Unbreak My Heart (Rough Riders Legacy #1)

How could I tell Boone I was taking off for a year when he’d requested the Phoenix program because I lived here? Would he think I’d taken the job as some kind of revenge?

This is why you should’ve talked to him about it.

“Sierra?”

I refocused on Phyllis. When had she pulled out a contract? I glanced at it, then at her.

“It’s just a statement of intent,” she explained quickly. “Not a big thing.”

“Then you won’t care that I don’t sign it until I’ve had my attorney look at it?” I said coolly.

That surprised her. “If that’s what you prefer. But it is an unnecessary step.”

“I always err on the side of caution. You taught me that.”

“I also taught you to accept things at face value.”

A standoff.

Not what either of us had wanted.

Phyllis gathered her things. “I’m so glad you verbally agreed to take the position, Sierra. I’ll let the folks at WEI know and I’ll be by later in the week for additional discussion.”

I watched her walk out.

I’m so glad you verbally agreed to take the position, Sierra.

If I backed out and pushed my point that a verbal agreement isn’t binding, I’d lose any credibility I’d earned.

If I backed out, I wouldn’t be welcome in PCE—a business I’d poured my blood, sweat, tears, heart and soul into.

But I didn’t want to back out. This was an opportunity any woman in business would kill for. This wouldn’t ever come along again if I didn’t take it now.

And what about Boone? Are you willing to sacrifice what you’re just building with him?

If the situations were reversed he wouldn’t worry and fret over taking the next step in career advancement and fulfillment. He’d just do it. He’d do it without asking for your opinion because he’s done it before.

But things were different then.

The more I obsessed about it, the more I…had no freakin’ clue what I should do.

Eventually I decided my only option was to talk to my dad.

In person.

I told myself I wasn’t running from my problem when I booked a flight to Wyoming.





I hadn’t heard from Sierra in thirty-six hours and I’d started to get worried. Especially since she’d acted weird and distracted the last time we’d spoken on the phone.

Lu claimed she hadn’t talked to her for two days either.

I didn’t want to worry her dad so I didn’t reach out to him. I just hoped her sister would answer a call at seven a.m. from an unknown number.

She picked up with, “This is Rory McKay.”

“Rory? This is Sergeant Boone West.”

“Ooh, don’t you sound all official and big-time army guy. So why are you calling me, Sergeant Boone West?”

“Have you heard from Sierra?”

A pause. “You haven’t?”

“Not for a solid day and a half and that’s not like her.”

“Well, I saw her last night as a matter of fact. She’s in Wyoming. She’s staying at the cabin.”

Immediately my heart slammed into my throat. “What the hell is she doing… Dammit, did something happen to Gavin?”

“He’s fine. She didn’t tell you she was coming home?”

“No. I’ve been in Fort Hood the last two weeks. She flew down for the weekend and I took her to the airport on Sunday. I talked to her Monday night. Me and my roommate left at fifteen hundred yesterday and we’ve been driving straight through to Phoenix. Sierra hadn’t returned any of my calls, but she didn’t say anything this weekend about going to Sundance.”

Rory sighed. “It wasn’t something she planned. It was last minute.”

“Why?”

“Why should I tell you?”

I’d expected her to protect Sierra; I just hoped I could convince her I only had Sierra’s best interests in mind too. “I appreciate that you look out for her and that you’re her sounding board. But if you’ve talked to her, you know that everything is good between us. I know that she’s not running from me. You know that she’s not running from me. So please tell me what she is running from so I can help her, okay?”

A beat of silence passed. Then she sighed. “Fine. You know she’s having some issues at DPM. It’s to the point where she has to make some hard decisions.” She paused. “Did she tell you any of this?”

“Some. But I can tell by the careful way you’re phrasing things I’m missing several pieces.”

“You are. I don’t know whether to be annoyed with her or you.”

“Be annoyed with her. I knew something was on her mind but she wouldn’t talk to me about it no matter how many times I asked her, so tell me what’s going on.”

“Did you know that Sierra was offered the directorship at PCE? Fulltime with pay and everything?”

I grinned. “She was?” Her face lit up whenever she talked about the work she did with the organization she helped found, so it would be a huge coup for her career. “Why would she keep that from me?”