37
R eese glances over her shoulder as she wades into the water. Her defiant gaze says, Yes, see me .
I stand on the sandy bank of the lake with worry churning in my stomach, but I let her go.
Reese held up her end of the deal and trusted me enough to tell me. Trusted me enough to let me see her sadness.
And I do.
Every beautiful part of her.
She melts into the water, her blonde hair spreading out behind her. Christ, she looks like a goddess, ethereal in the moonlight. The curves of her silhouette. Her long golden hair…
My heart clenches.
She swims to the center of the lake. With a laugh, she spins around to face me. Teasing smile on her face, she strips out of her slip. Blood rushes to my cock.
I see what she wants.
To go after her.
Like I always fucking will.
I strip off my jeans and swim toward her, hissing a breath at the icy water. Her green eyes meet mine, light and vibrant and beckoning.
When I reach her, I don’t say anything.
I just kiss her.
A whimper tumbles from her mouth as I ease back from her lips. My pulse racing, I drink her in. My beautiful, lovely girl.
There are no words for what she’s done for me.
I lift her in my arms, stroking my fingers over the curve of her spine. Her legs wrap around my waist. It’s cold in the water, but it feels like she’s burning against my body.
“Do you know why I love the water?” she asks.
A ragged breath draws from my lungs. “Reese—”
“Because it feels like starting over. Everything bad gets washed away. But I stay and get to try again. I can always keep trying.”
I kiss her again, a greedy need hammering at my control. An ache building in my chest. “Tell me this is real,” I rasp against her hair. It’s as close as I can get to saying those three little words. “Tell me.”
“It’s as real as the stars,” she whispers. Tentative green eyes flick to mine. “But stars go out.”
“Nah, baby. Not us.” She laughs as I haul her higher on my body. Her breasts draw my eye. Full and gorgeous and rosy. “We burn.” My rough voice is heated and firm.
Her eyes fill with tears. “We do?”
“Fuck yes.” A burn lights in my chest. “I care more about you than I do anyone else on this planet, Reese.”
“Ford,” she whispers.
I trail my nose along her jaw, kiss her cheek, her throat. Tangled blonde strands drip down her shoulders like honey. I try to rein in my hunger.
Our kisses turn frantic, heated. Her moans mingle with mine. I hold her tight, urgent, like I’m physically unable to let her go. Need more Reese. Need her closer. Pressed to my heart, my bones. That bond I felt from the second we met. Incomparable. Insatiable.
We both laugh as Reese slips into the water. I grab her before she can go under and adjust her in my arms.
“Better hold on to me, County Boy,” she teases. “If I die, Gavin gets everything.”
I shake my head, half-laughing, half-horrified. “Jesus, Birdie, that’s morbid as fuck.”
She wiggles her brows. “It’s the truth, but not for long. I am going to fly.”
Fly away.
Fuck that.
I have to tell her I love her. That I don’t remember what my world felt like without her.
I wet my lips. “Reese, I—”
“Ford,” she whispers, tensing. She points over my shoulder. “Someone’s in the forest.”
I whip around, protectively placing myself in front of Reese. What the fuck?
That’s when I see a shadowy figure moving in the woods, hear the snap of twigs beneath their feet.
“Stay here,” I warn.
I snatch up my pants, dressing quickly before I race to the edge of the tree line. With only the moonlight, it’s too dark to see properly. I wait a beat or two, scoping out the area, not breathing. Unnerved.
When I return to the lake, Reese is dressed and shivering, arms wrapped around her waist. I slip my dry flannel over her shoulders.
“See anyone?” she asks.
“No. Could be a guest, could be an animal,” I tell her, wiping a drop of water from her lip. The thought of someone watching me—watching Reese—fills me with anger.
I pull her close, kiss her brow. “Let’s get the hell outta here.”
The next morning, I wake before Reese. She’s buried in blankets, one tan leg tossed over the comforter. I sweep a kiss over her bare shoulder before slipping out of bed. I want her to rest. Especially after last night.
I head straight for the lake. There are footprints on the red sand bank, leading to the woods, the chalets. Reese’s or mine or someone else’s—I can’t tell.
An icy feeling settles in my gut.
I think of the black SUV Reese told me about.
The shadow in the woods last night.
Damn if it doesn’t feel off. Everything feels off.
I head back to the garage and leave a bowl of kibble for Mouse. I haven’t seen her in a week. She’s a ranch cat, but hell, I’m worried.
Before I can head back upstairs, my eyes light on a yellow, sticky note on the window of my old Chevy. I must have missed it earlier.
I pick it up and smile.
You’re the best serotonin boost I’ve ever had.
My heart thrums against my chest like a kick drum.
It hits me what I have to do.
I yank my phone out of my pocket, scroll through my contacts, and hit dial.
Jim Donovan picks up on the second ring. “About damn time, son.”
“I’m afraid I got bad news for you,” I tell him. “I’m not taking the job.”
His exhale is long and loud. “That’s disappointing. Better opportunities?”
“Something like that.”
“Think I could change your mind?”
“You can try. But I’m locked in.”
“You know I don’t back down from a challenge.”
I grin as Reese, sleepy-eyed and messy-haired, appears on the stairwell. She waves, giving me a bright smile.
“Neither do I.”
Never backing down. Not from her.
For so long, Runaway Ranch felt like a tentative place to land until I figured it out. Watching out for my brothers, watching out for my heart. But with Reese, it feels like home.The three short months we’ve been together matter more than the three years I spent with Savannah.
When Charlie gave me the chance to walk away two years ago, I didn’t take it, and I still wouldn’t.
I love this life, and I don’t have to change it to be happy. I have the ranch. I have baseball. All I need to do is add to it. And that’s Reese. The biggest, brightest part of my life. A friend, a lover—a soulmate. I’m a goddamn sap for that girl.
She’s mine. Now she just needs to know that.