Free Heartbreak Ranch by Anastasia Ryan

in the bedroom she shared with Harper since she fled Colt’s arms last night. Everyone could see she was a train wreck.
    “Can I get you something honey? Do you need a cool cloth for your head or maybe some soup?” her mom asked in a loving, but concerned tone.
    “I don’t need anything. I just want to lie here,” Graysen said, half-groaning, wedged between her pillow and the covers of the bed. Her bed was the only safe place where she knew she wouldn’t run into Colt.
    Graysen didn’t even bother opening the curtain to look outside, as was her morning custom. While her family was out enjoying the ranch, Graysen was in the middle of a Miss Havisham moment, minus the tattered wedding gown. She tried to make herself think about anything else, anything but that kiss in the barn.
    Graysen’s mom came back to the cabin to check on her during the morning. Her sister brought her some food from the lodge, but Graysen only picked at it. She didn’t have much of an appetite. She tried to distract herself by reading, knitting, and periodically sleeping. When sleep eluded her, she had all the usual impulses—find some ridiculous talk show on cable, update her Facebook status, or order up some Chinese takeout. Each one of her cravings was foiled by being on a guest ranch in Wyoming. There was probably no such thing as Bang Bang shrimp over at the lodge. There was nothing to do in the cabin but think about him.
    She recognized the fear she felt. The fear that said Colt would be the kind of man she would be powerless to resist and who would hurt her in the end, even if he tried not to. She hung her head. She tried to convince herself that she could stay away from him. Her very careful, terribly sensible self knew that she should stay away from him. She would have to put her big girl panties on and deal with the situation. She couldn’t spend the rest of her vacation hiding.
    Graysen had wallowed in bed long enough. She kicked the quilt off and leapt out of bed, deciding to take a shower. The scent of vanilla surrounded her as she asked herself some serious questions. Colt’s words from yesterday reverberated in her head. Graysen knew Colt felt the same way she did. She started to think he was right, and that frightened her. If she didn’t act on the electricity between them before leaving next week, there was a reasonable chance she would never forgive herself. Would it be worse to be with him only to have to leave him so quickly or would it be worse to leave after never getting to be with him at all? Good God, her life was starting to sound like a country song.
    Once Graysen asked herself the question, she was stunned at how easily the answer came. Suddenly she didn’t just want to see him, she needed to see him. Should I go to the lodge tonight? Will he be there? If I did see him, what would I say? What about my family? They thought she had a migraine. What would they think if she showed up and hung around bright lights and loud music? They’d be watching her every move. Going to the lodge tonight as if nothing had happened yesterday was not the right choice. It was too crowded to talk to him there. It would be best if she talked with him privately. If she waited until tomorrow, she might be able to seek him out. Perhaps then she could just pull him aside ...
    Yes, she would wait until tomorrow before confronting him. It was better if she gave it a couple of days; then she would act as though she was playing hard-to-get and not have to give him so much control of the situation. The more she thought of Colt, the more she ached to be in his arms. Tomorrow seemed like a lifetime away.
    Graysen lay quietly on her bed and pondered her next move. Shortly, her family returned from their evening at the lodge. Everyone came in to check on her before getting ready for bed. Her mom’s sweet, tired voice was peppered with concern as she asked Graysen if she felt any better. Graysen told her that her migraine was all but gone, which