Rhett made his way up to the lodge, wondering if maybe he should draw Big Stan out of the place just in case he caused a scene.

But when he made his way to the back lounge, which was reserved for private parties and had its own giant river-rock fireplace that was crackling merrily, he found his father and an absolutely gigantic man, a true Paul Bunyan/Abe Lincoln type, laughing together in chairs by the fire.

Nat had described Big Stan perfectly: he had a silvery gray handlebar mustache, and his white cowboy hat was sitting on the rough-edged redwood mantle. His plaid shirt was tucked into neatly ironed Levi’s, a leather belt with a giant rodeo buckle—no doubt won by the man himself—on it.

“Hello, sir,” Rhett said, coming forward, resisting the urge to slick his hand through his hair one more time. “You must be Natalie’s father, Stan. I’m Rhett Oakes.” He held his hand out.

Big Stan rose from his chair and took it. Even though Rhett was six and a half feet tall, the man topped him by at least an inch or two.

“So you’re the man who married my little girl,” he said, his voice a dark, deep John Wayne–type rumble.

“Apparently it’s just for legal reasons,” Hank put in, and Rhett barely resisted the urge to glare at his father, who was clearly enjoying this way too much.

“Dad, can you give us a few minutes?” Rhett asked.

“I’ll go see if I can scare up some grub from that fancy chef of yours,” Hank said, disappearing out of the private lounge.

“Please, sit,” Rhett said. “I can explain better than my father did, hopefully.”

“I understand the situation,” Big Stan said, remaining standing, positively looming over him. “You got into a legal bind. And Nat, being Nat, did you a favor. What I don’t understand is what kind of man lets a woman do that for him.”

Rhett’s spine prickled, irritation sparking inside him. “The kind of man who employs over a hundred people in the area who will lose their jobs if I don’t have access to my water sources. The kind of man who has eighty different species, some endangered, recovering or being rehabilitated at our refuge, not to mention the thousands of acres of wildlife, flora, and fauna that is my responsibility to care for. The kind of man who looks at your daughter and sees a woman who is strong and smart and who knows her own mind and makes her own choices, and who is a good enough friend who cares enough about this place to do this massive favor for me, and for it.”

There was dead silence after this little monologue, and as it stretched out, Rhett’s heart began to thud in his ears, because any second, Nat’s father was going to punch him. Rhett had taken more than a few punches in his life, but he had a feeling that if Big Stan punched you, you went down. Fast.

But then, the older man’s face broke into a wide smile. “Well, hell, son,” he drawled. “Why didn’t you tell me you were in love with her? That’s a whole other matter.”

Rhett gaped at him. Was he that obvious?

Before he could respond, the door to the lounge slammed open, and Nat bolted inside, her hair flying loose around her head, her cheeks bright red, and her eyes wild as they looked around, finally settling on the two of them standing so close.

“Daddy! Don’t you dare shoot him!” she ordered.

“Aw, Natty-Batty, why do you always think I’m gonna shoot ’em?”

Natty-Batty? Rhett mouthed at Nat, who glared at him like, Shut up if you value your life! God, she was so cute. He wanted her to glare at him like that forever. Trace the little crunching of her eyebrows when she did it. Kiss the crinkles of her eyes…

“Because you always try to!” Nat snapped back.

Seriously? Rhett thought.

“That’s not true,” Big Stan protested. “It’s really not,” he said to Rhett. “The one boyfriend who got shot in the ass took off his reflective vest while we were hunting like an idiot.”

“You should have been looking for him!” Nat snapped back. “Not just continuing the hunt! He was lost!”

“Then he shouldn’t have taken off the damn vest so he’d be found,” Big Stan said.

“He has a point,” Rhett said.

“You stay out of this!” Nat said, shaking her finger at him. “You hung up on me.”

Big Stan whistled. “Don’t do that,” he told Rhett. “She doesn’t like that. Neither does her mother. Quickest way to piss her off.”

“Good to know,” Rhett replied with a grin.

Nat stared at the two of them, looking horrified. “Don’t give him tips about me, Dad! Are you… are you two bonding?”

“I mean, he is my son-in-law, darlin’,” Big Stan said, his eyes twinkling.

“Oh my God, I can’t even with you,” Nat said, holding her hands up. “Either of you!”

“Oh, come on, Natty,” Big Stan said, and Rhett watched as this giant practically melted at his daughter’s feet. “Aren’t you glad I’m laughing and not shooting?”

“Did you come all this way to laugh?” she asked.

“I came out here because your mother asked me to,” he said. “I came out here because I knew if your mother came, you two would be at it like a pair of bobcats over this. So I figured the more level-headed one in the family should take care of it.”

“There is nothing to take care of,” Nat said.

“But aren’t you glad it’s me here, not your mother?”

She nibbled on her lower lip. “Yes,” she muttered.

“Good,” Big Stan clapped his giant hands together. Rhett noticed he wore a giant horseshoe ring on his right ring finger. “Now since I’m here, I figured I’d stay in this beautiful lodge I’ve heard all about, treat you and your new but totally not real husband to dinner, and then I can go back home, let your mother know you’re just being your normal fix-it self and you’re not throwing away the rest of your life on some man who’s gonna take your inheritance and destroy your life. You know, normal mother worries when her daughter’s a hell-raiser like you.”

“Dad…” Nat protested, and Rhett couldn’t choke back the chuckle rising in his throat. Big Stan was quite a character.

“Your father already arranged a room for me, so I’m gonna go get cleaned up before dinner,” Big Stan said, brushing a kiss on Nat’s cheek. “It’s good to see you, sweetheart. I’ll see you at seven. Your new father-in-law is so looking forward to meeting you. I told him all about your rodeo days on the flight over.”

Nat groaned as he left the lounge. “I cannot believe this,” she said, turning to Rhett. “I am going to kill your brother.”

“I should’ve warned you, Jace is totally the gossipy aunt of the family. Don’t worry, I’m gonna torture him this Christmas to get back at him for spilling.”

“Good,” Nat said, and he probably shouldn’t like that hard, maybe slightly vicious streak in her, but he did. He liked her sweet and he liked her wild and he just…

You don’t just like her, you…

“I’m sorry I interrupted your whole day,” he said. “I know you had that meeting.”

“It’s fine,” she said. “The meeting was over before it even began, really. The photographer was all wrong for the project. I’m glad he’s gone, but it means I have to start from scratch, and I have some really strict deadlines, so more stress.” She sighed, shrugging her shoulders back, like she was trying to relieve the tension. More than anything, he wanted to help her, to massage her shoulders, draw her a bath, use his fingers and lips and cock to get rid of all that stress. His mind tripped over the visual for a second before he forced himself to snap back to the present.

“You’ll find someone great,” he said.

“I hope so,” she said.

“I know so. You don’t fail, Nat.”

For some reason, it made her frown at him, her delicate dark brows knitting together. “You shouldn’t have so much faith in me,” she said shakily.

He reached out, taking her hand, drawing her towards him. “But I do.”

Her eyes swept down, unable to meet his eyes, her fingers soft against his, entwining with his like she couldn’t stop herself. With his other hand, he gently grasped her chin, tilting her head toward his.

“We said we wouldn’t,” she said.

They had agreed the other night would be the last time.

They both knew they had been lying to each other. To themselves.

His lips were just a breath’s away from hers, she could feel the warmth of them against her skin, when a knock on the lounge door startled them apart. Nat stepped away, clearing her throat, as Molly peeked her head in.

“Sorry,” she said. “But Rhett, I need you. Fred the bear’s spiked a fever. I think we need to go back in on the wound on his left back paw.”

“Fuck,” Rhett swore.

“Go,” Nat urged him. “If you aren’t done by dinner, I’ll handle the Dads.”

“Thanks, Nat,” he said, feeling that horrible, overwhelming sense of rightness and support again. Unconditional. That’s what love should be like, right?

He hurried out of the lodge with Molly, worry spiking in his chest as they raced to the clinic.