Second Chance Cowboy

Prologue

The group of men my father is talking to look rough. Most of them aren't shy about the guns strapped to their hips. I'm used to it, strange meetings with violent-looking men. Father drags me along to these things like I'm his prized possession, never lets me out of his sight.

Until this trip.

He doesn't have time to watch me round the clock and after meeting Jake last week when we visited a cattle ranch, I have snuck out at least a dozen times. I don't know how long we're staying in town, but I'm soaking up every second of it.

I lean on the door frame and listen to what the men are saying, talking about cattle thieves or something. It's boring to me. I'd much rather be back in the city with my friends seeing the latest movie or just hanging out in my bedroom, which is about the only two things my father lets me do anyway. But this summer has been nothing but one trip after another. It will be August soon and school will go back in session, and all I want is one adventure for myself.

Leaving the men to their meeting, I creep back up the stairs where my solitude is torture. I try to avoid the creaking step but I hit it every time. I swear it doesn't have a silent spot. And this old farmhouse turned bed and breakfast has stairs made for a giant, so I can't take them two at a time. The banister wobbles a little too, which makes it impossible to traverse the steps silently. Thankfully, my movement in the old house doesn't draw attention.

I sink into the mattress and pick up my book, an old cowboy romance left in the nightstand drawer next to the Gideon Bible common to almost every place we've stayed. The book is steamy, though I skip the dirty parts because if Father knew I was reading that he'd beat me for sure. I curl into a ball, turning the pages eagerly to see where the damsel gets rescued from the horrible militants that have attacked her farm, and I hear a click on the windowpane.

I put the book down and listen intently, focusing on the silence around me. The ugly floral comforter smells like old lady perfume, but it's better than the stench of tobacco and beer we normally encounter in small hotels. The clicking ceases and I return to my book, hungry for more romance. My life has been void of romance, though my friends tell me to give it time. Cici is a few years older than me, and she says at seventeen she hasn't encountered it yet either.

The heroine of my current read is in her twenties. I thought maybe that was when it would happen for me too, except Jake is about the most handsome boy I've ever met. I wish we could stay here in Mustang and make it our home. I'd live on a ranch if Jake was there with me. His smile and the way he talks to me so kindly--my cheeks warm just thinking about him again.

I find myself distracted by thinking of my time spent with him the past few days, lunch by the river, climbing the fence in the horse pasture to feed the horses carrots, and my favorite was walking barefoot through the tall grass. The picture hanging on the wall here reminds me of that pasture where he held my hand and we talked about opening the doors in our hearts that have always been shut to others. I'd let him open any door in my heart he wanted.

The tapping returns, this time louder. I set the book aside and climb out of bed. My feet hit the cool wood planks beneath them and I shiver. It 's warm out during the day, but nights beneath the open, cloudless sky the temperature drops to chilling temps. And when the breeze comes down off the mountains to the west I can almost smell the coffee brewing in Seattle.

Tiptoeing up to the window, I shut the light off so I can see outside without being spied on from below. I have to let my eyes adjust to the dim light of the full moon overhead, but when I do, I see the most wonderful sight. Jake stands with his hand curled around some rocks, throwing them one at a time at the window of the room I share with my father.

I pry at the window trying to make sure it doesn't squeak as it rises. No screens mean I can lean out and call to him in a loud whisper. "Jake! Is that you?"

I hear him chuckle. "Who else would be throwing pebbles at the window of the most beautiful girl in Mustang?"

I grin and notice the old TV antenna firmly rooted in the ground only a meter from the window. I glance back at the door, not knowing when Father will come to bed. "Hold on, I'm coming down!"

Whipping around to find my shoes, I stuff a few pillows under the covers on my bed and douse the other light on my father's nightstand. I cram my feet into the shoes and head back to the window. With the curtain drawn, hopefully he won't notice the window is open. It's a risk, but one I'm taking because I have to be with Jake.

The antenna sways a bit as I reach for it, straddling the windowsill and stretching with my toe toward the metal rungs. Jake stand below my precarious position, arms out as if he can catch me should I fall. When my feet hit the ground, he is there taking my hand. We run toward the edge of town, feet pounding the dusty earth. I wish I'd have brough a sweater, but Jake sees me shivering and offers me his jean jacket. We stop beneath an old apple tree where he has stretched a blanket out.

"I didn't think you were going to hear the pebbles. I was afraid your dad would wake up." He pulls me down with him and we collapse. I lie on the blanket looking up at the dark sky. Stars sparkle there, watching over us as we catch our breath.

"He's having some sort of meeting. I have a while." I press my palm to my chest, feeling my heart race, as much from the running as from seeing Jake. I can't believe he likes me. No boy has ever liked me.

Jake rolls over next to me, propping himself on an elbow and resting a hand on my stomach. I've never let a boy touch me like this before, but I would let Jake do it all night long. He looks down at me and I can see the sweat glistening on his forehead.

"You're so handsome, Jake Blackwell. I don't think I've ever met a boy like you." I rest my hand on his and smile at him. He grins, showing a single dimple on his right cheek.

"Mia, I think you're about the prettiest girl I've ever met too. Girls in this town are hateful. Small town drama... everyone knows everything about you. I like that I don't know nothing about you." His hand moves and for a moment I think he will touch me in a more sensitive place, but he reaches for a strand of my dark hair and curls it around my ear. "I think I'm falling for you."

"You do?" I swallow hard, unsure what he means by that.

"I do." He licks his lips and his forehead scrunches up. "You know, I'd like to do something with you."

My chest tightens. Momma warned me about boys who want only one thing, and I don't want Jake to be one of those boys. I want Jake to be the sort of boy who respects me, who cares about my mind and my dreams. I feel nervous asking him what it is that he wants to do, but I can't help but feel anxious that I've made a mistake.

"What's that?" I brace myself as he rests his hand on my hip. His thumb brushes over my hip bone, bare because my shirt has ridden up on that side.

"Well, I'd like to kiss you, if you give me your permission." He is serious, but the corner of his mouth lifts in a half smile. "It's okay if you say no."

"No--" I blurt out before silently cursing myself. "I mean, yes... I mean--" I shook my head. "I mean, no, I don't want to say no." My heart is racing. I've never kissed a boy before. No boy wants to date me; how could I kiss one?

Jake stares at me. In the bright moonlight I have no trouble making out how he bats his eyelashes and leans closer. His lips part slightly and his eyes flutter shut. Am I supposed to close my eyes too? I almost panic, but decide closing my eyes is best. I rest my hand on his arm and wait for him to touch me. His lips brush over mine lightly at first, then I feel his tongue press against my bottom lip. I part my lips too, letting him kiss me harder.

Jake's hand squeezes my hip and I shudder. The moment is too perfect, the moonlight, the hoot of the old barn owl somewhere in the tree. It's magical and I can't ask for anything more. When he pulls away, I am speechless, grinning like an idiot as I look up at him. He probably has no idea it was my first kiss, or maybe he does and he's just being nice. Maybe I'm a horrible kisser. Or maybe he really likes it.

"I really like you, Jake." My cheeks are hot. I want to stay here beneath this old tree and kiss him all night, but I'm cold. I begin to shiver and he curls around me more tightly. I know I feel something firm in his pants that I shouldn't be feeling, which only makes my blush deepen. I'm glad it's dark out.

"It's so cold. I think I want to go back. Can we skip rocks tomorrow?"

Jake smiles and nods. "I'm going to kiss you again before you go."

I say nothing and accept the kiss, this time letting his tongue twirl around mine. When he is done, I push myself off the ground and dust myself off. "See you tomorrow." I blow him a kiss as I run away and he lays there watching.

The antenna is easier to climb than it was to descend but when I get to the window I see that it is closed. My heart stops dead in my chest. The light is on. The curtains are open. I can see my father pacing the floor squeezing his nose. To my shame, I descend the antenna and walk around to the front porch where I have to let myself in and make my way up the stairs. The lights in the front room where Father's meeting was in session when I left were off. The men now gone.

The stairs creaked as I ascended, head hung in shame, heart pounding in my chest. Father will be furious. I will be punished. There is no way out of it. I push open the door with an apology ready when he snaps at me.

"Get yer shit, girl, we're leaving."

"What?" No, this can't be happening. I'm supposed to skip rocks with Jake. I have to tell him goodbye. I need to give him his jacket back.

"I said, we're leaving. Get yer shit."

"But, Daddy, I--"

"Do you want me to bring the back of my hand across your face the way I do yer mother? Now heed me, Mia. We're leaving now."

Tears form in my eyes instantly and I say, "Yes, Father."

My eyes catch a glimpse of movement out the window as I look down where Jake stood only an hour ago. I place my things into my suitcase carefully, stashing the old romance novel with them. I wrestle with keeping his jacket or leaving it, but I can't part with it. I touch my lips lightly. I don't want to leave him. He's the best thing that ever happened to me.

"Get to the car now." Father stands by the door waiting, and I shed a few more tears as I hoist my suitcase off the bed. Maybe one day I can return this jacket and tell Jake I'm sorry for leaving so abruptly.

Chapter 1

I've shaken so many hands today if I had a dollar for every one of them, I'd be able to save the ranch from bankruptcy. Standing beneath the canopy erected over the casket holding my dead parents, I can't help but feel a tremendous weight on my shoulders. We'll read the will later today, but I already know the ranch is now my responsibility. All those years trying to run from it, and the old man bested me anyway.

"God, Jake, Colt is just devastated." Chloe jams her phone into her pocket and swipes her hand across her eyes. The ceremony is over and we're just mingling amongst the gravestones now before the casket is lowered into its final resting place in the family plot. Five generations buried here, and every last one of them had some part of building this ranch.

I pull Chloe into my arms and hold her while she sobs. It isn't easy for any of us, losing both of our parents to the same tragic car accident, but I see why Colt isn't taking it so well. "We're all devastated, Chlo."

"Yes, and we're all here," she moans into my chest. "Colt can't even get a plane until next Tuesday. He can't even properly say goodbye."

"No one got to say goodbye." Numbness has set in. Oh I was angry, in denial, bargaining with God to let it all be a bad dream. But now I can only hold myself together and push the emotion away to be there for my siblings. Someone has to lead the family forward.

I rub her back gently watching the mourners begin to wander back toward their cars. Riley and Sage huddle beneath an umbrella, likely waiting for Chloe to join them. Brody sits in a seat just letting the rain soak him to the bone. It drips from the rim of his hat. I see a few other folks from town, Mack and Hal, Mrs. Baxter, even the Simmonses. Seems like every person in this town loved my father.

A woman dressed in all black holding an umbrella stands near the drive sobbing. Her wide brimmed hat has a veil shielding her face from view, her hands clad in black gloves. "Hey." I jostle Chloe. I know everyone in this town, and I've never seen that woman in my life. "Who's that?"

Chloe pries herself out of my chest and uses her sleeve to wipe her eyes. She squints and blinks a few times then shakes her head. "I don't know. I don't recognize her."

"Well a friend of Dad's is a friend of ours. We should go introduce ourselves and offer our consolation." I take a step but Chloe protests.

"No, you go. I can't stand to hear another person tell me how sorry they are. I'm going to head up to the house with Riley and Sage. Alright? I bet the guys from the Wild Mustang have lunch ready for us." She squeezes my hand and walks away, head down. It's a long walk back to the house. She should be riding in my truck, not walking in the rain, but maybe the rain is therapeutic.

I watch her for a second and feel grief punch my gut again. She'll have to get married, have babies, be a mother, all without her own mother there to guide her. I set my jaw and sigh. It's all on me now. Every last bit of it.

Turning, I focus back on the mysterious woman and start that direction. I have to push through a cluster of folks who each stop me to offer their condolences. As I emerge out the other side, Isaac Simmons is there, hat in his hands, solemn look on his face. He's wearing white, not very fitting for a funeral, but then he hasn't always been on the best terms with my family.

The owner of Eagle's Landing, another local ranch, is an intimidating man. He stands a few inches taller than me, barrel chest, menacing eyes. But today we are all reminded how fragile life is, and the hat in his hands rather than on his head is a symbol of respect and honor.

"Isaac," I say, extending my hand toward him. For the moment, the woman in black is gone from my mind.

"Well, Jake, I'm right sorry to hear about your father. He was a good man, had a good heart." He takes my hand and squeezes it then relinquishes his grip. The rain seems to have let up a little, but droplets still patter on his balding head. "You'll have a big job now, getting this place in shape."

I hook my thumbs in my belt loops and stare at the muddy earth. "Don't I know it."

"The Triple R ain't done so well lately."

I look up at him and wonder just how much he knows about the ranch's struggles lately. I hadn't known anything until Dad's lawyer met with me and laid it all out for me only yesterday. "No, it hasn't."

"I hear you're set to lose five hundred head of cattle next month if the bank takes the western pasture. Can't graze the cattle if you can't pay the mortgage." His eyes narrow and he dusts his hat off then sets it on his head. The bulge in his lip reveals a wad of tobacco. He has the nerve to spit at our feet and continue. "I reckon you'll end up losing this place without a bit of help."

When he turns and looks over his shoulder, I notice Sadie standing there. Her bright red dress clashes with the orange umbrella she holds, but she has a smug grin on her face. I think that smugness is permanently etched into her facial features. She wiggles her fingers and winks at me. Isaac looks back at me and clears his throat.

"I have a proposition for you. I'm not sure if this is the best time to bring it up, but I know a way you can save your ranch and it'll help me out quite a bit too." He spits again and rests his hands on his large belt buckle that has his ranch's logo on it.

"How's that?" Part of me has zero interest in hearing what the man has to say, but part of me knows without help the Triple R is going down faster than the Titanic.

"Well it's clear I'm past my prime. Age sort of has a way of sneakin' up on you. I have a few health struggles I'm ailin' with and I can't run my ranch like I used to. Sage and my crew have been doing fine, but it's time I decide on a new owner, someone I trust."

I listen carefully, but I'm not gathering the clues he's trying to drop. I can't run his ranch. I can't even run my ranch. I've never wanted this a day in my life and everyone knows it.

"I'm not sure how I can help with that." I run my tongue across my teeth and wait for the long-winded bastard to spit it out.

"Well the Triple R is going under, but Eagle's landing is doing just fine. Better than we have in decades." He spits again and cocks his head, looking up at me under the brim of his hat. "I say we combine the ranches and help your family out... Of course, there is a condition. I can't be just givin' my ranch away. I want to offer it to a member of my family."

"I'm not following you, Isaac and if you don't mind, it's raining. I'd like to go have lunch as soon as the casket is in the ground." I'm impatient but trying not to be rude.

"Alright, I'll cut to the chase. You're single, Sadie's single, and neither one of my girls can run the ranch by themselves. You marry my daughter and I'll sign over the deed to the ranch just like that. It stays in the family; I have the help I need to keep things flowing smoothly, and you save the Triple R." His hands curl into fists then relax and he crosses his arms over his chest.

Marry Sadie? Is he insane? I look over at her and she's still staring at me. I know she put him up to this, exactly the same way she badgered me into taking her to the spring formal senior year then announced to everyone that we were dating. She was evil then, and she is evil now. I shake my head and look back to Isaac, for the first time truly seeing the age of the man. He's more than ten years older than my father was. I wonder what sort of medical issues he's having.

"Isaac, I-"

"Now before you answer, you think it over. You talk to Brody and Colt, Tyler. You know Boyd would have wanted the ranch to continue on. I think this is a way to make it happen." He extends his hand toward me and I shake it again.

"I appreciate the offer, and I'll consider it. Thank you for coming by today."

"Take it easy." He turns and ambles back toward Sadie who now looks expectant. When he reaches her, her face falls, and she scowls at me before hooking her arm around his and holding the umbrella over both their heads as they walk away. I watch them stroll past the line of vehicles parked down the gravel path, and I feel a hand slap my back.

"What the hell did that old coot want?" Tyler stands next to me watching the Simmonses leave. I can always count on him to offer a hostile attitude toward Simmons after being chased off the man's ranch for cow tipping when we were teenagers. He never got over the man carrying a shotgun to protect his herd. I found it hilarious, but not Ty.

"Some damn scheme Sadie cooked up." I turn to face him and wipe my forehead with my sleeve. Everything is wet and sticky even though the rain is done. "Wants me to marry her just so I can take control of his ranch and it stays in the family. He said he's sick or something, needs someone to take over."

"I don't know, Jake. Sadie Simmons? She's horrible." He slides his hands into his front pockets and shakes his head. "We're struggling, and I know Eagle's Landing isn't, but you really want to throw your life away on that woman?"

When he puts it that way, I know my answer. Saving the ranch is top priority, but I don't know if I like the idea of marrying someone I can't stand to make that happen. I'm sure Dad would disagree. He built Triple R into what it is today, and he wouldn't want it to go bankrupt for any reason. I am willing to take it on because I want to honor his wishes even though I have no interest in running the family business. I just don't think I want to give up my entire future and be strapped in a cold loveless marriage to do it. That's taking it a bit too far.

I turn, remembering my original reason for meandering down this way and look for the veiled woman dressed in black. "Did you see that woman?" I ask Tyler. A quick sweep with my eyes turns up empty. I don't see her anywhere.

"What woman?"

"There was a woman dressed in black standing over there by Great Grandpa Elwood's grave marker. She was sobbing." Confused, I stare out across the sea of parked vehicles but still don't see her. It's like she vanished into thin air.

"Nope, didn't see her." He slaps my shoulder and sighs. "Gonna head up to the house with the others. Want a ride?"

Frustrated, I give up my search and resolve to ask around if anyone else saw her. "Nah, man. I drove my truck down here. It's parked out there somewhere. I gesture toward the gravel path. Several cars are now moving, heading up the sweeping hill past the horse pasture.

"Sure, I'll see you after a bit... Jake, we got this. Okay? You're not throwing your life away on Sadie Simmons. We'll save the ranch." Tyler's reassurance is heartwarming, but I'm not so certain we can save the ranch.

Only time will tell.

Chapter 2

A semi drives past me near the highway turn off, splashing water on my windshield. As if the rain isn't coming down hard enough. My wipers are on full blast and not keeping up. I've been driving through rain for two days now, heading toward the small town that stole my heart fifteen years ago. I'm not dumb enough to believe Jake Blackwell is still there, but I do know it's the one place I ever felt safe, and with the storm I'm running from I'll gladly trade some rainy nights in Mustang for the solace of knowing my ex can't find me.

The small filling station I remember is still there, nestled just of the highway with lights glowing. I turn off and make the quick tenth of a mile jump over to it, pulling in to top off the tank on my compact car, affectionately termed "the roller skate" by some friends back in Denver. The car rumbles across the potholes in the gravel lot and I stop by the pumps and shut the engine off.

The rain in the air leaves a distinct smell, much different than back where I used to call home in the city. It's dark too, no light pollution to obscure my view of the sky, though clouds hide the stars I know are there. A sweet memory crosses my mind, Jake's lips on mine as we gaze up at the stary sky after sneaking out. That was the last time I saw him, and my world went to chaos at this very same filling stop.

I push the dark clouds out of my mind and climb out of the car. The old pump doesn't work the way the ones in the city do. Once the pump is inserted into my tank, I pull the handle down and lock the pump in place to fill, then grab my purse and head into the building. Not much has changed. The place looks straight out of the sixties, old tobacco and beer signs, faded with age and turning yellow, hang on the walls. The older gentleman behind the register nods his head at me as I stroll in, toothpick hanging from his mouth. It smells like oil and earth.

I relieve myself in the bathroom, and then head to the refrigerators where I grab a bottled water and a soda to help me stay awake. By now the tank will be full and the automatic shutoff will have told the cashier how much I owe. I stroll up to the register and set my things down along with my purse.

"Good evenin', Ma'am. This all for you?"

"And the gas on pump two."

The old man nods. He seems familiar but after fifteen years I don't think I can even remember what Jake looked like, or what he may look like now. I fish my wallet out of my purse and open it, ready to offer a crisp fifty. He reads the total and makes change for me, but I have questions. It's been so long since I've been here I can't remember anything but the Triple R ranch and my fond memories.

"Sir, I'm headed to Mustang, and I'll be needing a place to stay there. How much do you know about the town?" I tuck the change into the wallet and put it back in my purse, collecting my items.

"Well, you'll have the old B&B Mrs. Baxter runs, or you could stay at the Hitching Post, but the B&B is nicer. How long you here for? You have some special business in town?" He shuts the register and leans over the counter, chewing on that old toothpick. I forgot how different small-town life is from the city. In Denver, no one cares about my business or what I'm doing for the day, but in a place like Mustang everyone knows everyone and when a stranger arrives it is a local headline.

"Just remember being fond of it when I was a teen and my father brought me for a visit. I'm looking for a place to unwind and disconnect from the world for a while." I smile and put my purse on my shoulder. "Might just look up an old acquaintance while I'm in town."

"Oh, is that so? Who might you be inquirin' about?" His eyes sparkle like he's got the town gossip on the phone jus twaiting to spread my juicy tidbit.

"Oh, I'll be certain to let you know if I find them." I tap my hand on the counter and excuse myself before he pries anymore. "G'night, sir."

The bell rings as I walk out the exit and I hear a clap of thunder in the distance. The rain seems to have slowed substantially, which is good for my driving. It's difficult to see the roads on a dark night like this where the rain and the blackness seem to swallow the glow from my headlights. I put the hose back on the pump and close my gas cap, and take a deep breath of the country air. It'll be good for me to just put my phone and computer away for a while and enjoy nature, but tell that to my anxiety. No amount of unwinding will calm the terror infused into my core by Dino.

The sudden sensation I'm being watched hits me. The hair on my arms stands on end and I scurry to get into my car. With the door locked, I scan the area, looking for headlights or anything to indicate who it is or where they're at. But the only eyes I see staring at me are those of the old man peering out the gas station window. He stands with hands gripping the suspenders holding up his baggy pants, watching me like I'm a hoodlum preparing to attack him. No doubt he has a shotgun beneath the counter ready to defend the place if I were to.

I start the car and pull out onto the country road. It's narrow, much more so than the highway I just turned off of. Fields and wooded areas line the curvy road. I'm in the foothills of the mountains so occasionally I climb a hill to a point the road appears to vanish before me, only to reappear as suddenly as it vanished, making me lose my stomach. I want to drive slow, enjoy the surroundings, but the fear I'm feeling pushes me to test the limits of the compact car I rented.

I ignored every red flag Dino threw up because I thought I was in love. If I knew then what I know now, I'd have run for the mountains when I first met him. But I was vulnerable then too, right after Daddy's death.

My father was a very uncouth man, trouble with the law, always skirting one crime or another, but he loved me. He did everything he could to protect me, even going overboard to make sure I was safe. I had few friends, few privileges, but I knew love, even if he was demanding and harsh at times. It was probably that same old man at that filling station who watched as he collapsed into a heap near the pump clutching his chest that day we left Mustang.

I could only sit there a sob, doing chest compression as it took the medivac forty minutes to arrive. He'd been gone long before that, but as a child I hadn't known. I know now. Extensive therapy helped me see that it wasn't my fault he died. He had clogged arteries from years of abusing his body.

Tears come to my eyes at the memory, foggy but still lingering there. It isn't that memory that drives me to Mustang, however. It's the memory of Jake, the soft kiss under the stars, skipping rocks near the river, pushing cows over while they sleep. Being free.

Jake helped me see how adventure is out there, made me question why I was inside all day when the sky overhead held so many mysteries. Even if Jake isn't in Mustang, the place is healing. I know it. And I want that healing to touch my heart again.

With my confidence in my plan renewed, I press the gas pedal down to the floor. The car zips along the damp roads hugging the curves. I can't wait to find a room and lie down to rest. I split the fifteen-hour drive from Denver into two days so I didn't fall asleep at the wheel. As I close in on the final leg, however, I am feeling fatigued. I round a curve, surprised to see another vehicle oncoming this late in the evening this far from town. It passes and I imagine it's some stranger headed back to the highway after their venture to Mustang, the only place out this far from Billings.

My mind is on my desire to arrive and rest when I round the next curve I see the glowing eyes of something large standing in the middle of the road. I swerve, not knowing how to handle a situation like this and I slam on my breaks. My forehead smashes into the wheel--I forgot to strap in before taking off due to my fear of being watched. As my tiny car slams into the large beast, my head slams into the window and everything goes dark.

I pry my eyes open, and hear the sound of my horn blaring. My head hurts badly. Rain has soaked my head and shoulders. I lay slumped over the window. Thunder crashes at deafening decibels. Nothing stands between me and the great outdoors. There is no light, only a faint glow from one headlight that isn't destroyed. I blink my eyes a few times, hoping they will adjust to the light but my vision is blurred.

"Help," I mumbled, trying to find my voice.

I sit up, feeling dizzy and my stomach rolls. There is glass everywhere, covering my arms and lap. I try to open the door but it is stuck shut, so I crawl very painstakingly over the passenger seat and climb out that side. I'm so dizzy I almost fall over, and the motion makes me vomit right there on the side of the road. Panic sets in.

Was this something Dino did? Did he plan this? "Help!" I screech, but there are no signs of life around, no headlights, no help on the way. Tears flood my eyes as I round the front of the car, clinging to it to keep myself upright. The entire driver's side is smashed in, and a few paces away, lying in the beam of light projected from my sole headlight is a massive beast with hooves.

I can't see its chest moving, but I'm not going to get close to it. Instead I sit down near the headlight. My eyes are heavy and my stomach empties itself again. If I could just close my eyes I'd feel better, so I do, and sleep takes me into a nightmare I haven't had in weeks. I thought I escaped this...

Chapter 3

The old homestead hasn't changed a bit in the years I've been gone, except that almost no one lives here anymore and the business is suffering sorely. I sit alone beneath the large chandelier made of the antlers of at least twenty deer my father brought down in his life. The house is quiet for now, the few ranch hands we have left still in the barn doing the evening feed. We have several volunteers too, but they don't stay on the ranch anymore, nor do any of my siblings, except Chloe.

The east wing is home for those who live here, but the west wing hasn't been touched in years, so far as I know. Where I sit, next to the hearth, in eyeshot of the kitchen/dining area, is the main hub--the original nine hundred square foot cabin. Dad built this place up to something pretty amazing, so it's rough to see it suffering so badly, even for me. I hated living here, wanted to be in the city my whole life. I blame Mia for that, coming into my life and telling me about what it's like in the city. It gave me an itch I couldn't scratch, and as soon as I turned eighteen I was off to California to explore the world.

The door creaking catches my attention and I turn to see Tyler strut in with his shoulders squared, the way he always used to. "Hey, little brother." I collect the banking paperwork I was perusing and stack it neatly into one pile, with the least damning figures on top. No one needs to know exactly how bad this is but me. I'll break it to them when I'm ready.

"Chloe around?"

"Went to town to hang out with Riley a bit ago. Come sit, we can chat." I sit a bit straighter as I watch him mull it over. Tyler fits in here, broad shoulders, cowboy hat, boots with spurs. A rodeo king, he just always loved the ranch life. Not at all like me. I wear the garb, but it just doesn't suit me as well. Not in my opinion anyway, not like my brothers.

"I was thinking of hitting up the Barrel. It ought to be a good time, what with everyone home now, except Colt. I hear Sadie's father donated a new juke box. Wanna ride along?" He adjusts his hat and rests his hand on his belt buckle.

The Whiskey Barrel, a little pub in town that used to boast the prettiest girls and the loudest drunks. I have little interest in it for the night, but I know the value of togetherness when loved ones are lost, even if I haven't been a part of this life for a long time. In fact, I hadn't spoken to my father in years, so when I got the news of my parents' passing, it was like a double whammy. I never got the chance to really express my feelings to them. I wasn't angry with him, at least not anymore. I worked all that out a long time ago. No, I'm not angry, but now I am full of regrets.

I stand and grab my hat off the table where I laid it when I sat to focus on the paperwork. "Sure, Ty. I'd be happy to. I think I'll drive separate if it's okay, though. In case I get tired and want to leave before you." I fully intend to get tired and leave before him. This visit to the old tavern is not a social call; it's a means to make sure my family is doing alright. I have to watch over them now, being the oldest.

"Alright, I get that. I'll see you down there." Tyler retreats out the door and I hear his truck fire up and pull away, then reluctantly grab my keys and head for my own truck.

The town is dark when I pull in, remnants of rain we've been having for days still lingers over us like a think blanket. Sort of fitting how Momma and Daddy die and the skies weep for them as if they were treasures the earth lost. I bet if you ask Chloe or Brody, both of them would say the same. I climb out of the car and pull the brim of my hat down, turning my collar up against the wind, and head into the Barrel. Tyler is there, strutting in ahead of me, and I suspect Brody and the gang are here too. What I don't expect, however, is the loud cheer of congratulations that shakes the entire building when I walk in. I yank my hat off and see a large colorful banner strewn across the back wall. Everyone stands around with their drink of choice in hand, clapping and smiling.

Sadie Simmons sashays up to me wearing a tight jean skirt and some flouncy top that has half her tits hanging out, batting her eyelashes like she owns me. She paws at my chest like a cat and I am baffled.

"Congrats on the engagement," I hear from behind me. Old Hal Cooper stands behind the bar drying a glass with a white towel, cheesin' like a fool.

I want to ask him what engagement but the flashy rock now dancing across my chest on Sadie's hand tells me everything I need to know. I nod at him, which is neither acceptance nor denial of said engagement, and a heard of people swarm us, offering congrats and asking about the impending merge of the ranch and the wedding date. Sadie does all the talking for about as long as I can stand it. I pry myself out of her grasp and turn to the bar.

"Beer me, Hal." I sit down next to Tyler who looks as confused as I am. "What the hell is going on?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Tyler takes a swig of his beer and bumps my shoulder. "I didn't realize you had a thing going with Sadie. I thought you hated her."

"I do," I grumble. I haven't told anyone about the arrangement Isaac suggested, and I never intended to. None of them know how much Triple R is struggling.

"So what's with the rock on her finger?" Tyler's question comes just as Chloe and Sage sit at the bar next to us. Brody lingers behind them, ordering a beer for himself.

"She probably bought it herself." I set my beer down a bit harder than I should and it reveals my upset. I glance at Sadie who is eating up the attention; she has a wicked gleam in her eye.

"Jake, how could you marry her!" Chloe hisses at me. "You know how she treated me in high school." She looks hurt but how do I explain that I never agreed to the arrangement, when they don't even know about the arrangement, and to tell them would be to admit that Triple R is in desperate need.

"Look, I'll explain everything tomorrow. Right now I need to figure out what the hell sort of game Sadie is playing." I rise from the barstool leaving my frustrated siblings to stew. I'll have a lot of explaining to do, but my first priority is stopping the wildfire Sadie is causing with other locals.

I walk back over to her and take her by the elbow. "If everyone could excuse us, I have something I need to speak with Sadie about." She looks frustrated with me and disappointed that her audience is walking away, but her expression suddenly shifts. She turns and smooths her hands across my chest, slipping them around my neck where she leaves them hang.

"Well, Jake Blackwell, I think after such a warm greeting by our public, we should consider having a night together. It seems the whole town is in agreement that we make a great couple." Her eyelashes bat furiously and it makes my stomach turn.

"What are you tryin' to pull, Sadie? I haven't agreed to any of this. You know as much. I told your father I'd think it through." I take her arms and pry them away from my body and she stares me in the eye as I scowl at her.

"Just ask your bothers. They'll tell you it's the right move. You can't lose the Triple R right after your daddy's death. It's only a smart business plan. Besides, we're practically made for each other. The eldest child of the ranch head of each family. Of course we should marry. We'll make beautiful babies." She paws at me again, this time having the audacity to wrap her arms around my waist and press her body against mine. Why don't you just admit you messed up lettin' me go all those years ago. We should've had our magical prom night, and you made me look like a fool."

"You were a fool; I didn't have to make you look that way. Now if you would kindly take your hands off of me, I have other things to do tonight." The insinuation that she spend the night with me disgusts me. I have to physically remove her arms from my body again. I can only imagine what my siblings think as the scene plays out. They have to know I want nothing to do with her. She's part of the reason I left Mustang to begin with.

"Oh, Jakey, you know you want me." She smirks and her eyes twinkle with some maleficence I can't place.

"Goodbye, Sadie." Without looking back at my siblings I march right out the door of the Whiskey Barrel and head for my truck. I see Tyler standing in the doorway as I pull out, but I have to clear my head. I can't clear the air with the family until I have calmed down. So I take a drive, down the long winding road toward the highway. I'll buy a soda from Bert at the twenty-four-hour filling station and head back. It's a nice drive for thinking, even if it is rainy and the roads are slippery.

The night seems to douse all light. It's hard to see, so I drive slowly, glad it will make my drive a bit longer. Maybe Chloe will be home from the bar and sleeping before I return. It will be easier to explain what Sadie was doing after a full night's sleep. I just hope when I do tell them they don't also see Isaac's plan as a means to save Triple R. I've seen first-hand what a loveless marriage looks like, and I don't want to tie myself to someone as horrid as Sadie Simmons.

The truck rolls along the curves, weaving around a few downed branches in the road. I stop to remove one, getting sprinkled on in the process. When I climb back in the car and head out again, my headlights reflect off of something and it catches my eye. I slow the truck as the scene comes into focus. A small compact car sits crossways on the road, headlights dim but shining off into the wooded lot to the eastern side of the road. I can't tell what happened, but it doesn't look good.

I stop the truck, leaving the headlights pointed at the car, and climb out. A large mule deer lays on its side, barely visible puffs of hot breath coming from its nostrils. It's not going to make it, but there isn't much I can do about that now. I run up to the car. The driver's window is smashed out, no passenger in the seat.

"Hello?" I call into the rainy night. This far from town, any visitor or stranger would be completely lost if they headed off the main road into the woods. "Hello? Anyone there?"

I lean in the window and see a woman's purse in the passenger seat, a few drinks there as well. The back seat has a few suitcases in it, but there is no sign of a woman. Sighing, I look out the direction of the headlights, but still see nothing. "Hello?" I can't just leave the wreckage here, even if it is abandoned. Some unsuspecting traveler could come up on it too fast and cause an accident.

I decide to open the car and look for a cellphone. I left mine at the ranch. My service doesn't work out here in Mustang, and I have yet to get a new one. I had hoped this would be a short trip and a return to California, but fate had other plans. I round the back end of the car and head for the passenger door, but I see strands of blonde hair, soaked from rain and caked in blood, strewn out in front of the car. I rush to the front of the car and see a sight I never thought I'd see again in my life.

"Mia?"

Chapter 4

My head hurts so bad I don't want to open my eyes. Everything is foggy. I press my hands to my temples, feeling the urge to urinate so strong I feel like I might piss myself. The light is bright enough even from behind my shut eyelids that I don't want to open them, but if I don't I'll have a mess. So forcing myself to pry my eyes open, I sit up. The room spins around me--a room I don't remember.

For a moment, panic sets in. What if Dino found me? What if I'm in some hideout or something and he's going to kill me? I want to stand up, but my stomach turns and my head spinning makes it impossible to find my balance, so I rest for a moment trying to conjure memories of what happened. Why am I here? Why does my head hurt?

I press the heels of my hands into the firm mattress beneath me and try to stand when the door opens and a woman with dark hair and kind eyes rushes in. "Oh, no, dear. Not by yourself." She pushes my shoulders and eases me back onto the bed. "How are you feeling? You took a pretty hard hit."

I think I might vomit if I have to speak, so I bite my lips together and shut my eyes, grateful for a friendly face and not the face of my ex. She seems to notice I need a moment and sits next to me on the mattress. The room is small, dark wood paneling on every wall. A window to the far corner of the room reveals it's dusky; whether that means first light or almost dark, I don't know. It smells earthy in here, like pine and cedar, and the scent reminds me instantly of Mustang.

"My head..." I finally manage to mumble.

"Yes, well that's what happens when you smack your noggin on a window and break it. You hit a pretty big mule deer." Her slight twang tells me I'm not in the city, so that's reassuring. "Car is in worse shape than you, sweetheart, so that's a good thing."

"I have to pee." I try standing again and realize I'm not wearing my own clothing. I have on a pair of men's shorts and a t-shirt. I pull it away from my body trying to see the logo on it, but with blurry vision it's impossible to see anything straight.

"Oh, yes. Well your clothes were soaked in blood. Got a nasty cut on your head behind your left ear. Doc Evers stitched you up, but she's just a vet. You can thank her for saving your life, but you'll have a nasty scar probably."

"Pee..." I repeat, brain so fuzzy I can't remember if I told her I have to pee or not. She helps me to my feet and escorts me out the door and across the hallway to a small bathroom. I want her to leave me alone, but she hovers while I pull my shorts down. It's a good thing too because I lose my balance and she has to help me settle onto the toilet.

"What's your name?" I ask her. I make it a habit of knowing the name of people who get to see me in such a state of undress. She snickers.

"I'm Jenna Wilks. I'm a nurse who happened to be around when you were brought in and I offered to help you out a bit."

I wanted to ask her more, but fatigue pulled at my eyelids already. "Why am I so tired?"

"You're severely concussed. We almost called the medivac in to have you taken to Open Range, but your vitals leveled out after a few hours of rest. You're lucky Doc Evers was there to stitch you up."

Just listening to her talk hurts my head more. I relieve myself and wipe myself up but she has to help me with the shorts. It was exhausting just walking to the toilet, and every limb in my body aches. I don't have energy to talk more. She ushers me back to bed where I sit gently so I don't cause my head to hurt worse. I rub my temples again, and I heard her rustling around. She offers me a few pills and a glass of water which I take instinctively.

When I finish, I hand the water back to her and rest my elbows on my knees, face buried in my palms. Vague images flash in my mind--lights on the side of the road, a man's voice talking to me. I have a faint memory of someone checking on me, holding my hand and smoothing my hair out of my face while I lie on this bed. The eyes are so familiar and so is the voice, but my brain hurts too bad to sit and think about it any more. I want to sleep.

"How long have I been here?" I reach for the pillow and fluff it, planning to lie down and put my feet up again. I don't even know if it's safe to keep sleeping with a concussion but it's all I can think about.

"Well the accident happened two days ago so by tonight it will be three full days." The nurse helps me, lifting my feet as I recline on the bed. I drape an arm over my eyes to block out the offending light and continue asking her questions.

"Wait, where am I? I am heading to Mustang."

"Well honey, that's where you're at. You're at the Triple R ranch just on the outskirts of town. Listen, I need to get some help because I think we should change your bedding before you drift off to sleep again."

Before the shock sets in, she's gone and I'm left to reel over her announcement. I'm at the Triple R? My heart is full instantly. This is where Jake grew up. I have such fond memories of him here at this place, and while he isn't the sole reason I'm here, he is a huge part of it. My heart hammers in my chest at the prospect of being in the same place where I know he has been, even if he isn't here now. It makes my head hurt worse, blood thrumming in the veins in my ears sounding like a jackhammer.

The door squeaks and someone walks in. I assume it's the nurse but a male voice meets my ears. "Hey, you okay? I heard you woke up."

I drop my arm and peel my eyes open again to see a devilishly handsome man, one dimple on his left cheek and eyes as blue as the ocean. I feel foolish lying here sprawled out, but the face is so familiar, it eases my soul. It isn't Jake, but it is the man I believe was watching over me for the past few days as I faded in and out of consciousness, speaking softly to me and holding my hand.

"I'm... My head," I mutter, unable to put together a coherent sentence.

He snickers and helps me readjust my legs so I can lie on my side, then sits next to me on the edge of the bed. "You smacked that ol' mule deer good, woman. Don't you know to slow down on those curves?"

"Funny."

"My name's Brody Blackwell, and you're at my family's ranch, the Triple R. How much did Jenna tell you?" He smooths some hair out of my face and I wince as he brushes over what I can only assume is the gash in my head, sewn up by a vet.

"Enough," I said, wincing.

"Sorry, I didn't meant to hurt you." He is so tender and sweet I can hardly blame him for the pain. He isn't the idiot who wasn't watching where they were going. I try to force a smile, and he takes the blanket and covers me. "You must be in a lot of pain. I hope Jenna gave you something for that."

"Yeah, just now. She said I've been here three days?" I try to calculate in my head what day of that week that make sit, or the date, but my thoughts are as jumbled as my vision is. Still, I make out his kind eyes, examining my face.

"Yep, three whole days almost. Just a few hours now it'll be dark." He reaches for something on the nightstand I can't see and his hand returns with a damp cloth in it. "Got some blood on your cheek still. I figure you'll be picking glass out of your skin a few more days. That window shattered good."

"Thank you, Brody, for caring for me." If my heart weren't overwhelmed by the past I am running from or the feelings for Jake I never got over, he'd be wooing me with his nurturing personality.

"Aw, that's okay, hun. You're welcome. You just need some more rest and care. We have a great family here to take care of you, and you're lucky as a turkey at a clam bake because the whole family is in town now. Had some family pass and we're all together again."

He works the damp cloth over my face and I catch glimpses of blood on the with material as he rinses it in the bowl to clean it off and refresh it. If the whole family is here, that means Jake is here too? Is this Jake's brother? Or a cousin? Just the thoughts swirling in my head make it hurt worse, or perhaps that's my blood pressure rising again and the prospect of seeing Jake again. I want to ask directly, but I don't want Brody to get any wrong ideas so I tiptoe around the subject.

"Everyone is here?"

"Yep, everyone. Well, except Colt. He's still working on getting home from overseas."

I watch his face grow serious. He doesn't look like a man who's recently lost a loved one, but maybe nurturing me is filling a need in his heart right now. "How did I get here?"

"Well funny story," he stars, but footsteps in the door way announce someone's approach. He turns over his shoulder and as he does my heart stops.

"Jake?"

Chapter 5

She looks helpless in that bed, lying there with blood still caked in her hair. I tried to get most of it out, but each time I worked on it, it caused her so much discomfort I stopped. Her eyes are wide, her haze stare locked on me as if she's looking at a ghost. Brody strokes her hair gently. No one says a word as the electric tension between us sizzles in the room.

The very instant I saw her lying in her own vomit, I felt the weight of fifteen years of missing her hit me in the chest. My arms ache to hold her, but my feet are planted to the floor. Why now, after all this time, has she come back into my life? Now, when my world is already upside down; the ranch needs saving and my only real shot at doing that is to accept Isaac Simmons's proposal. Lord knows Sadie has already planned the entire wedding including the honeymoon.

"Jake, well he found you out there. He was just blowing some steam off and took a drive." Brody cradled her hand, oblivious to the connection happening between me and Mia. "Brought you here and doted over you. He barely left your side, until just a bit ago when something called him away."

Mia's eyes blink slowly. She looks up at Brody and seems confused. "I thought it was you."

"Nah, it was Jake."

As I watch the tender interchange between them I find myself being infuriated. He's so good with her, calm and tender. She is receptive, holding his hand and letting her stroke his hair. My mind is a jumble of emotions and thoughts. I can't stand watching him dote on her, not when I feel the way I do. Mia is the one who changed my life, who ruined me for anyone else. Sure, I dated a few women, but not one of them made my heart come alive the way she did--the way just seeing her again has done.

"Glad you're awake." I turn and walk out of the room without another comment and see the nurse strolling back down the hallway, Chloe following close behind.

"Evenin', Jakers." Chloe slaps my ass as she passes me. "Just gonna get our guest a bit of a bath and a change of linens."

"Yeah well, don't let Brody help with the first part," I grumble over my shoulder. I don't need to explain myself even though I want to. Neither of them are old enough to remember Mia from fifteen years ago. They were still babies, forced to go to bed by dark, not allowed to adventure around town alone. Ty and I are the only two who had that privilege at the time, and he likely won't remember her either. I was the one who was helplessly in love with her back then. At thirteen, Ty was mostly interested in fishing and roping cattle.

I make my way to the large leather recliner parked by the fireplace and slump into it. Mia's return complicates everything. She shouldn't be here, not now. Not with everything looming over my head. She shouldn't be stirring up old emotions, even if they aren't dead.

"Something bothering you?" Tyler struts across the room. I didn't see him in the kitchen, but the plate of leftovers he carries indicates he has come to scavenge the assortment of casseroles and desserts left behind after the funeral.

"Yeah, something's bothering me. Why the hell else would I be so damn moody?" I scrape my hands along my beard and toss my hat across the room.

"Sheesh, calm down." Tyler sits opposite me on the sofa. "May as well spill it. The whole town knows something's going on anyway. Let me have the truth." He uses his fork like a shovel, shoving bite after bite of food into his mouth. It's disgusting watching him eat like that with no manners. A bit of his food dribbles onto his dark t-shirt and he ignores it.

"That's gross. Chew with your mouth shut." I shake my head at him and continue. "Simmons and his damn arrangement. Sadie thinks it's as good as done, bought herself that ring and everything. I haven't even had a moment to think about it, and she's gone off announcing to everyone we're getting married."

"Yeah, well there ain't nothin' says you have to follow through."

"You don't get it, Ty." I lean forward, elbows on knees, and cover my face.

"What don't I get?" I hear the sound of silverware on China and look up at him.

"I went through the numbers. We're going to lose the ranch if we don't figure something out quick." I look down at my hands, now laced together in front of me. "Daddy never told us how bad it was, and I'm afraid marrying Sadie might be the only option." As the words leave my mouth I am more convinced than ever that I do not want to marry Sadie Simmons, but I can't let my family's entire livelihood go under. For the good of the Triple R, my family, and everyone who depends on this business, I may just have to bite the bullet and accept Isaac's arrangement.

"You know, when you two dated in high school, Daddy thought it was a match made in heaven. Told me as much. He said you'd finally forgotten that girl you talked about forever, and moved on. Him and Momma thought you finally had your head on straight. I knew better. You don't belong with Sadie." He wipes his face with the back of his arm and nods. "You ain't been compatible with any girl you've ever dated. It's like there's one perfect woman out there for you. Like Cinderella's glass slipper or something."

"Tell me about it." My gut churns and I feel a tug in my chest. That one perfect woman lays on a bed just down the hall with my baby brother speaking sweet nothings in her ear. I don't know whether to be furious with him for elbowing in, or happy that he's forming a bond with only the most perfect woman in the world.

"What's that look?" Tyler sets his plate on the coffee table.

"What look?" I scowl at him.

"The look you just had. Dark stormy expression, anger or jealousy?" I hate his prying.

"Just leave it." I stand and walk out. I don't have any intention of letting Tyler or anyone else know who Mia is to me, though I did dig through her purse while waiting on Doc Evers to come. It's definitely her.

*

A few days later...

I hear them chatting and laughing, though I can't make out what they're actually saying. Mia has been here now six days and is doing much better, which I'm happy about, but her presence hangs like a lead weight around my neck. I stand just outside the front door which is ajar, listening to her and Brody. She's been joining everyone for the evening meals that I conveniently find conflicting with my work here.

"So will he join us tonight? I want to thank him." Her voice is sweet, just like I remember, though the blonde hair is different now, something all women do I suppose.

"Eh, who knows. I'll be right by your side though, so don't you worry. We'll make sure you feel at home. And now that you're on the mend, I can show you around the place. Why is it that you came to Mustang anyway?"

Brody is too at ease with her, too friendly. It should be me in there offering her to show her around. My hands tighten into fists. I don't know if I should barge in and chase him off, or stand back and let nature take its course. In the back of my head, Sadie's talons are already sunk into me, and the weight of losing the ranch seems like reason enough to walk away and see what comes of the connection those two obviously have. It's my fault really. I've been avoiding her because I can't stand how much I care about her, knowing all the while, it's likely I can't do anything about it anyway.

I choose middle ground and walk into the house. Mia's eyes pop up to greet me and she smiles. Still not entirely steady on her feet--or so I've heard when asking Jenna--she remains seated. "Mia was just askin' about you, Jake. You'll join us for dinner when the hands come in to eat?" Brody turns and looks at me over his shoulder. All I can do is glower at his smug face. Maybe it's not smug; maybe he's just enjoying his time with her, but all I can think is how badly I want to turn back time and never let her leave me to begin with.

"I have work."

"Jake, I just want to say thank you for rescuing me." She is so beautiful, the way her long wavy hair curls around her face and dangles across her chest. She's so grown up, a woman's body now, not the spindly curves of a teen. I find myself being drawn to her, into a reality that I can't have. One where I confess how badly I miss her, and how when she never showed up to skip rocks I was crushed. I see a fleeting look pass over her face that tells me she is thinking similar things, but I have to shut it down.

"I have work. I can't be distracted." I barge past them into the kitchen and yank open the fridge. There isn't much to eat that is quick, so I grab a beer and a few cheese sticks and let the door swing shut.

"Jake, come on. She's been here almost a week and you barely sat and talked to her." Brody rises to his feet in protest and I brush past him again. I see the look on Mia's face as I do, a hurt expression. I swallow hard before I answer. My intent isn't to hurt her. It's to build the damn wall around my heart so I can do what I have to do to save this goddamn property I never wanted to begin with.

"I have work." I glare at Brody, daring him to protest again and walk right out of the house and slam the door. My chest tightens as I walk away. I can feel eyes on me, but I don't turn to see if it's her. I can't care about that. I can't care about her.

Dust kicks up as I walk down the path to the barn. For as rainy as it was for weeks, it sure is dry now. That means extra time filling tanks and troughs with water. That alone is a chore, and one that can keep me busy for hours, long enough to make sure Mia is safely in bed sleeping before I return to the house.

Even if I explained every detail of the situation to my siblings, they wouldn't understand. It's a matter of principle now. I do not fail at things. Not at anything. What I put my mind to, I accomplish, and this ranch was given to me to run, so I have to run it. That means not letting it fail. I don't have time for a relationship, not with Mia, not with Sadie, which is the only saving grace about considering taking Isaac's handout. I'd be so busy running two ranches and saving the Triple R, I'd never see Sadie either.

Unfortunately, that means I would never get the chance to find love like I had--have?-- with Mia ever again. I slam the beer on the corner fencepost tot eh pasture and the cop flies off. I'll pick it up later when I do trash duty. Now I just want to bury my emotions in a cold drink and work on something so I'm distracted. I never thought I'd see her again in my life, though it's the only thing I ever wanted to happen. So why do I want her to leave just so this choice isn't so difficult?

Chapter 6

Chloe and Brody have me trapped--not in a bad way, just uncomfortable. They stare at me, seated across from me in the living room of their home where I don't belong. It's obvious to me my presence is distracting or upsetting to Jake and he has been avoiding me. I don't want to bother him anymore than I already have, so I was headed out to see if I could stay at the b&b where I last stayed with my father, until they stopped me.

"Look, you're not a bother. We have more than enough room." Chloe has been such a godsend the last two weeks while I've been recovering. Her gentle, mothering temperament helped me adjust, even when Jake was rude and distant. Brody too, though he may have confused my gratitude for attraction. I set that one straight pretty quickly. My heart belongs to someone else--always has.

"I just mean, Jake seems to not like me around. I think it's better if I stay with Mrs. Baxter. Is her b&b still around?" I pick at my fingernails praying they just let me leave before I get all sappy and confess everything about my history with Jake.

"Mrs. Baxter is around, yes, but you're stayin' here and that's final." Brody slaps his hands on his knees and stands up. "Headin' out to the barn if you want to help me brush the horses. I could use a hand."

He tips his hat before leaving, but I want to hide, not go closer to where I know Jake is. He's been moody, avoidant, and downright rude at times. I never expected that we'd run into each other's arms and fall madly in love. In fact, I prepared myself before deciding to come here that he could be married, have a family, or even have moved on. I didn't know if he would even be in Mustang.

"What is it?" Chloe scoots to the edge of her seat and leans forward. She has a sweet soul, always trying to be the emotional comfort I need. I had no way of knowing if Jake's siblings knew that we had that magical summer together, nor did I know if Jake had been impacted by it as much as I had.

"Nothing."

"There's something, so spill it. In this family we talk about our issues. Did Jake say something mean? Was he just a jerk?"

I smile at her insistence that Jake could ever ben anything other than perfect to me, but I shrug my shoulders. I don't want to give anything away. He seems happy enough to avoid me, which can only mean that he's not interested anymore. Maybe he never really was. We were so young back then.

"You like him?" Chloe's question nearly stops my heart. I swallow hard as I look up at her and freeze like that damn mule deer hypnotized by my headlights. "It's okay. Lots of women like him. He's not always this rough around the edges. You know our parents just died and he has a lot on his plate. Give him some time."

Someone knocks on the door and Chloe goes to answer it. I want to believe Jake is acting this way out of grief, but I can't see why grief would make him push me away. If it were me, I would want him closer.

"Hey!" Chloe swung the door wide and a woman with blonde curls and big blue eyes walks in. "I thought I was meeting you at Stitches."

I watched the interchange awkwardly as if I were an intruder.

"Decided to pick you up." The blonde looks my way. "Hey, not sure we've met." She charges over to me, a bit aggressive on the friendliness, and thrusts out her hand. "My name's Sage."

I rise and take her hand, shaking it heartily. I'm certain she will take nothing less than that. "Mia..."

"Oh, you're the one Chloe was telling me about. Are you okay? Feeling better? I bet that deer sausage is going to tasted amazing." Sage pushes some hair behind her ear and I can't help but notice her dimples. She isn't that much younger than me but she appears to be still a teen, youthful attire and skin that still looks fresh as a baby's bottom.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Thank you for asking. Did I hear you say Stitches?" I rack my brain to recall the name, but nothing rings a bell. Perhaps some things have changed since I was last here. I suppose time does that to everyone.

"Yes, Stitches is a store owned by our best friend Riley." Chloe joins us after shutting the door and jams her hands into her jeans pockets. "You can come if you want. We can do a little shopping. You can check on your car, or get a new rental. Maybe a new cell phone too since yours was water damaged."

"Nah, if you don't mind I think I'll just hang out here. Brody said something about brushing horses." I cross my arms and rock from my heels to my toes. I feel really uncomfortable in this new dynamic. I don't know this family well enough to just fit in, though I know they want me to. And despite feeling much better, I think shopping would really wear me out. I don't' want to be too far from my bed in case I need to lie down.

"Suit yourself." Sage turns to Chloe. "Let's go. Riley's probably waiting."

Chloe looks at me and says, "Look, if you like him tell him." She shrugs and adds, "Jake really is a great guy."

Sage's eyes go wide, though I think she tries to hide it. She hooks her arm around Chloe's and pulls her toward the door. They leave in a flurry of activity and hushed talking and I can't help but wonder what it's about. Maybe Sage has a crush on Jake too.

I sit on the sofa, contemplating whether I really want to go to the barn and risk running into Jake, and Brody strolls in, only moments after Chloe leaves. He is glistening in sweat, the front of his button-down plaid shirt open to reveal his chest. He's handsome, but not like Jake. Besides the fact that Brody is clearly at least seven or maybe ten years younger than me.

"Chlo said you're going to help with the horses?"

Open mouth, insert foot. I sigh then nod reluctantly. I hope he doesn't discern my hesitation. "Yeah, I think I will." I should never have said that to Chloe, but I have this hard time saying no without feeling impolite.

"Perfect. You want to change or anything?"

I look down at my outfit, jeans, sneakers, and a t-shirt. How hard could brushing horses be? He's wearing the same thing as me, except he wears boots and his button-down is open. I shrug. I don't see what's wrong with this outfit.

"I'm fine like this."

"Cool, let's go." He holds the door open and I stand and follow him. It's hot again, warm enough I regret having worn jeans until I find myself wading through tall grass in the pasture. Brody climbs the fence to take a shortcut to the barn and I'm a little off balance as I follow him. His strong hands help lift me down when we reach the other side and I again, falter.

"Thanks." I blush as he sets me on the ground. I feel eyes watching me and glance up at the barn. I swear I see Jake there in the shadows, but my eyes must be playing tricks on me. "Let's get out of the sun." I gesture for the barn and Brody heads off that direction. He leads me into the arena barn, a large, open, dirt floor stretching out in front of us. There are two horses tied up near the right side of the building.

"So this one's thunder," he says, approaching the larger of the two. "He's a good boy. But that there is Molly. She's a little feisty at times, but she likes getting brushed." He reaches into a bucket near the wall and pulls out two brushes. "Start like this and brush downward." He demonstrates how to hold the brush and how to rake it across Molly's shoulders and down her legs.

I take the brush and attempt to do it correctly, but Brody is there to correct me. He stands behind me, body nearly touching mine, and reaches around to grab my hand and move it in the right pattern. It's helpful, but awkward, and when I see eyes staring at us through slats in one of the doors, I know it's Jake this time. I keep my gaze fixed until the eyes disappear, and Brody moves on to his horse.

"So we should take a ride. Have you ever ridden horses?" As he works, he talks, but I watch. My mind is so fixated on avoiding Jake and not upsetting him, I can't focus on brushing the horse and Brody returns to coach me again, only this time his body really does touch me.

Thankfully the prying gaze that was there only moments ago does not return. "Sorry, I guess I'm not thinking straight." I try to clear my head and brush the horse. "Yes, I've ridden a few times, but I'm no expert. It was mostly trail riding, and those horses are taught to just follow each other.

"Good, well I can show you around the ranch a bit, though it's pretty big, so we won't see it all in one ride."

Someone behind me clears their throat and every muscle in my body tightens. I hate the feeling of being watched and it is triggering when people walk up behind me. I tend to panic, though this time I get the feeling it's just Jake and I have nothing to worry about. Still, I came to Mustang with one purpose, to hide from Dino and relax a bit. So a dark cloud of fear is never far away.

"Oh, Jake," Brody says, leaning over Molly's back. His arms are folded across the mare's shoulder, brush in hand. He grins like an idiot. "I was just saying to Mia here that I could show her the ranch. We were going to ride horses. But you know, I remember that I'm supposed to meet up with Riley and Sage in a bit. Mia was really looking forward to the ride. Weren't you, Mia?"

"I... uh..." I feel cornered. I turn and see Jake scowling.

"See? So you should show her around."

I watch Jake's scowl deepen. "I have work."

"What work, man? She's been here twelve days and you've done nothing but work."

"I have to muck stalls." Jake take a step backward as if prepared to make a hasty retreat, but Brody continues.

"I'll do it." I spin around and offer a look of shock coupled with terror.

"No, it's okay. I don't need a--"

"I have to do water duty--"

Jake and I speak at the same time and I turn back to see his scowl still firmly in place. Why doesn't he want to spend time with me? What have I done that is so wrong that he won't talk to me, eat with me, even show me his ranch? The hint of frustration that I've been feeling for almost two weeks now turns into defiance.

"I'll do that too." Brody, the guy who originally hit on me until I told him I was interested in someone else, now pushes me toward his brother? Did Chloe tell him that I like Jake?

"I think I do want that tour." I square my shoulders and hold my chin up. If he's going to outright reject me, I don't need anyone else to take that heat. He can do it to my face.

"Tyler can maybe--"

"Tyler has to meet with the folks about the gravestone. You gave him that order three days ago. Just take her, Jake." Brody is so convincing even I feel guilty.

Jake's shoulders fall and he looks away. For a moment his chest heaves as if he knows he's caught and won't get out of it. He shakes his head and says, "Get them ready." Then his eyes meet mine. "Just a short ride."

I feel victorious and simultaneously terrified. Jake and I will be alone for the first time in fifteen years. I don't even know what I'm getting myself into.

Chapter 7

I stand outside the barn door for a few minutes to compose myself. I don't know if I should snap at Brody for forcing me into this, or let my heart finally break out of the prison I've locked it in. I haven't spent five minutes alone with Mia since she woke up, though I sat by her side nonstop until she did. And I haven't had a conversation with her at all, other than to rebuff her attempts to spend time with me. Now I'm stuck.

I take off my hat and run a hand through my hair and Brody strolls out of the barn and around the corner. He slaps me on the ass and snickers at me. "Go get 'em, Jakey."

I whip around and catch him by the elbow. "What the hell were you thinking!" My whisper-shout is hopefully quiet enough Mia doesn't hear, but I'm enraged.

"She likes you, man. You need a good down-home woman. She loves this place. Jake, go spend some time with her." This announcement is strange coming from Brody, because I thought he was trying to hit on her.

"This is ridiculous. I have no time to get involved right now. I have to get things worked out for the ranch." I slam my hat back on my head and glare at him. "Go back in there and do it yourself. Tell her I'm too busy."

"Nah, man. There is definitely something going on between you two, and I don't know what it is, but you both need to figure it out. All she does is ask questions about this place, you, Daddy and Momma. Just show her around, see how it goes. Maybe nothing will come of it." Brody walks away and it's a good thing because I'd like to choke him. I watch him climb the pasture fence and head toward the house, and I slowly turn toward the barn to see Mia watching me.

She looks happy, expectant, and all I can do is glower. It's hard enough to keep my feelings and attraction in check when she's at a distance. I stood there watching her brush the horse, pal around with Brody. She's just as gorgeous as she was the day we met 15 years ago, and age has only seasoned her like a fine wine. A wine I want to be intoxicated on every day, and drink every night.

"Let's get this over with." I barge past her and into the barn where the horses are now fully dressed and ready for a ride. I'd have words with Brody about this later, but for now I just want to move on with my day, one hurdle at a time.

"Alright..." Mia walked up to Molly and stands there sheepishly as I mount Thunder and take the reins in my hand. I reach down and unclip the lead tying him off to the stall and watch Mia look at the saddle and the stirrup.

"What's wrong?" From this vantage point, I can see a hint of her cleavage, her V-neck tee dipping in the front as she hugs her arms across her stomach nervously.

"Uh... it's been a while, and I'm sort of nervous."

While in my head I think how adorable this is, that she needs my reassurance and help, it instantly bristles my nerves. I can't think of her like that. I have to focus on the ranch and what's best for this business. Sadie's father has offered me a chance to save it all, and I can't let my feelings for Mia get in the way. I roll my eyes and heave out a sigh, resolving to beat the livin' daylights out of Brody when I get back. Then I swing my leg around and dismount, wrapping the reins around the saddle horn.

"Here," I offer, maneuvering around Molly. She snorts at me and nudges my shoulder and I can tell she's feeling feisty. I flick her nose gently and say, "No," but there is a hint of mischief in her eyes.

Then I turn to Mia and hold the stirrup out. "Put your left foot here."

Mia looks at me hesitantly. "I'm not sure I can lift my left leg that high in these jeans."

"Well tough. You mount a horse from the left, so get lifting." I pat her left thigh and she obediently lifts her foot to the stirrup. "Now, grab here with your left hand--" I touch the saddle horn "--and here with the right." I show her where on the cantle to hold on, but she is too petite to reach it.

She bites her lip and sighs. "I'm sorry."

Frustrated, and feeling very attracted to her, I bite back my tone a bit and realize she's not trying to upset me. It's Brody I'm upset with, not Mia. "Alright, I'll help." Molly shifts, causing Mia to lose her balance, one foot still in the stirrup, and she nearly falls. I grab her to myself and hold her against my body, thankful I caught her. "Sorry, sometimes they do that. Look, if you're not up to this..."

Her face is inches from mine, body splayed along my rigid frame. Her supple curves melt into me as she stares into my eyes. I don't remember the flecks of gold in her gaze but it mesmerizes me.

"Uh... no I want to." She licks her lips and nods, and I help her stand up. I don't think my dick can handle many more incidents like this, not unless I have that mental breakdown I've been on the verge of having since she showed up.

"Okay... well." I clear my throat and tap the cantle again. "I'm going to lift you up and as soon as you can reach, you grab here and swing your leg over."

Mia nods again, more confidently this time. I rest my hands on her hips from behind her and feel the warmth of her skin. I remember touching her there, right where my right hand hooks around her midriff. It sends a shot of arousal through me, but I suppress it. I start to lift her, and she reaches for the cantle, and just when I think I can let go, her hand slips. I have no choice but to catch her, but my hand goes a place no man's hand should ever be on a woman they hardly know.

"Oh... " she gasps, as my hand slides between her thighs, pushing her upward onto the horse. If she were naked my fingers would have slid right in her, and now that's all I can think about as she sits tall on Molly's back. She is blushing and I'm hard as a rock, and I have to unclip Molly and hand Mia the reins while trying to hide how much I wanted to kiss her.

"Okay, just keep hold on the reins." I mount Thunder again and untwist his reins, holding them loosely in my hands. With a gentle kick, he begins toward the door. Molly follows at a relaxed pace, and Mia has to do almost nothing to stay alongside me. "Alright, so here's what you need to know. Snap the reins or gently kick if you want her to go faster. Pull back hard if you want her to stop. Pull one side or the other if you want her to turn." I focus on instructions rather than small talk or personal talk. It's better that way. I may reveal something I don't want her to know if we get too personal right now.

"Jake, thank you for rescuing me off the side of the road."

She completely doesn't get the point that anyone would have done that. I did what any other person would have. "Just doing the human thing." I don't mean to sound cold, but I can't let her get under my skin. The ranch is more important than my passing infatuation. She'll just leave again anyway.

"I mean it... I really appreciate you taking care of me. Brody told me how you doted over me, sitting by my bedside and nursing me. He said you wouldn't leave."

I turn the horses down a path toward the woods that will give us the best overall glimpse of the ranch to make this "tour" as quick as possible. Her sweet demeanor is eating away at my soul, chipping away at my resolve. "He said that?" I find myself softening again. Maybe it's not so bad to talk to her. It's not like she's going to bite me.

"Yes, he also said how hard you're working to get the ranch back in order after your father's death. I'm so sorry you lost him."

I let the air fall silent for a moment, only the horses' hoof clops and the chirping of birds to keep us company. We meander up toward the family graves and she looks at me with compassion in her eyes. My parent's gravesite is still torn up, no grass grown up around it yet.

"They're here?" she asks and I nod.

"Yeah, five generations of Blackwells are here. The best place on the hundred-plus-acre plot we could find. These old willow trees are older than the title deed." Prying my eyes away from the only plots in the cemetery with no headstones, I look to her. "We used to have four thousand head of cattle, but we lost a lot over the past few years. We're down to only twenty-eight hundred head." And with the threat of foreclosure on the northern plot, we'll lose that five hundred that Isaac warned me about if I don't do something soon.

The idea of losing the Triple R needles at my conscience and I kick Thunder's flanks to pick up the pace. I shouldn't be out on this damn tour of the property. I should be finding a way to save the ranch without destroying my future. And Brody should have been the one to be out here. He's been the one hitting on her and flirting so much.

"Do you miss them?" she asks softly, even as Molly picks up the pace to a trot alongside Thunder.

"About as much as a dog misses it's fleas after a trip to the vet." I turn away from her. I can't stand the hurt expression on her face. Truth is, I don't miss them much because I spent so much time away from home, I learned to live without them. It's hard to miss someone who wasn't really a part of your life anymore. Someday that will catch up with me, but today my focus is the ranch and I'm letting this blonde goddess distract me with her open sympathies. I hate myself for that.

"We have ten outbuildings, four barns, two tack houses, the old outhouse on the back forty, the arena, and two large sheds for equipment. The deed has been in the Blackwell name for five generations. The original log cabin was built over one hundred years ago, upon which we added everything it is now. Twelve bedrooms, two wings, the pool out back, and the outdoor entertaining patio. Momma insisted on that."

Reciting facts to her helps me focus on the important thing--the ranch--and keeps my mind from wandering into dangerous territory again. "We have over one hundred thousand acres of pastures, wooded areas, streams, and a few ponds." I pull the reins and turn back toward the house as the path winds around the south pasture. "There's a bunk house for the ranch hands but we only have a few, so we let them stay in the house. It it's hay day we were full up. Now not so much. We are home to a herd of bison. Elk pass through here every rut, and the largest bass in the county was pulled out of one of our ponds the summer I left for California." The word catches in my throat and I swallow hard. I'm getting too personal.

"You left?" She doesn't miss a goddamn thing. I scowl at myself and urge Thunder on.

"Yeah, I did. But I'm back and this place is all mine now." Trying to avoid the dive into personal matters, I continue spewing facts, hoping she gets the point. This is a tour, not a date. "There is a pair of nesting eagles up near the homestead. The game warden calls this a protected area now because of that. So that's something special."

We ride in silence a bit longer, my useless facts nearly exhausted. I'm happy that she doesn't try to pry anymore, though I'm finding myself wanting to know why she's here. Where did she go? Why come back?

The rest of the "tour" is just empty chatter about how to shoe a horse and who the farriers on the team are. Colt and Tyler would have much more to share with her because I know almost nothing about it. I left before I could learn. Just one of the reasons I need all my siblings to help me with recovering the glory of the Triple R. I missed too much.

The path hooks back around and ends by the house and she sighs quietly as I halt Thunder. "Tour's over." I whip my foot around and off the beast, landing on the ground, and she sits atop her mount staring out over the pasture.

"Jake, why have you been avoiding me?" When she looks down at me with that haunting gaze, I'm transfixed. I wrap my the reins in my hand around the saddle horn and walk around to Molly's left side.

"Not avoiding you, just busy working." It's not at all true. I've clearly been avoiding her. I want nothing more than to shack up in my bedroom and spend every waking second getting to know her all over again. To feel her curves and hear every thing that has happened since the last time we met. But to do so would be to throw the ranch away. I feel bad for making her feel rejected, but what choice do I have.

"How do I get down?" Her hands mimick mine, wrapping the reins around the horn.

"Well you lift your leg over here." Before I can continue telling her how to grip the saddle, she has her right leg up over Molly's shoulders, spinning to face me. "No, you--" She slides forward and I have no choice but to reach up and catch her.

Every inch of her perfect body glides along my chest, sliding downward until her breasts are crushed against me. She smells heavenly, like sandalwood and flowers. Her hair is slightly mussed from the wind, but gorgeous. She looks up at me and bites her lip innocently. "Sorry," she mumbles, but I'm not sorry. I'm magnetized.

We stand there glued to each other even as Molly shifts away and finds some grass to graze on near the fence line with Thunder. My hands are on her hips, pressing a thumb into the hollow there where I touched her years ago.

Why am I doing this? This is so dangerous. The ranch, the arrangement with Sadie. I need to focus on saving Triple R but all I can think about is how amazing her lips tasted fifteen years ago when I kissed her under that tree.

"I..."

Mia's chest is heaving, her hands resting on my shoulders, and I can't stand it another second. I lean down and press my lips against hers. Not a soft peck of a kiss, the hungry sort of devouring kiss that leaves you breathless and legless all at once. My tongue traces her lines and she pushes back, eager and desperate. When I pull away, leaving my forehead pressed against hers and her body still tight against mine, she's catching her breath.

"I missed you..." she whispers, "and I came back here hoping to find you."

My heart clenches and I back away. I can't process what she just said. All I can think is that the ranch is going under and I need to fix it. Simmons won't wait forever for an answer.

"When are you leaving Mustang?" I blurt it out before I know what I'm saying, and her etches her forehead. I can't stand myself. Turning, I stomp off toward the barn, neglecting to collect the horses. I'll come back for them. Right now I need away from her.

I can't do this. Not now.

Chapter 8

I sit at the table long after Chloe and Tyler have cleared it. Jake ate in the bunkhouse yet again, and I can't help but think he's avoiding me. That kiss yesterday took me by surprise, and probably him too. And as we sat eating dinner his siblings all commented on how it was so abnormal that he wasn't with us. They chalked it up to him having lived away from here for so long, but I know better. He doesn't want to be around me, because somehow I'm hurtful to him.

I sip my glass of water and stare at the large wooden table. The grain of the wood planks forms swirls and knots, almost artistic if I unfocus my eyes a little. Everything about this place is that way. The beauty of nature is woven into old Native American tapestries hung on the walls, artwork painted by local artists, even the way the cabin is constructed. It's so different from the city I left where everything is cookie-cutter perfect and made in mass quantities.

"Turnin' in. You okay?" Chloe stops by the table. Her fingers are puckered from being submerged in water and a dish towel is draped over her shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just not tired yet." Around here, everyone rises with the sun. In Denver, I was a night owl, so my habits are dying hard. "Thinking of sitting out side and stargazing a while."

"Oh, I'll come with you. I don't do much stargazing since we get up so early, but I can keep you company." She tosses the towel onto the table as she talks.

"That's okay. I think I need some time to think."

"About Jake? You know half the ranch saw that steamy kiss. He's an idiot for marchin' off like that." She chuckled. "He'll come around."

"He's stressed about something but didn't say what. I could tell..." I though about how he commanded the entire conversation during the tour he gave me. It was all fact and no embellishments. It was projection. He spoke of the ranch as if from his father's point of view, not his own. "He really cares about this place."

"Yeah, he does. Just as a funny way of showing it." Chloe stuffs her hands in her pockets and nods at me. "Well suit yourself. Just lock up when you come in. See you in the morning."

And then, I'm alone, nursing a glass of water. The house is quiet, creaky at times. And it's warm, the heat of the day still trapped in the thick wooden beams. I stroll into the kitchen and dump out the water, leaving the glass on the counter. Then I grab a beer and open it before heading toward the back porch. The view over the mountains across the wooded valley where the river snakes through is beautiful. I want to breathe in the leeward winds and let them carry my worries away.

But when I step out onto the dim porch, lights turned off which allows a better view of the sky, Jake is there, rocking in an old whitewashed rocker.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I thought you were still working." I linger by the door as it slams shut and he shrugs.

"Free world..." He sips his own beer and stares outward instead of upward. His welcome isn't exactly warm, but he's not turning me away, so I sit next to him on what I can only assume was his mother's rocking chair. I picture his parents there sharing evening chats as the sun fades across the mountains and it makes me smile. Until I realize I'm dreaming something that will probably never happen for me. At least not with Jake.

"Look, Jake, you seem upset with me and I understand that maybe you were hurt when I never called or showed up here again. I--"

"You're making assumptions."

"Let me finish please." I look up at him and he glances at me dryly but says nothing, so I continue. "I went back to the room that night and my father caught me sneaking back in. I didn't know what happened with his meeting, but it had him really worked up, so much so he never scolded me for sneaking out. He had everything packed up and made me leave as soon as I got back.

"I wanted to tell you, give you your jacket back, but he was scared of something. So we got out on the road and were headed toward the highway and when we stopped for gas, he just dropped over. I sat there giving him CPR for a long time before someone showed up. I wasn't even sure it was a real doctor, and they said he was dead, massive coronary." I look down at my hands and try to force away the memories.

"Oh, Mia, I'm so sorry."

The first kind thing Jake has to say to me is pity, just like everyone else my whole life. "My father was eccentric and flighty. I changed schools twice a year, always in another state. He thought the world would end soon, and had a doomsday plan all laid out for us in case the government came storming in to control us." I shrug and stare up at the twinkling stars. "But he loved me."

"What happened after that?" Jake is calm, no longer rocking. I can tell he's interested in my story.

"Well I had no knowledge of any other family, just Poppy. So they put me in the system. For almost a year I was tossed around in foster homes. I was so far behind in school because of being yanked around." I shake my head at the frustration I still hold onto over that. "Then they found an uncle on my dad's side to take me in. He was a sleazeball and every night he'd get drunk and try to touch me. I had to give him more alcohol just to make him pass out and avoid him. He died a few years back. Left me a hefty inheritance. Just what I needed to get away from my ex."

We sit in silence for a moment, both of us rocking our chairs again. I take a drink of the beer and wonder how much I should even tell him about Dino. He's in my past now, and I want to leave that past behind me. It's the reason I'm in Mustang.

"I'm sorry to hear all that happened to you." He sits his empty beer bottle down on the porch. "Still have my jacket? I want it back."

For a second I think he's serious and I look up to see mischief in his eyes and chuckle. "Actually, I do have it. Saved it all these years. It's in the trunk of the car in a small box, if I ever get to clean that thing out and retrieve my stuff."

"Yeah, insurance companies can take forever, especially around here where everything moves slower than a turtle." He sighs and asks, "So you turned eighteen and then what?"

"Well, by then I figured you'd moved on, besides I didn't have the money or means to get back here, so I got a job waiting tables and worked hard. Barely scraped by until I met Dino. That turned out horribly. He was into some sketchy stuff and eventually I feared that it was going to catch up with me. I didn't want to end up running around my whole life the way I had in childhood. So when my uncle's money came in, I made a plan. A few weeks ago, I enacted it."

"What plan was that?"

"To come back here to Mustang where I felt safe. Hopefully find you." I peek at his expression, which is softer than I've seen him the entire time I've been here. "And I found you."

"Yes, you did." He rocks again, watching the stars as if they will speak to him. He's handsome, his dark wavy hair falling in his eyes from beneath the hat on his head. It takes me back to that night when we lay on that blanket together.

"Jake, will you go riding with me again? I enjoyed that. Maybe tomorrow?" I take another long drink of my beer and find that it's almost empty. But I don't want to go get another one and interrupt this moment.

"I'm sorry. I can't. The farrier is going to finish shooing the last few mounts. I have to tend to a leak in the bunkhouse roof. Water's been getting in and it'll cause damage if I don't stop it. I also have to mend a fence on the back forty, and clear a dam built by some beavers down by the fork in the river so we don't end up with flooding in a heavy rain."

His long list of work seems like a means to discourage me, but I could be wrong. He does seem serious, and I don't want to come between him and his work. Nor do I want to come between him and his siblings, and I have a feeling if he blows off work just to spend time with me, it will cause issues. I just don't know why, but that's the feeling I get.

"I understand." The conversation lulls for a moment again. This time it's a sadness on my part. I think about how hard it was to lose my father and how Jake must be feeling even if he wasn't on good terms with his dad. "I bet taking on the ranch is a lot of work for you."

"Yeah, well it's made worse because we are struggling to stay in the black. There are so many repairs and maintenance things that need done, which have gone neglected for so long, that we're losing money right now."

I could see how without his son's help, Mr. Blackwell probably struggled to maintain the place. I'd never tell Jake I thought that, but an older man doesn't have the same body as a younger man. It makes sense that Jake's dad was declining in strength and stamina. The old phrase we used to say to each other pops into my mind and I can't help but say it to him now, even if I risk stirring up unpleasant emotions.

"Open that door in your mind, Jake. Let me walk through it."

His eyes turn on me and he swallows hard. "This ranch hasn't turned a profit in years. Daddy left it to me to take care of, and I am facing a challenge. This is our family legacy. Five generations, Mia." He stares out over the mountains and I can see the pain in his eyes.

"Well, have you thought about tourism?" It's the first though I have--draw more people here to spend their money. It would be good for the ranch and even the whole town.

He narrows his eyes at me. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, give trail rides. Use the bunk house as an authentic ranch experience; rent out rooms. Maybe offer the arena as a rental for weddings and parties. You could host rodeos and--"

"Seriously?"

My gazes snaps up to meet his. At first I think he's upset with my suggestion, as if by creating a tourist attraction he would be defiling the legacy, but he smiles.

"Why haven't any of us thought of this?"

I shrug and chuckle. "I'm not sure, but it makes perfect sense to me. This place was so welcoming when I was a kid, mostly because of you but..." He reaches for my hand and I let him take it. "You could really make a lot of money that way."

"You know what, Mia?"

"What's that?" I stare at his face as he warms toward me. His eyes sparkle with pleasure for the first time since I got here. The Jake I met fifteen years ago is here, hidden in his grin.

"I want you to ride along as I do my chores tomorrow. Would you do me the honor?"

I don't know what changed suddenly, but my heart is soaring. "I'd love to, Jake Blackwell. Besides we have a date to skip rocks."

Chapter 9

The horses are winded after a short run. Mia is learning to command old Molly, though Thunder is mostly responsible for the nice ride. He is a good mount and knows the paths on this ranch better than even me. We ride toward the back forty with my tools loaded in the saddle bags. I have to fix the fence, but I knew it would be a great opportunity to show Mia some of the ranch she hasn't seen yet.

"It's such beautiful country," she marvels, shielding her eyes from the sun. I tried to get her to wear a hat with a brim, but she insisted she would be fine. Now she is regretting it I bet.

"Yeah, it is." I have take the view for granted my whole life, and watching someone enjoy it so much gives me fresh eyes. The rolling hills covered in evergreens and sprawling green leaves stretch all the way to the mountains. The river carves a winding ribbon down the mountains before it crosses the valley and passes through our land.

"Why did you ever want to leave Mustang?" Her question pricks a very sensitive nerve. I left Mustang because it's too small, too in my face. I wanted new adventure. I wanted to find someone who could match me toe-to-toe the way she did all those years ago. I stayed away because coming back felt like entering a prison the only time I actually visited for a family holiday.

"Ah well, Mustang just seemed too small for my big dreams." I had no dreams, just a thorn in my saddle that made me want to run.

"Did you find it then? Your dream?" Molly falls into step with Thunder putting Mia in line with me, though she sits a full head shorter than me. Her curiosity is refreshing. In this town everyone knows everything, so no one is curious or asks how you're doing. If they do, it's not because they need information; it's because they're nosy and want to prove the gossip is true.

"Nah, but I found adventure at least."

Thunder snorts and stomps at the ground, stopping on the path. I try to urge him forward, but he refuses. Only one thing could make him act like this, so I grab Molly's reins out of Mia's hand and ensure the mare stays put.

"Snake..." I don't see it yet, but if Thunder is spooked it's here somewhere.

"What kind?" Mia's eyebrows furrow, fear crossing her features.

"Not sure. Stay on the horse. If something happens follow the path back to the house for help." I dismount and leave my reins draped over Thunder's shoulders. Rattlers are pretty common up here, and I've done my share of tossing them off paths to keep horses from being bitten, though I'm out of practice. I move slowly, focusing my eyes on the trail and trying to discern any pattern amongst the dirt and grass.

"I didn't know there were rattlesnakes out here." I hear the uncertainty in her voice, but I can't focus on that right now. Safety comes before fear. Daddy always taught us that.

Movement on the path in a particularly shady spot catches my eye and I creep closer. I see the snake coiled there cooling off. It's not a rattlesnake at all, but Thunder was very observant. Animals amaze me with their strange abilities.

I get a funny idea, and reach down to grab the snake. It recoils, clamping down on my hand hard. It hurts like hell, and I scream, lifting it up and shaking my hand gently. I don't want to harm the snake, just do an old prank on Mia that I used to do on my brothers. The snake dangles and flips it's body around, and Mia screams.

"My god! Jake! I'll get help!"

I laugh so hard I almost piss myself as I pry the common garden snake off my hand. There are tiny droplets of blood there but no major damage. Mia looks confused, and scowls at me.

"Jake Blackwell, are you trying to trick me?" I move toward her still laughing, now holding the snake in a way that is more comfortable for it, letting it slither around my arm. "You damn bastard!" she chides, shaking her head, but as I continue to roar with laughter, she grins and joins me. "I thought you were gonna die."

"Nah, I'd never be that stupid." Careful to not let Molly see the reptile, I move around and show Mia. "Just a field snake. Probably ate a mouse and was just hanging out in the shade. Thunder was right to be scared though. Rattlers are a real threat." I hold it up and she shakes her head.

"Uh, no thanks. I have no interest in petting your snake." She cringes and I laugh harder. "What!"

"You want to pet my snake?" I raise my eyebrows at her and smirk and she swats at me.

"You're horrible." I love the sound of her laughter. It's melodic, one of the best sounds I've ever heard.

I walk a few paces into the thick grass and let the little guy go free, then return to my mount and climb on. I've recovered from my laughing fit but Mia still shakes her head at me. "Honestly, if I knew you were so immature, Jake..."

"What you like me anyway."

Her heavy sigh as she kicks Molly to action is a pleasing sound. "So what was California like? Snakes there too?"

"Actually yes. We rescued a lot of wildlife, including snakes, when we fought the wild fires. Smoke was so thick we had baby deer draped in wet cloths in backpacks being carried out. I sat on Big Sur and watched the valley burn. It was devastating. But life always returns."

"That's so sad. I'm sorry you had to witness all of that." Mia's compassion really shines through her words. She is such a tender soul. "Did you rescue people too?"

"A few, though most were wise enough to evacuate when ordered to. Lots and lots of homes were lost." Those days are far behind me, but they taught me valuable lessons about teamwork and trust. Lessons I need right now as I try to rely on my siblings to help build the Triple R back to what it should be.

"It sounds like you enjoyed living in California."

"I did, but Mustang is home. It always has been, even when I didn't want to admit it." I pull the reins to the right and lead Thunder toward the broken fence only a few hundred yards off the path. Molly follows on autopilot.

"You know, Mia, I want to thank you for the ideas you gave last night. I'm going to bring them up with our lawyer and the boys. I think you are really on to something. We'll have to work out insurance and how that all works to have tourists on our land, but offering trail rides and renting out the arena barn are things we can do right away without much need for monetary investment."

"I just saw an opportunity that made sense. I mean, if I was a blushing bride, I think I'd want to be married in a nice giant barn like that. I'd use hay or straw bales as seating with nice woven blankets as covers. Deck out the rafters in fancy lighting and hang prairie flowers everywhere." She blushes as she tells me all about her dream wedding and I picture her the prettiest bride I ever met.

I'm lost in a particularly fond imagination of her wedding, her hair tied back, her beautiful smile beaming at me. And she uses the end of the rein like a whip to smack my leg. "Your horse is going right past the broken fence."

I look up to see Thunder moving right past the break and pull his reins back. "Sorry... Just got lost in thought." I'm stupid for letting my mind get carried away with thoughts of any future with Mia. Even if the tourist attraction idea works out, it may not be enough to save the ranch and Sadie and Eagle's landing may be just my only option still.

"What were you thinking?" she asks, snickering.

"Thinking how funny it would have been if you'd taken off racing to the house only to get told by my siblings how I pranked them a million times with that damn snake prank." I force a laugh and hope she can't tell it's forced. She can't know what I was actually thinking about. I can't lead her on.

Friendship is something I really want with Mia, but more than that is off the table. At least until I figure out the ranch situation. I can't really see it working out any other way than for me to wind up with Sadie. I don't want to lead Mia on in anyway. She deserves so much better.

Chapter 10

Sunlight claws its way past the curtains and demands that I get up now. I yawn and force my eyes open, blinded by the way light assaults my eyes. I have no idea how these people wake up so early every day, but I'm starting to get used to it. I listen to the sounds of the busy household. It's a good thing I'm not a breakfast eater and that coffee is my go-to morning meal because the whole house is already moved past that portion and they're preparing for the busy day.

The room is warm and I can't tell if it's the heat that kicked on or if today will be a scorcher. I sit and stretch, reaching my feet toward the floor. I promised Brody to help him with retrieving hay from the hay mount in the south barn, which requires long sleeves and jeans apparently. Working to earn my keep around here is building my upper body strength. I'm enjoying it.

I dress quickly and head downstairs where there is a flurry of activity and a bit of bickering between Brody and Jake. I hope it's not over me again. For a while there, I thought Jake was a bit rude to Brody about how nice he was being to me. I guess brothers fight about a lot of things but fighting over me was pointless since I have no interest in Brody.

As my feet hit the bottom step I hear Chloe say, "Jake, just let Brody do the hay and you go to Bruckner's. If someone doesn't go in and settle the orders, we'll not have feed next month."

"Yeah, and I told Brody how to handle it. I don't have time for three hours of my day to be spent in a car to the city." Jake takes his hat off, runs his hand over his dark hair, and puts the hat back on.

"You need a break or you're going to burn out." Chloe is firm, hands on hips. Jake is twice her size and much older, in charge of the ranch even, but I see him backing down. I also know Chloe saw me coming down the stairs. She keeps glancing at me, as if encouraging me to listen in. So I take the bait.

"I'll go." I wiggle my fingers in the air, hoping to get his attention. Jake looks up and his eyebrows rise. "Sorry, I couldn't help but here you talking. I don't mind riding to Bruckner's. Where is that?" Brody and Chloe have been pushing Jake to spend time with me all week. Tyler notices, but he seems more focused on work. I can't help but think the younger two are trying to push us together.

Brody smirked at me. "It's in Billings, an hour and a half south of here. But if Jake here doesn't get this figured out we'll have an issue. He should have done it last week."

Chloe nudges Jake with her elbow and say something in his ear that I can't hear, then walks away. Brody wags his eyebrows at Jake and slaps him on the shoulder. "So it's settled. You'll go, I'll stay. And Mia, you can help with hay next time."

Jake doesn't look thrilled but he doesn't look upset about it. His shoulders fall, but he has a weak smile. "You and me, kid. I want to head out soon, I guess. We can get there when they open and handle our business. Maybe we'll grab lunch?"

"Sure," I say, smoothing my hands down the front of my jeans. "Is this alright?" I gesture at my clothing and watch his eyes scan my body from head to toe. He tries to hide his true feelings but they seep out through his gaze. This isn't the Jake I remember.

Fifteen years ago he was nothing but compliments and praise. He'd have had his hands on me the way his eyes were on me now. This Jake is more reserved. It's like he's afraid to tell me what he's really thinking. Maybe it's maturity, or maybe he has someone back in California he hasn't told me about yet. I hope it's not the latter.

"Looks fine to me. You might get hot; supposed to be a scorcher."

"I have a tank top on too." With Jake's approval of my outfit, all I need is a cup of coffee and I'm ready to head out. I head toward the kitchen and he follows. "Just need my morning brew and we can hit the road."

After filling my cup and adding a touch of sweetener, I follow Jake out to his pickup truck, grabbing my purse on the way. I'm excited to have this much time alone with him. We've spent so much time together over the past few weeks, it's become a natural thing, no longer awkward. But it hasn't blossomed into a flourishing romantic relationship. I know it's within reach if Jake will only open up and tell me what's holding him back, but I haven't had a spare moment to approach that topic with him. He's so busy worrying about the ranch.

"So have you ever been to Billings?" He pulls down the long gravel path toward the road and I buckle up.

"Uh, I passed through it on my way here before I had that accident. I did see a sign for a burger joint that sells bison meat burgers off the interstate. Maybe we can have lunch there." I sip the coffee, sucking it through my teeth because it's too hot.

"I know just where that is. It's called Tammy's; been around forever. They own a ranch about forty miles outside the city and all their bison are organically fed. It's good meat." Jake buckles his seatbelt as he drives, pulling onto the old country road. I love that he knows so much about the city.

We chat about all the landmarks we pass an old drag strip not really kept up, and he points out an old train depot. The conversation is so surface level I can't find a way to bring up my question about his hesitancy to pursue me. In my heart, I know I'm not ready anyway. Dino changed me as a person, made me colder and more withdrawn. Maybe that's why I can't seem to bring up how much I like Jake, how much I missed him.

Grassy fields and wooded lots turn to subdivisions and small towns. The highway widens out and the speed limit drops. Billings rises on the horizon and our conversation shifts to the heavy traffic as Jake navigates his truck toward the feed store. We pass the billboard for the restaurant I'd like to eat at and I point it out, though I'm not hungry yet. Jake nods his acknowledgement but focuses on the road, so I fall silent.

"Want to wait in the truck?" he asks as he pulls into a parking spot at the feed store and shuts the truck off. "It'll just take a minute. I need to just update some records here and sign. They don't know I'm taking over for the old man."

"Yeah, I'll wait."

Jake nods and slips out of the truck and I watch him head into the store. So far the trip has been so boring I would have had more fun tossing hay out of the mount. But Jake is too magnetic. I want to be with him every second of every day if I can. So here I am watching his tight ass in those jeans as he strolls away.

I bang my head against the headrest and growl at myself. Why can't I just say what I'm thinking or feeling? Why does my mind have to be a jumble of desires and contradictions? I like Jake. I always have. I think I'm falling in love with him, but I can't tell him because for some reason I feel like Dino wrecked me for having any healthy relationship. And I don't want to cause Jake anymore stress. It's obvious he's not ready for a relationship. He's just inherited a ranch; who would have time for a relationship after that shock?

Resting my eyes for a moment, I rehearse what I want to say, hoping I'll have the right opportunity and the courage to say it. "Jake, I like you.... No, that's not right." I clear my throat, eyes still closed. "Jake... I want to know why you're so distant." I cringe at that one. It's too forward. "Jake, I really think I'm falling in love with you and the only reason I came to Mustang was because I hoped you were here, and can you just give me a chance now?" That feels a lot more real, but there is no way I'll ever say that to him.

"A chance for what?"

My eyes snap open and my head shoots up. I look over and see him leaning in the window. "I... Uh... How much of that did you hear?"

"You said can I give you a chance." He grins, probably judging me for speaking to myself, and my cheeks burn.

"A chance to say thank you again for taking me in." What else can I even say? I pray he didn't hear what I said before that.

"No problem... Hey, do you see my wallet?" He yanks the door open and leans over the seat, rifling around in the crew cab.

"No, I haven't. Is everything okay?" I open the glovebox and a dozen brown napkins fall out at my feet. I chuckle and he offers a comical deadpan.

"No one's supposed to see that."

"Like every other American doesn't also have a handful of brown napkins in their glovebox. Yours takes the cake though." I grab a bunch of the napkins and stuff them back in there.

"I can't do this without my ID, and I think I left my wallet back at the ranch." He looks frustrated. "And we need fuel or we won't make it back. Did you bring your wallet?"

"I did..." My gut churns. I have my wallet but not my cash. The only thing I have to pay for fuel or food with is my credit card, and if I do that, there is a chance Dino will be able to track where I am. I have no choice. If I want to return to Mustang, I have to do it.

"Mind topping off the tank? I can pay you back at home." Jake climbs into the truck looking defeated.

"Sure." Any thought of trying to talk to him seriously has now vanished, quickly replaced with the anxious churning of my stomach I almost forgot existed. I feel safe in Mustang after years of being scared. I try not to let my nerves show, forcing a smile, and Jake pulls out.

"Well that was a wasted trip. I'll have to come back tomorrow, or later this afternoon if Brody can be here when the insurance inspectors come around." He shakes his head. Now I really don't want to inconvenience him with my emotions. I ride quietly until he pulls into the filling station where I hand him my card. "Thanks, Mia, I appreciate it. I can't believe I forgot my wallet."

I nod, masking my insecurities and watch through the window as he slides the card into the pump's card reader. The screen lights up as authorizing and flashes the word "approved." And that's that. One charge on the card means a location ping. Dino will use his resources to know I've been in Billings. From there he will continue searching until he finds me. There's no way around it.

Chapter 11

The leather of the saddle squeaks as Thunder walks. I glance at Mia who seems very happy to ride along with my chores again. Today we visit the northern pasture where over half our herd is grazing. One of the ranch hands reported a mountain lion sighting, so I want to look for scat or scratch marks, any sign that the large predator has been snooping around. We have enough trouble with coyotes and bankers breathing down our necks. If we get lions around here, we'll have to bring in some hounds to chase it away.

"Have you seen mountain lions around here?" Mia is nervous. I can see it in the way she grips the saddle horn. She's right to be intimidated by the large cats. They run fast, jump high, and swim if they need to. Without the shotgun strapped to my saddle I'd be intimidated too. I tried to get her to carry one, but she shied away. I assume she has very little experience with guns, but she seemed more afraid than intimidated. I let it slide.

"Yeah, we actually get them about once a year. I mean--we did before I moved away. I assume it's the same now. Lions live on this land too; it's their natural habitat. We just have to share the property. I won't tolerate them taking my cattle though."

"Ty said they got a heifer. What does that mean?" She is full of questions, and I like it. Explaining the ins and outs of ranch life has given me a new perspective. With Daddy gone and me running things, I needed this reminder of how great Montana is. Every day that goes by I find another thing about this land and my home town that I missed.

"Well, a heifer is a young female cow who hasn't given birth yet. They are sort of the backbone of this ranch. Without breeding cattle, we have to purchase calves at market, and that's far more expensive than raising a calf your cow has given birth to." I point out to the pasture where one of the younger bull calves is romping. He is agitating the older steer and I see nothing but a strong rebuke coming his direction. He'll learn. "So we don't do dairy cattle here, but we do keep a few cows around for nursing the babies and providing milk for our table, but most heifer calves are sent to market and sold. We have a pretty good streak of producing bulls though, and when we find a bull that gives us males, we keep him as a stud."

"Interesting." Mia sighs softly and I see her grip on the saddle horn loosen. The topic of mountain lions is behind us for the moment so I keep it there. Chances are it's nothing and we'll see it was some other reason our heifer went down. Maybe she broke her leg on the rocks and the coyotes scavenged her. I like to keep a positive outlook.

"So are you enjoying Mustang? I saw you went shopping with Riley and Sage." Yesterday afternoon instead of riding along for my chores, Mia went to town and picked out a few sundresses. Our summers are hot and dry, and the women encouraged her to spiff up her appearance, Montana style. I think Mia looks amazing how she is, but when she came back to the ranch wearing that baby blue dress with the ruffles on it, I had to excuse myself for fear she'd see my pants bulging.

"Yeah, it was nice. Though Sage said something about her sister... I guess the woman is pretty rude or something. It was hard to follow the conversation because Riley was very hush-hush. When I asked Riley if she thought you'd like the dress on me, Sage looked like she'd seen a ghost. Other than that, it was pretty nice. Riley is really sweet. I'm just disappointed Chloe didn't ride along."

I know exactly why Sage acted weird when that happened, but I don't dare tell Mia. We've been getting along quite well as friends, and I don't want her to think I've been keeping secrets. There isn't really a secret to keep anyway. I never agreed to the arrangement with Sadie, even if she did buy herself a ring and tell people we were getting hitched. I managed to explain everything to Tyler, who broke it to the gang easily. Brody lectures me every morning now. With the ideas presented by Mia we may just pull out of this slump and not need Eagle's Landing to step in and save the day.

Still, Mr. Simmons made a great offer, and I wrestle with it. It is already proving challenging to get the bank to give us the capital to back the new ideas we have rolling. If we had Eagle's Landing as collateral too, well we'd be in perfect shape. But marrying Sadie was about as appealing as swimming with lead boots.

"What are you thinking?"

Mia's question breaks through my thoughts at the same time I hear something in the bushes cracking. I hold my hand up, halting her. The horses instinctively stop. Thunder's ears are turned; he's listening to the same thing I am. We sit about twenty yards from a copse of trees and heavy underbrush, the perfect place for a lion to hang out. It's shady, but close to where the herd grazes.

"What?" Mia whispers and I hold a finger to my lips. Molly moves her front legs back and forth nervously. Her ears are turned back too, and Mia pulls on the reins trying to calm her. She leans forward and talks soothingly in Molly's ear. "Hey... it's okay, girl."

Without hesitation, I reach back and pull out the shotgun. I chambered a round before we started out, so I wouldn't lose a second of time if something like this happened. I'm thankful my father taught me the right way to take care of these large beasts. "Look, I have to investigate this, and no matter what happens, don't let go of Molly's reins. You keep a hold of it. If she runs, push up from your stirrups. You'll thank me."

I zero in on the shady space beneath the tree, creeping a very hesitant Thunder closer to it. Mia struggles with Molly, who is already a bit of a pain at times, but now she's acting very spooked. I wish I had time to stop and help Mia calm her down, but I have to see if there is a lion in this thicket, or we risk being chased down.

"Come on, boy." I coax thunder forward. The way he stutter steps and refuses to move reveals everything I need to know. I see glowing eyes in the shadow. It's a lion. I don't' want to shoot it, just scare it off good, so I remove the safety on the shotgun and point the barrel at a forty-five-degree angle into the air. "Hold on to Molly," I shout just before pulling the trigger.

The resounding boom of the gunfire causes Thunder to rear up on his hind legs. I scrabble to hold on, balancing and clinging to the saddle horn. The large brown cat darts out of the thicket across the pasture toward the mountains, and I keep my eye on it as it vanishes over a hill. Thunder whinnies loudly, and I struggle to stay on the saddle as he rears up again.

"Mia?" I call, attempting to maneuver Thunder so I can get a glimpse of her. As he turns, the sound of Molly's distressed whinny hits my ears.

"Jake... oh my god. Help me." Mia sounds panicked. Her eyes are wide with fright as Molly kicks and rears up, and then without any notice, Molly takes off like a light, racing the opposite direction as the mountain lion. Mia screams, but does what I told her to. With reins in hand, she looks over her shoulder shouting for help.

I holster the shotgun as quickly as I can and wrap the reins around my hand tightly. "Come on, Thunder. Let's go!" I whistle a shrill sound and kick him hard in the flanks. Thunder uses his frightful energy to chase after Molly. I lean forward, standing slightly in the stirrups, and pray I can get to Mia before Molly drags her under a tree or kicks her off. I was stupid for bringing the flightiest horse we have out on this lion hunting expedition, but Mia handles her so well I didn't think we'd have a problem. I also never though I'd have to fire my weapon, so the entire day was going awry.

"Yah!" I shout, smacking Thunder's rump with the end of the rein. I have to go faster. I'm gaining on Molly, but Mia looks like a rag doll being tossed around, and they're approaching the fence. If Molly makes the jump, Mia will take a tumble and her injuries will be far worse than her little car accident.

"Come on, Thunder... Move it!" I whip him again, driving him faster. I'll have to feed him extra apples and carrots tonight for the abuse he's taking. As I approach, I hear Mia screaming. I get Thunder in step close to Molly, and reach out my hand. "Mia, take my hand!"

"You said don't let go!"

"Take it! Dammit, woman." I wiggle my fingers at her. We're only a hundred yards from the fence and she's hesitating. She has no clue the pain she's in for. "Come on!"

Mia looks at me nervously and reaches out her hand. I grip her wrist and kick Thunder again. "When I say jump, you swing your leg around and jump and I'll catch you."

"What! No! You're insane."

"Do it!" Molly runs faster, still spooked and I have no choice. It's now or never. "One... two... three... Jump!"

Mia whips her leg over Molly's neck and pushes of with her right foot. I pull her hard into my arms and Molly races away, taking the leap over the pasture fence. Mia struggles for a moment, dangling by my side until she gets her leg up over Thunder's shoulders. She sits straddling the saddle horn facing me as I slow Thunder to a trot, then a walk.

"Hey, it's okay... I'm here..." I soothe her as she curls into my chest crying. "This was all my fault. I knew Molly was skittish. It's all my fault."

She clings to me and I rub her back. I don't dare try to climb down yet, not until I know Thunder is spent and won't be taking off again. We need a ride back to the ranch. So I let Mia cry it out and talk softly to her until she looks up at me.

"You saved my life, Jake."

I push a few strands of her wavy blonde hair out of her face. Ringlets curl round her temple in the sweat. I want to kiss away her tears.

"I should never have put you in that position. I'm sorry."

I barely get the words out and she has her arms wrapped around my neck. She slides off the saddle horn, pressing her body against mine, and our lips meet in an otherworldly spark of chemistry. She's hungry, demanding me to respond, and I do. The energy of the moment is too powerful for me to resist. I kiss her hard, parting her lips and tasting her cherry ChapStick. The idea of her being hurt again terrifies me. I want nothing more than to keep her this close to me the rest of my life.

Chapter 12

The kiss is magnetic. I can hardly pull away, but he does. He dismounts and helps me down off Thunder's back. The horse nickers and snorts then goes about grazing. Jake's hand slides over my shoulder and down my back. I can feel his touch, every inch of him. He leans against me and I tense. I can see the intense concern in his eyes even after the danger is gone.

Since the moment I got to Mustang, I wanted him to scoop me up like this, tell me everything is okay now, that I'm safe. I can hardly believe what just happened or what is happening. Everything moves in slow motion, each frame of time tangible as the tension builds between us.

I run my hand up his arm and he groans. His shoulder under my hand is hard, but his touch is soft. I trace the curves of his abs beneath his shirt, feeling the contours of his body. I feel a shudder jolt through him, and I slow down. I don't want to be too much. I want my hands on him, but I don't want to scare him away.

Jake's eyes are dark and dreamy. As he leans in to kiss his lips are soft. His arms wrap around my waist, soothing my nerves. He looks at me, his eyes blazing with heat. I let my gaze drop, but it doesn't matter. I can see him everywhere, even with my eyes closed. His chest rises and falls in hard pants.

Sometimes I don't want to look him in the eye. He's too gorgeous, too desirable, too painful. But I do. I always do. Those eyes are a shade I've never seen anywhere but in his gaze. My breath quickens and my heart races. I can feel the heat radiating from his body. His eyes are warm and inviting, dark hair falling across his forehead, sweat glistening across his forehead and chiseled jawline. I can see the trails of sweat outlined down his chest.

"Jake..." I'm breathless, whether from the chase, the panic, or the fact that his hand is touching me in the same spot it did fifteen years ago, I don't know. His thumb brushes over my hipbone.

"Shh..." He pulls his shirt off over his head and leans in to kiss me again.

Jake's muscled chest, tan from days in the sun, contrasts with his jeans. The dark denim stretches over the thick fabric of his briefs. His arms are the size of my thighs, his shoulders shrouded in ropey muscle. I feel so small against him. I feel safe, not like with Dino.

My hands are cool despite the stifling heat of the day. They trail across Jake's chest and shoulders. My touch is light and playful.

I can feel the heat radiate off him, through him. Every molecule in my body screams for his touch. He whispers in my ear, "I've waited this for fifteen years." I can barely hear him, but I don't need to. I just need to feel his hand on me. He moans my name. Jake's breathing is heavy, he's aroused.

"Mia," he breathes against my lips. His kiss is eager and sensual, and his hands roam my body. He pulls my button-down shirt off, the tank top I have on beneath it intact. When he reaches for my pants, I gasp, but don't shy away. I want this as bad as he does.

I kick off my boots and tug at his belt buckle, shuddering as his teeth rake across my neck. "God, I want you," I mumble.

I can feel the muscles in his biceps and chest flexing against my body as he peels my clothes off of me. His leg separates mine, feeling the throbbing that is pulsing in my core. There is no part of me that hasn't been explored by his hands.

His body is ripped and chiseled. I feel his fingers slide into my hair as my lips are pulled to his. I see the lonely trail of hair that leads toward his navel, his growing package as he goes rock hard against me. His tongue enters my mouth and dances with mine. It is a tango, a salsa, an Irish jig. He plays my mouth as a master musician would play a violin.

A whispered moan escapes my lips. His body smells of fresh hay and the stables, but beneath it I smell the odor of sweat and sex. He backs me toward the tree and pushes my body into the hard bark. His eyes lock with mine and he says, "Is this okay?"

"Stop talking and just touch me," I beg him, raising a leg to wrap around his hips. I finally manage to free his cock from his pants and stroke it. He yanks my panties down and I step out of them.

I can barely contain my desire as he stands before me, his hard body silhouetted against the bright light. I can feel the heat between us, and a primal urge intensifying by the second. He steps closer, pushing me back against the tree, and I feel my body yielding to his power. His hands cup my face and his lips press against mine, his kiss so deep and passionate it takes my breath away.

He slides his hands down my body and I gasp at the sensation. His touch is so intense, so electrifying, I can't help but cry out. He reaches between my legs and I shudder with pleasure. He rubs his finger against my clit and I feel my body trembling with anticipation. This is going to be incredible. He takes his time, teasing and tantalizing me with gentle strokes of his finger. I moan and gasp as he increases the intensity, my arousal reaching a fever pitch. As his touch becomes more urgent and intense, I can feel my orgasm building, the sensations crashing over me in waves of pleasure. Then finally, he slides two fingers deep inside me, and I scream out in bliss as I come undone around him.

"God, Jake... yes..." I claw at his shoulders, thankful our only audience is the wildlife on the ranch.

My body is shaking from the force of my orgasm and he holds me close. My breath catches in my throat as I feel his thick, hard length enter me. The way his cock fills me is exquisite. My pussy aches for more. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him closer, craving his touch, wanting him to take me over the edge again. His hands grip my hips and he moves steadily, rhythmically, each thrust sending a wave of pleasure through me. His cock slides in and out, filling me up and stretching me wider than I ever thought possible. I can feel every inch of him, and I moan in delight.

He moves faster, pushing deeper with each thrust. My body is on fire and I can't think of anything else but the waves of pleasure that are coursing through me. I'm flooded with sensation: my skin prickled, my heart racing; my core clenches and releases around his hardness.

He emits a feral groan, and I feel his hot release flooding me, dripping from my pussy and down my leg into the soil. As he relaxes, I feel a deep wave of contentment. We rest together, his arm wrapped around me leaning against the tree, our breathing slowing. We lean like that in blissful peace until the birds start to sing.

Jake pulls out, his still-erect cock standing at attention. I blush and look away, knowing what we did will have consequences, but I don't care. It was more than primal urge for safety and comfort following that scary event. It was the culmination of fifteen years of waiting for that exact moment and it was everything I thought it would be.

Slowly, we get dressed. He kisses me softly on the forehead and I can feel my whole body quivering with delight. He smiles down at me, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"That was amazing," he whispers.

I nod in agreement, unable to find the words to express how I feel. Everything feels awkward now. Jake seems deep in thought as he tucks in his t-shirt and zips his jeans. He finds my boots and hands them to me after I've got my pants back on.

"Thanks... Uh, Jake... should we..." I want to talk to him about what just happened, but he seems to not want to talk at all.

"Get Molly? Yes. You'll double with me. She can't be too far. I'm sure she's tired herself out by no and we'll find her on the path back to the barn." He strolls over to Thunder and grabs the reins, leading Thunder toward me. "I'll have to get on first. Then I'll help you up."

Thunder is considerably larger than Molly is, and I struggled to get on her. But Jake makes this easy. He reaches out to me and I take his hand. I can't quite reach the stirrup, but he pulls me as I jump up. Once on the massive horse, I snuggle into him. The saddle isn't large enough for two people, but I'm glad Thunder is a strong boy, because walking back to the ranch seems an impossible feat. My legs are shaking.

"Uh, Jake..." He still smells intoxicating, but now the scents of grass, hay, and sweat are mixed with the smell of our sex.

"Yeah."

"I missed you. A lot." His hand rests on mine across his chest and he pats it. Maybe it's his way of saying he missed me to, or maybe it's his way of saying he thinks that was a mistake. I don't think for a second it was a mistake. We both felt the tension the past few weeks. I just wish it hadn't taken such a scary event to make him realize how much he wants me.

"We need to get these horses back to the barn and get the water and a cool down. Molly will need checked for injuries too. Horses can hurt themselves real easy when they're spooked like that." He shakes his head. "Should have been more careful with firing my gun."

"You scared that mountain lion off. Molly will be alright. And hopefully the lion won't come back." I hug him tighter, the corded muscles beneath my arms tight as he balances on the steed.

"Yeah, that I did." He pats my hand again and points up the path where Molly stands panting. "Listen, lets just keep what happened back there between you and me. Okay?"

"Something tells me your siblings will know." I grin, kissing his back. "And I'm okay with that, but if you want me to keep it on the down low, your secret is safe with me." I feel his heart thudding inside his rib cage and I smile knowing I'm the reason it's beating so hard. Jake may not understand right now how I feel about him, and returnin to Mustang had more to do with my safety than my reunion with him, but I'm thankful I came here. It is the best decision I ever made.

Chapter 13

The entire ride back to the barn, Mia clings to my back. Her breasts crushed against my body keep me in a state of arousal, and I have to focus on leading Thunder, while keeping Molly interested in following us. Mia doesn't say much, but I know what's on her mind, the same thing that's on mine. We crossed a line, a huge door neither of us expected would be opened today that now we have to deal with.

Now I have to deal with.

As we round the corner of the back barn, I see Isaac Simmons's truck parked at the house. It's not a welcome sight. He's likely come to find out if I've considered his offer yet, and while all of my siblings are now at least aware of the offer--not that I've considered it, just the offer--it isn't something I want Mia hearing. I feel like a double dipper, hands in two pies, guilty of toying with hearts that aren't mine to touch.

"Uh, Mia, I'm going to hose these guys down out here before I head up to the house." I lean back slightly, feeling her body limp against me. She yawns and kisses my back.

"What did you say?"

"You were sleeping?" I feel bad for waking her, but she can't be around when Simmons comes to talk to me."

"Yeah, dozed off I guess. After sex that amazing, how could you stay awake?" She tickles my side, but instead of laughing, I tense. I pull Thunders reins and he halts; Molly does too.

"Mind walking up by yourself?" I ask her, feeling like an ass for just ditching her. My guilty conscience won't let me live this down for a while.

"No problem." She reaches her right hand over my left shoulder and I feel the saddle sway as she swings her leg around to dismount. Her hair is disheveled, face still flushed. "I had a great time with you today, Jake." She slides her hands in her back pockets, elbows pointing out. "Maybe we can do it again sometime? Only this time without the gun and the near-death experience."

Her smile moves me. Tugs at my heart and opens fifty doors I thought I nailed shut more than a decade ago. I want to say yes, to take her in the barn and spread her out on a blanket and meet every desire she ever had. But the unnerving sensation of Isaac Simmons's eyes on me temper my reaction. I don't even know where he is, but I know he's watching. I swing my leg around and dismount.

"I have to think about things carefully right now, and I'd appreciate if you just don't talk to anyone about what happened yet. Just give me a few days to process." I am an asshole of the highest regard. I can see she wants to kiss me, biting her pouting lip, eyes veiled in her thick lashes.

"Sure, Jake, whatever you want. I'll wait for you." She nods and turns, but as she walks away she glances back at me several times. When she disappears around the front of the barn I kick the dirt hard, growling so loud Molly sidesteps and nickers her distaste of my actions. She's been spooked enough today.

"Sure, Jake, you're an asshole. You can't love me because you have to save your ranch and you want to marry a horrible woman just to make sure your family business doesn't go under..." Speaking to myself, I take Molly's reins and lead her and Thunder into the barn via the south entrance. My heart is burning in my chest, and all I want to do is chase her down and tell her how much I missed her too. That I never stopped thinking about her, and I am definitely in love with her. She's mine. She's always been mine, from the first second I laid eyes on her. I don't want a life without her; and I don't want to marry Sadie Simmons, because--

"Well there, Mr. Blackwell." The voice curdles my blood. I lash Thunder and Molly to a stall door and start working the rigging so I can remove their saddles and brush them down. Simmons found me and now I have to face the music. "Must be strange being called Mr. Blackwell. Your Pappy always hated it too, until his father died."

I turn to see him smoking a cigar, strolling toward me with his ridiculous, oversized hat. The smug grin on his face as he looks around the barn makes me want to slug him. He eyes the place as if he owns it; he's just waiting to sign the papers.

"Mr. Simmons."

"Oh, boy, you call me Isaac. None of this honorifics shit. If I'm gonna be yer Daddy soon, you just call me that if you want." He winks. "Speaking of, have you considered my offer. I see you haven't done much with the Triple R, and there are lots of things lookin' grim."

I turn back to my chore, loosening the saddles and hanging them on the stall doors. Thunder's ears turn back; he can tell Simmons is a jerk and no one has to speak a word of it. Molly, nervous from the day, shuffles back and forth on her feet. Maybe it's the cigar smoke, but I choose to believe horses can sense a person's integrity.

"Things aren't so awful here." I lie; things are pretty bleak. "I've been thinking about your offer."

"And when do we set the date?" He runs his hand across Molly's shoulders and she snaps at him. Her feisty attitude makes me chuckle.

"She had a hard ride; spooked by a lion out there." I nod toward the pasture and Simmons clicks his tongue.

"Lions too? You mean financial problems ain't all you're dealing with?" He takes a long drag of his cigar and puffs a few smoke rings into the air victoriously. I can see in his eyes as I pull Molly's saddle blanket, that he's meddling. He wants us to fail. He wants to see Triple R go under if for no other reason than to comfort himself that his ranch is better.

"Mountain lions come around every year. You of all people know it." I drape the blanket over the stall and pick up a brush, moving between him and my horse. Last thing I need is Molly kicking him; he'd sue in a heartbeat. I run the brush over her shoulder and down her leg. She nickers, comforted by the barrier I've created between her and the man, I'm sure.

"Yes, yes they do. So tell me about my offer. I'll assume you're planning to take it. I've already drawn up all the paperwork. My ranch continues on in Sadie's name, but with you as foreman, and you are free to use the profits to invest in both ranches to save the Ramblin' River Ranch."

I stop brushing Molly and turn to face him, waving the smoke out of my eyes. "Mr. Simmons, your offer is very gracious and generous. I have to take a bit of time to grieve my father and mother, and I need to speak to my siblings about it. If they're all in agreement, I will consider accepting. You must admit that losing a parent is a difficult thing. Both of yours passed years ago. So please excuse me if the grieving process is still a little fresh after less than a month of them in the ground."

"Understood, Jake. Just don't keep me waitin'. I told you, I'm ailin' somethin' fierce and I need to know my ranch is taken care of before I get too awful bad." He flicks ashes on the ground and kicks a hot ember under the dirt. "Don't keep me waitin'."

I watch him walk out of the barn and grit my teeth. The pressure I'm under to save Triple R has me actually considering marrying Sadie after the most magical moment of my life. What the hell is wrong with me?

Staring off in the distance, I lose track of what I'm actually doing. All I can think about is Mia--her smile, her laugh, the way she says my name, the feel of hir lips on mine. I can't marry Sadie. I can't. I won't. My heart belongs to Mia and it always has. She's the one I've been searching for, the reason I could never make it work with any other woman in my life.

I don't know how I'm going to manage it, but I have to keep her and this ranch. I need her in my life more than I've ever needed anything.

Now I just have to explain to my siblings why I'm rolling the dice with Triple R. Because that's what it feels like I'm doing.

Chapter 14

"Want to help in the flower beds?" Chloe asks, grinning like a fool.

For days, Brody and Chloe have been doing that, smiling at me like they know something. I've been keeping my promise to Jake, which is why I find it puzzling that they look at me that way, but I just go with the flow.

We sit on the front porch enjoying a glass of lemonade. Chloe has been talking all morning about how she needs to spread new mulch so the ground keeps its moisture for the flowers, but our conversation hasn't let up. I was disappointed yet again this morning when Jake said his day was too full to let me ride along. Since the day we had sex, he's done that. I haven't been able to ride with him. I can only assume it's because he thinks I'm a distraction, though doubt has crept in and I wonder if maybe he is having second thoughts.

"Sure, I don't mind. Just here around the house?"

"Nah, we have to do it out by the signpost near the road. The barns are okay. They'll get it when we have extra cash for it, but Momma would rise up from her grave and choke me if I let her roses die." Chloe snickers. "I'll pull the truck up." She stands and heads down the steps, taking them two at a time. I sit there finishing my lemonade and watching Jake work from across the pasture.

His shirt is off, sweat glistening across his bronzed back. He and Tyler are repairing a fence post in the main pasture. It looks to me like a one-man job, but Jake insisted that if he didn't help Tyler it wouldn't get done right. I think it was another avoidance technique but at least he was eating dinner with us now, even if he did remain silent the entire time.

"Ready?" Chloe calls, pulling the old pickup truck up to the porch. The house casts shade over the flower beds out front, shielding us from the late-afternoon sun. I rise and jog down the steps, taking a pair of gloves from her.

"So I've never done this. Do we just put it everywhere?" I shove my hands into the too-small gloves and reach for a shovel protruding from the mound of black, dyed mulch.

"Yeah, well you have to lift the leaves of the plants out of the way and spread it right to the base of the stalks or stems." Chloe pulls a shovel off the truck and scoops up some mulch, throwing it onto the ground next to a short plant. "Like this." She kneels, lifts the large foliage, and pushes the pile of mulch under the leaves. "You have to do that all the way around."

"Got it," I say, plunging my shovel into the bed of the truck. I hoist it out, loaded down with mulch, and toss it onto the garden. Time and again, I return, scooping mulch, tossing it to the flower bed, and when I have a bit spread, I stoop to make sure I push it around the plants. It's hard work; my shoulders and back start hurting quickly, but its rewarding. In only a half-hour's work Chloe and I have the mulch spread along the entire front of the house.

"Break for water?" she asks, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her sleeve.

"Sure..." I jam my shovel back into the mulch in the bed of the truck, and catch my breath. The sun is hot; I squint up at it and decide a water break really is a great idea. We should probably put sunblock on too if this is going to take much longer. Chloe returns from a jaunt into the house with two glasses of ice water and a smile.

"Thanks for helping me. The boys call this women's work." She sips her water and I chuckle.

"In the city, this is men's work. Women are in their houses doing dishes."

"Don't get it wrong, Mia. Here on the ranch the boys try to pin that on me too, but we take turns cooking and cleaning. They just think men's work is out with the herds, on the horses and stuff. They don't see the sense in flowers, but they're my momma's pride and joy."

I wonder what Jake's mother was like when she was here. If she was kind or if she was a drill sergeant like my father. I never knew my mother, gone from my life before I even had the ability to make memories. It would have been nice to meet Mrs. Blackwell.

Chloe's face falls, a scowl creasing her forehead, and I hear gravel crunch. I turn to see a shiny, red BMW pulling up the lane and for a split second my heart stops. Panic threatens to choke me to death and I have to take a drink of water just to remove the lump in my throat so I can breathe. I don't even think about how bad my hand is shaking or the fact that water sloshes down my chest. It chills me, and I feel unnerved, but Chloe isn't even looking at me.

"Who's that?" I ask, terrified it's Dino coming to look for me.

"Sadie Simmons." Chloe's dry tone is simultaneously a mystery and a relief. The fact that she knows this person is music to my ears, but why she says it like that troubles me.

"Who's that?"

"You'll see soon enough. She's trouble with a capital T." Chloe drinks the rest of her water and sets the cup on the top step before moving toward the oncoming car. I take another drink, hesitant to interrupt if it's family business, but still wanting to support Chloe who seems perturbed by the woman's appearance.

I set my cup down and amble that way, watching the woman climb out of her pricy car. She has long legs, though she's petite, and her blonde hair is wild and free, untamed by hair accessories. She must not be from around here, because every woman I've seen in Mustang has her hair tied up somehow, too much work to do to be caught without a ponytail.

"Sadie, what do you want?" Chloe's hands are in her pockets, feet shoulder-width apart. This is the most unfriendly I've seen her.

Sadie is dressed to the nines, fancy jeans bedazzled with rhinestones that must have cost a pretty penny. She wears red stilettos and carries herself like she's on a runway, not a ranch. Her silk blouse hangs loose in the front, diving deep in the front to reveal half her chest.

"I'm here to see my fiancé." She plants a hand on her hip and sighs. "Is Jake around?"

The hair on my arms stands on end and I move closer. "Fiancé?" I ask, hovering behind Chloe.

"Yes, Jacob Blackwell, my fiancé, now if you don't mind, I'd like to see him. Where is he?"

"What kind of shit are you trying to pull, Chloe? Jake's in the barn. He doesn't have time for drama." Chloe handles this woman like a pro, meanwhile my head is spinning. Jake is engaged? And he didn't tell me?

"Go get him," Sadie demands.

I find my courage and speak up. "Look, lady, if Jake was engaged, don't you think he'd have told us?"

Her eyes scan me from head to toe and she scoffs. "You're the wench? Okay, honey, you just fool yourself into thinking Jake would ever want you." She gestures to herself. "Look at me. Why would he choose--" she points at the dirt on the fronts of my pants from spreading mulch and snorts "--that over me? Now where is he?"

I could smack her, I'm so angry. "You don't know thing one about Jake Blackwell, do you?"

"I know I'm engaged." She dangles her hand in front of herself, flashing a massive diamond. I reach out and take her hand examining the stone, when Jake rounds the corner.

Pain reaches to the depths of my heart, gutting me the instant I see his face. He blanches, and swallows hard as he approaches. "Mia..."

"Oh, Jakey bakey," Sadie croons, turning to smear her oily hands all over his chest. Her body presses against him and I back away, not really understanding what is going on. "I came to talk wedding plans with you." Sadie offers a nasty smirk over her shoulder.

"God, Jake, get rid of her already," Chloe growls. She turns and puts her arm around me, forcing me to walk away from the train wreck. "Come on, Mia."

"But," I mutter, forced to follow Chloe. I want to question him, beg him to help me understand how he could have sex with me like that when he was with someone. How he hadn't found he time or courage to even tell me about her yet.

"Keep walking," Chloe says, guiding me into the house. I have no choice but to go with her, but my heart is shattered. I don't want Jake to see me claw that bitches eyes out, or worse--cry.

I never pegged Jake Blackwell for a liar or a cheat, but I know so little about him, it makes sense. No wonder he was so aloof, so distant. Brody forced him to take me on that first ride where we reconnected. Then he invited me to keep coming back. Now my heart is a mess of emotion and I want to cry.

"Look, it's not what you think, okay?" I can tell Chloe is trying to comfort me but I'm in no mood.

"I need to think," I tell her, storming up the stairs and into my bedroom, slamming the door. If this is how Jake is, I don't want to stay here. I can't. Mustang isn't my home; Denver is. I shouldn't have come here.

Chapter 15

"What the hell are you thinking?" I ask Sadie, stepping away from her. She gives me a smug grin, hold her head at an angle.

"Not sure what you're referring to, Jake. I came to see my fiancé." Her hands smooth across my chest, picking at the buttons one by one. "Daddy came to talk to you and seemed to think you aren't interested in marrying me, Jake. I think that's just a huge mistake on your part. Think of the ranch, the ranch hands you'll have to fire. The cattle you'll lose." She spreads the front of my shirt which I just put back on when I saw her driving up.

"Please don't touch me, okay?" I back away and head for the house. Sadie follows along, two steps to my one, and whimpers when a rock gets stuck in her pricy heel.

"Wait up, Jake, I have a rock in my shoe."

"That sounds like a you problem." After what happened with Mia the other day I made up my mind. I didn't have the right words to tell her father at the time, but in my heart I knew then that I wanted Mia. This just isn't a conversation I want to have here in the open. So I lead her, limping up the stairs to the house, and into Dad's old office.

"Jake, that's not a very nice way to treat the woman who you're going to marry."

I want to snap at her and tell her marrying her is the furthest thing from my mind, but I also want to use tact. Sadie has an explosive personality and I don't want her bringing the house down with my rejection. It will be bad enough when word gets to her father and he pays me another visit.

"Alright, Sadie, you're right. That is no way to treat any woman, regardless of whether I'm marrying her or not." I don't feel bad for being that way though.

She plops down in the chair and takes her shoe off, rubbing her foot. Gravel and dust drop to the floor and she scowls. "See what you did? God, my foot hurts now." She glowers at me then puts on her best smile, slides her shoe back on, and stands up. "I forgive you. That's what love does."

"You do not love me, Sadie. You have some strange obsession with me, but it's not love." I cross my arms over my chest, pinning my shirt shut. I wish I'd have taken a moment to button it.

"Well, people have arranged marriages all the time and they fall in love." Sadie moves toward me, claws ready to dig into my flesh, but this time I don't move away. She will get the point when I say my piece. Her hand rests on my chest and she lays her head on my shoulder. "Jake, believe me this is the best situation you could hope for now."

"Sadie, I don't plan to marry you." I say the words firmly, with no guile in my tone. It's a business transaction that won't come to fruition.

"You can't be serious, Jake." I stand close to my father's desk, upon which she plants her scrawny ass and pouts, arms crossed over her chest now. "You know Daddy won't extend this offer for very long. You also know your ranch is going under. I've seen the numbers myself. You have to do this."

"Not if it means selling my soul. Sadie, I'm not accepting your father's offer at all. The Triple R will continue to be successful, and I will lead my family."

Her pout deepens, and she runs the toe of her heel up my inner thigh until it rests on my package. I look her firmly in the eye and purse my lips.

"I think you remember we had fun on prom night." Her toe rubs me, but it isn't the least bit arousing. More like being sniffed by a nosy hound dog on a scent.

"I think we recall things differently. I'm certain I left you at prom to fend for yourself while I went home and got plastered." I back away. I've had enough of her shenanigans. "I'm done discussing the offer. You can take your fancy diamond back ot the store and use the money to buy ice cream to console yourself. Now take your fancy BMW off my property before I accidently drop a load of manure on it. Don't come back. My answer is final."

"But--"

"I mean it, Sadie. Tell your father my answer is no thank you. I am content to remain a solo business here, and my family will handle our financial issues on our own." I gesture at the door and she sighs heavily.

"You're going to regret this, Jake Blackwell." She stands and smooths her shirt out. I hate the way she adds my name to every sentence. It annoys me. "I'll just have a talk with Daddy, and maybe we can sweeten the deal somehow. I'll be in touch." She strolls to the door as if I hadn't just flat-out rejected her, looking back over her shoulder to blow a kiss.

"I mean it, Sadie, my answer is no."

I stand there staring at the open door as I hear the front door of the house shut, and her car door slam. Gravel crunches on the driveway and I know she's gone, but still my boots are planted to the wood planks beneath them. Mia wasn't supposed to learn about Sadie that way, though I hadn't really put any thought into how to tell her. Until a few days ago I thought I was just building a friendship with Mia, and that if I chose to marry Sadie, she'd have to understand it was only for the ranch.

Now, after having sex with her, everything changed. I didn't handle it right. I should have told her right away, maybe on the ride back to the barn after we connected like that. I'd opened a door between us that I have wanted open for fifteen years, but didn't give her all the facts, and now she's in her room hurting and it's my fault.

I sigh, knowing what I have to do.

Boots clomping on the floor, I head out of the office and across the living room to the stairs. Chloe heads me off and grabs my arm.

"What the hell, Jake? Sadie said something about getting her father to resolve this. What did you do to her?" Chloe's eyes are wide; she's frightened.

"Nothing. I turned the offer down, Chlo. I can't marry her." I square my shoulders. She stares at me for a second, the reality sinking in.

"It's Mia? You're in love?" A grin spreads across her face.

"You're not mad? I mean, I should have talked to everyone first. It's your ranch too..." Seeing Chloe's reaction is a bit of encouragement I didn't expect.

"Hell, no. We want you happy. With the five of us--of course when Colt comes home--we can whip this place into shape. Nobody thought for a second you'd marry that hoe." Chloe chuckles and it makes me smile, but I don't have time to sit here and relish the fact that my family supports me. I messed up. I need to fix it.

"If you'll excuse me. I need to go fix what I broke by not communicating properly."

She nods at me and watches me ascend the stairs. Each one of them adds more weight to my shoulders, because I know the pain I'm going to see in Mia's eyes before I have a chance to explain to her, and I don't want her to hurt.

I tap on the door and there is no response, but I hear sniffling. "Mia, can we talk?" I hear more sniffling, and I jiggle the handle--not locked. "Mia, I'm coming in, okay?"

Despite not getting an answer, I open the door. Mia is curled up on the bed, a pile of tissues lay on the sheet next to her, a few on the ground. Her eyes are puffy, her face red, and she turns over so her back is to me. I shut the door quietly and stand there unable to process what I'm seeing. I've let many a woman down in my life, but never one whom I cared for so deeply.

"Mia, I need to apologize."

She comes off the bed faster than a striking rattler, covers thrown back, face contorted in anger. "Apologize!" she snaps, bolting for the door. "You want to apologize?" She tries to push past me, but I put my hand against the door and lean on it. There is no way she's leaving this room this angry. The whole ranch doesn't need to hear our argument. I'm not upset with her reaction, so I try to stay calm and not snap back at her.

"Mia, we need to just talk."

"I don't want to talk. I want to leave. You lied to me. You let me believe you were available. An engaged man doesn't even kiss another woman, let alone have sex with her. What was that?" Mia smacks my chest then pushes me, but I remain calm.

"Let me explain."

"There's nothing to explain." She yanks on the door knob again and this time I let her out.

"Mia, please..." I follow her and she stomps directly to the bathroom and slams the door in my face. I hear the lock engage, then I hear snickering from downstairs. I look over the railing and see Brody and Chloe there, staring up at me. "Go away." My harsh whisper brings another bout of laughter, but they obey.

Now if I can only get Mia to open up and talk to me, we can put an end to this nonsense and I can tell her how much I love her.

Chapter 16

I sit on the toilet seat with my arms crossed over my chest sobbing. I don't want his explanation. I want to go back to the minute before that horrible, prissy woman drove up the driveway and stay there. Everything felt right in my world, but now I have no clue what to think. My heart feels like it's riding a yoyo.

"Go away, Jake," I shout through sobs, but he's persistent, knocking and talking quietly. I can't really hear what he's saying but I know he hasn't left. I want to drown out his voice, so I turn on the cold water to the shower for extra background noise, but it doesn't help. He just talks louder.

"I said, go away, Jake."

Blowing my nose on some toilet paper, I think of how everything went down that day we went riding. I wonder if he reacted that way because of some strange hero complex, saving me then wanting to screw me as some trophy. But that's not the Jake I know. I've known since before he even kissed me that first time that I was still in love with him, and not some kiddish fascination with him, real love.

"Mia, I'm coming in."

That comes across loud and clear, and I grit my teeth knowing this is his house; he probably has a key. Sure enough, I hear the knob jiggle and the door opens. I stare up at his brow fraught with creases. His eyes plead with me but I'm still so angry. I know this argument will never be over if I keep fighting, so I sit there and sulk, tucking my chin to my chest.

Jake shuts the door and drops to his knees in front of me, resting his hand on my knee. "Mia, I'm not marrying Sadie."

I don't believe him. I saw the rock on her finger. "She has a ring." I sniffle and shake my head. I won't be sucked into some weird love triangle with him and his ex-girlfriend or fiancé or whatever she is.

"She bought that ring for herself. If you just let me explain, there is a whole story to this."

I reluctantly turn my chin up and look him in the eye. "You have thirty seconds." My throat constricts as I swallow.

"The ranch is in trouble. Sadie's father owns another very prosperous ranch on the other side of town. He offered to give me full control of his ranch in order to save mine if I marry his daughter. It happened the day of my father's funeral, only days before you got to town. You showed up and--"

"Time's up." I stand and start for the door but Jake rises with me, wrapping a strong arm around my waist. He pins me against the wall and I'm helpless between his thick strong body and the porcelain tiles. I squeak out a protest but he's not playing games.

"I'm in love with you dammit." His chest heaves. One of his arms rests on the wall above my head, his face inches from mine. "Can you hold still a second and let me explain."

I look away still hurt, but now very confused. He loves me? But he was fake engaged to a woman who bought her own ring. He was going to marry her to save the ranch but now he's not because he loves me? My mind is spinning; I'm so upset I can't put the pieces together.

"Mia, I thought about marrying her for about two seconds. It would good for the ranch. It would solve all our problems, but I don't want to marry someone I don't even like. I'm not doing it. I told her the answer is no, to get off my property."

My eyes rise to meet his. "You did?" Now my chest is heaving.

"I did..."

Resisting him seems futile, especially when he lowers his mouth and brushes his lips against mine. "If I'm going to marry someone it's going to be for love." His lips are hot but soft, tongue pushing into my mouth. The deep emotions I've been feeling are all jumbled and confused. I want to punch him for not telling me, but I also want to pour myself into this kiss and be comforted. I choose the latter.

Jake deepens the kiss, searching me greedily, hungrily. His hands search my body, griping my hips and pulling me against himself. I run my hands through his hair, knocking his hat to the floor. He kicks it away and grabs the hem of my shirt, hastily pulling it up over my head. My hands leave his dark wavy locks only for a second, only to return the moment my bra is tossed next to my shirt.

"Jake... your siblings..." I say against his mouth, but he grunts and holds me tightly against his body as he turns to engage the lock.

"Let 'em talk." Jakes lips are on mine again in a fury as he yanks at my pants. I struggle to kick off my boots, his impatience to get me naked complicating the process.

"God get your clothes off," I tell him, trying but failing to undo his belt buckle. I lean against the wall, stark naked and shivering. The air conditioner in this house makes it frigid all the time, but with the cold water running the bathroom feels colder than ever. My nipples are hard as I watch him slowly undress. He doesn't take his eyes off of me for a second as he pulls his pants off and his boots. When he is fully naked, his hand reaches for my wrist guiding me toward the shower where he turns on the hot water and tests the temperature. His cock is fully erect, and my groin aches for it to fill me.

We get in the shower under the pounding hot water and he closes the glass door. He takes my hand and places it on his dick.

"I've been thinking about this all week," he says as I slowly stroke him.

"I've been thinking about it too."

I reach over to the shelf and retrieve my coconut oil. I rub my hands together before applying it to his chest, slowly rubbing it in, enjoying the feeling of his muscles on my palms. I take my time, enjoying every inch of his rough and rugged physique before I move down to his cock. I apply the oil down the length of him and hear a soft moan escape his lips.

The water rushes over his body, beading against the oil. I rise up on my toes and kiss him again, feeling his erection pressing against my groin. His hands search my valley, finding my wet pussy and spreading the sticky moisture around.

Jake's fingers push into me, diving into my depths. I moan loudly into his mouth as he slides them in and out of me, my hand stroking his cock faster. The pleasure is intense, my body shuddering as an orgasm begins to build. His fingers slide in and out, faster and faster, the water pounding against my body.

"God, Jake, take me," I pant, feeling weak in the knees. He continues to thrust his fingers into me until I come, hard. The orgasm rips through my body and I shudder, moaning loudly into Jake's mouth. My shoulders tremble as I let out a groan of pleasure.

The water continues to pound against my skin, the sound deafening, drowning out my screams. Jake's fingers push in and out of me, as his lips move along my neck and collarbone. My fingernails dig into his back.

When I calm, he pulls his fingers out of me and turns me around, pressing me against the shower wall, his cock pushing into me. He thrusts forward, filling me with one quick movement. I moan as he begins to slide in and out of me. The pleasure is intense and it is taking everything in me not to make noise. I don't want the others to hear us.

He holds my hands up against the shower wall and I push my ass against him, riding him harder. His cock glides in and out slowly at first, but then it quickens and I am barely able to keep my moans in as the orgasm builds.

"I'm going to make you cum like you have never cum before." He whispers in my ear over my shoulder, his tongue flicking the tip.

My body is on fire, and every inch of me is begging for another release. I want to feel him cum inside me, marking me as his.

The smell of coconut is thick in the air, and the hot water pounds down on us. I push against the wall and feel him penetrate me more deeply.

"Oh my god..." I moan as the full length of him slides inside me. He is so thick and long I grimace as he thrusts. The shower is pounding, filling the bathroom with steam, adding percussion to my thoughts; his grunts and moans are that of a man that craves and wants something, a wanton desire to take what he needs.

"Fuck me," he says. "I need to feel you clench around my dick."

"Ah.... ah... I'm going to come!" I cry.

He thrusts one last time and I feel his release. I am reeling from my own orgasm as I feel his hot seed flood my insides. He holds me there, against the wall, and I feel his warm body pressed against mine. The hot water beats down on us, the steam filling the shower.

He kisses my shoulder and I feel his warm cum slowly slide down my leg, coating my foot.

When he pulls out, I turn to face him and lean against the wall. The water continues to pound on me and his eyes are dark as he looks at me.

"You're mine now," Jake says softly as he watches me.

He wraps an arm around me, pulling me against him. The water still pounds on the shower walls when he kisses me, his lips gently pressing against mine.

Chapter 17

The bales of hay are heavy, but nothing I can't handle. My gloved hands dig into the dry grain, gripping the string with which the hay is bound. I toss it off the mount at Tyler and Brody who stand on the ground beneath, catching and stacking hay to be used for feed this week. The hay mount is nearly empty, last year's stores used up. After looking at our budget, we don't have the funds to buy more and what's out in the field now needs time to dry. The horses will have to graze a bit more this week while I sort out an extension with the bank.

"That's it, guys," I call as I toss the last bale we can afford to consume this week. I head for the ladder and start climbing down and Tyler calls up to me.

"Woah, Jake, we need at least half dozen more."

I shake my head, looking over my shoulder as I descend. "Nope, we're too low. Weather's supposed to be good, and the horses can graze with the cattle." They don't know just how desperate things have gotten, but they know it's bad.

I dust off my jeans and pull the gloves off, tossing them onto a bale close to me. Brody takes off his hat, runs his hand through his hair and mops the sweat off his face with his glove.

"We're that bad off?" He puts his hat back on his head and gives me a look of concern.

"Yeah, guys, I've been hiding the worst of it from you, but yeah, it's bad." I hang my head. Guilt needles at my conscience. I could have saved the entire ranch by marrying Sadie, but how can I deny my heart? Lie to myself?

"You made the right choice." Tyler slaps my shoulder and squeezes my arm. He knows me too well. "Love is more important than business. This place will do okay, brother."

"Tell that to my conscience." I shake my head. "Let's get this stacked. I'm hot as hell and I need a glass of lemonade."

We move together toward the bales that still need stacked, but I hear gravel crunching and the sound of an engine. I peek out the door to see a black Mercedes rolling toward the barn. Too fancy to be anyone from town except one of the Simmonses, but I know Isaac would drive his big four-by-four, and Sadie's car is red. I watch as a stout man carrying a black binder climbs out of the car. He is balding, and uses a handkerchief to wipe the shine from his head.

"Woah, who's that?" Brody asks from over my shoulder,

"Not sure." I move toward the man, Brody and Tyler following. He shuffles as he walks, kicking up dust from the driveway. "Hello, sir, what can I do for you?" I thrust out my hand and he takes it, glancing at my brothers before settling on me.

"Jacob Allen Blackwell?" His hand retreats, wrapping around the binder.

"That's me." I nod, wondering what is going on.

"Sir, my name is Thomas White. I'm from Providence Bank, your mortgager. We spoke on the phone last week." He eyes me, but continues. "I told you how dangerously close your ranch is to foreclosure and we discussed an extension. Remember?"

"Yes, sir, I remember quite well." The man denied me the extension citing a record of failure to pay the payments extending back several years. "I told you, I've only just taken over the business and I need time to settle in, see what we have and make a plan to move forward."

It's my turn to wipe away sweat, which I do with the back of my wrist. Dirt clings to my moist skin, smearing on my arm. What I wouldn't give to be in that shower with Mia again, feeling clean but dirty all at once.

"Sir, I've come to let you know the bank has changed their mind. We can offer you no more than a ninety-day extension on the defaulted payments." He extracts a packet of papers, stapled together, and hands them to me. "That total comes to twenty-seven thousand dollars owed, plus the three months' payments you'll miss between now and then, bringing the total to thirty-six thousand, four hundred, and nine dollars owed then on the--"

"Yeah, yeah. I can read it." I interrupt him, frustrated. That's a lot of money and I'm not sure how anyone can come up with that dollar amount when it costs double or mortgage payment each month just to keep the lights on. "We'll have it."

I look back up at him and he nods. "Very well then. Please understand if you default on this payment, you will be immediately placed in foreclosure and have less than ninety days to vacate the property." He grimaces. "Your father was such a great man, Jacob. I hate that this is happening."

"Yeah, well, we all do." That man is just a cog in the machine, spitting out ordinance and invoices for the giant banking institutions that hound us. I want to walk away, but I have to be at least somewhat thankful that he remembered my dad. "Thank you for coming personally to deliver this." I have another question. "Have you considered my request for an advance on the equity? I believe you've seen the ideas for commercialization of the ranch. Do we have approval to move forward?"

"You'll have to call the bank tomorrow morning. I can't speak to that." The man wipes his sweaty head again and says, "I'm going to get out of this heat now. I'll see you later." He turns and walks back to his car and I'm no better off than I was before he came.

I watch him drive away. Tyler retreats into the barn but Brody lingers. "You think we'll get approved. I know remodeling the bunkhouse is a huge amount of work."

"Yeah, well I'm not sure. I just know if we don't do something soon, we're going to lose this place and I can't let that happen."

For the next two hours we stack hay and muck stalls. Having fewer ranch hands on staff makes it harder work, but it's saving us thousands of dollars we don't have right now. When we take the steers to market, we'll get a pretty penny, but still not enough to bail us out, and not soon enough. Mia's ideas are going to change this place from what Dad wanted, but I look at it more like taking the ranch into the future.

After all, I'm not the same as my father and I can't imagine running the business the way he did either. I just hope it works.

Chapter 18 - start here

I hold the slinky blue nightie in my hand, smoothing the silky fabric between my fingers. Rile and Sage grin at me knowingly, and I can't help but wonder if Jake will like it. I came to town to finish up the business with my rental and get the last of my things back, but Riley insisted--after seeing me walk past the storefront--that I come in and find a few nice things. So I relented, and here I am thinking about lingerie instead of practical things.

"Don't worry," Riley said, winking, "I won't tell Chloe what you buy."

"God, you're horrible," Sage said, swatting Riley. "She doesn't want to think about her future sister-in-law listening to her have sex with Jake." Both of them bust out laughing and I can't help but feel mortified, even though I laugh along with them.

"I think she already heard it," I say, speaking unconsciously. "Ah, besides, that family is so close, they know when each other uses the toilet. It's not like we were fooling anyone anyway."

Riley drapes an arm over the dress rack and leans on it, resting her chin on her arm. "It's so nice to see Jake back home where he belongs, and it's even nicer to see him happy. He really deserves someone like you, Mia."

"Yeah," Sage chimes in, all starry eyed, "he was so unhappy when he left Mustang, and even more unhappy when he was called back to lead the ranch. You changed everything."

I feel my cheeks burn and look again at the nightie in my hand. "You think he will like this?" I ask, still uncertain.

"Honey, any man with a penis would like that thing if it was on you. Now come on, I'll get you all checked out." Riley hooks her arm around mine and we move toward the register. I hear the bell over the door ring and turn to see Sadie Simmons walk in.

Her lips are bright red, just like the last time I saw her, and she has thick dark sunglasses on. A crazy hat with a brim a large as the state of Texas perches on her head, a single feather sticking up at an awkward angle. All the joy I felt seconds ago seeps out my pores in anxiety sweat and I want to leave.

"Come on, this way," Riley coaxes. Sage eyes me nervously and heads toward a rack of jeans in the far corner of the store. "Don't mind her," Riley whispers. "She's not at all like her sister."

I concur. Sage is sweet and kind. She has a hospitality that I've never experienced, even when I visited the south with Daddy as a child. Sadie, however, is more suited to the city, some place like LA or New York. I don't think she has a kind or hospitable bone in her body.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the little homewrecker." Sadie peels the glasses off her face and I feel Riley's hand smoothing up and down my back. I bite my tongue, though I want to say something equally as harsh to her in return. "Glad to see you're not afraid of showing your face around town after you destroy my engagement."

"Lay off, Sadie. You were never engaged." Riley walks around the counter, tapping her hand on the glass top. I lay the nightie next to her hand and turn my back on Sadie. It's a mistake to turn your back on a snake, I know, but I can't look her in the eye or I'll claw her precious hat right off her head.

"Oh, look what you have there. A blue nightgown. You know Jake hates blue." She moans and clicks her tongue. "And that color will look horrible on you too. You're more suited to green."

I steel myself, refusing to turn around. Riley scans the price tag and pushes a few buttons on the cash register. I hope Sadie gets the point, that I don't want to engage with her, but she doesn't.

"You know, I had a nightie like that once. A nice pretty, black, lacy one." I glance over my shoulder as she plumps her breasts and smirks at me. "Only had it on a few seconds before he tore it off of me."

I reach into my pocket and pull out my cash, sliding a few bills across the counter as Riley puts the nightie in a bag. She is careful to remove the ink tag and hand me the right change, but despite my refusal to interact with Sadie she continues to berate me.

"Honey, you should think about getting a trim. Your split ends will give him a splinter." I feel my hair being tossed and I can't take it anymore. I pick up the sack with the nightie in it and spin around.

"That's enough, Sadie." My chest is tight.

"And us Montana women, well we're bred to be long and lean, not short and--"

'That's enough!" Sage appears out of nowhere, grabbing Sadie's arm so hard she almost falls over. "You are just being mean." Sage grimaces at me and pulls Sadie toward the door but the damage is done. Sadie smirks at me and laughs and I stand there seething.

Riley's hand rubs my back in a circle, soothing away some of my rage. I had to expect that would happen after the way she confronted me with her supposed engagement at the ranch.

"God, she makes me so mad."

"Welcome to Mustang," Riley jokes. "I understand, but look--you won. Jake is all yours. You're the only one who can screw that up."

I shake my head at her and watch Sadie's car zoom past the front window. "She sure knows how to take the wind out of your sails. Doesn't she?" I turn to Riley and she wraps her arms around me. This town has been nothing but warm and welcoming to me, except Sadie. But I gather she's like that to everyone.

Riley holds me at arm's length and sighs. "Don't let her get to you. Jake will love it."

"I'm gonna head out. I need to get the stuff from the car place."

"See ya later then. We'll have lunch or something. Chloe and Sage too." Riley waves as I stroll out of the store onto the sidewalk. Chloe was gracious enough to let me borrow her car. It's nice, but not fancy like Sadie's. I try not to let her make me feel inferior, but as I back out of the parking space and pull into traffic, I can't help but feel like Sadie will haunt me and Jake as long as we're together.

After searching for at least ten minutes for a good parking spot at the car shop, I decide on the only place available. It's a handicap spot, but I'll only be a few minutes. When I climb out of the car, I get the feeling someone is watching me. I look over my shoulder, scanning the street, but I see nothing. Maybe Sadie put me on edge. I rub my hand across the goosebumps on my arm and step into the shop.

"Welcome, there... What can I do you for?" The man's crooked grin puts me at ease. He reminds me of one of my father's old acquaintances whom I liked very much. Kind old man with a big heart.

I pull my ID out and slide it across the counter. "My car was damaged when I hit an elk or something. Um, I just need to claim the items from the trunk."

He looks down at my ID and I read his nametag--Carl. He must be the owner, since his name is plastered in large red letters above the garage bay doors. "Well, let me see here. I think we have a few boxes. Want me to load them into your car for you?" He slides my ID back to me and I pocket it and nod.

"Yeah, some help would be great." I brush a strand of hair out of my eyes and take a box he sets on the counter.

"Looks like a few suitcases were in there and some stray things. You got the suitcases earlier, but the rest is all here." He grins at me and hoists another box off a shelf behind him. "Lead the way."

I carry the box out the front door and pop the trunk. He helps me load them in but I get the same strange feeling that someone's eyes are on me. Nervously, I look around again, this time unable to shake the nerves. After our jaunt to Billings and using my credit card, I've been on edge every time I've come to town. This is the first time I've come alone, though, so I'm probably just imagining things.

"You alright, lady?"

I shudder and look him in the eye. "Uh, have you seen anyone new in town? Anyone strange, or looks like they don't fit in?"

He chuckles. "Only you, and that banker that's been hanging around. I suppose he's here to work out the debt owed on the Triple R, though. Why? You expecting company?" He shoves his hands in the front of his stained overalls. Oil and grime, proof that he gets his hands dirty, color his outfit.

"Uh, no. I'm not expecting company." A cold shiver goes down my spine and I reach my hand out. "Thank you, Carl."

He shakes my hand and turns to go, and on a whim I ask, "Carl, who's the sheriff around here? Any law enforcement officers live in Mustang?"

Carl pushes his lips out in an overdramatic pucker and cocks his head sideways a bit. His eyes take on a faraway look and he sighs. "Well now, we have a deputy that lives south of town about forty minutes out, but I reckon we mostly just look out for each other. You know what I mean? There's enough guns in Mustang we don't usually have much problem with crime. You feelin' like somethin' bad is gonna happen?"

I shake my head. The last thing I want is for people to be suspicious and start asking questions about me. "Oh, no. Not at all." I force a smile. "I'm just learning about the town is all. I'm new, so there is a lot to learn."

Carl nods, but I see he's already suspicious. "Thank you again, Carl. I appreciate you helping me get this sorted out." I climb into the car and start the engine, but instead of going back inside, Carl stands watching me until I pull away. As if that isn't bad enough, I swear I see a man dressed in all black standing across the street behind a car watching me.

I'm unnerved and ready to be back in Jake's arms. Maybe there are enough guns in Mustang to keep away normal criminals, but if Dino comes calling, I'm afraid there will be nothing anyone can do.

Chapter 19

The hot water washes over my body, cleaning away the sweat and stress of the day. I think about Mia, how her random reappearance in my life is the best thing to happen to me in over a decade. I'm so in love with her.

I take the bodywash and scrub myself. As I lather up, memories of Mia flood my mind. I remember the way her soft lips tasted the last time we were together, the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed, and the way her body felt pressed against mine. I want her, more than anything.

With a sigh, I rinse off the suds and turn off the water. I step out of the shower and grab a towel, drying myself off as I make my way to the bedroom. My body is tired from the day but on edge too. Thinking of Mia in the shower worked me up a bit.

I tug the bedroom door open to see someone has transformed it into a cave of seduction. Mia is standing in the center of the room, her figure silhouetted by the flickering candlelight. She's wearing a blue silk nighty that barely covers her curves, and her hair is cascading down her back in loose waves.

"Welcome home, baby," she purrs, beckoning me forward with a curled finger.

I cross the room in two strides, pulling her into a deep, desperate kiss. The taste of her lips ignites a fire in my veins, and I press her body against mine, grinding my hips into hers.

Mia moans into my mouth, her hands roaming over my chest and down to my waist. She tugs at the towel around my hips, and it falls to the floor, leaving me naked and exposed before her.

She steps back, her eyes raking over my body hungrily. "God, you're so gorgeous," she says, her voice thick with desire. The flickering candlelight makes Mia's body look ethereal. The blue silk of her nighty hugs her curves and the light dances across her skin. Her palms are soft and warm on my chest, her fingers drawing tingling circles on my skin.

My lips find her neck and shoulders, my tongue flicking out to taste her. Her skin is salty, but her taste is sweet like strawberries, or maybe that is her taste. I nip at her shoulder, and she laughs, pushing at my chest playfully before pulling me toward the bed.

As we fall onto the mattress, Mia's body is soft and warm under me. I revel in the feeling of her curves pressed against my own, loving the way her skin feels against mine. Our kisses become deeper, more frenzied. Our hands roam over each other's bodies, seeking out every sensitive spot we've ever discovered.

I break away from her lips, trailing hot kisses down her neck and chest. My hands reach down to the hem of her nightie, pulling it up and over her head. Her skin is now completely uncovered and I take in the sight of her bare breasts, the way they curve perfectly.

Without a word, I take one of her nipples into my mouth and suck hard, causing Mia to arch her back and moan. Her hands tangle in my hair, urging me closer. I oblige, tracing the curve of her breast with my tongue before switching to the other nipple.

Mia's breathing becomes quicker, more ragged. She's loving what I'm doing, and so am I.

"Can we open a new door?" she asks, softly.

"Yeah?" I ask her, rising up. She pushes my shoulders forcing me down on the pillow and rises up over me.

Mia straddles me and lowers herself onto my hardening length. I groan, grasping her hips and guiding her movements as she starts to ride me. Her eyes are closed, and her mouth is open in a silent moan as she moves up and down, taking me deeper with each thrust.

"This is incredible, but it's not a new door." Unless she meant being on top, or her being in control.

I reach up to cup her breasts, feeling the weight of them in my palms as I tease her nipples with my fingertips. Mia's head falls back, her hair cascading down her back as she throws her head back in ecstasy.

"Fine... not new... but open," she pants as she grinds on me. "I just want every door open now, Jake. No more secrets."

I want the same, and I want to feel her skin against mine, so I flip her over, hovering over her as I trail kisses down her neck and chest. Her skin is hot, tits pressed into my chest as I force myself deeper into her. I reach between our bodies, teasing her clit with my fingers as I kiss her hard.

When I pull away, she whimpers, but I shush her with a finger over her lips. I kiss a trail across her stomach to her mound, and she writhes under me, her hands gripping the sheets as I slide my tongue inside her, tasting her arousal.

She tastes salty and sweet, her juices coating my tongue as I suck her clit. I want to taste her sweetness, feel her cum on my lips as she grinds against my face.

I slide two fingers inside her, curling them against her sweet spot, and she throws her head back, moaning louder. Her hips rise off the bed, and I can feel her opening against my fingers, her body ready to fly. I gently suck her clit and she shudders, thrusting harder as she rides my fingers. Her hands tighten in the sheets and her moans fill the room.

"Fuck," she breathes, her body quivering as she writhes beneath me. "I love you, Jake."

I can only groan against her pussy, drinking her in as she grows closer to orgasm. She's an unbroke horse, wild and untamed and I have no intention to tame her. I love her this way.

"Oh god," she mewls, throwing her head back and bucking her hips against my tongue. Her hands are on my shoulders, her nails digging into my skin. "Don't stop," she moans, and I don't. I lick her until she comes.

I fucking love the taste of her sweet pussy. It's dark, I can't see clearly, but I can feel every part of her. She moans, whispering my name, and I feel the bed shaking with her movements. She squeals in delight, her body submissive as I lick her tender flesh, quivering beneath my mouth. I breathe over folds of delicate skin and taste her salty cum as it drizzles down my chin.

And she calms. I have dominated her, but left her as spirited as I found her, and she pulls at my shoulders, begging me for more. I crawl over her, nestling between her thighs and leaning down to brush my lips over hers.

"You taste amazing," I tell her, and she grins against my mouth.

"You are really good at that," she whispers. "Now I want you inside of me."

She doesn't have to ask me twice. I push into her, sliding my hard length deep into her cavern. Her hair is fanned out around her, her breasts rise and fall with her chest and her deep brown eyes are dark with passion. The first taste of her tongue on mine is tentative. The second, bold. The third, greedy. I groan against her mouth and pushing my tongue into her mouth, meeting hers and tasting her with each thrust of my hips.

Her stomach presses into mine, our sweat-slick skin moving against one another, rubbing gently. My mouth finds her breasts, teasing her nipples with my teeth, eliciting a sharp gasp of pleasure. Her nails rake down my back and I kiss my way to her neck, sucking hard on her pulse and leaving a bruise.

I can hear her breath, hear her heart beating fast and furiously in her chest. I mark her skin, leaving a swath of love bites as they appear. My cock is as hard as it gets and I push into her deeper and harder, feeling her body tighten around me, her wetness coating my own arousal.

"Please," she whimpers, throwing her head back and pulling my hair, "fuck me harder."

She doesn't have to ask me twice. I push into her deeper and harder, licking her neck and sinking my teeth into her shoulder. She screams, the pain mixing with pleasure and driving her to the brink.

Mia's legs wrap around my waist, her heels pressing against my ass. I reach down, hooking my arms underneath her knees and pull them up. Her body is now open to me, and I'm going to make the most of it.

I pull back until my cock is almost out of her before sheathing myself back into her again. She moans, her hands on my back as she buries her fingers into my skin. I do it again, groaning into her mouth and planting it on the side of her neck. Mia knows just how to move, and her palms are on my ass, her fingernails digging into my skin.

"Ohh fuck," she breathes, loud and breathless. "You feel soo good inside of me, Jake. I'm so close."

I'm close, too. Mia's pussy is clenching around me and squeezing so tight I can barely think. The taste of her on my tongue, the feel of her strong muscles gripping my cock, the sound of her moans. It all combines to drive me insane and I push into her deeper and harder, eager for release.

She screams, her body quivering and jerking beneath me and I know she is coming. I drive into her harder and faster, unable to contain myself, and a moment later, I'm coming, too, flooding her with my hot explosion.

We collapse against one another, panting and exhausted but not ready to let go. I pull out of her and lay next to her, tracing my fingers over her skin. I want to remember this night, every line, every curve, every breath.

Mia rolls to her side, propping her head on her hand as her fingers dance along my body. "Is that a new door?" she smiles.

"That... was... woah," I breathe, and she laughs. She feels like a dream. Something that can't be real.

"I love you, Jake," she tells me, kissing me softly, her fingers on my face.

"I love you, too, baby," I respond, but she's already half asleep, so I pull her into my chest and fold the blanket over our sweat-slicked bodies.

"You like blue, right?"

"I love blue, baby." It's a strange question, but I don't ask her why she asked me. It feels right, her in my arms. More right than anything I've ever experienced in life. I never want to let her go.

"Mia?" I ask.

"Mmm," she moans, eyes shut.

"What would you say if I asked you to stay here, at the Triple R?"

There is no response, no acknowledgement of my request, just light snoring. I smile, reaching to snuff the candle between my forefinger and thumb. I love this woman more than anything, and one day I'm going to make her mine. I just have to figure this ranch out first.

Chapter 20

"Yeah, well you two have no clue." Chloe leads the conversation in a "who's who" of ranch hands when it comes to Blackwell men. "You visit the ranch, but you don't live there. I know what I'm talking about. As Mia."

She nods at me and Rile and Sage turn my direction. I'm chuckling, though I don't know as well as Chloe which of her brothers is the most socially inept. I'd have said Jake, though he appears that way only because he's been away from home for more than ten years. So I shrug, because a sister knows best.

"I think Chloe is right. If she says Tyler is the backward one, she must know what she's talking about." I smile and sip my soda, just refreshed by our waitress. Lunch at the Wild Mustang was Riley's idea, but Sage insists we plan a girls' night out at the Whiskey Barrel to celebrate me and Jake finally getting together.

"Well, I still think it's Brody," Sage says, grinning.

"You only think that because Tyler has eyes for you," Riley says with a nudge of the elbow. Everyone chuckles again. It isn't like we haven't seen Tyler watching Sage every time they're together. I wouldn't exactly call that "eyes" for her, but he does seem to take an interest in her, especially the last few times we've been together. Sage hasn't been around much though.

"Well, I don't see much of him anymore anyway." Sage's head droops and a lull falls over the conversation at the table. Riley rests her hand on Sage's back.

"How's your daddy doing, anyway?" Riley is always there to comfort. I've noticed that about her; she has such a strong supportive nature to her. She'll make a terrific mother one day.

Sage shrugs, but doesn't say much. I watch as I push a French fry in my mouth. Sage's father is Sadie's father, the one I know is ailing. Jake told me as much, though he never told me what from. Sage must carry the weight of the world on those tiny delicate shoulders of hers. If her father is sick, then their ranch may be in jeopardy too, which might be why Jake even considered the arrangement with Sadie. He's a good man; I could see him wanting to help out.

"It's okay, Sage." Chloe reaches across the table and squeezes Sage's hand. "We're your friends. You can talk about it."

Sage shrugs again, but this time a sigh escapes her lips and she drops her fork on her plate. "Well, Daddy isn't doing so great. He has dementia, and it's progressing pretty quickly. It's exhausting caring for him. Sometimes he calls me by my mother's name, sometimes Sadie. When he gets my name right, he often talks to me like I'm only a child still."

"Gosh, that must be hard," I say, reaching out for her other hand. "I know my grandpa died of Alzheimer's, which is similar I guess. I never knew him really, just met him once when he was pretty far off. He thought I was a nurse."

"Yeah, it's not quite the same, but I guess the person suffers similarly." Sage turns her hands over and squeezes mine and Chloe's. "Thanks, guys. Running the ranch and taking care of Daddy is tough. It's taking all my time lately. Lunches like this are super special to me." Her smile is genuine, and I feel like life here in Mustang is very much a reality now. These ladies are closer than any friends I've had my whole life.

"Mia," Riley says in a hushed tone, leaning forward, "Carl said you were picking up your stuff from the rental and acted weird. He said you asked about the sheriff?"

Chloe's eyebrows raise and I have to hide my initial reaction. Fear claws at the back of my neck but I swallow it down and answer calmly. "Yeah, I thought someone was following me. I don't really know everyone in town yet, and I'm new, so I because I was on edge and he was there, I just asked him. In Denver, I'd have just called 9-1-1 and reported it. But out here, I'm not sure how that goes."

"Oh yeah, the sheriff doesn't live in Mustang, and if we need him it takes a while to call him in. He didn't even come to check out your car until the next day when Jake called him in." Chloe uses her straw to stir her soda and shrugs. "If you need help, just about every shop owner in town has a twelve-gauge stashed under their counter. That's just how small-town Montana rolls. Not only does it keep the criminals away but when a mountain lion or coyote is seen in town, there are a dozen bullets with their name on it."

Riley laughs and Sage smiles. "Oh yeah, lions are no joke. I've had to have a few ranch hands run them off from our cattle in the past few weeks." Sage nods and wipes her hands on her napkin.

"Yeah, Jake and I ran one off a few weeks ago." I remember that day like it was yesterday and I can't help but grin.

"Jake is so obsessed with you," Chloe says, pretending to stick her finger down her throat and gag, which makes the girls laugh again. "You know he never left your side when you were out cold."

"I know," I tell her, smiling. "I think it's sweet."

"I think it's sappy," Riley chimed in. "Now if you ladies will excuse me, I need to use the little cowgirl's room." She stands, dropping her napkin on her empty plate. All of us have been done eating for a while, just chatting like old friends. I rise too, joining her.

"I'll come along."

"Me too, may as well come with us Sage," Chloe says. "We'll make it a party."

"You all are the reason why men roll their eyes at women. We can't ever go somewhere alone." We all laugh at Sage's comment and follow Riley toward the toilets.

The restroom is larger than I thought it would be, though the three stalls leave me waiting for my turn as the others do their business. I look in the mirror at my tired eyes. Worry lines have formed across my forehead, and I know they're from the stress of fleeing Dino and the fear of that life catching up with me. It's a little comfort knowing everyone in Mustang sticks up for one another, but little consolation compared to an active law enforcement community. I sigh and lean in, touching the wrinkle lines near my eyes lightly, when the door opens.

"Well, looky here. If it isn't the homewrecker."

I spin around to see Sadie standing there with a hand on her hip. "Hello, Sadie." My attempt at being polite brings a sneer to her lips. She shakes her head.

"Mia, haven't you learned that you're not fit for this town yet? Some city slicker moving into such a small town. People are talking about you." She walks right up to me and looks in the mirror and I have no choice but to step aside and give her space. "Calling you a homewrecker. That's what they're doing."

"You were never engaged to Jake. How am I a homewrecker?" I cross my arms over my chest defensively. This room isn't big enough for both of us, but I still have to pee.

"You don't know?" She smacks her dark red lips and gives me a side eye. Her voice is so low I almost don't hear her say, "I'm pregnant with Jake's baby. And now, because of you, that baby won't have a father."

My hair bristles and I bite the inside of my cheek. "You're what?" I manage.

"Preg-nant," she accentuates. "A baby... And you just had to move in and ruin things."

I press my back against the wall next to the paper towel dispenser. She is in my face and there is nowhere to go. She's so quiet, I'm certain the others can't hear her speaking, but I get her message loud and clear.

"I don't understand... Jake--"

"Was supposed to be mine, and you stole him. You're not welcome here, Mia. If you leave town things can to back to how they're supposed to. Jake saves his ranch. Daddy's ranch gets new ownership. And my happy little family gets to continue being happy."

Sadie smells like wine, strong wine, and some intoxicating perfume that I want to gag on. She's so close to me I can see even she has fine lines and wrinkles around her eye. No amount of makeup covers age when you're three inches from someone's face.

I hear a stall door open and sense someone beside me.

"Not sure what's happening here, Sadie, but you need to move or I will move you, and I haven't washed my hands." Chloe wiggles her fingers and Sadie scoffs.

"I was just leaving. Have a good night, Mia." Sadie gives me an evil smirk and picks up her clutch and leaves.

Chloe moves up to the sink and washes her hands and I stand there in shock not knowing what to believe. I'm not one to spread gossip, and I have no clue if what Sadie said is true. But I need to go straight to the source, not start a rumor that will hurt me in the long run.

"What did she want?" Chloe asks, watching me through my reflection in the mirror.

"She was just being herself. Trying to prove she's better than me somehow." I shrug and turn away, looking for the open stall door to escape into. I lock myself into it and realize because of the blaring music through the restaurant speakers, no one in these stalls could have heard a single thing she said. That's probably why she approached me in the bathroom instead of at the table. I didn't even know she was here.

After reliving myself and washing my hands, I join the others back at the table a little shaken. If they knew Sadie was pregnant they would have told me. But they haven't said a word, which means Sadie was lying or she hasn't made it public knowledge yet. And it's not my place to say a thing, so I keep the secret close to my heart. I have some questions to ask Jake now, though, and I want to go back to my room at the ranch and think it over.

If Jake really was meant to take over the Simmons's ranch and save his own, I'm the reason he isn't doing that. I don't want to be any reason for him and his siblings to lose their family business, let alone the fallout from that. What if his siblings never speak to him again because he chose me and lost the ranch? And what if he lives with regret the rest of his life because he chose me and not his own child?

I'd never be able to live with myself.

Chapter 21

I climb into bed after a long day. Maya lays there reading, engrossed in the story, and when the bed shakes she looks up, but doesn't smile. I can tell her day has been rough, so I slide over next to her and pull her against myself. She lays the book down and turns toward me, dangling a leg over my hips.

"Rough day?" I ask, kissing her forehead.

"Just frustrating is all. Ran into Sadie at the diner." She picks at the hair on my chest and sighs. I know exactly how she feels because I feel the same way every time I run into Sadie.

"Sorry about that." I kiss her again, on the temple, then on the tip of her nose. She looks up at me and I can see questions in her eyes, so I relax back a bit. "Something on your mind?"

She tilts her head and sighs softly again. "Your parents left you the ranch? That must have been a surprise."

"It was."

Maya takes my hand and laces her fingers through it, resting our hands on her stomach. Her thumb rubs my skin; she watches the methodical movement, breathing calmly.

"You weren't planning to move back to Mustang?" Her thumb continues to rub, and now I'm watching too. Her creamy complexion is pale compared to my weather-worn bronze skin.

"Oh, I never wanted to, but once I was here, it felt like home again. I paid out of my lease in Cali. I'm having my things shipped soon. Right now they're in storage. I guess running the ranch came second nature, and my siblings need me."

"So if I had never come here?"

I wonder what sort of question that is. I have to think about that answer long and hard. Maya is the very center of my world right now; to think of not having her here seems impossible, like imagining what air looks like, or drawing a picture of God. My mind can't grasp that, so I settle on what might have been.

"I'd have married Sadie, saved the ranch that way. We're near bankruptcy as it is. I have less than ninety days to pull a rabbit out of a hat." The confession makes it all too real, as real as Maya is lying in bed beside me. "I feel like you're expecting me to say something specific, and I wonder if you're searching for unopened doors to walk through."

She looks up at me and offers a kiss to my cheek. "I love you, Jake."

"I love you too, Maya."

Her eyes look sad now, a melancholy I haven't seen in weeks since that day we first had sex in the pasture. I want to chase it away and never see it again, because I want her heart to be full and content.

"Is there any reason you'd want to marry her? Anything at all she could say or do... or give you?" She's searching me; I see it in her eyes.

"Not for a million dollars, not if the world was over tomorrow and she was the last woman on earth."

"Not even if it was the only way to save the ranch?"

I pause a moment. Her words challenge me to my core. Five generations of Blackwells owned this--I'm the sixth--and if it all came down to it, and it was the only way... "Maybe. If it was the only way." I push away the thought because I don't want to think that. It's not the only way. We have a plan now, a good one. It will be close but it will work. I have to believe that. "But that's not going to happen. I'm with you."

She lays in my arms for a moment, quiet but tense. I think about how I almost married Sadie, how unsatisfied I'd have been with her. I wonder, if Maya hadn't come back, would I be lying in Sadie's arms tonight, wishing I was anywhere but there?

"What about kids?" she asks, looking up into my eyes.

"God, are you pregnant?" I stiffen, then my heart races. I don't hate the idea, but it's not great timing. "Because, if you are I think that's amazing." I add that part quickly because I don't want her to think I'm not happy. I'm thrilled. It's just a lot of stress on top of what is already happening.

She turns on her side and curls against me. "No nothing like that. I'm just thinking out loud." She kisses my chest and I drape my arm over her and pull her in.

For a moment I'm disappointed then relieved. "Yeah, well... I want kids someday for sure." I let that hang in the air, not expressing my immediate reservations about children. If she's not pregnant then there is no need to stress about it right now.

Her face turns up toward mine again and I kiss her on the lips. She seems hesitant at first, then relaxes. The kiss deepens, drawing me in. I want her. The idea of having her by my side, raising my children--it makes my heart swell with hope for the future.

"I can't wait for our future," I tell her, my hands sliding up and down her back. She says nothing but she continues to kiss me. Her body is frail in my arms, tender and pliable.

As the kiss continues, I feel her hands start to wander over my chest and down towards my waist. I pull her closer, pressing her body against mine. The heat between us is palpable, and I can feel my own desire building inside me. I can feel her relax in my arms. We may not be ready for everything yet, but in this moment, we are exactly where we need to be. Together, exploring the depths of our desire.

I can't help but feel the urge to touch every inch of her body. My hands glide down her back and find their way to her hips. With a gentle tug, I pull her closer, and she responds by pressing her body closer to mine. Her fingers trace patterns on my skin, sending shivers down my spine.

I break the kiss, my lips trailing down her neck. I can feel her pulse racing underneath my lips, and I revel in the power I have over her. I pull her shirt over her head and lower my mouth to her skin. I nibble on her collarbone, then move down to her breasts. With one hand, I tease her nipple, while the other hand wanders down to her thigh. She moans softly, and I know I'm on the right track.

I want to make her feel good, to give her pleasure beyond her wildest dreams. Rising up on my knees, I slide her panties off, tossing them across the room. I touch her knees lightly, parting her legs. My fingers trail higher, brushing over her inner thigh. She gasps and arches her back, silently begging for more. I take her cue and slide my fingers inside her, feeling her wetness and heat surrounding me.

Her breathing becomes faster and shallower, and I know she's enjoying it. I move faster, my fingers moving in and out of her in time with her moans. I can feel her body trembling in anticipation, and I know I need to be gentle with her. I return to her side, hand cupping her sex as I claim her lips again. She strokes my arm, moaning into my mouth as my hand works her, thrusting into her and rubbing her clit with my thumb.

"God..." she gasps as my fingers explore her depths. I can feel her wetness, and I know she wants me just as badly as I want her. I kiss my way to her chest, taking a nipple in my mouth and swirling my tongue around it. She claws at my back, spreading her thighs wider for me to work. I pull away from her breasts and kiss my way back up to her lips. Our tongues dance together, exploring each other's mouths. I can taste her desire on her lips, and it only fuels my own.

I can feel her clench around me, and I know she's about to come. With a cry, she tenses and shudders in my arms. I keep moving, prolonging her pleasure until she can't take it anymore. We collapse together, breathless and spent.

I look down at her, my heart filled with love and desire. I can't wait to explore more of her body, to feel her beneath me again and again.

I rise up and pull my boxers off, then position myself between her thighs. She reaches for me, pulling me in and I collapse on her, ready to fill her.

I look her in the eyes, watching as we both surrender to our wants and needs. She's still fragile in my hands, but I'm ready to prove to her that I'll give her everything she needs. And I'll take everything she can offer me.

I bury myself inside her, and she cries out in pleasure. My arms surround her, holding her tight and protecting her. She melts into me, kissing me with a passion that still surprises me. I can feel her body tense underneath me, and I know she's not done yet.

"Please, don't stop," she whispers me.

I look down at her lips and kiss her deeply. Our tongues dance together and I feel her shudder with pleasure. I lower myself over her, covering her body with mine. My hips move faster, thrusting into her and bringing us both to the edge. Her nails dig into my back as she arches against me in passion.

Maia rocks her hips against mine, moaning into my mouth as I move in and out. Her fingers dig into my back, pulling me closer to her. She wraps her legs around me, urging me on.

I've never felt like this before. As if I could stay inside her forever, but never get enough of her. I move faster and harder, each thrust pushing her closer to the edge. Her moans grow louder and more urgent. I pull her hands above her head, pinning her down as I rock against her. She writhes against me, moving against my every thrust. Her nails dig into my back, and I feel myself getting closer and closer.

"I'm close," I whisper in her ear, letting go of her hands.

She wraps her arms around me, pulling me close. Her moans grow louder, and I can feel her body tense underneath me again. I thrust into her faster, then hold myself inside her. With a cry, she shudders in my arms, her body tensing in pleasure. I feel her clench around me, and my body explodes, filling her. It's hot and mess, draining out of her as I slide in and out a few last times.

She collapses against the bed, spent and satisfied. I collapse beside her, holding her in my arms. She rests her head on my chest, wrapping her arms around me. I can feel her slow breathing and her heart beating against my chest.

"That was amazing," she whispers to me.

"It was," I agree. I can't wipe the grin off my face, and I have a feeling I won't be able to for a very long time. I don't ever want to. I curl around her and thank God she's here. I never want to try to imagine a world where she isn't ever again.

Chapter 22

Jake is still snoring as I wake up. The moon is still high in the sky and I know the minute the sun breaches the trees and the first rays filter into the dark room he will wake up and head for his coffee, and I want to be long gone before then. Last night was incredible, making love to him and falling asleep in his arms, but I can't let myself dream this dream anymore. This entire family is so perfect, everything I have ever wanted. But to stay here with them would be a horrible decision.

Jake was willing to push away the key to saving his ranch all because of me. I'm not pregnant with his child; he has no reason to be loyal to me other than love, and I love him too much to watch him lose everything. Sadie is carrying his child and he doesn't even know it yet. And his ranch, the entire family's livelihood, depends on him doing the right thing. So if he won't do it, I'll do it for him.

I already stuffed a few things into the trunk of the new rental car delivered to me yesterday by a guy who works for Carl. The rental agency had it delivered to Mustang and Carl was nice enough to have someone bring it by for me. This whole town is genuinely nice like that, and it is something I will miss, but I can't stay. I can't ruin Jake's future out of selfishness. I love him, but I can't hurt him.

So as quietly and as quickly as I can, I take everything in this room that belongs to me and creep down the hall to the room I woke up in. For a moment I sit on the foot of the bed and cry softly. I don't want to leave him. I want to be with him forever, but loving someone means choosing what's best for them even when you don't understand. Even when it hurts. In this case, it means putting distance between me and Jake so Sadie can tell him about the baby and I don't have to have my heart torn out when he decides he has to take Mr. Simmons's offer.

After my self-pity party, I lug out my suitcase and stuff the rest of my things into it. I scrawl a messy note on a sheet of paper and leave it on a magnet on the fridge. Then I check the house to make sure no one else is awake before I sneak out. I have to return a few times to grab a few things I forget, but as I stand on the threshold looking back into the living room, I pause for a moment.

This place seems like home now. I've been here long enough to have made friends and built relationships. So it's not just Jake I'm leaving. Chloe feels like a sister to me now too, but I know if I try to explain to her what I'm feeling she'll tell me to stay. She and Brody pushed me toward Jake so hard; they'd both be upset with me for leaving. But they don't understand how I will hurt when he ultimately realizes he has to be a father and he can't have me in his life.

With one last glance up the stairs where I know he is probably stirring, I let myself out. The air is crisp, and I hurry to the car and climb in. Dawn will be reaching it's fingers across the ranch in a few hours and I want to grab a few hours of sleep in a room at the Hitching Post before anyone knows I'm gone. I'll venture into Billings to find somewhere easier to hide, but I need nap to prepare for the trip. I'm nervous about being alone, but I have to do it. It's been weeks, but Dino is smart. He's still looking for me. I know it. I feel it in my gut.

I drive into town, crying at times, and park outside the little inn. The vacancy sign is on, but it's usually on. Mustang doesn't get too many visitors that I can tell, so my car is one of the few parked out front. I climb out and take my wallet, strolling on tired feet to the door. The light is on at the front desk, and I see Marley pop his head up. I've only met him once, but he's a nice enough guy. He smiles at me but his eyes are hooded. He's tired too.

"Miss Mia, you're out awful late," he says, standing.

"Or early," I joke, resting my arm on the counter. "I just need a room for a few hours. I'm headed out, but I realized by the time I got to town that I was too tired to drive. Have something that fits the bill?" I feel bad lying but the more I keep to myself the better at this point. Marley doesn't need to know what's actually happening.

"Sure thing. You can take room one hundred. No charge if you're just napping. I'll cover you this time." His kindness almost brings tears to my eyes. I can easily pay for the room, but I think I'll be hard pressed to find any people as nice as those who live here in Mustang. I'm going to miss this place.

"Thank you," I tell him, reaching for the key. "I'll be out of your hair at sunrise." I tap my hand on the counter before turning to go. He watches me but says nothing, not even a goodbye. He doesn't know I'll probably leave the key in the door when I slip out unnoticed. I hate goodbyes. I have ever since the night I never got to say goodbye to Jake the first time.

The key sticks in the lock when I turn it. I have to jiggle the knob a few times to get it out. And the hinges squeak loudly as I push the old metal door open. The room is dark, but it smells fresh. The small inn might be in slight disrepair on the outside, but the rooms are clean and well kept. I flip the light on and drop the key on the dresser, locking myself into the small space.

My heart is heavy but as much as I want to sleep, I know I will struggle. I kick my shoes off and lay my wallet on the nightstand, then turn the bed down and climb in, not bothering to put on pajamas. In fact, I leave everything in my car except my wallet and the keys, so there is less of a chance I'll be stopped while I'm carrying things to the car to leave.

I lie down and curl into ball, covering myself up. Tears brim in my eyes as I realize I'm never going to see Jake again, at least not for a very long time. I have to leave and move on with my life. Staying here and watching him marry Sadie is not an option. I love him too much. I've loved him since I was just a kid, and this stint in Mustang only proved to me that we are made for each other, but sometimes life deals a losing hand. In my case, I've gone all in and lost everything.

I clench my eyes shut, wishing the idea of leaving him didn't hurt so bad, but it does. It hurts worse than the last time. This time I know I'm leaving despite his love. When I was a child, I didn't have a choice, but this choice is all mine. It's funny how love hurts so badly sometimes. That the one thing you want more than anything is to support the person you love even if it means you leaving is the best thing for them. Even if they don't want it.

I lie there for hours wrestling with my pain, and finally doze off, only to dream of Jake proposing to me. And when I jerk awake, I'm in tears again, hurting. So many of the things in this town have become second nature to me. I don't want to give them up. Dino made me push away everyone I loved, every friend, work acquaintances, even family though they were distant. Here in Mustang I have all of that and so much more.

I stare at the wall feeling broken. When I left Denver in search of this tiny speck of a town, I had hope. I thought Mustang would be my refuge, the place I disappeared to and found a new future. Now I have no hope, no direction. I don't know where I'll land, or what I'll do. Billings is the only place I can even think of going without doing research and even then, I don't know where to start. I know no one. My savings will run out eventually, though I probably have a few months left, but if I get a job, put my name into the system, Dino will find me.

These are things I never thought about when fleeing Denver. My only thought was getting away from him, being here in this small town to sort things out. I never took time to do any thinking because when I woke up, no one wanted me to leave. They took me in like stray, but it was never home. And now I know that.

I blink away the tears and fold the covers back. There is no point in trying to rest anymore. I'm too upset to sleep and my dreams keep bringing me back to Jake's arms. I use the toilet and wash my face, conscious that now I've used some of the inn's resources. And since I have already opened the soap, I use the shampoo too, washing my hair in the sink and toweling it off. It feels refreshing, though it doesn't actually change much. My heart is still heavy.

But it's time to leave. So instead of leaving the key in the door as I planned, I walk to the front desk, and see Marley there, nodding off. When the bell above the door rings, he perks up and smiles a groggy smile.

"Miss Mia, you all rested now?" He yawns and stretches and takes the key from me as I slide it across the counter.

"About as much as I could rest. I used the soap and a shampoo too. Please let me pay for the room." I open my wallet, ready to take as much out as I need, but he waves me off.

"Nonsense. You're a guest here and I won't have it. I do wish you'd stay around a bit longer, and I'm not sure why you're rushing off in the dead of night, but I hope you enjoy our town enough to come back." He hangs the key on a hook behind him and turns back to me.

"Thank you. You know, the people in this town are so incredibly nice. I think I will be back someday." It's a lie. Once Jake reads the note I left him, he won't want me in the state again.

"Well, I'll be here ready with a room in your name." He winks at me and nods goodbye as I turn to go, and my heart sinks a little farther.

I don't want to leave.

I just have to...

Chapter 23

I slept hard. The sun is already rising in the sky before I wake up and Mia's side of the bed is cold. I rub my eyes and stretch. I needed that rest after the past few weeks of stress. The edge of bankruptcy is a hard place to be and with all the weight of saving the Triple R on my shoulders, I knew something had to give at some point. Fatigue has been creeping up on me for days.

Pushing myself up, I drop my feet to the floor and rise. The faint hint of Mia's scent lingers and I smile, thankful she is in my life. I almost want to climb back in bed and curl up around her pillow just to feel closer to her for a few moments, but I have to get my day started. She is off already, chores or errands, and that's okay. I love that she feels comfortable enough around my family and in our home to be independent like this.

After the world's fastest shower, I dress and head out to the barn, skipping coffee. It's late enough I can't waste any more time on stopping, besides the fact that in an hour's time everyone will break for coffee anyway. The house is quiet and so is the property until I get to the barn. The farrier we hired out of billings is here already working on Molly's bad foot. After Tyler attempted to shoe her last week and she kicked him, he refused to go back. I greet them as I pass and head toward the grain bins where Brody is busy with a ranch hand filling feed buckets.

"Well good morning, sunshine! About time you showed your face." Brody grins from ear to ear. "Mia keep you up too late, or was it morning delights?" He snickers and high-fives the ranch hand and I scowl at him. I don't mind a bit of teasing though.

"Just focus on your work, smartass." I pass him, but as I do a smirk stretches across my face. The memory of Mia's body against mine, the smell of her sex as she writhed beneath my touch--I don't ever want to get so used to that that it becomes common place.

I work hard for the next hour, breaking up hay bales and sparsing out hay in all the stalls for the horses. The water buckets need filled, so I grab the hose and fill them all. And when Tyler calls for a break, I head back up to the house. My shoulders are already tired from work. It's a good feeling, though not as fulfilling as saving lives like I did in California. The thought makes me remember telling Mia about my exploits and I pick up my pace, eager to see her and give her a kiss, but when I walk into the kitchen to get my cup of coffee she isn't around.

Tyler and Brody stand near the coffee pot with a few ranch hands, chatting, and I pour myself a cup. "You guys seen Mia around this morning?" I ask, realizing at the same time I haven't even seen her car.

"Nah, man. She probably went to town or something." Tyler gulps his coffee and shrugs.

Brody turns toward the fridge. "Look there," he says, pointing.

I turn too and see a slip of paper with my name on it held to the fridge with a magnet. I pull it off as the guys head back toward the door with the fresh coffee in hand. It's Mia's handwriting, so she probably just left me a note indicating what she's doing today. I sip my coffee and fold the note open, leaning against the counter. I read what it says.

Jake

It's hard for me to write this letter, especially after finding you again after so long. I'm sorry I can't stay in Mustang. I see how desperately your family is trying to save the ranch. I can't let you give up your one true shot at putting things back together. I know how much this ranch and the land mean to you. I know what your siblings mean to you.

As much as it tears my heart in two to say it, you need to marry Sadie. Take her father's offer and save the ranch, Jake. And know that I love you enough to walk away because it is the best thing for you.

I guess this is one door that has to close...

I love you forever.

Mia

My heart sinks so deep I'm drowning. I read the letter over and over, but it just doesn't make sense. Mia knows I hate Sadie. She knows I will never marry her, even if it means saving the ranch. Why would she do this?

"What's your problem?" Chloe asks, dusting her hands as she walks up to the coffee pot. She's been hard at work somewhere, but not in the barn with the guys.

I thrust the note in her direction and she reads it, then chuckles. I can't believe she thinks this is funny. I'm livid. I snatch the note back from her and jam it in my pocket but before I can snap at her, she shakes her head and speaks.

"Jake, do you think you're the only one who can be noble enough to make a huge sacrifice?" She leans on the counter next to me, cradling her mug in her hands. "You would have married Sadie to save this ranch and made that huge sacrifice of your future and everything you wanted in life just to help us. Triple R would have gone on, but your heart would have suffered."

"Yeah, what's your point." I'm brooding. I know she's right. Mia is only trying to do for me what I refuse to do for myself and my family. Maybe I'm selfish for wanting love over a business or family legacy, but my sacrifice would only have affected myself. This is different.

"Mia obviously cares about this family a great deal. That means when you go find her and drag her ass back here, you'll have a woman worth keeping. Jake, that's something you don't find every day. A woman willing to break her own heart to love you and do what's right for you."

I stand there befuddled, staring at my younger sister who has wisdom I can't even begin to understand. How did she get so smart? And why don't I think the way she does? The immediate burst of anger and heartbreak I felt when reading that note is fading now, swelling into an appreciation and respect for the woman I love that I didn't have before.

"So..." She sips her coffee and eyes me over the rim of the mug.

"So what?" I ask, confused.

"So are you going to stand there like a buffoon or are you going to go get her?" She chuckles again and again I feel like an idiot.

"I don't even know where she went or how long she's been gone. Her car was gone when I woke, but I woke up late." In my mind I'm already searching three counties looking for her.

"Well, you should start in town. Chances are she's gone for breakfast before heading out. The only logical place for her to go is Billings to start with. After that, I don't know, Jake. You could call her car rental agency maybe. Find out if they have GPS tracking on the car and--"

Before Chloe even finishes what she is saying, I am out the door. I move with purpose toward my truck. Setting my coffee mug on top of the cab, I dig in my pocket for the key to unlock. As I push the button on the fob, Tyler shouts at me.

"Yo, Jake, we got shit to do. Where you going?"

"Just a quick run to town. I'll be back in an hour." I call to him, climbing into the truck. I start it up and pull out and hear a thunk. When I glance in my mirror, I notice my coffee spilled on the gravel and the mug I used in pieces. Just another crappy thing to happen this morning. I will get over that, but I won't get over Mia leaving. Not again. I never got over her leaving the first time. I'm not letting her walk out of my life so easily.

Chapter 24

It's still dark out after I leave the office. Marley refused to let me pay for anything, which makes it all the more challenging emotionally to leave. I love everything about this town and I'm going to miss it dearly. I feel like I should have left a note for Chloe too, but Jake will explain to her. He's probably awake now, showering and wondering where I am. I need to get out of town before he comes looking for me--or worse, calls the townsfolk to ask if they've seen me.

I stroll out to the rental car not quite ready to leave town but knowing it's my only option. As I near it, however, I feel a strong sensation that I'm being watched again. It's early; no one else is even moving in town yet, but I feel eyes on me. I glance up to the office, thinking maybe Marley is at the door making sure I'm leaving, but I can see through the large window that he is already dozing again, head down on the counter.

This is the second time I've felt this way, like someone was watching me or following me. A shiver of fear shoots through my body and I tense up. It's dark, so dark I can't see properly. My eyes are still adjusting to the lack of light, though the sun is starting to creep up on the horizon. I make my way around the front of my rental car and push the button on the fob, but as I slide my hand under the handle, I feel something cold and hard jammed into my side.

"Hello, Mia," a gruff voice says and I recognize it instantly.

My heart pounds and I freeze. There is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide from him. He's found me. Dino is here. I smell the stench of his chewing tobacco and cologne mingling in the slight morning breeze and I shudder.

"Dino... Why are you here? Why did you follow me?" I nervously look out the corner of my eye, hoping Marley will put his head up and see what's happening out here, but he remains with his head down.

"I should as you the same thing. You know how long I've been looking for you? How much money I wasted trying to find you? Where'd you go, Mia? Why'd you run away?"

I take a step back, thinking maybe if I make a run for it, I can get to the office, where Marley will at least be a witness. Then I panic, knowing Dino will just kill him too. My body goes into flight mode, and I take a step, but Dino's arm wraps around my waist, pulling me back into his body. I feel something hard press against my backside, an erection or maybe another gun. I don't ask, and I don't scream, because the gun is now pressed to my temple.

"Run or make a sound and I kill you right now. Got it?" His breath is hot on my ear. I know he will. I've seen him kill before, too many times, so much blood. I whimper and nod as his hand slides up my body, grazing my breasts before covering my mouth.

"Good girl. Now we're going to have a little chat. I think maybe you should tell me what you think you were doing leaving me. Don't you know no one leaves me?"

I can hardly breathe let alone think or talk. And his hand covering my mouth indicates he doesn't really want a response anyway. He's not here to get answers; he's here to kill me or drag me back to the hell that was a relationship with him. I hope for the former. I'd sooner die that go back to that; he has to know that.

Clutching my wallet and keys to my chest, I squirm. I want to get away. If he fires the gun now, he'll have a half dozen people in town out on their front porches watching him run away. But he holds me more tightly against his body, and I immediately know it is not an erection grinding into my backside, but definitely another gun.

"Let me go," I say into his hand, but the sound is muffled.

"What did you say?" he asks, loosening his grip on my mouth.

I repeat, "Please, Dino, let me go. I swear I won't tell anyone about you. I've been here this whole time and I never told a soul." I feel sweat beading on my face, my breath coming in gasps. I don't think for a second that he's going to let me go, but I have to try. Terror grips me; and I think I may vomit.

"Oh, sweetheart, you'd love that wouldn't you? Just sneak off to a little small town where you can start over, but you forget you belong to me." He nudges me with the gun and I move the direction he forces me. "See, my things aren't to be shared with anyone, and you've been sharing a whole lot of something that belongs to me with another man."

He guides me across the parking lot, gun jammed in my back again. His hands are calloused, rough, I'll never forget the feeling of them on my skin. I loathe that feeling now. I want Jake. I look expectantly toward the horizon to the south where the road curves into town, praying I'll see his truck. Maybe he got my note and he can't live without me; maybe he'll come to rescue me. But I was so quiet, quiet enough to not wake anyone, including Jake.

"What man?" I whimper trying to push thoughts of the Blackwell family out of my mind as if by thinking of them Dino will know who they are. Harm them somehow.

"You know damn well who that man is. And his pretty, leggy blonde... She was quite helpful too."

"Sadie," I murmur and he nudges me again with a chuckle.

"Yeah, she's the one." Dino grips my arm hard and I hear a car beep. Lights flash as the lock disarms and he points me that direction. We're only a few strides away as the trunk pops open. "Seems that little lady got duped by you storming in and stealing her fiancé. It was as simple as tracking your credit card transaction to Billings, then had your little rental card delivered here. Dumb move, Mia. Haven't I taught you anything. Then Sadie was more than willing to tell me about Old Jake Blackwell and his love triangle. You're a homewrecker, Mia."

"Shut up," I snap, jerking away from him. He's going to shove me into the trunk of his car and that is the last anyone will see of me. I panic, trying to run, but I hear the metal on metal of a round being chambered in his gun. I am so stupid to believe he'd already done that when he came up to me. I silently curse myself for not running sooner.

"Get back here," he says but I don't move. So he grabs my hair and pulls me backward so I'm standing right behind his car. "Get in the trunk."

"No!" I whip around, pushing at his chest, but the butt of the gun smacks my head hard. I see stars for a moment, dropping both my wallet and my keys, and as I try to get my bearings, he shoves me into the trunk.

"Stupid bitch, you could have just gone easy." The trunk slams shut and I'm in blackness again, holding my head, crying.

My ears thrum, the blood rushing past my eardrums. My heart is racing as I scream and pound at the trunk hatch. I kick and shout to no avail. I hear movement, keys jingling and a car starting. Then all is quiet for a moment except my sobs. I want to scream for Jake, but there is no point. Even if he is coming after me, there is no way he would know which car I am in. So I curl into a ball and sob harder.

When Dino's car starts up I panic again. I kick at the lights. I saw on a cop show once that if you kick out the lights and stick your hand out, you can wave someone down. I'll try anything at this point. So I kick harder, until my foot hurts and I feel like I've broken a toe. This can't be happening to me. I scream so loud and make so much ruckus that the car stops.

The trunk pops open and I lurch out, only to connect with the back of Dino's hand. It comes down hard on my face, slamming into my cheek first, then I feel the butt of the gun strike me again. This time, my world goes dark. I only pray someone saw what happened and that they come to get me.

Chapter 25

Town is quiet for a weekday, but I see a few cars I recognize. I drive past the bed and breakfast, but I don't see Mia's rental there. A few weeks back, Brody and Chloe told me she had thought of getting a room on her own there and they talked her out of it. I'm not surprised to not see her car there, and I head downtown, rolling past Stitches, but even Riley's car isn't there. It's still early though, so I continue searching. When I see Mia's car at the Hitching Post, I feel relieved. It's parked in the back lot, under a shade tree, but I found her.

I don't know which room she's in, so when I park by the front office, I just head in to talk to Marley or whoever is on duty. He isn't at the desk when I walk in, so I ring the bell and wait. After a few minutes he walks out with a grin on his face.

"Hey, Jake, what's up?" He plops onto his stool. He has a stick in hand, scraping a knife across the surface and leaving bits of bark flaking to the ground.

"Which room is Mia in?" I lean on the counter, watching him whittle, but his hands stop and my eyes move to his face.

"She left, Jake. She just stopped for a few hours, had a nap she said. She left a while ago."

Something doesn't seem right. Her car is still here, but if Marley says she left, then she must still be in town. "But her car is parked out back." I scratch my head and think for a moment. It's definitely her rental out there. No one else in town owns a hybrid car. We all live too far from town to be driving an electric vehicle of any kind.

Marley shrugs. "Just what I seen, Jake. Maybe check at the Barrel or something. She said something about leaving town, but I bet she got hungry." He places his knife and the stick on the counter and stands. "You want me to come with you?"

"Nah," I tell him, brushing off my concern. He's probably right. "She's just getting breakfast. Thanks for the info, Marley."

I let myself out and go straight to her car. She only had this thing for a few days really, so I'm not sure what I'm going to find, but if she's not in the car, I'm worried something may have happened. I try to calm my heart but fear sneaks up on me, prickling my skin. I look into the driver's side window and see her cell phone on the passenger seat, a few suitcases in the backseat, and a small box of things. She really is planning to leave.

With my hand shielding my eyes from the sun, I scan the parking lot again. The hitching post isn't that far from other places in town, so it's logical that she walked somewhere, but to save time I head toward my truck. I can search twice as fast by vehicle. As I'm walking I notice something lying in the parking lot only a few spaces from my truck. It's small and black, and I can't shake the urge to go see what it is, so I move that way.

The minute I clearly see it's a wallet, my heart sinks. I pick it up and open it. It's Mia's wallet. Her ID and cards are all here. Now I know something is wrong. She would never leave her wallet lying in a parking lot. And everything is here, which means whatever happened it wasn't just some petty thief after her money. This is bad.

I hop in my truck and drive, heading toward the Whiskey Barrel, but I see Riley's car at the post office, so I stop and hop out, leaving my engine running. I rush in to find Riley and Sage chatting happily about something or another. As I burst in they look up surprised.

"Jake, what's going on?" Riley asks, already looking concerned.

"Have you seen Mia?" I try to hide my fear by masking my voice, but Riley sees right through me.

"Is something wrong? What happened?" She grabs Sage's hand and both of them stare at me with doe eyes.

"She left a note saying she was leaving town. I came after her. Her car is in the parking lot at the Hitching Post and I found her wallet too, but Marley says she's already checked out and left." My words rush out of my mouth in a single breath and Riley clings to Sage.

"She's leaving?" Safe mutters and she grimaces.

"I don't know what's going on, but my gut tells me it's not good." I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Look I'm going to the Barrell to see if she's having breakfast. Maybe this is all just a big misunderstanding. Okay? Don't freak out yet." I don't want anyone to panic like I am so I try to remain calm on the outside.

I walk back to my truck and head to the little diner. It's walking distance from the inn but I can't see why she'd walk this far when she has a car to drive, especially if she's trying to leave town before anyone notices. I park out front, seeing a few cars I recognize. The sight of Sadie's ritzy red car makes my chest tighten, but I have to go in the diner anyway, despite the bile rising in the back of my throat at the thought of speaking to her.

There are only a few cars here, but hopefully someone has seen her, or maybe she's here. I slide out of my truck and shut the door, turning it off this time. As I push open the swinging door, I notice only a few folks, just as I expected. Hal is behind the bar serving Sadie and his daughter Mackenzie struts up to me. She has a grin the size of Texas but I can't return it. Mia isn't here either unless she's in the restroom, which is my first question.

"Mack, have you seen Mia?" I know Mia isn't as close to Mackenzie as she is to Riley and Sage, but they know each other.

"No, Jake, I haven't seen her. Is something wrong?" She offers genuine concern in her tone and expression.

"I'm not sure yet. I think maybe she's in trouble, but I don't want anyone to get excited about it yet. Mind if I ask around?" I gesture toward the tables, but I know the only person here who may have any information is Sadie. The others aren't regulars, and they likely haven't even met Mia.

"Yeah, no problem. Ask around. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help. Have you eaten yet?"

"No, but I'm not hungry." I tip my hat at her and move toward the bar in hurried steps. Sadie sees me coming, turning her body to push her tits out at me. As if I'd even think of her that way after everything she's done in the past few months. Her smirk is more of a glower than a seductive look.

"Well, Jakey Bakey, you came to see me for breakfast?" Her sing-songy voice is grating. Hal walks away casually as I lean on the bar next to her with one hand. The other is fisted at my side.

"Have you seen Mia?" I blurt the question out in an angry tone just as I hear the bell chime above the door. A quick glance that direction reveals Sage and Riley. They look frightened still, and now I'm starting to feel more afraid.

"It's about time she left town." I want to smack the smirk off her face as she speaks. "You and me need to have a talk about the ranch, Jake. I think you're passing up a golden opportunity to do something really good for your family." Sadie sips a drink that looks like chocolate milk but I have a feeling there is alcohol in it.

"I don't have time or patience to discuss that with you. I told you I'm not accepting that offer." Even if Mia really did leave, I would still never marry Sadie. Mia doesn't know that. I didn't turn the offer down because of Mia; I did it because I can't stand the idea of waking up next to her for the next thirty years. "I'm looking for Mia. I just need to know if you have seen her."

"Well I haven't seen her at all, but you could probably ask the man who's been searching for her." She eyes me and turns back to her drink.

"What man?" My shoulders are so tense it's causing throbbing pain to shoot up into my head. "There's a man?"

"Yeah, he didn't look like such a nice guy. Tattoo on his neck, beady little eyes. Reminds me of a rattlesnake, Jake."

"Cut the crap, Sadie. Where'd you see this guy? Who was he?" I squeeze my hand so hard I feel my fingernails digging into my palm. If she doesn't tell me what she knows I'm going to snap.

"Oh, well I think he said he was her boyfriend or something. Said he was looking for her to take her home. Maybe that's what happened. She went back to the man she loves." Sadie turns to me again, running her hand across my chest. Her fingers toy with a few buttons and I grab her wrist and push her hand away. "You don't' have to be hostile, Jake. Mia is the one who ran off with another man. I'm here." She grins and slides off her seat, pressing her body against mine and I step away.

"Did you see where he was staying? What is he driving? What was he wearing? Did he say his name?" I shoot the questions off rapid fire, but she rolls her eyes and picks up her drink, sipping it as she struts toward the door. I see Sage scowl and Riley grip Sage more tightly. "Sadie... come back here."

She spins on her heel and glares at me. "What!"

"If she's hurt, I'm gonna kill you." I take a few steps at her menacingly and Sage puts a hand in my chest to halt me.

"Let her go," Sage whispers and I back off.

She struts right out the door without another peep and I'm left with my head spinning. Sage follows her out the door and I sink into a chair and take my hat off, running my hand through my hair. I have to call the sheriff.

"Jake, is she okay? What happened?" Riley's calm tone pulls my eyes upward.

"Sadie said a man was looking for her. She said, Mia has a boyfriend. He came looking. I think he took her. My god, I think she's in danger." I sit frozen in terror as Riley calls the sheriff and my brothers. I can't even think straight. All I can do is try to fathom why anyone would want to take Mia.

"Look," Sage says, dropping to her knees in front of me, "there's this old shack in the woods out behind our property. It's where we used to sneak way and have parties."

I raise my eyes to take her in. She looks frightened, eyes wide and brimming with tears. "What? How?" I shake my head, not fully comprehending what she's saying.

"Sadie told me he's staying there. Okay? We can go."

I stand up, nearly knocking Sage over, and I feel bad. I help her stand and firmly tell her, "No. This guy could be dangerous. If he took Mia, there is no telling what he will do." I turn to Riley. "Tell the sheriff, and I'll call my brothers."

My heart is pounding as I run out of the diner and climb into my truck. I know exactly where that damn shack is. It's where Tyler and I hid the night old man Simmons came at us with his loaded shotgun for cow tipping. It will take me a good twenty minutes to get there and I can't wasted a second.

Chapter 26

My chest is heavy. It's hard to breathe sitting up, and my head is throbbing. I open my eyes but the pain is so severe I can't raise my head quickly. So I stare at my lap. My arms are restrained behind my back, tied there with something that feels like it's cutting through my wrists. It's quiet for now. I can hear birds chirping but nothing else. And it smells musty, like water damage or mildew.

I try to straighten and my back protests. I don't know how long I've been in this position, but every joint in my body aches. The sun is high. I can see through a cloudy window that has a scrap of an old curtain dangling in front of it. A flash of Dino's face with a nasty glare comes to mind and I remember the smack to the head. I tried so hard to bust out his taillight and get help and he knocked me out.

"Help," I try to squeak out but my throat is hoarse, my mouth dry. I take a deep breath, straightening to my full height in the chair and I feel a kink in my neck. "Please..." I whimper, jerking my arms. He isn't here right now, at least not in the cabin.

I look around myself and see nothing but old rotten boards, a puddle on the floor next to the door, and the coordinating hole in the ceiling above. The old kitchen counter is filthy, years of dirt and grime caked on the white speckled linoleum countertop. The chair next to me has only three legs, laying on its side. The light is off, though by the looks of this place it has been abandoned for quite some time.

Mustang isn't my home. I don't know where this place could even be located. I'm terrified of Dino, but even more terrified of that mountain lion Jake chased off a few weeks ago. Even if I get out of the bonds on my wrist and flee the cabin, I don't know if I'll make it. Tears burn my eyes and I jerk my arms again. "Please..." I whimper, wishing Jake was here.

I rock on the chair thinking if I tip it, maybe it will break into pieces and at least allow me to move my arms, but the thing doesn't budge. When I try to stand, I realize Dino has my feet lashed to the chair legs too. He's going to kill me. I can feel it in my gut. It's what he does--tying up loose ends. The panic that thought brings has my heart racing. I need to get out of here before he gets back.

I lean hard on the chair, throwing my weight to the left over and over until I hear the feet slap on the ground. It's working. I just have to try harder. So I do, again and again, relentlessly until the chair slams to the side and my head hits the ground. A shot of pain jolts down my neck and into my lower back. The chair is still intact and my hope is dwindling. I scream and growl and jerk, but nothing happens. So I devolve into tears, sobbing and praying that Jake will find the note and go to town to see my rental is still there.

I hear a noise, the rumble of an engine, then a car door shuts. I tense and try to use my shoulder to wipe away the tears on my face. My breathing is labored now and my shoulder feels like I dislocated it. I hear movement outside the door and then it swings open. Dino's boots stomp on the ground in front of my face making me jump.

"Well well... Ms. Cut and Run is at it again, trying to escape." He uses the toe of his boot to lift my hair off my face, smearing my across my cheek. I wince as I realize my face has a nice bruise on it. I can't see it, but the pain tells me it's there.

I clench my jaw, refusing to say anything to him, but when he grabs the chair and sets it upright, I yelp in pain. My arm hurts so bad, but I refuse to cry in front of him. It's just what he wants, to break me down emotionally and make me beg for my life. I won't beg because it won't work anyway. He will just kill me in the end.

"You know, Maya, I thought you'd have learned your lesson about who I am and how I work by watching me work. You'd think that someone as bright as you would realize you can't escape me. If there is leaving to be done, it's me who does it." He sets his gun on the counter and I stare at it, willing my limbs to be free so I can grab it and defend myself, but he positions his body between me and the gun.

"I hate you," I snarl, not meeting his gaze. Hair falls back into my eyes and he leaves it hang this time. I should have stayed with Jake. Or I should have just left town, not stayed for a nap before heading out. A million "should haves" run through my mind scolding me for my poor choices and I have to bite back more tears so I don't show my weakness.

"That's okay. A lot of people hate me. I'm used to that. What I'm not used to and I refuse to ever get used to is people breaking their word to me."

"I never gave you my word. How could I break it."

His hand draws back and he smacks me hard. I whimper and cry out, but instantly get ahold of myself. I can't break down. I won't.

"The minute you came into my home and slept in my bed, you became my property. You didn't need to give me your word." His hand slides up my cheek, caressing the bruised bone then pushing the hair out of my eyes. It's a gentle touch, the way he used to touch me before I questioned his business practices and the violence he perpetrated. For a second I'm there in the moment with him, cringing as he says filthy things to me thinking they will arouse me.

My skin crawls as his hand curves around the back of my neck. Then he grips my hair and pulls my head backward, forcing me to look up so hard I can't even shut my mouth. I choke out a breath and glare at him, watching the expression on his face change. There is a flash of pain and then only rage.

"I never loved you, you know?" he says, as if that was even news to me. I know he never loved me. Love isn't hostile and demanding.

"Shocker..." I said, forgetting for a moment the position he had me in. His hand jerked hard, tilting my head back and he raised his fist as if to punch me in the face, but he lowered it again and chuckled.

"Such a fiery attitude now. And that mouth on you, so dirty. Where was this fire when you fucked me? Huh? We could have had a lot of fun." He rubs his crotch and I shudder to think what he might be imagining right now. "Might have to try that out." He lets my hair go, slamming my head forward and I gather the spit I can muster from my dry mouth and spit on his shoe.

"Bitch," he growls, smacking me again, but I don't care. I'm not going down without a fight, and if words or spit is the only way I can fight, I'm going to damned well do it.

"You're a monster. You're not going to get away with this." I clench my jaw again as fear wells up in my chest. I know he will get away with it. All he has to do is pull the trigger and dump my body. He's good at that. He hasn't been caught yet, not even suspected as far as I know.

"Oh, yes I will." His sinister laugh makes the hair on my arms stand on end. "You know, being out in the open like this makes me a bit twitchy, like I need a good hunt. It's been a long time since I went hunting. Maybe I just cut those zip ties and turn you loose in the field, chase you down like wild boar. How fun would that be? You want to run, Maya? Try to escape again? I have a scope on my shot guy in the car."

"Fuck you," I spit out, my brain still searching for any way to escape. If he lets me go Ill get about ten steps away before he blows my brains out. I'm not stupid. "If you're going to kill me just do it. And do it to my face. Look me in the eye and pull the trigger."

I raise my face defiantly and stare him right in the eye. I know he has the guts to do it, and I'm terrified, but I'd rather just be dead than to be toyed with any longer.

"Oh, that would just be easy for you, wouldn't it?" He picks up the gun, chambering a round. "Just have me press this gun between your eyes and blow your brains onto the wall behind you so you don't have to answer for the way you ran off? Oh I have something much more fun in mind."

He puts the gun to my forehead and I lean into it, feeling the cold steel press against my skin. I refuse to close my eyes, though I'm blinking the tears away rapidly. "Do it!" a screech. "Just do it!"

But he doesn't. He stands there laughing at me while he brushes his hand across the front of his jeans. I can't. I won't sleep with him again.

"Pull the trigger, Dino! Just do it!" Enraged I push my head harder against the gun and he leans down closer to me. He stinks like beer and cigarette smoke. I gag.

Dino whispers, "Click," into my ear and I can't take it anymore. I throw my head forward connecting my forehead to his in a hard headbutt, and just as I do the door slams open. Dino straightens, attempting to point the gun toward the door as Jake barrels in, rushing Dino. He slams into Dino's chest, smashing him against the counter so hard the gun drops to the ground. Dino fights back, pushing at Jake's chest, but Jake has the upper hand.

He pushes Dino to the ground, straddling his body, and both fists fly, one after the other, slamming into Dino's face. It's only seconds later that I see the red and blue flashing lights reflecting off the windows and doors and I hear a barrage of vehicles outside.

"In here! Help!" I scream, wrestling against the zip ties. Brody rushes in first. He glances at Jake, then takes a knife from his pocket and cuts me loose.

"God, Maya," he says, trying to scoop me up, but I push him away. I have to get to Jake. I rush toward him as he pounds Dino, but Brody's arm captures me around the waist.

"Jake!" I scream knowing Dino has another gun. There's always another one, or a knife. He never loses. "Jake, watch out for--"

The cocking sound of a pistol hits my ears and for a moment I think Dino is about to shoot Jake, when the sheriff walks in with a booming voice of authority. "That'll be enough, Jake." I look up at the man who stands taller than Brody. "I said! That will be enough!" When he raises his voice, Jake stops punching, and Dino lays there knocked out, blood running from his nose and mouth.

As if coming to his senses, Jake stands and spits on Dino, then turns to me. Brody lets me go and I collapse into Jake's arms. It's over. I'm safe, but my body is still trembling. He lavishes kisses on me as he lifts me off the ground and carries me out of the cabin. I'm sobbing, curled into his chest in a puddle of terror and relief. He's speaking but I can't make out what he's saying. I hear Chloe's voice too, and Sage. I see them briefly before I find myself being lifted into the bed of a pickup truck.

"Here, Jake," I hear a female voice say, but I can't make out who it is. In an instant I feel warmth wrap around me and Jakes strong arms. "She's in shock."

I feel someone hold my wrist, then more kisses on my cheeks and forehead. Jake is there, whispering in my ear. "I'm here, baby. You're safe now. Take deep slow breaths." His lips brush my skin and I sob harder.

"God, he was going to kill me," I wail, only to be met with strong arms gripping me tighter.

"We need to get her checked out. She's been hit pretty hard." Whoever is there, looking after me, I recognize the voice, but I can't open my eyes.

"Maya, did he hurt you? Did he do anything to... Did he...?" Jake's question makes me shudder to think what would have happened if he hadn't come.

"No," I murmur and look up at his face.

"Thank god," he says, kissing me hard on the lips. I kiss him back, frantic to feel anything but terror now.

"Jake, I need to check her blood pressure."

I pull away as the truck starts to move, rumbling across whatever rough terrain it's driving on. The nurse is here, Jenna. She focuses on her work, sliding the cuff on my arm and pressing the stethoscope to my inner elbow. I rest my head against Jake's chest and let the tears fall. I'm safe and I'm in the only arms I ever want to feel around me every day the rest of my life. I didn't think he would come and even if he did I didn't think he'd find me in time.

"What about the ranch?" I ask, still crying.

"You are the only thing that matters to me." He gazes off in the direction we came from and I follow where his eyes are looking. They're all there, Chloe, Tyler, Brody, even Sage. They all came to find me. "You're family now, Maya. Family is more important than a plot of land or a business."

I hear his words, but I can't help but feel like he will lose everything because of me. And that feeling--him throwing it all away for me--is the best feeling in the world.

He loves me.

Chapter 27

One week, that's how long it took me to feel like myself again, but I still have nightmares every night. I pour a glass of lemonade and sip it, feeling more at home in this sprawling ranch house than I ever have. After the way the entire family rallied not only to bring me back but to save me when they learned I was in danger, there is no way I could ever leave them. I'm forever connected to this place, the land, the people, and most certainly Jake Blackwell.

His laughter filters in through the open front windows. He sits with his siblings on the front porch waiting for the fifth and final Blackwell sibling to roll into town. It will be a bittersweet reunion for them as Colton arrives. He wasn't able to get home for his father's funeral earlier this year, and hasn't seen jake in almost five years. I linger in the kitchen thinking maybe I should have made plans with Riley or Sage. This feels too intimate for me to be a part of, especially since I've never met Colt, but Jake insisted I be here.

"You coming out here, Maya? Or does Jake have to break this door down and come get you?" Tyler's joke comes in a long line of jibes at Jake for his heroics at the cabin, which I came to learn was on the Simmons's property.

I head for the door, making my way out to the front porch where Jake saved me a seat. He smiles at me as I pass him, and I catch his eyes wandering as he ogles my curves. I hope that never ends--him admiring my body like it's the finest piece of art he's ever seen.

"Now that's something worth claiming as my own," he says with a soft whistle, and Tyler laughs.

A car pulls up the driveway. I recognize it as Riley's instantly. She has been waiting for Colt a long time I guess, so I fully appreciate why she is here, but when she pulls up and Sage gets out of the car with her, I'm slightly confused. This town is so close-knit, however, that it doesn't surprise me. Sage and Riley are best friends, along with Chloe, and that sisterhood has become a very comforting thing to rely on. Chloe rushes out to say hello and I turn to Jake. He is tense at the sight of seeing Sage, likely because it was her sister who helped Dino find me.

I reach out and grab his hand and squeeze it. "I'm glad I don't have to run anymore," I tell him, hoping to reassure him that there is no blood between me and the Simmons family. "And Dino is going to prison for a long time. I signed my written statement for the sheriff and that's all they need from me."

"Yeah, and with Sadie gone, life can go on now." Tyler chimes in and Jake's chest seems to relax a little.

"Yeah, well after Sadie's stunt, I knew she would be an accomplice. I told her as much. She pretty much volunteered to leave town on her own accord." Jake's hand covers mine and his thumb rubs over the back of my fingers. I can't help but think how there are just as man negative things to living in such a small town as there are positives. Sadie had no right to do what she did, but because she grew up getting what she wanted, she felt entitled to Jake.

"Look, that's all behind us," I remind him, again squeezing his hand. "And we have some exciting new things in the future."

Jake glances at me and nods, his expression softening. "Yeah, the bank finally approved that line of credit. When I showed them the business plans for how we would expand the ranch, turn it into a tourist attraction, they were all for it. The paperwork still has to be signed, but I think we're going the right direction."

It's good to see him happy about this. When I left that note for him, I was convinced that me leaving and him marrying Sadie was the only way to save the ranch. I hadn't known at the time that he had other things in mind. I felt foolish for about one second until I realized Jake would have done it. He would have married Sadie to save the Triple R, if she had been pregnant like she claimed. It was a total lie.

"Yeah, so how will all that work out?" Tyler asks as Brody joins us on the porch. He takes off his gloves and lays them on the railing and leans on it.

"What work?" Brody asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, we're going to renovate a bunkhouse and turn it into better sleeping quarters for visitors. Sort of make it like a dude ranch or something. People can book their stay online and come learn about ranch life. We will also have guided trail rides, and we'll let folks rent out the bunkhouse or the barns for special occasions." Jake looks off into the distance, squinting as if he sees something out there, but when I look I see nothing. He is eager for Colt to be home with his family.

"So, like weddings and stuff?" Brody picks his tooth with his tongue and I snicker at how ridiculous he looks.

"Yeah, like that." Jake shields his eyes from the sun and stares toward the road, then stands. "He's here, guys."

I again look, but I see nothing. Jake's hawk eyes are much better than mine. I rise to stand next to him, clutching his hand in mine. The other Blackwell children all accept me, and I'm slightly nervous to meet Colt. While Tyler's rodeo lifestyle keeps him from being full time at the ranch, and Brody's music career has him traveling from time to time, Colton is serious about his humanitarian aid trips. From what I gathered from conversations with Riley and Chloe, they both think he spends a little too much time away from home and they're eager to have him here for a while. I'm just hoping he is as nice as the lot.

Jake takes the lead, heading down the stairs to the driveway where Chloe, Riley, and Sage are chatting unaware that a car is rolling up the drive. I see it now, the plume of dust tossed up by the wheels, and I already have a smile on my face at the prospect of watching Riley and her love reunite. Since she heard he finally got a plane ticket home, she has been nothing but giddy at the idea of seeing him again. Her eyes light up as Jake points toward the horizon and she spins around.

"Oh god, he's here. Do I look okay?" she asks and Sage is right there fluffing her hair.

"You look adorable." Sage clasps hands with Riley, as antsy as she is, and we all come to a halt on the other side of Riley's car.

As the black sedan pulls to a stop, the cloud of dust envelops the car and we have to wait for the breeze to carry it away. I hear a car door shut, and as the breeze picks up and the dust begins to settle, two figures emerge from the plume. I'm standing here like an idiot with a grin on my face, but I see the look of confusion on Riley's face. She looks hurt and Sage's hand shoots to her back, rubbing small circles.

"Colt?" she mumbles and Jake moves directly toward his brother, wrapping his arms around Colt.

Colt's happy expression seems ill fitting for this moment as his hand slides away from a woman's lower back and he hugs Jake. The woman, dark hair, pretty eyes, stands there innocent as can be, smiling at Colt and his brother hugging. Riley stands unmoved, taking it all in for a moment before she turns and walks away, Chloe and Sage in tow. And I'm left wondering what just happened.

Epilogue

Chapter 1

Chloe, Mia, and I lean over the large dining table in the north bunkhouse, looking at swatches for the curtains and bedding. I'm not an expert when it comes to decorating, so I have to rely on the opinions of the ladies, who have very different ideas of what would make for good colors. Mia seems on edge, while Chloe seems to be taking it in stride.

"No, because if you use cream, it will get dirty much more quickly and you'll be laundering everything far more often." Mia picks up a blue swatch and smooths her thumb over the fabric. "This blue tweed is nice for curtains."

"But tweed bedding?" Chloe asks, scrunching her nose. "That sounds itchy to me, sort of like wool. I think we need cotton for the bedding."

"We can't get this color in cotton. I think a lot of people take the duvet off the bed when they sleep. At least I always have. It's more about aesthetics really." Mia drops the swatch and sighs hard. I see tears welling up in her eyes and know it's time to end this conversation before she starts crying again. She's been doing that a lot.

"Alright, ladies, I'd like to speak to my lovey fiancé for a moment. Chloe, can you run up to the house and see if lunch is on track?" I reach for Mia's hand and Chloe seems to understand. She nods and heads out. Everyone has noticed how on-edge Mia has been since the incident a few weeks ago, and we are all trying to help her.

She's jumpy and emotional, and I don't blame her. Being taken by your violent ex and threatened with death is a scary thing, so when Chloe is gone I hold Mia to my chest. I can see in her eyes she looks tired; maybe she hasn't been sleeping well.

"Are you okay, baby?" I kiss her forehead and she shrugs so I continue. "You seem frustrated and tired. Why don't you go have a nap?"

"I'm not tired. Why does everyone keep saying I look tired?" She pulls away and frowns and I let her go. I don't want to make it worse by keeping her where she doesn't want to be.

We all tried to convince her that therapy could help, but she insists she's fine. I want to give her space but I'm worried. I wonder if she is having second thoughts about marrying me. Mustang may not feel like home anymore now that she's been traumatized here. And I can't move away now. This ranch is my responsibility and I have a duty to my family to make sure it is taken care of.

"I really like this blue," she says, rubbing the tweed between her fingers. I don't care what fabric we use for anything but since I asked Chloe to help with this, I have to make sure she's happy with it too.

"Alright, well let's just have a break from this and come back at it when you feel better." I hook my arm around her waist and we walk, though her eyes linger on the table of swatches.

I guide her toward the stairs in the bunkhouse, but before we even hit the bottom step she pulls away. "I'm going to go up to the house. Okay? I'd like to get a peppermint."

"But I wanted to show you the updates today. They got all the light fixtures wired yesterday and--"

"Jake, I'll be back." She turns and walks away hastily and I'm left wondering what I did wrong this time. I sigh and lean against the banister, watching her storm out and Colt walks up to me. His face is a sight for sore eyes, but right now I'm in no mood to deal with him.

"Jake, we need your opinion on the--"

"Not now, Colt." I snap at him but I don't mean to. It's just all this with Mia has me confused and on edge. If she's having second thoughts about marrying me I wish she'd just tell me. If it's because of what happened with that city prick, I wish she'd let me help her.

"Woah, don't bite my head off." Colt holds his hands up defensively and takes a step back. "What's eating you today?" He crosses his arms over his chest. He has his own issues with Riley; he doesn't need to worry about me and Mia. Still, if I bottle this up I'm just going to keep snapping at people.

"Mia is moody and emotional. She almost cried over the damn color swatches. I think she's having second thoughts about marrying me. That or this whole thing with her ex has really gotten to her." I run a hand through my hair and then rub my eyes. I'm tired too, and we are only at the beginning of this renovation.

"Ah, well, give her time. From what I hear that was a pretty traumatic ordeal for her. And maybe it's not second thoughts. Maybe she's just as overwhelmed with all of this as you are." As he speaks he gestures at the chaos around us. The guys are carrying in sheets of drywall and other supplies. I can hear drills, hammers, and saws running. In a matter of weeks we will have things ready for the inspectors, as long as there aren't any delays.

Colt is right. We are pushing pretty hard for this, so maybe it's getting to her. I'm going to go find her and offer her a day off. She deserves some time to go relax. Maybe she'll head to town and find Sage and Riley and do some shopping. Hopefully that will make her calm down.

Chapter 2

We've been working on planning floral arrangements for the wedding for hours and my eyes are tired. I've felt so exhausted for the past few days, but I keep pushing on. With a wedding only a week away, I know I can't take time to rest right now, and that has made me grumpy and overly emotional. Chloe and Riley have been such a great help, even if we don't see eye to eye on everything. At least I get to pick the colors and styles for my own wedding.

"Look, I'm sorry for being grumpy about the fabric for the bunkhouse yesterday. I have a lot on my mind and it just made me emotional." I lean back in my chair and watch Chloe's face soften. If I have to look at one more picture of flowers, I will tear the thing up. I'm ready for this to be over and move on with my life with Jake.

"Hey, it's okay. You've been through a lot and we all understand." Chloe leans back too, but Riley continues sorting through the pile. We've been trying to find the perfect shade of purple to go with my gown. I like lilac, but Riley insists if she can find lavender, I will love it even more. She's the designer so I leave the burden of proof on her and just rest knowing I've selected what I think is the best.

"Well, I shouldn't be so pushy. I guess I'm just jittery about the whole thing. I've never been married and it's a huge task to plan a wedding. I mean, we're going to have a very small thing, no attendants, but it's still so much work."

Riley's head pops up with a grin on her face. "How could you decide who to choose with so many Blackwell siblings. You'd have Brody and Colt fist fighting over who gets to walk who down the aisle." She chuckles, but I can tell it's forced. Things are tense between her and Colton right now, but seeing her smile--even if it's forced--is a good thing.

I chuckle along with her but it's true. Chloe would be my obvious choice for maid of honor but Jake would have a tough time choosing who to be his best man, so we decided to have no attendants and let the family just enjoy the day. Now if I could just finish the planning on time we'd be good.

"This would be so much easier with Sage," Riley groaned and Chloe leaned forward, grabbing the stack of flower cards out of Riley's hand.

"Where is she anyway?" Chloe asks, and I see Jake walk in the front door. He looks tired, covered in dirt and sweat. I'm so thankful he's such a hard worker.

"Not sure. Something around her ranch I guess. She's been super busy ever since Colt got home, and I sort of miss my girl." Riley stands and sighs. "I'll be back. I am going to get some water. Anybody want anything?" She lingers for a moment.

"I'm good," I tell her, waving her off.

"Same. I'm just going to stack this lot up and we can move on to the arrangement cards. We know the flowers now at least." Chloe continues stacking cards as Riley walks away. I turn to the pile of blankets, donated to the wedding cause by Cordelia. They are intricate, with Native American designs meticulously woven into them like a tapestry.

"Cordelia is a genius. These are so beautiful. They will look amazing draped over the straw bales." I gingerly finger the corner of one of the soft blankets and am thankful that even those in the community I've only just met care enough about this family to be a part of our wedding.

"Oh yeah, she's amazing. She makes cute soaps and body butters. You've seen them in the store probably." Chloe's eyes perk up as she sees Jake approaching too. She nods at him and continues. "We're going to open a gift shop here once we get the tourist thing off the ground. She's excited to bring her things here to sell them."

"How are my favorite ladies?" Jake asks, bending to kiss my forehead. I turn my face upward to receive said kiss. It's always a welcome thing when he pauses work to say hello.

"Tired..." I'd share the flowers with him but he left it all to me to do as I please. Not that he doesn't want to help plan; he just has too much on his hands with the renovation of the ranch for our new venture. Besides, Chloe and Riley have been more than helpful.

"Hungry. When are you going to feed us?" Chloe sets the stack of flower cards to the side and hefts a giant binder to the table, flopping it open. Inside are various images of floral arrangements with their intended purpose, and from the looks of it, it appears there are dozens of styles for every flower imaginable. This could take a while.

"Well, I was thinking we do a few steaks on the grill this afternoon. Think I can convince Brody to fire it up?" he asks, smiling boldly. His eyes sparkle with happiness, which is more than could say for him yesterday.

"Sounds great." Chloe flips through the book and I shrug.

"Something light sounds better to me. Mind if I just have a cold meat sandwich or a salad?" I crane my neck to see his face, and I can tell he hides a scowl. It flashes briefly on his forehead before smoothing back into a calm expression.

"Since when do you not like steak? You always eat steak with us." He leans on the back of my chair and I shrug again. I feel cornered.

"I just wanted something different."

He nods his head, deep slow movements. Then he says, "Well as long as you don't change your mind about me too. I mean I had a hard time finding you last time you did that."

My chest tightens and I look down as he snickers. Chloe smiles too, as if she will join him in laughing but her eyes catch my face and she takes a deep breath. Her shoulders tense and she says, "Jake..."

I stand, avoiding his hands that try to catch my wrist, and I bolt. Tear are already streaming down my face. I know he meant it as a joke, but I hate when he sees me cry. Everyone around here is strong--not like me. I fall apart at the drop of a hat. A coworker back in Denver said I'm an empath, but I think I'm just emotionally wounded or something.

I head out the back door, weaving down the long path toward the gazebo. The clematis vines that have grown up around the pillars and woven themselves through the lattice no longer have flowers but the foliage is still beautiful, even as the summer fades. I sit on the bench and wipe my eyes. I have to remind myself that this family is a no-holds-barred sort of deal. They say what they mean and mean what they say, and I need to toughen up.

Chapter 3

"What just happened?" I ask Chloe and she sighs hard and rolls her eyes at me as if I have no clue how to talk to a woman. Mia and I have been doing great until now and it seems like everything I do now screws something else up.

"Look, Jake, she was trying to save the ranch by getting out of the way. She wasn't deciding she didn't want you." Chloe looks up as Riley returns with a glass of water and sits.

"What did I miss? Where's Mia?" she asks.

"Jake ran her off," Chloe says snickering. "He's got a big mouth apparently because he fits his foot in it regularly."

"What? It was a joke." It's hard to be defensive when I know I made a horrible joke. I didn't mean to hurt Mia, but I did, which means she is probably somewhere crying. "I'm going out to find her. Give us some privacy. And if Brody comes in, tell him we want steaks."

I head out the back door where I last saw Mia and look around. There is no trace of her out here, but I know this is where she went. So I start down the path that winds between trees toward the stream. The ground is dry; were in a drought, but the path is grown over by grass, so there are no footprints. As I approach the gazebo I hear sniffling and know I've found her. I wait for a moment not wanting to disturb her, but my heart longs to comfort her too.

When I hear a board on the gazebo floor creak, I move that direction. I don't want her to leave, and I also don't want her to think I was eavesdropping. When I come into the clearing and she sees me she stops and wipes her eyes quickly, drying away her tears. She rubs her hands on her jeans and smiles. "Jake, I didn't..."

"Hey, Mia, I'm sorry if I upset you. I was just joking." I step up onto the gazebo and she sits down on the bench and her shoulders slump.

"You didn't upset me, Jake. I'm just really emotional right now." She picks at her fingernails and I sit beside her and take her hand in mine, lacing our fingers together.

"Mia, what's wrong? Is this about Dino and what happened? I mean, I'm here to listen."

"No," she says, looking up at me with tears in her eyes, "it's not about that. I lived with that for a long time. I'm not traumatized at all. I'm glad he's going away for life."

I tense. If it's not Dino then it has to be that she's having second thoughts. What else could make her so emotional? I don't even know how to ask her if that's what it is because I can't stand the idea of her not wanting to marry me. In fifteen years I never found a single woman I would ever want to marry. She's it.

"Is it me? Is it because you don't want to marry me?" The words come out like bile, bitter and hard to release. I try not to give in to the weight crushing my chest.

She smiles and cups my cheek. "No, bud, it's not. I want to marry you more than anything in the whole world. You are my everything."

I'm confused. I search her gaze, tears still streaming down her face. Her smile fades and her bottom lip quivers. She's in pain and I don't know how to fix it. I'd give anything to reach into that spot in her heart that hurts and scoop out all the pain and fill it with love and joy, but if she won't tell me what's wrong, how can I do that?

"Tell me, Mia. Because you're hurting and I don't know how to help."

Her hand drops to her lap and she pulls her other hand from my grasp, returning to her nervous habit of picking at her fingernails. "It's just that, with the ranch in trouble financially and all the renovations you have going on... It's just not the ideal time for a..."

"For a what? Spit it out? What's it not time for."

"A baby, Jake. I'm pregnant." Her eyes meet mine and I freeze.

"You're what?" The pressure in my chest lifts immediately, and a grin stretches across my face.

"I'm pregnant, and--" Mia bursts into tears again, this time cradling her face so I can't see her. Her shoulders shake with sobs, and I am confused again. I pull her against my chest, happier than I ever imagined I'd be and kiss her temple.

"Woah... slow down, baby. What's wrong? Why are you sad?" I try to soothe her, rubbing my hand up and down her back, but she is stiff.

"You said kids weren't something on your mind right now. That you were too busy and it's not in your plan."

My heart wrenches in my chest and I squeeze her harder. I do remember saying that to her, but that was when I felt like the ranch had no hope. And how could I ever turn her away or not want the life growing inside of her? She is my everything.

"Mia, you just stop thinking that right now." I cradle her face in both of my hands and force her to look up at me. "I thought when you agreed to marry me, that you made me the happiest man alive. I was wrong. I never knew I could be happier than that moment. I am... You have made me the. Happiest man alive over again." I grin and kiss her hard.

"You mean you're not upset?" she asks, biting her lip.

"Upset? Why would I be upset that the sexiest woman alive is carrying my child?"

She smiles softly and I kiss her again, claiming her lips in a passionate kiss, which she returns eagerly. My body responds to her and all I can think of is cementing this moment in time, relieving her unease, and making sure she knows I'm ecstatic.

Chapter 4

Jake's voice is thick with desire as he says, "I want you."

My gaze locks with his and I feel a rush of warmth spread through me. I want him too. My heart races as my imagination runs wild with the thought of him inside me, the two of us united in an ardent embrace. He leans in and kisses me lightly, like a soft secret shared between lovers. His tongue plays with mine and I feel my insides smolder.

His hands rove down my body, settling on my buttocks and gripping tightly as he pulls me onto his lap and grinds against me in time with our heated breaths. His mouth moves from mine, traveling down my neck nipping at my collarbone. He nuzzles against my breast, sucking light kisses from above the fabric cup of my bra, peeking out from the V of my blouse. I gasp and grab a handful of hair and pull him up to me.

He grins and kisses me again, this time full on the mouth, his tongue probing in an obvious reference to what else he could be doing with it. The smoldering flames within me flare brighter and I moan against his lips. My hands slip beneath his tee shirt, touching the warm, creamy skin there. I grip his shoulders and dig my nails into his back when he groans into my mouth.

"God," he rasps against my parted lips as he deepens the kiss, showing an urgency that matches mine.

He breaks away then, swaying to the side to lay me down right there on the gazebo bench. He's on top of me in a heartbeat, settling himself between my legs as they part to make room for him. We're both breathless from anticipation as he pauses and looks at me with that intense gaze that sets me on fire every time he looks at me like that--like I'm everything he could ever want in this world. In this moment I feel beautiful and sexy--not just for Jake but for myself as well.

I pull him down to kiss me again and for a couple minutes we clash together like two snakes with hunger for each other's flesh burning in our bellies. Jake bites at the curve of my neck and sucks hard enough to leave marks. Finally he pulls away from me and rises, deftly unbuttoning my jeans and yanking them down. When they are discarded, along with my panties, he kicks his own boots off and works on his belt.

I slip my shirt off, leaving my bra in place for now, and watch him as he tugs his jeans off and shimmies out of them. His cock is hard, ready to drive into me, and we watch each other hungrily while we finish undressing, anticipating the moment when we can commit all of our passion to each other.

I can't wait any longer, "Take me."

Jake's eyes darken and his mouth finds mine. We fall back on the bench and I don't even notice how hard the wood is because Jake fills my thought processes with need for him. His hands play across my stomach toward my breasts, rolling the dark circles of my nipples between his fingers until they ache with pleasure. The base of my spine tingles and nerve endings awaken, sending down a blaze of arousing energy that catches hold of me and leaves me wanting, needing him inside me as only he can make me feel. Every woman wants to be wanted by her man and I am no exception.

When he pulls his hands away from my breasts I'm left aching for more. Before I can say or do anything, he replaces his fingers on my ribs with his tongue, licking downward slowly toward the apex of my thighs. I shudder in anticipation as he drops lower and his tongue probes at the sensitive skin on the inside of my thighs before running along the crease where cheek meets thigh, sending more throbs of want cascading through me. When Jake teases his way back up again to lick at my swollen folds, I whimper from need of him as electricity zings from gentlest touch of his tongue to every aching spot inside me.

I claw at his shoulders and hold tight to him as he licks leisurely up one side and down another, savoring me as his lips and tongue draw lazy, wet circles just an inch above my hot flesh. The anticipation is almost too much to bear and when his fingers trace over me I moan. His mouth moves to take in my clit. He sucks it gently, sending pleasure shooting through my whole body making me feel like I'm going to explode. My hips buck towards him. He traces a finger across my slit and circles the opening of my pussy with a touch that delves deeper than just the top few folds of skin, feeling every bit of energy contained in the deepest part of me.

A shrill keen of want escapes my lips as he sends me closer and closer to orgasm but stops just before I'm about to climax, leaving me panting in needy, frustrated silence as the shockwave of lust dissipates within me.

He teases my sensitive nerve endings again with slow, light strokes until I whine with desire, begging for him to let me come even though I know denying and prolonging my pleasure is an essential part of the process. He chuckles softly as he continues to tease me and I feel his warm breath on my pussy sending more sparks of need through my body. His tongue darts out to lick me from bottom to top before lashing back down one side of my swollen petals then up the other and I swear his fingers circle inside me in time with his tongue's path.

When he finds that spot--that elusive bundle of nerves--he presses against it gently and draws a loud gasp from me when pleasure explodes inside me so intense I feel like I'll lose control. I writhe under him as the pleasure he's giving me builds on itself inside me, a seductive ebb and flow that, like a pebble dropped in water, gets bigger and bigger until finally it will crash over me in an explosion of epic proportions.

"Jake," I gasp out as I come, my muscles tightening around his tongue as he continues to draw out my orgasm for another ten seconds before focusing on sending little bolts of electricity to spots along my spine.

I reach down and pull his head back toward me as gently as possible when he presses his lips against my clitoris and sucks hard. I want to feel his tongue moving inside me but with the way he's kissing and sucking at my labia, I'm sure that's where his tongue will go next. As soon as he makes contact with my sensitive inner flesh, once again licking up one side and down another, I feel another rush of joy begin to pound through me, making it almost impossible to stay in control." Jake!" I cry out, "more!"

Jake continues to lap at me until I have nothing left. When he pulls away from me once again I can't believe how sex-starved I feel and a needy whine slips from my throat.

"Shhh," he kisses the inside of my thigh and rises up, stroking his dick. "I love you, but you don't want them coming out."

"No I want you inside me," I whisper, peeling my gaze away from his cock and focusing on his eyes, the way they seem to bore right into me. My body thrums with desire. "Now."

I feel the tip of his cock pressing against me and when that sinfully sinful part of him pushes inside, I feel so full I almost can't take anymore.

"Oh god," I whisper. "So good," I sigh as he slips inside me farther and farther still. The head of his cock nudges something deep inside me and I shudder with pleasure as he pushes in a tiny bit more. He leans over me and my breasts press against his chest. His mouth finds mine and we kiss again as he eases even farther into me until I gasp and shudder right along with Jake as he finds some spot inside me that makes time stop for that moment--the space between a breath and a gasp where nothing exists but feeling his every inch stuffed deep inside my pussy.

I can feel every vein in his shaft as he pulls back then thrusts deeper than before and my body gives another lurch with pleasure at the friction of each stroke. The ache within me intensifies, matching the grind of my hips taking in every glorious inch of him until our motions are one once again. He kisses along my jawline before licking downward, causing points of sensation down my neck to trail behind each movement of his hot, wet mouth in a tingling tickle that fuses me to him even tighter. He nibbles the sensitive spot under my ear with his teeth, sending a shiver racing across my shoulders to the tips of my fingers. I grip his ass, propelling him back up until he begins thrusting into me again.

The combination of sensations that cumulates when my eyes meet his and we begin to fuck in earnest--when the heat and joy of the moment overwhelms me and I know that I have found everything I have ever wanted in him--obliterates all rational thought from my mind. Passion singes through me, overwhelming everything around it like an out-of-control forest fire as I call out his name and beckon him deeper still.

I swear I cum again, just from the intensity of the new position because now I can feel every inch of Jake inside me as he shoves himself deeper with every stroke and I let out an involuntary moan that does nothing but seem to empower Jake. As we make love he takes my wrists in one hand and holds them above my head. I pinch my thighs tight around his waist as he drives into me from above, each thrust reaching deeper than any man has ever gone before.

My throat feels sensitive from calling out and making sounds of pleasure that take away all my inhibitions with intimacy. The sounds gain strength within me, each ragged breath filled with lust and need while his cock within pushes up against muscles deep inside my pussy bringing new sensations with each stroke... It's not long before we can't hold back any longer and both climax in near unison--a simultaneous orgasm as our bodies pulse and pulse in perfect rhythm.

I'm so glad his siblings didn't hear us.

Chapter 5

Mia and I dress quickly, though the cool breeze across my pussy-damp cock feels good. And the way she looks at me makes me want to pin her down and fuck her again, but we have things to get done. And I'm starving. I don't even bother putting my boots back on. I shove my socks into them and wrap an arm around Mia as we wander back up toward the house, carrying our shoes.

"You are really happy about a baby?"

I lean down and kiss her forehead and grunt. I'm a happy man indeed. "I have the most beautiful wife-to-be, a baby on the way, things at the ranch are going to work out--I just know it--and Colt is home. I am a very happy man."

Even the birds seem to be singing a happier tune than normal. We have a lot of work to do on the ranch and a way's to go, but I'm genuinely hopeful that this will all pay off. The ideas Mia presented--turning the ranch into a tourist attraction--could very well save everything and help us grow into something bigger and better than ever. And since everyone in town is supportive, it's going even faster than we hoped.

"Do you think the family will be happy?" Mia sounds doubtful, but I'm not.

"Yes, I think having a little niece or nephew around is something everyone will love, even if they're not family." I imagine Sage and Riley will come into their own as aunts, despite being unrelated. And if Colt doesn't get his act together, he's going to lose Riley, but Chloe would never cut her off. They're inseparable.

"Hey, hey..." Chloe whoops as we come out of the tree line on the path. All my siblings are gathered on the back deck, except Colt. She wags her eyebrows and grins cheekily. "Looks like afternoon nookie has been had."

The others laugh and point and Mia blushes hard, but I have no shame. "I'm glad my sex life is something you keep track of, Chloe. I'll be sure to return the favor when you find someone willing to put up with you."

The boys laugh at her and she rolls her eyes, reaching a hand out for Mia. She pulls Mia into a hug the moment we step up on the deck. I can already smell the steaks cooking. I didn't realize we took that long, but it was a much-needed break and a much-needed moment of connection too. I can't wait to tell my siblings about the baby, but I want them all here at the same time.

"We got everything finished up on the second floor and we're ready for the ladies to come in with their feminine touch and do the decorating now." Tyler stands with a beer in hand leaning against the deck railing next to Brody who is busy seasoning meat on the grill. It makes sense now why Mia has been eating differently and overly emotional. She can't have red meat while pregnant. I feel bad and turn to apologize to her, but she is deep in conversation with Chloe.

"That's awesome. I'm sure Chloe, Mia and Riley will be able to get that all sorted out this week. I'd like get things ordered by Friday." I glance around and don't see Riley either, and that can't be good. "Where's Colt?"

"Ah, you know, man. He's inside with Riley and that girl he brought home." Brody's head jerks up in a gesture indicating where I can find Colt and I rub my forehead and pinch the bridge of my nose. That's a recipe for disaster.

"I'm not sure that's a great idea. I think we should go in there before they start throwing dishes at each other," Tyler chuckles and I agree. Given their temperament, I'm certain one or both of them will let loose at any moment. They seem to have hit a wall neither of them knows how to climb.

When I follow Tyler into the kitchen, the mood is tense. Riley's jaw is clenched and Colt has fists at his side. Ashley stands sheepishly in the corner, as if she is trying to stay out of whatever is being said, and I'd rather not get involved either. I drape an arm around Colt's shoulders and say, "It's time for the three of you to join us on the back deck. I have something important to share with everyone. It includes a change to the ranch."

Colton's eyes flash with frustration but he nods and follows me. Tyler lingers there, probably making sure Riley's claws don't come out around Ashely, and when Riley filters out the back door, it's only a matter of seconds before Tyler and Ashely follow. Everyone is chatting loudly, laughing and enjoying the afternoon, but I want to heighten their celebration by giving them the best news I could give.

"Everyone, listen up," I shout, clapping my hands a few times. They quiet down and turn to me, and Mia slips away from Chloe, tucking under my arm and leaning against my side. "I think you've all noticed that things around here are changing a lot. Well we have another change coming very soon."

Chloe's eyes sparkle, and I can tell Mia has already shared the news. I'm not upset at all. Not even when Mia steals my thunder by saying, "I'm pregnant!"

Chloe rushes over to hug her, as if they haven't already done enough hugging for one day, and Riley's expression lightens up. The angry scowl is replaced with sheer joy and she joins Chloe and Mia for a group hug and laughter. My brothers congratulate me and Tyler offers a beer. Colt is still brooding, but he seems happy enough that I'm happy. I don't let his sour mood dampen mine.

"Steaks are burning!" Brody shouts, turning his attention back to the flames shoot from the grill and I laugh. Somethings never change...

Chapter 6

The barn is decorated, a trial run for our arena barn and fancy events. Jake's idea. Chloe and Riley helped with the floral arrangements, hanging them from wire's strunk across the ceiling. Lights tinkle in the petals, making the once boring, dirty barn seem magical. Sage is here, seated in the front row by herself. Sadie had enough sense to stay out of town, though everyone else is here. Jake was right; there is no way anyone can host an event in this town without inviting the whole town. Even Carl and Marley are here.

I sigh contently as I watch Jake take his place next to the past at the pulpit positioned near the south end of the barn. I'm in the tack room with Riley and Chloe, who are making a fuss over my veil. All I care about is saying the words "I do," and making Jake mine. It's literally just a formality now. We've been making decisions like a team since the moment he brought me back from that cabin a wreck.

"God, your dress is gorgeous. I can't wait to see the look on his face," Chloe says, primping my soft curls.

Riley isn't quite as happy, but she confided in me yesterday her fears about her own nuptials never taking place. She's sworn off men if Colt isn't the one, and I don't' blame her. Blackwell men are the cream of the crop. Having gotten to know this family, I believe Colt is perfect for Riley, but I'm staying out of it. All I can do is try to keep her encouraged and focused on her store.

"It's time girls," Riley says, pointing. The music changes and they wait patiently for me to position myself near the door. Chloe fans my train out and Riley hands me my flowers with a kiss on the cheek. "Go get that man, Mia." She smiles and I see tears welling up. It feels amazing to have such good friends now, sisters really.

The first few steps are wobbly, the soft dirt beneath my heels making it difficult to walk, so in true Triple R style, I kick the damn things off and let the dirt push between my toes. I imagine Tyler making a crack about me being barefoot and pregnant, despite my body having not even the faintest hint of pregnancy yet--well except for my larger boobs. Jake seems to be enjoying that part of it.

He smiles as I walk toward him, taking my hand as I stand facing him. I don't have any family to represent me, but his family is mine now. I'm sad Daddy isn't here to walk me down the aisle. I told Jake I was my own woman; I can walk myself down the aisle, and I can give myself away, and I do. Wholeheartedly. I give myself to him in every sense of the word.

The pastor reads the passages of scripture pertaining to love. It is patient and kind, just like Jake. It's not selfish or boastful. It doesn't think evil things, or celebrate when bad things happen. It believes in you and hopes for your best and it always endures to the end. And that describes the love I have for him and the way he treats me, and that's all I need to know in my heart to say "I do" when it's my turn. And that moment brings tears to my eyes.

Jake leans down to kiss me, his new bride, and I am undone. Not by the kiss, but by the way life has worked out. Everyone claps and cheers, but I'm lost in this moment, my lips dancing against his. I thought Mustang was a place to escape, to hide from my past and heal. Never in a million years did I expect that I could ever feel so loved and welcomed. I not only found the love of my life, whom I thought I had lost forever, but I gained friends, a family, a community, and a home.

Jake pulls away from me and as the pastor is announcing us to the crowd, his forehead presses against mine. "This is the happiest day of my life, Mia. I thought you were gone, that I'd never see you again, but you came back. This ranch will never be the same and it's because of you. We are going to put so many babies in your belly we'll have to build on to the ranch house just to give them space to grow." His hand slips to my belly and he kisses me again.

"Please greet Mr. and Mrs. Jake Blackwell!" the pastor says and Jake whoops really loudly. It startles me and I chuckle as he tosses his hat into the crowd of cheering guests. He scoops me up into his arms and spins me around and I cling to his shoulders.

"Let's start the party!" Tyler shouts and before I know it the entire barn is transformed from a wedding ceremony into a feast hall with music and dancing.

I plan to dance the night away and then fall asleep in my husband's arms. Life couldn't be any better than this.