ll get it, no matter what.”
    â€œCan we just talk about something else?” she asked, looking forlorn as she slumped over the bar. “I don’t want to talk about everything I’ve done wrong, and I sure as hell don’t want you doing anything about it. Everything that could have been done is done.”
    Chase whistled to the bartender, then handed over some cash with a generous tip. “Your best tequila. Two shots.”
    â€œChase…” Hope cautioned.
    â€œWhat?” he asked, throwing her a half smile as he took the two shots placed in front of him. “If you don’t want to talk about it then the only thing to do is drink tequila, right?”
    She shook her head, not taking her eyes off him as she held up the tiny glass. “I’m going to regret this in the morning.”
    â€œWe’re both gonna regret it in the morning, but since when did that stop us?”
    She laughed as he winked. “Bottom’s up then, I guess.”
    Chase swallowed down the shot, trying not to laugh at Hope’s burning-eyed choke.
    â€œYou