While the Empire was busy being saved by rebels, Drake's caresses moved from Abby's hand, up her arm, sending tingles skating across her skin. He stood and stretched, then added another log to the fire. Before she knew what he was doing, he’d moved behind her chair. His deft fingers kneaded the muscles of her neck, making her moan when he hit a sore spot.

She closed her eyes. "That feels so good."

"Shh! No talking during the movie."

She laughed. "You think the cattle will be upset if I talk?”

The soft lows of the nearby herd carried across the field in response to her comment.

"You never know. They've probably never seen it before."

"Whereas you know every line?"

He'd been saying the key lines under his breath.

She tilted her head back and glanced up. Stars filled the night sky, and the sweep of the Milky Way glowed. So bright! Back home, she'd be lucky to see a single star with all the light pollution and smog. But this! Here, the stars flickered with an otherworldly light, shimmering with hope and happiness like portals into another world. Breathtaking.

The twinkling of the stars brought back memories of her parents and all the nights they'd slept under them. A lump formed in her throat. At some point, the pain was supposed to ease, but she missed them now more than ever.

He moved and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He tugged her close. "Are you okay?" He wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "What's wrong?”

Her vision zoomed in on his face, latching onto the ragged edge of his scar. She scrubbed at her cheeks. The memory of her parents was too raw to share, and soon she'd be adding her uncle's passing to that grief. Once he was gone, she'd have no one left.

"I'm good."

"Liar." He dipped his head, bringing the intensity of his gaze full bore on her lie. The caress of his lips against her brow brought a sigh to her lips. "You don't have to talk about it, but I'm here." He pulled her to him where she could lean against his chest.

"Sorry, I don't mean to be a downer. It’s just; I found out my uncle is sick. I thought we’d have more time, and I’m not ready. I’m just not ready.” She wasn’t ready to be alone. Swiping at a tear, she gave a deep sigh. “Sorry, didn’t mean to get serious.”

"No sorry about it. Girls always cry at the movies."

She thumped his chest. "This isn't a cry worthy movie."

Her attention turned to the makeshift screen. The planet-killing moon had been destroyed, and celebrations were underway.

"I've probably got a chick flick if you need the excuse to cry.” His chest rumbled with his words. Full of woodsmoke and a deeper powerful scent, his overwhelming presence promised he'd make everything all right. “Or, if you just need a shoulder to cry on?”

She sniffed away her tears and glanced at the scrolling credits. "Thank you for the movie. It was perfect. I may take you up on that shoulder, but not now. Tonight, I just want to have fun.”

"Well, don't be in a rush to get in my pants, city girl. The night’s barely begun, and you should woo a guy first.”

“Woo you?”

“Sure thing, like offer to watch another movie with me before getting all handsy and stuff.”

She laughed at his teasing. ”Double feature, then?”

"Or triple, I'm thinking I'll make it to second or third base by the middle of the second movie."

His talk about making out had her stomach flipping and her pulse quickening. All thoughts of her uncle’s illness faded beneath Drake’s indomitable will. She pulled in a ragged breath as the air crackled with the energy flowing between them.

“You’re that confident of hitting the bases?” she teased.

She could guarantee he'd make it to second base. And was pretty certain third was on the table. But this game wouldn't be any fun if she didn't play hard to get. Now a home run? It took months with Jacob, and he’d pursued her with a relentless determination. If something was happening between her and Drake, she didn't want to rush and ruin it. Even if the passion brewing in his eyes made her blood boil and her inhibitions disappear.

"I'm a pretty confident kind of guy. If I see something I want—”

"You go after it," she said.

"Don't be stealing my thunder, city girl,” he scoffed. “If I see something I want, I’m not shy about taking it.”

She nibbled at her lower lip. "How about we make things interesting?"

His brow arched. “What do you have in mind?”

A glance around their campsite had her mind whirling. She actually had no idea, but he’d accepted her challenge with heated interest.

“I know,” she said, tapping a finger against her chin. “How about a game of hide and go seek?”

Drake slapped his thigh and laughed. “You want to play hide and go seek?” He gestured to the pitch black beyond the light of the fire. Unlike the snow which had reflected the faint light of the moon, the inky black swallowed the light of the fire. “Aren’t you afraid of the dark?”

Where was the moon? It had been full less than two nights ago. A glance eastward and she had her answer. The faintest line of black on darker black outlined the nearby hills. Rising behind the ridge, a silvery glow stretched toward the sky.

“I’ve been camping before. I told you, I’m not a city girl.”

“Well, that may be.” He closed the distance between them, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her tight against his chest. “But, there are wolves out there.”

She’d forgotten about the wolves. “I haven’t heard any.”

Dark nights had never scared her as a child. Her father had to bribe her to come inside the tent at night. Otherwise, she would spend the entire evening stretched out on their picnic blanket, counting stars, tracing out the constellations, or watching shooting stars.

“Shooting stars!”

“Excuse me?”

“Let’s see who can catch the most shooting stars.” She could almost feel her father’s presence smiling down at her, as if approving her move.

“And what does the winner get?” His eyes crinkled at the corners, but they fixated on her mouth.

She reflexively licked her lips, eliciting a groan from Drake.

“How about we snuggle?” she offered.

With a growl, he flung her over his shoulder. “Not sure about snuggling.”

“Drake!”

“Shh,” he said with a light slap to her ass.

“What are you doing?” she squealed, enjoying being draped over his brick-hard body more than she should.

“Hunting stars.” He brought her to the back of the truck, lowered the tailgate, and set her down. A devilish grin took control of his face. “Don’t move.” He dipped his head and nuzzled the soft spot of her neck while his breath rustled her hair.

“Or what?” She slammed her palm against the firmness of his abdomen.

He stroked his thumb against his bottom lip, a mischievous glint dancing in his eyes. “I don’t think you could run fast enough.” His voice rumbled through her, potent and destructive in the most pleasurable way. The way it rasped, all low and gravely, had her body coming alive and her veins humming with anticipation.

His fingers raked back clumps of his jet-black hair, shoving them back and off his face. She itched to run her fingers across his stubble and cup the strength of his jaw. They regarded each other, and her nerves rioted beneath that stare. All that electricity surging in the air between them sparked tingles under her skin, and a rush of sensation flowed directly to her core, building to a fevered heat. If a simple look from him could do that what would the rest of it feel like?

His hair fell back across his brows, darkening his eyes and banking the heat swirling within their depths. He licked his smiling lips and dragged a hand down his face.

“You’re staring, city girl.”

“I’m not staring,” she argued. “I’m debating.”

“Debating what?” His head canted as he studied her, perhaps wondering where she was going with that comment.

Hell, she really had no idea what she had been about to say. She pursed her lips and swept out an arm, indicating the dark shadows beyond the fire-pit.

“What if you gave me a head start?”

“Hm.” His eyes twinkled as he considered her offer, then he shifted forward until he hovered kissably close. Despite how much she wanted that kiss, she refused to close the distance.

Her blood heated and the warmth radiating from his skin filled her with arousal. She considered a retreat but wanted to see where the rest of the evening would go.

His fingers gripped above her knee as his eyes locked on hers. Her breath fled with the heat of his exhales searing her skin, making her shiver and raising goose bumps on her arms. She inched closer to him, lips parted, begging for the kiss he promised.

“I’ll give you a choice,” he said as he worked his fingers up her leg, straying dangerously close to the apex of her thighs. He leaned to the side, his mouth brushing against her ear.

The ripple of his breath triggered an awakening throb between her legs. That need pulsed with each breath, and every heartbeat made it harder to sit still. The deep timbre of his voice flowed through her, smooth as a drug and intoxicating with the sensual high until her entire body was painfully aware of him, and she wanted more.

“Drake…”

“Shh.” He ran his free hand through her hair and inched his fingers higher up her leg.

Her mind slipped into a sensual haze as her body awakened beneath his touch. Disturbed by nothing more than the depth of his breaths, the stillness of the night air was interrupted by the chirping of crickets and the long lowing calls of the nearby cattle. She held her breath and listened to the night sounds, realizing how very alone they were.

Her skin heated under his hungry gaze, and her chest tightened. Heart racing, she scooted backward, suddenly unsure. But he grabbed her hips and pulled her to the edge of the tailgate.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

She couldn’t answer because he seized her lips with his mouth. His raw desire obliterated her thoughts, rendering her speechless. He had a way of taking, even while giving at the same time. While not tender, his exploration of her mouth was restrained, even if his lips remained firm, combative even, determined to take and claim. The frenzy of his need, raw and primal, incited a reckless hunger within her body, one she couldn’t control. She answered by shifting forward and spreading her legs.

He stepped into the gap, allowing her to wrap her legs around his hips, their position similar to the one from that stolen kiss in the barn. Only this time, he wasn’t holding her in his arms. His head slanted, fingers digging into her scalp as he took control of the kiss.

She followed his lead, tongue chasing his as they rocked together, obliterating any space between their bodies. His sharp teeth gripped her lips, and his mouth glided against hers, his tongue furious and raw. He cupped her face and growled with his growing arousal.

His powerful shoulders bunched and she traced every ridge and valley of the sharply- defined muscles of his pecs, biceps, and hell, she’d lost control of her hands. They moved on their own, memorizing the cut definition of his arms, his chest, even the washboard definition of his abs. And since his lips claimed hers with firm, combative urgency, she dropped the coy act. No nips, pecks, or licks. She pursued him, her tongue chasing his with a reckless hunger.

When his palm gripped her ass, she ground against the steel of his erection, looking for more. More friction. More heat. More of him. And while he punished her swollen lips with bruising aggression, she locked her ankles around his hips and pulled him close.

He groaned as he thrust his hips harder and faster against her opened thighs. Every thrust turned her blood to molten heat and her breaths to needy cries. She squirmed against him, aching for his fingers on her nipples, his hands on her inner thighs, and most importantly, him deep inside.

But there was one problem.

Her voice croaked. “Drake, please…” She choked on a breathless gasp as he slid his hands inside her shirt, popped the clasp of her bra, and rolled her nipple until it peaked into a hard nub. When she thought she would pass out from a lack of oxygen due to holding her breath, he pinched down…hard.

Her back arched and her scream split the air. Molten heat spread from her nipple to her heart and surged through her veins. She felt the swelling in his jeans and rocked against him, cursing the thick denim separating their bodies.

He grabbed her hair, wrenched her head back, and devoured her lips with the press of his mouth. He cupped her face, his voice thick with arousal, while he caged her in with the thrusting of his hips. “If you don’t want this to go any further, Abby, I need you to say so right now.”

The use of her name caught her by surprise. Not city girl. Not darling. No, that had been the desperate plea of a man caught up in his passion, teetering on the edge with the same frenzied need she felt.

She gripped his shirt, and took a leap of faith, hoping this turned into something more than a one-night stand. “Kiss me,” she said, “and don’t stop.”

* * *

The night flowed from one passionate kiss to other more sensuous caresses. The second movie played on the makeshift screen, but neither of them paid it any mind. Her attention remained locked on the stranger who infiltrated her life, perhaps even her heart, and who was quickly becoming something more. With their bodies joined in a sensuous dance, she allowed Drake into her heart, and most importantly, firmly kicked Jacob out. That man belonged in her past.

Coming to Peace Springs meant many things. She’d run from an abusive boyfriend and toward an uncertain future. Moving inspired fear. Fear of leaving the comfort of the Inland Empire. Fear of walking away from one medical practice to another. Fear of starting over with nothing but three suitcases to her name.

And loss.

She’d been forced to leave pieces of her past behind. Her parents’ graves, for one thing. And while they weren’t abandoned, their gravesite no longer represented an obsession of grief over what she’d lost. Her parents’ memory lingered in Peace Springs, and in her heart. Their laughter tickled her mind. Their constant praise filtered through every bold step forward. She kept a piece of them with her no matter where she might live, but here in Peace Springs, she felt them the strongest.

Peace Springs brought many challenges. She thought she’d have years to hone her craft, learning from Uncle Pete’s decades of experience. All that would now be crammed into the months they had left, perhaps only weeks until his death. She didn’t want to think about her uncle’s passing. Even if he was at peace with his approaching death, the news was still too raw, too scary, and too heartbreaking to bear. He was her last link to family, and with him gone, she would be alone.

Except for the man whose arms sheltered her through the night with the promise of something more. Drake kissed her as if she were life itself. His passion drowned her in the most exquisite sensations, leaving her wanting more. The ache of her heart eased with each lick, nip, and swirl of his tongue. And somewhere beneath the punishing demands of his kisses, her body awakened and came alive.

And she had a legacy to fulfill. The McFearson lineage was seeped in the soil. She had land handed down to her through the generations, and the story of her namesake to unravel. She had a future here, and a promise for so much more.

Time would tell with Drake, and like the country gentleman he was, they made a night of watching Star Wars, laughing and learning more about each other, as they traded famous lines from the films.

With the rising of the sun, he drove her home, their passion banked and simmering, but not fulfilled. He promised further exploration—perhaps even with that blindfold and the rope he claimed to be so proficient at handling. The idea excited her instead of making her draw away.

She came to this small town running from a complicated past. In finding Peace Springs, she may have discovered the home she’d never had. Except, it had been there all the time, simply waiting for her to come home.

Abigale McFearson had come to this place full of the same hopes and desires for a brighter future over a hundred years ago. She’d become one of the first female homesteaders in American history, and her daughter, and her daughter’s daughters, and their daughters followed in her footsteps. Abigale’s legacy threaded through Abby’s veins, a female doctor forging her own future and who was now the sole caretaker of the family’s homestead trust.

Abby vowed to build upon that legacy. In finding Peace Springs, she’d found much more than a home.

* * *

* * *