Ellie was in heaven with Grams in the kitchen Saturday morning. My heart was racing just watching her learn everything Grams was teaching her about how to cook the perfect turkey, as well as how to make a homemade pumpkin pie.

I walked down to the stable to find Jeff saddling up Fire Star.

“You’re going for a ride?”

“Yeah, I think I’m going to head out and clear my head. Maybe take a ride and check out that property again.”

I nodded my head. I knew he was upset that Ari wasn’t there. When I asked Ellie about Ari, she just smiled and winked at me. I didn’t even have the energy to ask what that wink meant.

“I still can’t believe you plan on buying that property, dude. Have you given any more thought about your plans for it? You still thinking of going the way you were thinking?”

Jeff looked over at me and smiled. “Yep, it just feels right. I talked to Jake at the office and they are going to let me work part time, which will help. I always thought you were crazy to give up the position Jake offered you just so you could come out here, but the more time I spend out here, the more I know this is the life I want, too.”

I nodded my head again. I had the strangest feeling in my stomach. I’d been having it for the last week, almost like I was expecting something to go wrong. Things with Ellie were going great . . . a few bumps in the road here and there, but otherwise amazing. While everyone around us had so much drama in their relationships, Ellie and I didn’t, thank God. But still, something wasn’t right. The fact that I saw Ellie talking to Jon at the football game didn’t help matters either. That fucker clearly was not getting the message to stay away from her, and for some reason Ellie was too nice to him.

Fucker . . .

“I’m heading out for a while. I’ll be in the north pasture.”

Jeff jumped up on Fire Star and gave me a smile. He had not had a beer in the last few days, and I think he finally fucked all the girls in Austin he could. He hadn’t gone out since the night of Ari’s party. Maybe things were about to turn around for him. I sure as shit hoped so. It was killing Ellie to see him so upset over Ari. I saw him pull out his headphones and put them in.

“Have a good ride, Jeff.”

“Thanks, dude. Later.”

I watched him ride off. I shook my head. I prayed I would never fuck up with Ellie. It would kill me if she was not in my life. I watched him ride until he turned around an oak tree and I couldn’t see him anymore. I turned to leave and got the shit scared out of me.

“Holy fucking shit, Ari! You scared the shit out of me. What’re you doing here?”

Ari smiled as she leaned up against the stables. She was dressed in jeans, boots, a sweatshirt, and a cowboy hat. I looked down at her hand looking for the ring, but she had her left hand shoved into her pants pocket.

“Hi, Gunner. Nice to see you too, asshole. And I told you I was planning on coming on out to the ranch this weekend.”

Something was up . . . she had a shit-eating grin on her face. I kept looking down at her hand. Why didn’t she drive out with Ellie? Where was Jason? Jeff was going to flip out once he found out she was here.

“You’re thinking too much, Gunner. You mind helping me saddle up a horse?”

“No, I don’t mind at all. You want to ride Chestnut again?”

“Who’s Jeff on?”

I had to smile. Damn, this girl never ceased to amaze me. I shook my head as I walked over to the newest addition to the family. She was a beautiful Paint Horse who had a bit of spunk in her, fast as hell, too, and probably my favorite horse. Could be because Ellie named her Rose—she said she loved the way she smelled. She smelled like a horse to me, but who was I to argue?

“Jeff is on Fire Star. Rose here, she’s the horse you want. She’s a feisty five-year-old, has a mind of her own, and sometimes she likes just to take over, push you to your limits. She tends to make you open your eyes and pay attention.”

Ari looked over and smiled at me. “Sounds like my kind of horse. Now let’s get her ready . . . I have a race to win.”

I stood there and watched Ari as she rode off on Rose. Ellie came up behind me and wrapped her arms around me. God, she felt so good. I was fighting the need to take her more and more. I was going to have to talk to her pretty soon to see where she was at with all of this. I needed her so fucking bad, but the last thing I wanted to do was push her into sex. I was pretty sure she was feeling the same way.

“So you knew she was coming all along?”

“Yep!” Ellie said as she popped her P.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I turned and hugged her close to me.

“I would have, but she wasn’t one hundred percent sure she was going to make it. She had a problem she was trying to deal with, and he was not walking away as easy as she thought he would.”

I pulled back and looked down at Ellie and tilted my head with a questioning look.

“She said no?”

Ellie laughed. “Of course she said no!”

“When did she say no? That night? Was it after she heard Jeff say he loved her when we were outside?”

“She pretty much told Jason she needed some fresh air and came outside after us. She heard what Jefferson said and went back in, pulled Jason aside to her bedroom, and told him she couldn’t marry him. He didn’t take it very well and was pretty pissed. Turns out that Jason knew Jefferson liked Ari all along. I guess Jefferson used to talk about her in high school. One night when he was drunk, he told Jason and a few other football players he was going to marry her someday. She broke it completely off with him yesterday and told him she loved Jefferson and couldn’t see herself with anyone else but him. Happiest damn day of my life—I could not stand him.”

I let out a laugh and put my arm around her shoulder. “Let’s go for a walk.”

Ellie and I walked and talked for what seemed like forever. It was so nice to just have time to do nothing but talk to her. Usually one of us was running to class, the library, practice, the gym, or some other bullshit. We sat underneath a red oak and just talked about everything.

“Gunner, what’s going to happen when you graduate? You’ll be moving out here, and I’ll still be in Austin. I thought the last two and half months were bad . . . That’s going to be hell!”

I knew she had been worried about what would happen after graduation, but I had a plan to help ease her mind. I just couldn’t tell her yet.

“Don’t worry, baby. I’m not moving out here full time right away. I have some other things I need to work out first, and I’ll be working at the firm pretty much full-time this summer, I think.”

Ellie turned and looked at me with a strange look on her face.

“You didn’t tell me you were working there full-time this summer! That’s awesome!”

She leaned back into me and we sat there not saying another word. I wished I could tell her my main reason for not moving out to the ranch full time right away, but I wasn’t ready. The last thing I wanted to do was scare her away for good.