Wishing On A Cowboy

She remembered when she wasn’t a stray, she was his whole world. They had spent whole days in bed together planning a future. They never seemed to get enough of each other. It had been a game with them, trying not to get caught.

“Are you okay Mags?”

Maggie turned and sighed. “Do you remember what you said to me before I left?”

Hunter scowled. “I said a lot of things.”

“That’s true.” She gave him a rueful smile. “You told me that all that glitters is not gold. I wasn’t sure what you meant at the time, but I know now.”

Hunter turned away and stared at the road.

“When did you meet Cindy?”

“She came to live with me about a week after you left.”

“So soon?” It felt like a slap in the face.

“It was the best solution. She can be a bit possessive, but I think you two should get on well enough.”

Maggie nodded and stared out the side window. If she were his wife, she’d be possessive too. She had worried and felt guilty all this time, thinking she had hurt Hunter. Later she realized what a mistake it had been to leave him. She’d known the score when she left. It was all on her. No one else was to blame.

“What does Cindy look like?”

“She’s a sweet little thing that thinks I hung the moon. Her hair is black as night, and her eyes are dark, with a hint of mischief.”

There was no hiding the smile on his face when he talked about Cindy. “You must love her very much.”

Hunter laughed. “She has me wrapped around her finger, and she knows it.”

They past more pastures filled with cattle. Her stomach quivered. She didn’t want to meet Cindy.

“So, what happened to prince charming?”

She’d known that there would be questions, and she had planned to ignore them. There was no ignoring Hunter. “He wasn’t the nice guy I thought he was.”

Hunter slowed the truck until it stopped. He turned and looked at her right in the eyes. “He the one that punched your face?”

Maggie gasped.

“Don’t even try it. I see the bruises. He cut your hair with a knife too didn’t he?”

Self-conscious, Maggie reached up, and touched her haphazardly cut brown hair. She bit her lip and stared at her hands that were folded on her lap.

Hunter stepped on the gas and they were on their way down the road. “I just wish that your mother and your home were still here waiting for you.