With a sigh of resolution, Dane set his plate on a nearby hay bale, then he gestured to hers. "Can I take that for a sec?"

She nodded silently, her eyes huge as she stared at him.

He managed a grim smile, then took her plate and set it beside his. Then he faced her, and took her hands in his. Her fingers were cold, and he cupped them tightly, trying to warm them as he searched her face. "Jaimi."

Jaimi caught her breath at the expression on Dane's face. He was going to tell her something bad. Something terrible. She didn't want to know it. She knew she didn't. But at the same time, she knew she couldn't run away. She had to see this entire thing through, and see where she ended up. So she focused on the feel of his hands wrapped around hers. "What?"

He took a deep breath. "Jaimi, your dad—"

No. She suddenly leaned forward and kissed him, cutting him off. Her move was pure instinct, pure avoidance, but the moment her lips touched his, she forgot about everything but him.

He sighed and kissed her back immediately, his hands sliding to the back of her neck and into her hair as she leaned into him. His response was so without hesitation and so complete that her heart melted just a little bit. This amazing man was as called to her as she was to him.

She hadn't felt this caught up in a man in ages, maybe ever. She'd held herself alone for so long, and she was proud of how independent she was. She'd learned how to be a badass single mom from her own mother, and she'd never wanted a man to interfere in her life. She didn't need a man. She'd never really yearned for a man.

But there had always been something inside her, something so deep that she could barely even fathom it, that had burned for a deep connection. She yearned for that soul-deep bond with another human, a bond that was different from a mother-daughter connection. A bond as a woman, as a human being, as an equal, and as something more, something beautiful and romantic. Something like what she felt with Dane.

She knew she was going back to Boston. She knew there was no future with Dane. But in this moment, she wanted to feel alive, in the way she'd felt only in Dane's arms.

He groaned softly and leaned into the kiss, easing her back until they were both lying down, their legs and bodies tangled around each other, deep beneath the heavy blankets. The air was cold on her face, but her body was hot and fiery against his.

"Damn, Jaimi." Dane tossed his cowboy hat aside, and then bent his head, nibbling on her neck as his weight settled on her. His pelvis was pressed against hers, hard and ready, making desire pulse through her entire body. He lowered himself on top of her, easing his weight down in a delicious, tantalizing move that made her entire body hum with joy.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close as he angled his head, deepening the kiss, pouring sensuality and seduction into her. With a throaty sigh that seemed to come from somewhere deep inside her, she hooked her feet over his calves, basking in the pure strength of his body. He was pure muscle, untamed and unbound, and yet, at the same time, his kisses were so tender, so nurturing, so protective, that she knew her heart and her body would be safe with him forever, no matter what.

He shifted his weight to the side, and slid his hand beneath her jacket, his hand palming her belly. Somehow, his hand was warm, and her entire body seemed to melt at the feel of his skin against hers. He moved his hand upward, grazing her ribs as he deepened the kiss, stoking fires in her that seemed to build with each touch, each kiss, each time he whispered her name.

Within moments, the kiss seemed to ignite, and suddenly, neither of them could get enough. The kiss became deep and more sensual, more powerful, drawing both of them more and more tightly into its web of desire. His body pressed more heavily into her, and suddenly, his hand was beneath her bra, cupping her breast as if it were this great treasure he would protect forever.

Tears suddenly filled her eyes, overwhelming her. Dane broke the kiss almost instantly, pulling back just enough to see her face. "Hey, sweetheart, what's wrong?"

She gazed up at him, at the way he was leaning over her, concern etched on his handsome features. Somehow, he'd known instantly the moment her emotions had overwhelmed her. He hadn't been able to see her face. He hadn't heard her voice break. There had been no way for him to know, and yet he had, and his worry for her had broken through his sexual haze instantly.

Tears threatened again, and she laid her hand against his cheek. "I've never felt as treasured as you make me feel," she whispered. "It's so beautiful. Thank you for being so kind to me."

His expression softened, and he turned his head to press a kiss against her palm. "You deserve only kindness," he said gently. "How is it possible that no one has ever treated you like this before? What about Emily's dad?"

She watched him as he scattered tiny kisses along the underside of her wrist. "Emily's dad was just a guy who I thought I loved for a very short time. He left long before Emily was born, and that was okay with me. He gave me the gift of my daughter, and I'll always be so incredibly grateful for that."

Dane paused, his dark eyes searching her. "Did he know you were pregnant when he left?"

Jaimi nodded. "It was fine that he left. Raising Emily by myself made me stronger, because it gave me the freedom to be who I wanted to be."

Dane frowned. "Sweetheart, it's not fine. You deserve someone who loves you and respects you, who will help you with everything that you want your life to be, both as a mother, and as a woman."

Jaimi's throat tightened. "It's impossible to be in a relationship and still be true to yourself."

"Oh, baby, that's not true." He rolled onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow. His gaze was intense and fierce, somehow wrapping her up in a feeling of warmth. "I'm not going to lie, there are a ton of self-absorbed assholes in this world who would rather drag you down than boost you up, but it doesn't have to be this way. In the right relationship, you're a thousand times stronger, and your partner helps you find that true self that you want to be."

She stared up at him, shocked by his words. "That sounds…" She didn't even know.

"Beautiful? Right? The way life should be?" He smiled, stroking her hair back from her face. "Sweetheart, the reason I'm still single even though I believe the most important thing I will do in my life is be a husband and dad is because I know that if the relationship isn't the right one, it'll break you. I've been holding out for the real thing, the one where my soul knows that it has found the one that it was meant to find."

Her heart caught. "That's so beautiful."

He smiled. "I thought so for a long time, until I finally started to give up hope that I was going to find it. I'd rather stay single than be with the wrong person, and I'd finally started to believe it wasn't going to happen, not for me, not in this lifetime."

"And then?"

"And then some woman threw herself in my lap."

God, he meant her. He meant those beautiful words for her. "You don't even know me," she whispered.

"Getting to know someone takes more than a lifetime," he said. "But there's a point at which you know, with every bit of your heart, that this is the person you want to build your life with, the one whose hand you want to hold through every adventure that life delivers."

As she stared at him, the most agonizingly desperate yearning coursed through her, a need so strong that it almost made her want to cry. "I could never trust this," she whispered. "I could never turn myself over to you, to a forever, to what I'm feeling right now—"

"It's okay." He kissed her gently. "Trust takes time. I'm not going anywhere."

"But I am. I'm going back to Boston—"

"Now?"

She shook her head. "No, but—"

"Then we have now." He bent his head and kissed her again, a kiss so tender that there was no way for her to stop the tears this time.

Dane again stopped kissing her, but this time, he traced his thumbs over her cheeks, wiping away the tears. He then pressed tender, little kisses over her cheeks, as if he himself could provide enough sunshine to dry them, and she almost felt like he could.

She closed her eyes and breathed in the sensation of his lips brushing over her cheeks, of his arm resting heavily across her stomach, of his hand gripping her hip, of his legs stretched out alongside hers. "This feels so perfect," she whispered. "How does this feel so perfect?"

"Because it's the start of what we've both been looking for our whole lives."

"I haven't been looking for this," she protested. "I wasn't looking for Wyoming, I wasn't looking for brothers, and I wasn't looking to fall in love. I just wanted to fulfill my promise to my mom."

He smiled, the most beautiful smile she'd ever seen. "Maybe your mind wasn't looking for this, but what about your heart?" He rested his hand over her heart. "Listen to the whispers deep inside," he said. "What are they saying?"

Dane. "Your name," she admitted.

He grinned. "Thank God for that. If you'd said they were saying Malcom or something like that, I was going to wish I'd taken a different tactic."

She burst out laughing, relieved by his sense of humor. "Yeah, that would have been super awkward."

"I know, right?" He grinned and rolled on top of her again, pinning her down. "I find myself completely resenting the thousands of people who have come to support my tiny town tonight. If they weren't here, I could ravish you right here on this trailer. You'd be amazed at the ideas in my head right now."

She grinned. "You couldn't ravish me anyway. I never have sex on the first date."

"Damn. I don't like to wait. We should break up now."

"We can't break up. We aren't a couple."

He feigned a horrified look. "We aren't? I never kiss a woman that I'm not coupled with. We need to change that fast. Will you be my hot girlfriend?"

She laughed. "No. I don't date."

"Well, hell." He eyed her speculatively. "How are we going to fix this, then?"

"Not kiss?"

"Maybe. Let's see." He bent his head and kissed her, a kiss that was so devastatingly hot that she was pretty much on fire by the time he stopped. He cocked his head. "What do you think? Should we stop doing that?"

"I kind of like being set on fire in the middle of winter, so maybe not."

"Yeah, I agree. So, maybe meet in the middle? I agree to kiss a woman that I'm only casually dating, as opposed to seriously coupled with, and you agree that we are casually dating. How does that sound?"

Her amusement faded, replaced by a tightness in her chest. "You mean that, don't you?"

"Of course, I do."

"How can we date? I live in Boston."

"Are you there now?"

"No, but—"

He held up his hand. "Why don't you try just going with it? Just say yes, and see what happens. I'm a great guy. You'd love to casually date me, I'm sure."

She searched his face, surprised by how badly she wanted to say yes. But how could she? She didn't know how to date. She didn't know how to trust a man. She didn't know how to partner with anyone. She didn't—

Her protests died as she looked at Dane, at his handsome face, at the kindness in his eyes. Her heart wanted to say yes. It was screaming at her to say yes.

Dane searched her face. "Just say yes, Jaimi. Take a chance."

She swallowed, her heart pounding. "I'm afraid," she whispered.

"I know, baby." He smiled. "I'm really good at keeping people safe." He pressed a kiss to her palm. "Give me a chance. Just one. I won't blow it."

Silently, unable to even say it aloud, she nodded.

His face lit up. "That's a yes?"

This time, she found her voice. "Yes, I'll casually date you for the next few days while I'm in town."

"That is the best damn news I've had in at least a minute." He caught her face and kissed her, long, hard, deep, until she was melting in his arms. "Okay, I lied."

She opened her eyes. "About what?"

"That's the best damn news I've had in way longer than a minute."

She grinned and draped her arms around his neck. "Like how long? Lifetime?"

"Yeah, maybe." He cocked his head. "Just might be that long. You?"

"At least five seconds for me."

He nodded. "I've always wanted to be a five-second guy. I consider this a moment of victory." He grinned and kissed her, a kiss that quickly resulted in her being beneath him, completely enraptured by his kisses.