The moment Dane felt Jaimi's lips against his, he knew he'd been right. It was right. She was right. Not to be melodramatic, but he was pretty sure he'd finally found what he'd been searching for his entire life. The kiss was more than magic. It was the awakening of his soul, the settling of a deep, penetrating peace throughout every inch of his body. It was a realization that he was exactly where he was supposed to be: with her, on that fence, three days before Christmas.

She made a soft sound against his lips, a sound that made a sense of absolute protectiveness and possessiveness rush through him. He slid his fingers beneath her hat, into the tight curls at the nape of her neck, angling his head as he deepened the kiss. Not too much. Just enough to taste her, to claim her, to make promises he knew she wasn't ready to accept.

The woman who purported to need pepper spray to keep him away didn't pull back. In fact, her hand went to his chest, resting just over his heart, as she kissed him back, a tentative, beautiful exploration that made his own chest tighten. What male wouldn't want to go all he-man when a woman like Jaimi decided he was worth kissing? He already knew the woman was special.

He paused in the middle of the kiss, his entire body needed to bask in the sensation of her hand against him. Such a tiny action, and yet such a significant one, one that felt better than a fast gallop on a great horse at dawn, and he sure as hell loved his dawn rides.

She hesitated, her lips stilling against his, drawing his focus back to the off-the-charts incredible sensation of her lips against his. He pulled back just enough to nip at her lower lip, eliciting a little smile from her, then kissed her again, a delicious, leisurely exploration of lips and tongues, a flirty but sensual dance unlike anything he'd ever experienced.

Not that he was the kind of guy who had kissed his way through a string of women, but he was no innocent newbie when it came to kissing. He knew when a kiss was good, and he knew when it was the best damn kiss he'd ever had. This kiss with Jaimi didn't simply fall into the latter category, it owned it. Best damn kiss ever, with no chance of being dethroned.

As if she'd heard his thoughts and decided to give him the answer to his prayers, Jaimi curled her fingers into the front of his jacket, gripping tightly, holding him closer, kissing him deeper—

"Mom! Dane!"

Dane swore and jerked back as a small hand grabbed his pants leg. He looked down to see Emily standing in front of them, staring up at them expectantly.

As much as his heart had responded to Jaimi's kiss, seeing that little face gazing up at him made something shift inside him. Something deep inside him that was both soft and fiercely protective.

Keeping one hand on Jaimi's arm to make sure she didn't lose her balance, he immediately hopped down, and knelt in front of Emily. "What's wrong?"

"You have to come!" Emily said.

"Come where?"

Jaimi shifted, and he looked up to see her starting to climb down. He immediately held his hand out to her to offer assistance. She glanced at his hand, then her gaze flicked to his. There was a moment of hesitation in her eyes, then she shook her head. "I'm all set." Leaving his hand suspended in the air as she jumped down and knelt in front of her daughter. "Hey, baby cakes. What's up?" She didn't even look at Dane, and her cheeks were pink.

He swore under his breath as he lowered his hand. Her message had been clear. The kiss had been spontaneous, but she was now pulling back, hard and fast. He couldn't shake the feeling of disappointment, but at the same time, he knew he should've been expecting it.

She'd already warned him that she wasn't interested in anything that led to holding hands or anything romantic like that. She'd made sure he knew that she didn't allow men into her circle with her daughter.

It was a smart strategy. Most men were bastards who wouldn't be worthy of being a part of the brilliant bond that the two of them had. As he watched Jaimi crouched in front of her daughter, he knew that he couldn't fuck around with them. If he inserted himself into their circle, even a little bit, he had to mean it. He had to be committed to staying there, and being worthy of their faith.

Was he willing to go all in with a duo he'd just met? Was he willing to say "yeah, I'm in," when he didn't even know what Emily's favorite color was, or what Jaimi's favorite dessert was, or what were their greatest fears, or their biggest dreams. He didn't know any of that, and at this point, he didn't deserve to, not until he could promise them and himself that they could trust him with every inch that they gave him of their faith and their hearts.

These two were playing for keeps. He had to do the same if he decided to go forward. It wasn't just about a kiss. It was the whole nine yards. Was he prepared for that?

Emily looked up at Dane, ignoring her mom. "They're closing the bouncy house for the night. The man said that I could stay if you went in with me. Will you go in with me, Dane?" She belatedly glanced at Jaimi. "And you, too, but Dane has to stay, 'cause he's the sheriff."

Jaimi glanced up at him. "I think we need to go find our hotel, check in, and get some warmer clothes. I'm sure Dane has sheriff stuff he needs to do."

He met her gaze, and he saw her intention. He'd passed her comfort zone, and she was retreating as fast as she could. She wasn't simply giving him an out if he wanted to take it. She was putting up a wall between them that she planned to reinforce with some solid steel plates the moment he turned his back. If he let her get away now, she'd have her shields back up so fast that he might never get through them again.

But if he stayed, he had to mean it. He had to mean it in the big, long-term way. A guy didn't fuck with a single mom and her kid, especially not these two. He looked back and forth between them, at Jaimi with her emotional guards, and big brown eyes. At Emily, with her big blue eyes that were so familiar, at the hope in them.

He knew. He didn't have to ask himself. No deep questions. He'd been around enough and been through enough to know what he wanted. He wanted them. Not just Jaimi. He wanted the whole package, and he knew it. He also knew it would be a hell of a battle to get them to trust him, but that didn't matter. He knew what he wanted. "I can stay for a few minutes," he said, barely hiding a grin at Jaimi's look of dismay.

"Yay!" Emily launched herself at him, and he barely got his arms up in time to catch her in a hug. "Thanks, Dane! You're the best!" She whirled toward her mom and grabbed her arm. "Come on, Mom! Let's go!" She took off toward the bouncy house, and sprinted up the ramp, bouncing and laughing as she scurried out of sight.

Jaimi put her hands on her hips and turned toward Dane. "You're a pain in the ass."

He grinned. "Yeah, true. Want to go jump around?"

She didn't move. "Seriously. Did you not read my body language that I was trying to pretend that kiss had never happened? And I think I was pretty obvious when I told Em that you had sheriff stuff to do. Do I need to tattoo a sign on my head making it clear?"

He grinned and walked over to her. "Sweetheart, are you telling me that you didn't like that kiss? Not even a little bit?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Maybe a little, but that doesn't mean I want to acknowledge it actually happened. Denial and avoidance are sometimes a woman's best friend, and I'm pretty sure now is one of those times."

"You liked that kiss only a little? I'm devastated." Ignoring everything past that ego-crushing acknowledgment, Dane cupped her chin. "I strive for much higher standards than that. I gotta prove you wrong. Let me have another crack at wowing you." Before she could protest, he caught her mouth in another kiss. This time, he didn't keep it gentle. He went all-in, and it took only about three seconds before she sighed and slid her arms around his neck.

"Daaane!" Emily shouted. "You have to get in here!"

He finished the kiss with a few teasing pecks, then pulled back, grinning at the dreamy expression on Jaimi's face. "Damn, you're beautiful."

She blinked, and he saw her summon herself back into her tight, protected emotional ball. "You are a dangerous man."

"Thanks. I'll take that as a high compliment." As he spoke Emily bellowed for him again. "Coming, Em!" Grinning, he left Jaimi standing there as he jogged across the snowy ground to the bouncy house.

The woman moved fast, though, and by the time he got his boots off and was in his socks, Jaimi had caught up to him. "Dane!"

He glanced at her, then stopped when he saw the tension in her face. Shit. He hadn't intended to push her to the point of angst. "What?"

"You know how I said that I wasn't here with the goal of causing trouble for the Stocktons?"

He frowned. "Yeah?" Was this another attempt to drive a wedge between them? He knew it probably was, but he couldn't keep his internal alarms from going off. The Stocktons were the only family he had, and he would protect them with his life. Jaimi knew that, and she was playing that card. He had to stay focused and see through it.

"Well, that's true. I'm not here for the purpose of causing trouble for them." She set her hands on her hips. "But the truth is that my very existence might cause a major shitload of trouble for them. And it might cost them money, though it's not my intention. This kind of thing has a way of getting way out of hand, and I can't promise it won't. So, think on that before you kiss me again." Then she handed him the photograph of Chase, the ones with all the names on it. "My mom always taught me that my biggest goal in life should be to cause trouble, and I have always tried to be a good daughter."

Then, without another word, she kicked off her boots, and vaulted up the ramp of the bouncy house, leaving Dane staring after her.

Son of a bitch.

He'd seen the look in her eyes. She was dead serious. Shit. He knew she hadn't fabricated that speech simply to get him to back off. She'd meant it.

What in the hell was going on with her?

"Dane!" Emily grabbed the netting from the second level of the bouncy house and peered down at him. "You have to be inside the bouncy house! Come on!"

Shit. There was no more time to be flirty with Jaimi. She'd laid down the gauntlet, and she'd underestimated how important the Stocktons were to him. He was getting the answers, and getting them now.

No matter what it took.

Yeah, he needed to kiss her. Again, and again. But his first priority was the Stocktons. It had to be.

Screw the kisses. This was about family now. His family. He clenched his jaw and headed up the ramp—

Then his phone rang. The ring for his sister. Swearing, he paused and grabbed his phone out of his pocket. "Zoey? You okay?"

"I'm coming home, Dane."

Dane sank down onto the ramp, pressing his hand to his forehead. "Don't say that, sis. You can get through this. I'll help—"

"No. It's over. I'm not doing it anymore. I'm coming home."

"No." His hand tightened on the phone. "Don't give up on this. You deserve it—"

"It's not my dream anymore. I'm over it. I'm coming back. I'm too tired to fight it anymore. Just let it go. Support me. I'll be home by the end of the month."

He bowed his head, defeat settling deep inside him. "Can you at least think it over? Give it another week. No decisions yet."

"Dane—"

"What's a week? You lose nothing. Take a week. Don't make the same mistake Dad did."

She sighed. "You're a complete ass as a brother sometimes."

He grinned, recognizing her capitulation. "You love me."

"Yes, but sometimes I want to strangle you." She sighed. "Fine, I'll wait a week. But I'm not going to change my mind, and in a week, you have to support my decision, or I'll hunt you down and shave your head while you sleep."

He grinned at the threat she'd made so many times when they were kids. "Deal." His smile faded. "How can I help?"

She was quiet for a moment. "There's nothing you can do, but thanks. I have to go. I'll talk later."

"Yeah, okay. Be safe." Dane hung up the phone, and sighed. He was completely helpless to protect his sister, and he hated that. He'd spent his entire life trying to protect those he cared about, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do right now. Fuck. He hated feeling so incapable of protecting those who mattered to him.

"Dane!" Emily shouted for him, and he looked up at the little girl waving at him. Jaimi quickly pulled her back from the screen, but not before Dane saw the wary look on her face.

Resolution flooded him. He might not be able to do a damned thing to help his sister right now, but he could protect the Stocktons by finding out what the hell Jaimi was hiding.

He stood up and shoved the phone in his pocket. "I'm on my way, Emily."

Hell, yeah. He was on his way.