I stretch my legs out in front of me, leaning my arms comfortably back on the stairs of the main house as I suppress a yawn.

The day has passed long and sweet and hot.

Muscles I never knew I had ache from riding Crumpet for hours. After finally just admitting to Miranda that I wanted to be outside, she released me willingly—and maybe a little too happily. She even came out midafternoon, bringing me some lemonade and fresh baked pastries.

The sun dips down the horizon now, though the heat of afternoon still clings to the pastures and the thick breeze. I think, maybe, I’ve found paradise.

Miranda is working on dinner, the sounds of her clanging pans echoing from the open windows of the kitchen. Apparently, she’s figured out she’s better off not asking me for help, which I’m incredibly thankful for. If I never have to mix another batch of batter, I’ll be a very happy woman.

In the distance, there’s a rumble.

“Thunder?” I wonder aloud, like I’m expecting the billowing grass to answer me.

The sky, though fading into glorious canyon reds, is completely cloudless and clear. I breathe in, smelling for the heaviness of rain that I can’t find.

No rain. So what was that noise?

Sliding off the stairs, I toss my hair over my shoulders. It smells of hay and horse, a scent I never thought I would love as much as I’ve grown to.

As I make my way down the front lawn, Cord’s light blue pickup rolls down the drive, sending dust shooting in a stream behind it. The rumbling that I thought was from a storm turns out to be from the old, clanking vehicle. I cup my hands around my eyes, watching as Cord throws the truck into a stop.

“Hey!” I call, lifting my hand up into the air in greeting.

I can’t help the huge smile tugging at my lips. Just seeing the sexy cowboy is enough to make my blood go hot, my skin go all tingly. It’s like his presence electrifies my body.

He doesn’t answer, tossing himself out of the truck and slamming the door shut behind him. He takes a step to one side then the other before slamming his palm against the door, never once looking my way.

“Cord?” I call in a faltering voice.

Something is wrong. My stomach twists nervously as I glance back toward the ranch, doing a quick mental count of the animals and people I’ve encountered. Everyone here is fine. Miranda was just talking to Daniel on the phone, arranging a ride home for him from some bar.

“Did something happen?” I ask, slowly approaching Cord.

He paces, running a hand through his sleek blond hair. His chiseled jaw is clenched, his eyes wild. More questions bubble up inside of me, but I try my best to keep quiet. He’s in a tizzy, and I get the sense my questions will only make it all worse.

He glances up as the gravel crunches under my shoes, looking at me with startled eyes, like he hadn’t noticed my approach.

“Sloane,” he says simply.

His voice is curt and sharp. My name isn’t a greeting, it’s something else. Something lacking warmth, like he was noting the weather rather than a person, rather than me.

“Cord,” I reply in equal curtness, reaching out to playfully swat at his arm.

I smile at him, though he doesn’t return it, those pretty green eyes churning with something stormy. They remind me of dark clouds rolling over the horizon.

So there was a storm coming, I realize. I just hadn’t known that it would be a Cord storm.

Smile melting into a frown, I draw my hands back and cross them in front of my chest. Cord stares at me, drawn and silent and stern. It’s almost frightening just how somber his mood is.

Has he already forgotten our night together?

Does he regret it?

The thought makes my skin crawl.

“You’re being so weird,” I finally sigh, hugging my arms closer to me. “Just tell me what’s going on. Please?”

His lips purse, then twist into a contorted, ugly expression—though on his boyishly handsome face, it’s still attractive.

“I went to see the sheriff,” he finally murmurs, voice gravelly like he’s been yelling for an hour straight.

I nod and shrug simultaneously. “I heard. What’d he say? Is he going to check out what you saw?”

Cord laughs abruptly, though it isn’t a nice laugh. It’s raw and bitter. The sound makes me shudder.

“No. Why would he? He thinks I’m behind this whole thing.”

“That isn’t true,” I gasp, stepping closer to him.

I reach out and lay a hand on his elbow, his skin warm and firm under my touch. He lets my palm linger for just a second before he jerks away like I’ve burned him. My hand is left suspended alone and cold in the air.

“That’s what everyone is starting to think. I heard it in town. There are rumors.” He stares at me intensely, like he’s expecting me to agree with these random people in town, like he thinks I’ve been buying into whatever lies they’re spreading.

“That’s ridiculous,” I say instead, giving a firm little nod of my head. “And, believe me, there is no way that the sheriff is going to believe that. Justice is going to win, Cord—”

“Justice?” he barks, scuffing his boot so hard against the rocky ground that he sends a small pebble shooting into the nearby fence. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”

I bite back a sigh, watching Cord as he shifts angrily from one foot to the other. There’s nothing that I can say to fix this. I’m clearly not going to be able to find the magic words that will lift his burdened spirits.

“Hey,” I begin, sidling up closer to him again. I lean over, pressing one hand to his cheek. “I know this must be so hard for you, but we’re going to get through this. I know we are.”

“We?” he scoffs resentfully, shoving my hand aside. “There is no we here, Sloane. You’re not part of this place. You’re just visiting. You’ve only been here for a few days.”

“I’ve had enough of this,” I whisper starkly, knowing that my face is wounded and my eyes are wide with surprise. “You can just stew by your own self then.”

I’m not going to be spoken to like that, not by anyone and especially not by someone who only just this morning was so kind to me.

With one final glare, I turn and stalk off past the barn and into the woods.