All Chapters of Resisting The Alpha Cowboy: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥After the awkward breakfast, and seeing the woman i had slept with the night before... i decided to tackle my task for today without worrying much about the mistakes i made last night and this morning.The barn smelled like hay, leather, and the familiar musk of horses as I pulled the heavy door open. The early afternoon sun streaked through the slats in golden beams, dust swirling in the warmth. I was here to check on one of our mares, Daisy—she was due to foal in a few weeks, and I wanted to make sure she was comfortable.Ross, of course, had followed me, boots crunching against the dirt as he sauntered in like he had all the time in the world.“You know,” he started, dragging a hand through his already-messy dark hair, “I was thinkin’—Vanessa’s kinda cute. Let’s be honest, cute doesn’t cut it. She’s gorgeous.”I didn’t respond. Not because I hadn’t heard him, but because I was already expecting this conversation. Ross flirted with just about anything with a h

★。＼｜／。★VANESSA DAVIS★。／｜＼。★I wasn’t expecting to open with Colton rushing towards me before I could even finish shifting back to my human side.Not after the way the morning started, with awkward glances and unspoken tension. Not after I’d spent the whole day trying—and failing—to push him out of my mind. Not after convincing myself that his absence in bed hadn’t meant anything- okay, I didn’t convince myself but I was going to.And yet, here he was.Standing in front of me, arms crossed, golden eyes sharp as he assessed me. His jaw was set, but there was something else beneath the rough exterior—something I couldn’t quite name.“You’re not walking back alone,” he said, his voice low and firm. The doctor had discharged me, a nice man by the name. Introduced himself to me before he rushed off to do other things.I frowned, shifting slightly on the cot I was sitting on. The medical room in Reaves’ basement smelled like antiseptic and burnt wood, a reminder of the fire that had nearly

▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 I should’ve been upstairs.I should’ve been checking on her. She feels what I feel. Her reaction told me what I needed to know.It had taken every ounce of self-control I had not to follow Vanessa up those stairs, not to wait outside her room just to make sure she was okay. But instead, I was standing in the middle of what used to be Darcy’s greenhouse, staring at the charred remains of what looked like a goddamn crime scene.The fire had gutted the place. What once was a carefully cultivated garden and lab, full of Darcy’s experiments and rare plants, was now reduced to ashes and twisted metal. The glass panels had shattered from the heat, some sections melted down completely. Blackened wood and debris caved in where the roof used to be, smoke still curling weakly from the edges, as if the fire had barely been put out in time.If Vanessa hadn’t gotten Darcy out...I swallowed hard. I didn’t like thinking about the what-ifs.Ross stood beside me, arms crossed,

★。＼｜／。★VANESSA DAVIS★。／｜＼。★I woke up slowly, the kind of slow where your body feels like it’s floating just on the edge of sleep, reluctant to fully return to the waking world. The warmth of the blankets cocooned me, heavy and safe, and for a second, I let myself sink deeper into it, nuzzling my face into the pillow.Something smelled good. Familiar. Comforting.Colton.The realization hit me all at once, and my eyes fluttered open, taking in the dim morning light filtering through the curtains. I was wearing his shirt. I had fallen asleep in it, and his scent still clung to the fabric—rich, deep, a mix of cedarwood and something unmistakably him. It was distracting, and I hated that it was distracting. Ugh, I’m an idiot. I’d gotten some juice on my shirt last night and he offered me his to wear. What sort of dumbass does that? I didn’t need his nice-smelling shirt.I forced myself to roll onto my back, blinking up at the ceiling as last night came rushing back. The fire. The smok

★。＼｜／。★VANESSA DAVIS★。／｜＼。★“Enjoying the drink?”I hadn’t touched it really. Like I said, I’m not about to have another drink put my ass on the floor. I rolled my eyes at Reeves, but the old man just chuckled like he’d already won whatever silent battle we were having. Before I could snap back at him, my phone buzzed.I glanced down, expecting maybe a delayed response from Laia or some random spam text, but instead, it was from Colton.Colton: Meet me by the running river.That was it. No explanation. No mention of dinner. Just... meet me.I frowned, staring at the message. It wasn’t like I expected him to say yes- or no- but he could’ve at least given me an answer. Instead, he was summoning me like I was some kind of errand girl. Typical alpha male nonsense.I sighed and looked at Reeves, who was already smirking like he somehow knew exactly what was happening.“Is there a running river around here? I saw a line of it once while Catia was working the sheep.” I asked, slipping my