“Me first,” Sami croaked when she felt ready to talk. She reached into the console and grabbed a roll of Lifesavers she saw when picking through his stuff.

The next available color was the green watermelon. “Ew.” She plucked it off the stack, rolled down the window, and tossed it. “Ya want one?” she offered.

He inspected the roll of candies. “I’m guessing you don’t like grape either?”

“The watermelon is just nasty. I like the grape, but it’s the cherry I’m after.”

“Oh, alright,” he grumbled. “Gimme.” He opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue.

After getting to the red candy, she popped it in her mouth and waited for enough saliva to make a conversation possible.

“I have to tell you something.”

His face shuttered. He was expecting the worst, and she wanted to kick herself for being so clumsy.

She leaned on the center console, so he was closer and kissed his shoulder. He looked afraid when his eyes met hers.

What she had to say was a gift – a statement about his true place in her life – and she hoped on everything holy that he got it.

“I had it written into every contract – movies, TV, recording, didn’t matter – that the phrase good girl was never used in any scene or song that I was in.”

He blinked twice. “What?”

“I only ever wanted to be your good girl, Wyn. Those words are special. And they belong exclusively to you. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Are you serious?” He sounded slightly horrified, but she didn’t know why.

“Yes. And if you doubt me, I can show you a whole stack of papers full of riders for different things, but that one was standard. Even for the commercials I did in Europe.”

“Ah, Jesus.”

She didn’t know why he sounded so put out. “I didn’t tell you to make you mad.”

“I’m not mad. I’m …” He huffed out a strangled breath and pounded on the steering wheel. “Fuck.”

“What’s wrong, Wyn? What have I done now?” She swung away from him and clung to the passenger door. “I always fuck up with you.”

“No, god, no. Sami. Shit. No, that’s not it.”

“Take me home. Please. I don’t think I can take any more.”

“Sami, please.”

“No. Just drive. I need my place.”

They drove in more uncomfortable silence. She gritted her teeth. They had two gears – wild fucking and grim quiet.

At Millie’s, he unloaded the truck and made small talk with her dad while she hid in the ladies’ room. April came and found her.

“Samantha Louise Colton,” she pronounced in that drawn-out way parents did when they were making a point. April wasn’t her mother, but the woman did love her dad, and that was enough to make Sami consider her an authority figure.

“You two have to stop this. Right now,” April sternly barked. “What is wrong with you? And Wyn? Good god, girl. Do you think love comes along every day?”

She couldn’t fight back because her dad’s lady friend was right.

When she lined her up and landed a sharp punch straight to Sami’s heart, she felt like a cattle herd had slammed her.

“Are you under some impression that you have a life beyond this moment? Sami, come on. You of all people understand that life can alter forever in the blink of an eye. Do you think your dad ever thought he’d be widowed and raising a little girl all by himself? Do you think your mom envisioned dying in her thirties and leaving behind a husband, a daughter, and a life she loved?”

Tears swam in her eyes as the damning words hung in the air.

“What’s that saying? Country girls get shit done? Well, honey, if that’s true, then take Wyn by the hand or the balls, whichever works, and settle this thing once and for all. Personally, honey,” she drawled with no deficit of snark, “if it were me, I’d be on my knees proposing.”

Down but not out, Sami took April’s words and swung for the fence. “Then why aren’t you and my dad married?”

April laughed. Then she looked at her like she was nuts. Then she got serious.

“You don’t know?”

“No,” she replied. “You two clearly love each other – you live together – I don’t get it.”

“Honey,” April murmured softly. “When it was obvious he was dragging his feet, I tried some country gal chutzpah on for size and did the proposing. He politely declined. Seems he made promises to your mom when you were born. Promises he still honors. That man can’t put his happiness first until you’re sorted out.”

“What? No, April! No! What? Oh my god.” She gasped so harshly her head spun. “Are you saying he won’t marry you because of me?”

No answer was given, and when she gave it some thought, none was needed.

“I shouldn’t have come home,” she blurted out. “This is all on me. I ruin everything.”

“Oh, shut up.” April laughed. “A pity party isn’t a good look for you. You came home like a good girl, and yeah, you’re taking it on the chin, but nothing worth fighting for ever came easy.”

Good girl. Jesus. She closed her eyes and gathered her wits.

“If you want that man, then I suggest you face the shit that’s knocking on the door, wrestle it to the ground, and pin the fucker down. Pardon my unseemly use of vulgarity, but in this case, I think it worked, didn’t you? It did, right? You got that the fucker in question is Wyn.”

“Yeah, I got it, April. May I ask a question?”

“Sure.”

“Has Dad told you anything about Wyn and me? Like what happened. I’m asking because a lot of people seem to know something that I don’t.”

April’s response was straight-forward. “Yes, he did. Your dad played a part, but he won’t tell you that, ever. I think it might be part of the men’s code. The story is Wyn’s to tell, honey.”

“I don’t understand what all the secrecy is about. Why can’t he just say what’s on his mind?”

“Men think they’re so tough, but there’s a knot in the yarn if you know what I mean. A man in love is fragile.”

Oh. She never thought of it like that. In a different light, some of Wyn’s actions, words, and reactions looked a little different. Maybe the anger he showed in the truck wasn’t what she thought. Anger can resemble anguish. She bit down on her lip.

“Thank you, April.” She hugged her tight and kissed her stepmom-in-waiting on the cheek.

Returning the hug, April kissed her on the forehead and gave her an encouraging smile. “Do you know what you’re going to do?”

“Not yet, but I’m getting there.”

“You have to tell her, son. This is getting ridiculous.”

“I know, Mr. Colton, and I’m sorry. But don’t worry. I will.”

Brad Colton’s face broke into a sly grin. “Come to your senses then, have you?”

Wyn just looked at him and kept his mouth shut. The heat making his collar uncomfortable moved to his face.

“Before I ask this next question, I want you to know that you get one.” Brad held up a finger to make the point. “Just one.”

He nodded as a knot of anxiety tightened in his gut.

“Were there tears involved in this come to Jesus moment? Did you make my girl cry?”

He nodded again and hung his head.

“Is that why she’s hiding out in the ladies’ room?”

Another shame-faced nod. He glanced quickly at Sami’s dad, expecting to find fury in his expression, and flinched when the man started laughing.

Brad slapped him on the back in a good-natured way. “Son, welcome to the real world where the tears of the woman you love are your personal kryptonite.”

“I’m an idiot.”

“Yup,” the man replied. “What are ya gonna do about it?”

He thought about it for a second and then shook Brad’s hand. “I’ve got this, sir. Might take some doing and a shit ton of groveling but don’t worry, Mr. Colton. Sami comes first. I get it now.”

“You’re a good man, Wyn. Do your parents proud, boy, and stop all this screwing around. Ya hear me? I don’t like what’s going on, and I know you two have to figure it out on your own, but I swear to god, Wyn, I’m on a short tether right now. Your takin’ liberties with my baby girl, and I don’t give a shit if she started it. You’re the man, so act like it. Take some goddamn responsibility for your actions, now and back then.”

Ouch.

“Brad,” April called out. “Guess what?”

Brad chuckled and hollered back, “What?”

“There’s a fresh pan of blueberry mess waiting for us at the house. We’re just in the way here,” she said with a smirk. “You know the staff hates when we poke around and make everyone nervous.”

He saw Sami’s head walking behind April as the smiling woman went to Brad and hugged him.

“I’m sending Sami home with some fried chicken – still hot if you’re both hungry.”

April’s beaming smile and less-than-subtle jab struck him as unusual. Also interesting was Sami’s vibe.

She held up the pan in her hands as evidence. “I’ll make a salad,” was all she said and then she kissed her dad’s cheek, said, “See ya,” and bolted for the diner door.

Okay then, so … what? They were having dinner together?

Startled that she just up and left, he scrambled to catch up after a hasty goodbye to Brad and April. He got to the passenger door of his truck three steps before she did and opened it for her.

“Here, hold this, and then give it to me, and I’ll set it on my lap. But hurry, okay? The food is hot, and the pan is kinda warm.”

She hopped into the cab and reached for the pan. All the tension from earlier seemed to have vanished. She wasn’t exactly smiling or kidding around, but at least she wasn’t snarling at him or – worse – crying.

It only took a couple of minutes to pull out of Millie’s lot and drive past the Colton house to the backyard where her motorhome was parked. She issued directions and left him to figure out what the hell she was talking about. Apparently, there was a table and chairs on the other side. She waved him on and told him she’d throw together a salad and be back.

Muttering as he walked around the big vehicle, Wyn tried to make sense of her changing mood.

The table and chairs ended up being store bought bistro furniture with fancy scroll designs on the iron chairs. God, he hated shit like this. He didn’t care what anyone said, those stupid little chairs were not made for a big guy.

Placing the pan of chicken on the table, he looked around at her outdoor setup. Several strands of twinkle lights hung from the roof of the motorhome to a nearby tree. A convenient cooler sat near the table.

He checked out her modest fire pit that had two box crates for seating. Stuck in the ground next to one of the crates was a long stick with a burnt end. Sami’s younger self could live on s’mores if she had to. It was all kinds of cute that she still enjoyed the childhood treat.

While contemplating switching out one of the frou-frou bistro chairs for a crate, he noticed a large rolling case. Like something musicians dragged their shit around in. Curious, he inspected the unusual equipment, found it was slightly open, and pushed the sides wide.

Camera equipment, by the look of things.

Glancing at the motorhome, he considered his options and went with instinct. Equipment like this wasn’t an accident. She was filming something. He saw the small monitor and pulled it from the case. When he set it on top, he noticed the flash drive and didn’t even hesitate. Turning on the power, he queued up a video starring Sami. Holding down the rewind button for a good long time, he switched back to play and dragged the crate over so he could sit while he watched.

Sami appeared on the screen in front of a backdrop. His eyes dropped to the equipment case. He immediately spied the roll of heavy fabric propped up in the corner of the box. He watched for a moment. She was narrating while flipping through a picture album.

“This is me. Summer of 2003.” She snickered. “Won my first rodeo trophy that year. Look” – she pointed – “here’s me doing the barrels.”

She babbled on about her childhood in Wyoming. He couldn’t tell who the supposed audience was for the odd confessional. Was it just a diary?

“Cowboy confidential signing off for now. I’ll pick this up on the other side. Wish me luck!”

He felt the kiss she blew at the camera. Hitting fast forward, he found a few more clips like the first one. Sometimes, she talked about her dad, but most of the time, she spoke about him. Her best friend. The boy who grew into a cowboy hottie and the man who took her heart.

And then the scenery changed. There was no backdrop. There was Sami with a tear-stained face, sitting on a rumpled bed inside the motorhome. He listened and felt his life pass before his eyes.

“So yeah, we, uh, did it. I went to the bunkhouse like I planned.”

Her hands were twisting a corner of the linens. He saw the territorial hickey he’d put on her neck and cringed. Obviously, this section was filmed after the scene at the bunkhouse. Suddenly, his stomach didn’t feel all that great.

She picked at the blanket and shrugged. Everything about her appearance, tone, and posture suggested misery.

“Found out the hard way that playing a role and acting out a scripted scene in no way is preparation for doing it in real life. Marched in there all full of myself.”

She snorted and shook her head. The tears swimming in her eyes made him want to puke.

“I thought all I had to do was flash the girls and shake my butt. Jesus. Can you believe that? Got what I deserved.”

The tears started streaming down her face, and the horrified anguish in her voice tore up his heart.

He heard Sami's gasp and looked up in time to see her dashing forward. “What are you doing?” she shrieked. “Stop right now.”

Blocking her attempt to shut down the video, he reacted with an anguished bark.

“Sami. I have to know.”

On the screen, she was beginning to wail. He didn’t know which was worse. Her stricken face watching as he invaded her privacy or watching her fall apart because of him.

“I knew what was going to happen the whole time we pretended to be civil. It’s what I wanted, right? My god, I was stupid to imagine we could pick up where we left off.”

In the damning video, she sniffled and wiped a hand back and forth on her nose.

“It was awful,” she whimpered.

He was sure his heart was going to break hearing those words. Awful? Oh my god.

By this point in her story, she was openly sobbing.

“Cowboy and me, well, we’ve always been wild between the sheets. And this was a wild session worthy of the record books, but it was so horrible. Before, even when it was raunchy, there was love. Yeah, we fucked, but it was just one way we made love.”

She choked on some sobs. “There wasn’t any love; hell, there wasn’t any emotion except his anger. Afterward, he withdrew inside himself and made me feel like crap. Didn’t say a word. And to make it worse, I experienced my first walk of shame, and yeah, along with that comes a raft of confusing feelings.”

That was when she broke. “Oh my god, the way I behaved. I’m nothing but a slut.”

With that damning declaration, she flung herself onto the bed and sobbed uncontrollably. He was going to be sick.

The video played on. It was evident on the screen that at some point she’d forgotten about the camera. When her tears were drained, she sat up and blew her nose. She murmured, “Oh,” and lifted a small remote and aimed it at the camera. Then the screen went black.

He looked at her. She was white as a ghost. And then she turned around and ran into the motorhome.

For a good minute, he was frozen and didn’t move. Her admission that she went to the bunkhouse to seduce a reaction out of him was no surprise. What stunned him was how she felt after they did it.

His sanctimonious attitude and pathetic belief that he could fuck her out of his system had made her feel like a whore.

He accepted his one-way express ticket to hell, stood, and went after her. Enough was enough.

She was pale and trembling when he found her. There were things he wanted to say, but first, there was something they needed to do.

Stepping into her body space, he put his hands on her face, kissed the tears away from the corners of both eyes, and then covered her quivering mouth with his lips. The tender kiss was pure emotion on his part. She was the only girl he could ever love, and his pride was keeping them apart. If he wanted that to change, he had to own his part of what happened.

Gathering her close, he crushed her small body against his and deepened the kiss. It took a considerable amount of restraint to stop the kiss from spiraling out of control. It wasn’t about sex right now. It was about being honest and reconnecting the way they should have before a lot of unpleasant emotions ruined everything.

She didn’t resist, but she also didn’t do anything other than receive. As gently as he knew how, Wyn coaxed her mouth with teasing strokes of his tongue. He felt it when she started to give in. His heart filled with happiness and relief. There was still a chance.

Her small hands caressed his neck and made him shudder. She wrapped her arms around him and clung. That was the moment he knew everything was going to be all right. Eventually, he lowered them to her bed and alternated between soft kisses and full body embraces.

There was no talking. That part would come later. Right now, he just wanted to be with her. Hold her. Show her through some impressive exercising of restraint that she was so much more to him than someone he fucked.

The evening slowed the way it always did. Wyoming at nightfall was a magical time. Without removing a stitch of clothes, not even their shoes, they held each other in her bed. She fell asleep in his arms with her warm breath on his skin.

They weren’t quite there yet, but they would be soon. She was his, and he was hers. Pretending otherwise was just plain dumb.

The last thing he thought about before drifting to sleep was how fast he could put a baby in her belly. They’d wasted enough time.

“Baby, wake up. I gotta go.”

She complained and squirmed. “Huh?”

“Sami, baby. Wake up.”

Prying her eyes open, she found Wyn’s handsome face just inches from hers. He was grinning, and there was a joyful gleam in his eyes. He bent down and kissed her awake.

“Why are you leaving?” she grumbled.

“Have to, honey. Sorry. Me and Burke are flying north this morning. The old Buchanan ranch is finally going to auction, and we aim to buy the bottom quarter of land. Perfect for a campground.”

She sat up and pushed hair away from her face. “I have to pee,” she announced before bolting off the bed and around him to get into the teeny tiny bathroom.

Her reflection made it abundantly clear that she looked like shit and don't get her started about the ripe aroma coming from yesterday’s clothes.

“Oh crap. Well, nothing to do but a quick saloon girl’s bath.” She filled the tiny basin with warm water and went about washing up as best she could.

When she rejoined Wyn, he was in the galley kitchen at the stove.

“Made you breakfast,” he told her as she sat down at the little table. The moment she was situated, he bent down and kissed her. “Good morning, beautiful.”

What the goddamn hell was going on?

“Oh, uh, good morning. Did you sleep okay?”

“Fantastic,” he replied. “A bit crowded in a queen bed but cuddling with you made it comfortable.”

Her eloquent comeback? “Oh.”

“Cheesy eggs – done the way you like them.” He stopped in the middle of sliding the fluffy pile onto a plate and looked at her. “You still eat ’em, right? Cheesy eggs.”

She smiled. “If you hand me a fork, I’ll eat whatever gets set in front of me.”

He fussed over her, and before she knew it, a glass of orange juice was shoved into her hand along with a hunk of homemade cornbread that was easily the size of her head.

After two bites, she asked, “Did you say you were flying?”

“Yep. We’re catching a ride with the toad man. He’s the go-to lawyer 'round here for stuff like this.”

She nearly choked on the eggs. “Frank Todosky is a lawyer? The guy who swore he was going to live off grid and become a hermit?”

“I know, right?” Wyn said with a chuckle. “His folks kind of forced the issue, and you know how that goes. But once he passed the bar exam, he quickly realized lawyering sucked. He’s living in a shack down by the river.”

The old joke got them howling with laughter. This was what she liked about being with Wyn. When they weren’t snapping and snarling, their easy friendship came with a lot of laughs.

“A shack by the river comes with a helicopter?”

He smirked. “Yeah, especially when the shack has five bedrooms and a hot tub. Plenty of city-shy cowboys prepared to drop a wad of cash for their legal shit to get handled. Toady is doing okay for himself. He’ll be at the shindig. You’ll get to meet his wife. Shanna. Nice girl. She manages the homeschool network.”

The idea of Wyn helicoptering around Wyoming with Frank behind the controls and Burke being an annoying shithead filled her with unease. “I don’t like helicopters.”

“Ever been in one?”

Sami shuddered. “Ugh. Yes. Five hours strapped into a harness to film a thirty-second shot. I was scared shitless.”

“Well, don’t worry. Frank isn’t a daredevil. He and Shanna have a baby on the way, so I'm sure safety is a top priority.”

What April had said about the unexpected made her frown with worry. Wyn, on the other hand, was grinning like an idiot.

Her brow arched. Just the one. “Is something funny?”

“You’re worried about me. Not funny but damn amazing. Considering.”

She was through playing games or being subtle. “Considering that I’m hopelessly in love with you and willing to do anything?”

The grin disappeared. “Right back atcha, darlin’.”

She gaped at him, jaw dropped and wide-eyed.

“Gotta go,” he said as he checked his watch. “Can we get together later? I think there is some shit and a bunch of stuff we need to discuss.”

Shit and stuff. God. If that didn’t describe the current state of things, she didn’t know what would.

He kissed her – twice. “Come to the bunkhouse at dusk and wear something pretty.”

And then he was in his truck and driving away before she knew what happened.