“Do you think I made the right choice?” Slade asked, reeling in his line.

My feet hung off the edge of the dock, and I dipped my toes into the cool water. Tiny ripples widened with each subtle move as I watched Slade’s line cut through the water.

“Not if you’re planning on catching a bigger fish. I told you to use—”

“I’m not using a damn hot dog,” he answered hotly.

“You got something against hot dogs?” I pelted him with a chunk of one. It bounced off his shoulder, landing with a neat splash over the side.

“Lips and assholes. You know that’s what those are made from, right? Besides, that’s not what I meant anyway,” he grumbled.

“If you’re not talking about bait… what are you talking about?” I asked, reeling my line in a little.

The Texas sun blazed down on us as he sighed. Putting his pole down beside him on the dock, he started to change out one lure for another.

“Grant offered me a job last night,” he said, head bent to his task.

“He did?” I couldn’t help the jolt of excitement that shot through me.

“Thing is… why did he wait so long? I mean, here I am ready to head out, and he sets something like that down in front of me out of the blue,” he answered, tying the line and standing up to cast.

I could tell it bothered him by the stiff way his arm shot out as the line sailed over the water. He braced his shoulders, making himself stand ramrod straight as if he had a steel rod bolting him to the warm wood under his feet.

“Are you thinking about it?” Please tell me you’re thinking about it!

His shoulders dropped and he turned to me, quiet but with a thoughtful look on his face. He opened his mouth to answer just as something tugged on my line. Hard.

“Got one,” I hooted, getting to my feet as the fish on the other end fought against me.

Slade reeled his line in and set his pole down, trading it out for a pair of pliers to help me get the fish off the hook.

“Would you look at the size of him,” I said after I reeled it in, rubbing it in that not only had I caught the first fish of the day, but it was a big one too. And on lips and assholes at that.

“You shouldn’t brag too much, Gray. It’s a catfish you caught off a hot dog.” Slade pulled the hook free, letting the fish go.

I ignored his jibe. “I think that’s the biggest fish I’ve ever caught out of this pond.”

He snorted, tossing the pliers back in the tackle box. “It’s not hard to catch a bottom feeder when you’re putting garbage on the end of your line.”

I slipped the hook into one of the eyelets on the pole and reeled the extra line in. With the hook set, I poked him with the tip of the fishing pole.

He grunted, but ignored me otherwise.

I poked him again.

“You’re askin’ for it,” he said, turning to peer over his shoulder at me.

“Oh, please. You’re aren’t gonna do anything. You’re too busy trying to prove your point about lures versus—”

He dropped his pole, yanked his shirt over his head, and hooked his arm around me, sending us both off the end of the dock before I could make a run for it.

I came up sputtering as I swam in a full circle. Seeing him pop up a few feet away, I said, “Oh, you’re gonna pay for that.”

“And what are you gonna do?” he asked, turning over onto his back and floating.

Swimming toward the dock, I hoisted myself up the ladder. I was intent on luring him closer, so I wanted him to think I was getting out and staying out.

My feet planted on the dock, I took my hair out of its ponytail and wrung the heavy mass out, keeping close tabs on Slade as he floated effortlessly. He closed his eyes, pushing his arms out from his sides. A few more feet and he’d be close enough. I twitched from foot to foot, waiting.

When he was almost close enough, I walked halfway down the dock to give myself some running room. With any luck at all, I’d get the moment of surprise when I jumped and send a good wave of water over his smug face. I took off down the dock, bare feet slapping against the warm boards. I made it about four feet from the end when the sound of a truck horn blasted repeatedly.

I stumbled, scraping my knee at the edge of the dock before falling headfirst. The nose full of water I took in made my sinus cavities burn like fire when I shot up to the surface.

The sound of pounding feet coming down the dock at a rapid pace was loud. I couldn’t see who it was, but Slade could. And he wasn’t happy.

“You all right, Gray?” he asked, swimming up beside me. He cupped my head in his hands as he twisted my head from left to right, looking me over.

“You okay?” the sound of another man’s voice asked from above.

I looked up and almost swallowed my tongue. Who the hell was he… and why had I never met him before?

“She’s fine. No thanks to you,” Slade barked at him.

“I didn’t mean to scare you, but you might want to get out now. I just saw an alligator come off the bank and go under,” he said, pointing over to where tall patches of grass waved in the muggy breeze.

I shot up the ladder, ignoring the hand he held out to help me, with Slade hot on my heels.

“Got your gun with you?” Slade asked.

“No, it’s back at the barn,” he answered Slade before turning to me. “I’m Clint Barston,” he said, tipping his hat at me.

“Gracen,” I said, running a shaky hand over my wet face.

“It’s nice to meet you, Gracen. Do you live around here?” Clint asked, giving me a smile that showed an even set of pearly whites.

My heart fluttered a little at his tone. “I do—”

“Gracen is family,” Slade stated, cutting me off. His tone sounding almost like a warning.

“Well, in that case, I’ll see ya around,” Clint said, winking at me.

Something like a rumbled curse slipped past Slade’s lips as Clint walked off without another word. The man ambled his way back to the truck he’d left running, the door still flung wide open.

He had a rolling gait, the walk of a cowboy accustomed to a saddle. His arms swung easily at his sides, the tips of his hair poking out from under the brim of his hat. It looked like there was a slight curl to the wheat-colored locks. His eyes had been the color of melted chocolate. Deliciously sinful, yet decedent.

“You’re bleeding,” Slade said, forcing me to stop compiling a mental list of the things I liked about Clint.

He dabbed at my knee, and I jerked back with a yelp.

“Come on. Let’s go get this cleaned up.” Slade bent down to pick up the tackle box and poles.

“Wait… we’re leaving?” I wasn’t ready to go.

“Unless you want to hook an alligator, it’s probably best if we do,” Slade answered. For some reason, I saw his jaw tense as he looked away from me. What was that about?

Dismissing it, I hobbled along behind him, cursing alligators, skinned knees, and a gorgeous cowboy named Clint.

* * *

“He’s your replacement?” I asked, gaping at Slade’s revelation after I’d talked myself into casually asking about Clint.

Slade snorted. “He’s something. Listen, Gracen…” He stopped, looking up at the ceiling. Blowing out a breath, he continued, “He seems like a nice enough guy, but there’s something about him I can’t quite put my finger on.”

I waited patiently for him to finish, but he didn’t say anything else. He just shrugged, fingers diving through his wet hair as he caught his heel around the kitchen chair and sat.

“Are you insinuating I’m interested in him?” I asked, walking to the back door to call Lucy in. We hadn’t taken her fishing since she liked to jump in the water and scare the fish. I hated leaving her inside if I planned to be gone all day, which was why Slade had built a fence behind the house for Lucy when she was just a puppy.

Was there not one thing in my life that didn’t have a ‘Slade’ moment attached to it? After I thought about it for a moment, I realized I couldn’t think of any.

“I saw the way you looked at him,” Slade said as Lucy bolted through the door and straight to him.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Yeah, I looked at him. It would have been rude not to with him speaking to me and all.” I huffed, shutting the door a little harder than I intended.

Slade’s eyes burned into mine. “Maybe he’s the one you’ve been looking for. Maybe he’s not. I’m just saying to be careful. That’s all. From one friend to another, just be careful.”

“I don’t even know him, Slade. Jeez, I met him for like ten seconds. Is he cute? Yes. Am I going to throw myself at him? No. You know me better than that.” I crossed my arms, leaning against the side of the refrigerator.

Slade dipped his head, acknowledging what I’d said. “Looks like our day of fishing didn’t pan out how we wanted.”

I hitched my shoulder. “We still have the rest of the day…”

“You did out fish me. I don’t know if I’ll ever recover from it,” he added, rolling his eyes.

“Let’s head up to camp,” I said.

At the same time, Slade said, “I should probably go finish packing.”

My heart sank at his words, but I tried to keep my face neutral.

“How about this?” Slade’s lips curved as he spoke. “You help me finish packing, and then we’ll head up to camp.”

I nodded in agreement, even as the thought of his impending departure caused my insides to seize up. “Let me just change real quick.”

* * *

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen this place look so… empty.” Empty wasn’t quite the right word. It was more like hollow—lifeless. Sort of the way my heart felt, knowing he was really leaving.

A handful of boxes were taped off and stacked along the far wall, opposite the couch. The bookshelves, once stuffed with tattered paperbacks and a handful of pictures, held the bare bones of what had started Slade’s collection. Animal husbandry books, tractor manuals, and a few other titles were pushed against the far side of one shelf, looking lonely.

Slade came up behind me. “You don’t realize how much junk you have until you’re packing it up.”

I forced myself to put a mask over the pain before turning to face him. “So what do you need help with?”

“Not much. I just need to figure out what clothes I’m taking and what I’m going to donate to the church,” he answered, jerking his chin for me to follow him to his bedroom.

Everything in his room was in its place, untouched. Where the rest of the house looked like he’d already left, this one place looked exactly like it always had.

His wallet on his nightstand. A picture of the two of us at the fair tucked into the corner of the dresser mirror. I’d put it there years ago. The edge had curled over time, but the faces were still the same. It was my favorite picture of the two of us.

When he saw me staring at it, he plucked it from the mirror. “Seems like ages ago, doesn’t it?”

Five years, but who’s counting?

“Or it could have been yesterday,” he added quietly as his arms came around me. He held the picture out in front of us.

A heavy wave of sadness, one I couldn’t hold back no matter how hard I tried, broke over me. A lone tear slid down my cheek. I dashed it away, but not fast enough.

“Hey,” he said, turning me in his arms and tipping my head back.

I closed my eyes, not wanting him to see how far the hurt went.

“This isn’t a forever goodbye, Gray. I’ll still see you. Right? We promised to call each other every week. I also distinctly remember you telling me if I didn’t video call you at least twice a month you’d fly out to Montana and personally kick my ass. Of course, I may just accidentally forget to do that just to see you.”

His finger nudged my chin up, and I tried my hardest to give him a smile.

“I know.” I forced the words past the clenched muscles of my throat. “Don’t mind me, Slade. I’m just having a girl moment.”

“I know what you mean,” he said, making a real smile briefly cross my face before his next words wiped it away. “It’s been the hardest decision of my life… leaving here. Starting over.”

“But you don’t have to go. Grant offered—” His finger came up, silencing me.

“He offered it too late. I’m a man of my word, Gracen. I can’t back out of the job I already promised someone I’d do,” he answered, stepping away from me.

I didn’t say anymore, because I knew him like I knew myself. He’d never back out on his word. No matter how much it appealed to him.

Slade watched me for a moment as if he wanted to say something else. Blinking, he shook his head like he’d rethought whatever it was and had decided against. He started rummaging around his room instead, making a small pile of clothes that he shoved into an overnight bag.

“Well, that’s one way to ensure you don’t go weeks on end without doing laundry,” I said, moving back to lean against the dresser.

“Smart-ass. Come on, let’s head back to your place so you can grab some clothes. We’ll head up to camp afterward. The rest of this can wait,” Slade answered, holding his arm out for me to go ahead of him.

* * *

Camp sat about five miles to the west of the main homestead under a clump of waving oaks. Really, it wasn’t so much a camp. It used to be where the cattle were driven during branding season, but the last of the makeshift pens were torn down several years back.

The Owens family had kept the repairs up to have a place for people to go when they got the itch to just get away from it all for a few days. It wasn’t often though, since ranch life kept most busy enough that there was never any time.

The truck rolled to a stop and Slade shut it off, leaving us in a cocooned feeling of silence. It wouldn’t be long before the birds got over our disturbance and picked back up on their interrupted songs.

Slade popped his door open and got out. I tipped my head back against the seat, taking a minute to breathe in the cool, green-scented air. We didn’t get to spend much time at the cabin. Usually, we only came here when Slade wanted to check on the place. He’d come up with a project that needed to be done and invite me along to help. If it weren’t for him, the place probably would have fallen apart by now.

“You coming?” he called to me from the porch. Both our bags were slung over one shoulder and Lucy, tail thumping against the worn boards, was sitting by his feet.

They were a picture, the two of them. Man and beast. My man and my beast, even if only in my dreams, I thought, catching the door handle and getting out of the truck as Slade made his way inside.

Closing my eyes, I pretended I was home and he was mine. He’d welcome me in at the front door with a kiss hot enough to sear my lips and melt me to the floor. We’d make it as far as the rustic living room before shedding clothes behind us in a trail to the bedroom.

I shook my head to clear it. That same moment had flashed through my thoughts so many times before. Like auto play.

Before I could make it to the porch steps, Slade came back out. He caught hold of the door casing and stretched forward. My knees wobbled when his eyes met mine.

“It’s like coming home, every time we come here,” he said.

My steps faltered at his words. “It’s special… this place. You can feel it.” My fingers dipped and swayed against the slight breeze that flitted through the trees.

There was something extraordinary about it, but nothing I could physically point out. It was more like a feeling. A welcoming. Like it was a haven that spoke to something deep inside me.

Lucy poked her nose past Slade, panting with a huge doggy grin. He didn’t look down at her.

“Are you planning to stay out there the whole time?” he asked. There was something different in the way he gazed at me. I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but it almost felt like something more.

“Can’t really go inside when you’re standing in the doorway.” I smirked at him, trying not to show my confusion.

“Tell me something, Gracen. And be honest,” he said, unmoving.

Nervous energy shot through me, every single point of awareness standing on end. There was a look in his eyes I thought I’d glimpsed a few times before, but it had always been gone as quick as it came. I’d always brushed it off as my imagination, conjured up because I wanted it so bad. But this time, there was no mistaking it. It held promises unspoken. Secrets long buried.

I could feel the pulse at my neck hammering as if my heart had dislodged itself and was working its way up and out. My arms tingled as if my skin were made of wildly flapping butterfly wings, and my stomach twisted around a giant rock of something molten that emptied itself down into my legs. The two halves of my body were at war with one another—one wanted to fly away, the other to sink into the ground.

A thin layer of sweat coated my palms, breaking out under my armpits as I forced myself to make eye contact. He wanted honesty, but what did he mean by that? The most I could manage for a reply was a slight nod of my head in his direction. Words would have to wait until I got control of myself.

“If I asked you to come with me, would you?” He bit his lip, cocking his head to the side as his eyes roamed over my face.

“With you?” I asked, momentarily stunned.

“To Montana.” He dropped his arms, stuffing his hands in his back pockets as he walked across the porch.

I deflated at his words. This wasn’t some grand gesture of love. It wasn’t him pouring out his soul to me. It was something though, or he never would have asked. “Why?”

He moved to sit on the steps, setting his arms over his knees as he looked across the expanse of shade trees nestled together in patches. Overhead, the wind shifted. The leaves rattled together as if sighing against the cooler air of an oncoming rainstorm.

“Why not? I’ve been thinking about it a lot over the last few days, weighing the idea around in my head. I thought asking you just made sense. It’s been you and me for a long time now.” Slade lifted his arm when Lucy poked her nose under his elbow. “Yes, you too,” he said, putting his arm around her.

Like a rubber band snapping back into place, I found my arms and legs moving together as I walked to the steps and sat down. Like the magnet he was, I found myself pulled to him without even thinking about it.

“It has been you and me for a long time,” I said, looking down at my hands twisting in my lap. “But in all that time, neither of us have found what we were looking for. I mean, you have so much ahead of you in Montana. If I was there, it would be like it is now. How are you supposed to find the love of your life when your best friend is attached to your hip all the time?”

He snorted.

“What?” I moved away slightly, turning to look at him.

“I know everything about you, Gracen. Everything. Your favorite color. Your favorite songs… because you love too many to have just one. How you like your burgers. What it means when your mouth pulls at the corner. I know it all.” He turned, too, taking my hand in his. “Who else knows you like I do?”

“What are you saying, Slade?” I asked, trying not to hope for what I couldn’t have.

He got to his feet, pulling me with him. “You and me—we make perfect sense. We have for years. I’ve watched you search and search for something… for someone. I’ve stood back and waited, hoping. I know you are looking for ‘the one’. But what I need to know is if I can be that person for you—if I’m worth enough for you to want to give us a chance.”

My breath caught as he cupped my chin in his hands. “You don’t have to answer right this second. I know I’ve thrown a lot at you, but I’m running out of time. I feel you slipping away from me faster and faster with every second. I had to ask before it was too late.”

At that very moment, the sky opened. Rain fell in heavy sheets, making everything beyond the porch look like a veil of white that cut us off from the world. I swayed into Slade as his head bent down, his lips brushing against mine. My mind was fuzzy with shock, with disbelief, with… hope. I could feel the erratic beat of his heart under my hand as I splayed my fingers against his chest.

His words rasped between us. “Tell me I’m not the only one feeling this.”

I slid my hand up his chest, caught the back of his neck, and pulled him closer as I whispered, “I feel it too.”

He kissed me. A lip-searing, world-tilting kiss. Everything I’d hoped for, but never thought I’d get.

My arms ended up around his neck, my fingers caught in the softness of his hair. His hands slipped down my arms, thumbs grazing the sides of my breasts before he slid his hands under my ass and lifted, urging me to wrap my legs around him with a firm pressure on my thighs.

He carried me inside, making it only to the closest wall before he backed me up against it. Our lips never broke contact as he let my legs go, pushing into me as I slid down his body. Once I was steady on my feet, his hands were under my shirt, shoving my bra out of the way and cupping my breasts in the warmth of his palms.

I arched into him, wanting more.

I whimpered at the loss of his lips when he stepped back, anxiety rising in me that he’d changed his mind, but he only yanked his shirt over his head, letting it fall to the floor before stepping back to me. His eyes never left mine as he caught the bottom of my shirt and slowly lifted it, giving me time to say no if I wanted. But I didn’t want him to stop. I wanted him.

He peeled the thin cotton over my head, gently tugging my hair free before dropping it on the floor near his, silently looking down at me. Chin up, I held his gaze as I unbuttoned my shorts and pushed them down my hips. I didn’t want there to be any lingering doubts within him as to what I wanted.

His fingers traced down my neck, over the slope of one breast. It continued over the flat plane of my stomach, stopping at the laced edge of my underwear. I pushed off the wall, needing him to touch me. Wanting his fingers to explore every inch of my skin.

Reaching out, I caught the waistband of his jeans, pulling him closer. The button popped free with a tug. A rumble of approval sat heavy in the air between us when my fingers brushed against the straining denim as I pulled the zipper down. Tiny pings of electricity shot up my arms like a hive of bees taking over my body. All thought went out the open door, joining the deluge of rain hammering down outside.

The energy hissed and popped as it surged through me, carrying over into him as his hands cupped my hips, kneading a path to my backside. I worked the waist of his jeans lower and lower until I couldn’t move them down any further. Slade stilled, taking a deep breath. He let go of me, but only long enough to push his jeans down and step out of them.

Our chests heaved when his arms once again wrapped around me. We looked into one another’s eyes, shielding nothing. Soul deep. Bodies shaking from a need neither of us could contain.

His fingertips burned into my skin as he walked me backward, momentarily stopping to scoop his jeans off the floor before steering me into the small bedroom.

The edge of the bed hit my knees, his body settling down on top of me as the mattress creaked under our weight.