CEO FALLS IN LOVE

that she would love to meet another girl, because everyone else didn't like horses and rodeos, just television and boys. Grace punched someone who called me “sick.” It had been a month of classes and I was still recovering. Every now and then he would cough and seek air. Someone pushed me during class break. My friend approached the boy, who teased her by calling her a “pumpkin head” and saying that I was sick. I heard the punch — and the comments about it — but didn't see it, because I was hunched over in my seat, nervous and coughing.

When the director arrived, Grace showed me my condition and we were taken to the infirmary. My friend was never punished and that was one of my last respiratory crises. I didn't know anything about horses and rodeos, but Grace was hard to ignore and a loyal friend. My favorite subject was books. Between the two of us, we had fun and introduced new things to each other. One day, I picked up Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone from Grandma's bookstore and took it to Grace, who was delighted and we started reading together, every day, after lunch. It was the first time I saw Jared Richards. We had been in the city for more than six months. My health improved and I enjoyed more time with my parents, because the small town allowed that. I loved spending afternoons with Grandma at the bookstore and Grace enjoyed reading with me when she didn't have to be at the farm, with her mother picking her up at dusk. One day, Miranda didn't come, but Grace's brother did. Jared was seventeen years old, with reddish brown hair and bright blue eyes. He had a kind expression, an easy smile, a hat too big for his head — which he learned, years later, belonged to his father who had died some time before — and dimples. He also had marks. Like cuts and bruises on the face that didn't match the sweetness of the red-haired boy with freckles. That outfit made twelve-year-old Abby uncomfortable and her cheeks red with embarrassment just laying eyes on it. It wasn't once, twice or three times. If Jared approached me, my heart would pound, my hands would sweat, and my skin would heat up. Just stuttering a “hi” was a victory for me. I only understood that reaction and those feelings many years later. From that time on, all I knew was the decision, very well hidden within me, to marry the cowboy. I decided this when I was twelve like someone deciding the color of a new dress, and I've never been able to let go of the idea. Abby Richards was the name I loved writing in notebooks when no one was looking. My married name. Take secret photos, save little memories. As I began to spend more and more time at Grace's house, I learned to relax around him, even though I was aware of this teenage love that filled my heart. At fifteen, Grace was in love with Colin Duke. And my friend was always one to talk and act too much, while I knew that the age difference between Jared and I was a big impediment to anything happening. Maybe upon coming of age, but at that moment, the cowboy was just what he always was. A dream. I was already trying a lot to survive school, find a future and hide in my ponytail, glasses and baggy clothes. My body was big. Compared to my best friend, I felt even worse. She was so thin and tall, like magazine models, whereas I had big breasts and ass, a wide waist and a short stature. We were two polar opposites in everything: personality, body, behavior... The closer I got to adulthood and my body developed, the more I realized my desire for Jared. The girls were crazy about the boys at school. I only had eyes for him. It was impossible to look away from the smile, from the sweaty muscles in the sun working with the horses. I was embarrassed to be caught in the act and became an expert at sneaking around the farm when no one was looking. The cowboy was still nice to me, distant and polite because he was just his younger sister's friend. And I remained as silent as on the first day. Somehow, the Richards decided I was just shy and started respecting my space. Jared entered the circuit when he turned eighteen. He rode horses, doing rope and drum trials. At twenty-one, he was already riding bulls. My heart sank every time I accompanied Miranda, Grace and Colin to watch. I hoped and prayed. He hit his head a few times, twisted a limb and was carried away, but he was never seriously injured. Jared made money, and the moment the farm started making a profit, he stopped participating in rodeos. They were intense years, in which Colin and Grace's brother did everything they could to make CJ work. While the oldest of the Richards attended the circuits to put more money into the business, the other cowboy studied at college, even after all the hours of work they had. — Jared is so handsome... so manly... — he heard in the school corridors of people who came to talk to Grace when they discovered that the man was her brother. I've seen this happen so many times. The girls tried to get close to Grace, and when they got Jared's number, they forgot about my friend. She pretended not to care, but she knew deep down she felt used. Mainly because she lived her own crusade of ignoring Colin Duke after the cowboy rejected her and broke her heart. And they both had a parade of women. They were the region's indomitable singles, the heartthrobs of Riverville, who made little ladies blush with just a smile. Colin was just a rumor. I once overheard a conversation between him and Jared about preferring the neighboring cities because he didn't attract the attention of the Riverville gossips, and that's why he was almost never caught with a woman. Grace's brother didn't seem to mind and starred in legendary stories. People swore they saw him naked and hanging from a window two blocks from the bookstore when a jealous husband almost caught him in the act. A relationship with two sisters at the same time. Using nicknames because he didn't remember the women's names. He had zero expectations, but it melted me to see him smile at me. I knew it wasn't special. He was like that with everyone. Same. However, there was no way to silence my heart, even though with me it was polite and distant, as if I were another younger sister, like Grace. He was a scoundrel. And I fell in love with him to the point that I no longer knew how to live without that feeling. And the only loyalty Jared had was to his own family and Colin. We finished school, and it was time to grow up and part ways. Grace earned a veterinary fellowship in Wisconsin, on the other side of the country. I went on to UCLA in California. I helped throw a surprise party where we danced and sang in the Richards living room one last time. My friend left the next morning, while I would stay in our small town for a few more weeks. When I got home, I cried, thinking that nothing would be the same as before, but I should get to know Grace Lynn better. She swore that she would be my best friend at eleven years old and not even many miles away would stop her. She texted me every day, made video calls, showed me around Wisconsin and