Emma couldn’t catch a break. The country music station she’d found as she approached Eagles Nest had a DJ who seemed determined to play love song after love song, each one designed to rip her heart out and stomp all over it.

But with Josh awake and restless after the long drive, she needed to entertain him. He also expected her to sing along, and the lyrics were killing her. Then, as she approached the turnoff for the dirt road leading to Wild Creek Ranch, the guy finally cued up something that wasn’t about effing love—Boot Scootin’ Boogie.

Dear God, what had she done to deserve this torture? But she valiantly belted out the words for Josh’s sake while he rocked and giggled in his car seat. Happy baby. Miserable mommy.

She was grateful that he hadn’t seemed to miss Gage too much. He’d be excited to see his daddy again, though. She, on the other hand, battled a mixture of dread and yearning.

The Wild Creek Ranch sign was decorated with balloons and a hand-lettered sign that said Happy First Birthday, Josh! She drove past it, pulled over and got out to take a picture.

Oh, man, was that Gage’s truck right behind her? What were the chances? He pulled over, too, and got out. The rat was wearing the same damn mascara shirt. And looking his usual broad-shouldered, lean-hipped, gorgeous self.

But as he approached, the cocky grin was missing. “Hello, Emma.”

“Hello, Gage.” She was breathing way too fast. She wasn’t as prepared for this face-to-face as she would have liked. Hyperventilating and passing out at his feet would not be cool. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“Kendra told me when she was expecting you. I waited across the road and followed you in. I counted on you stopping to take a picture of the sign.”

“Guess I’m predictable.”

“You’re a great mom who wants plenty of pictures to show Josh when he’s older. Listen, I wanted to ask you something before we’re surrounded by a bunch of people.”

She hesitated before responding. The last time he’d started a conversation like that, he’d blindsided her. “Okay.” Breathing was still a major effort, but it helped that he seemed to be having the same problem.

“Since the party’s breaking up about eight, I was hoping you’d agree to take a drive with me afterward. I’ve cleared it with Kendra. She’ll be happy to watch Josh.”

“I think I should stay and help clean up after all that she’s done.”

“She figured you might say that. She wanted me to assure you that it’s more important to her that you go with me.”

“She knows what this is all about?”

“Yes.”

“Does everybody at the party know?”

“Most of them.”

“Why not just tell me now and save time?”

“Because I want your undivided attention. And I don’t want to encroach on Josh’s birthday celebration.”

She might be making a mistake, but she owed it to Josh to hear whatever his daddy had to say. “Then it’s a date.”

“Thank you.” He touched the brim of his hat. “See you up at the house. Don’t want to keep Josh staring at the upholstery any longer.” He jogged back to his truck.

She hurried to the car and climbed in.

“Da-da!” Josh crowed from the back seat.

“Yes, baby boy. That certainly was your daddy.” She blew out a breath and pulled onto the road. “And he’s up to something.”

Gage followed her to the house and parked next to her, but they’d no sooner exited their vehicles than Quinn and Kendra came down the porch steps, followed by the Sawyer clan. No wonder Gage had waylaid her at the turnoff. They’d have no chance to talk now.

“I’ll get Josh, if that’s okay,” Gage said.

“Sure, that’s fine.” She pulled out her suitcase and Josh’s baby backpack.

“I’ve got those.” Quinn hurried over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Good to have you back.”

“Thanks, I—”

“Emma.” Kendra hugged her tight. “Did Gage give you my message?”

“He did.”

“You going?”

“Yes.”

“Great. Now I’ll get out of the way so the rest of your fan club can say hi.”

“Emma!” Roxanne came toward her, arms outstretched.

She got a little choked up as she collected more hugs from Ingrid, Michael, Pete and Wes. They had to know that Gage’s visit to Great Falls had ended on a sour note. Evidently that wasn’t going to stop them from treating her as a cherished member of the family.

She glanced up at the porch. “The place looks fabulous.” Cardboard cutouts of birds hung from the rafters along with various birthday greetings and birthday-themed garlands.

“Dad and I hit a party store in Bozeman,” Roxanne said. “I was so happy they had cutouts of birds.”

“So is the birthday boy.” Emma followed Gage’s progress as he carried Josh up the steps. The kid was babbling away like crazy and pointing to the cutouts swinging in the breeze.

Roxanne smiled. “Just the reaction we were going for.”

When Emma finally made it into the house, she was greeted by the other four members of the Whine and Cheese Club, who’d clearly been organizing things in the kitchen. Not long after that, Kendra’s family arrived bringing warm hugs, welcoming smiles and gifts.

The pile on the dining room table grew. How long would it take to open all those, and would everything fit in her car?

Kendra must have seen her eyeing the stash because she pulled her aside. “I told everyone that with so many gifts, we’d wait and open them later. Is that okay?”

“Excellent idea. Then I can make a proper list for thank you cards.”

“And we won’t be here all night.”

Emma chuckled. “That, too.”

“You don’t have to take them all home this weekend, either. I’ll store some for you.”

“Thanks. It’s—”

“Overwhelming. I know.”

“But so sweet and generous. I’ll never forget this.”

The mountain of presents was only rivaled by the amount of food, which was served buffet-style in the kitchen. People carried loaded plates to wherever they found a spot—in the living room and out on the wide front porch.

The huge cake that followed, a snowy masterpiece created by Ingrid and Abigail, was decorated with, of course, birds. Emma took at least a dozen pictures of Josh’s wide eyes as Gage held him close enough to see, but not close enough to touch.

The birthday song was enthusiastically rendered. Then phones came out as Gage, Emma and Josh worked together to blow out the single candle at the top of the cake.

After the cake was cut and everyone had a piece, Quinn set the high chair on a drop cloth in the middle of the living room. Gage slid Josh into it, Emma put on his bib and Kendra came over with a small piece of cake.

She laid the cake directly on the tray of the high chair. “It’s cake, Josh.”

“Kuk-kuk?”

“Cake.”

He stared at it for a moment, poked it with his finger and put his finger in his mouth. His grin was something to behold. “Kuk-kuk!” Using both hands, he attacked the cake until he was covered with it.

A bunch of people were taking videos, so Emma chose not to. Watching was more fun, anyway. Taking a video in my head as Gage had phrased it.

He came over to stand beside her. “Kendra had an idea. Folks will be leaving soon, so if we tell Josh we’re taking a drive and go out on the porch, we can say goodbye to everyone as they walk out. Then after they’re all gone, we can leave.”

“But Josh is a mess. I need to—”

“She and Dad would love to give him his bath. To hear them talk, bath time was a highlight during the night they babysat.”

Mention of that night flooded her with memories and she glanced quickly toward the porch, as if considering the plan. “Okay, then. Let’s do that.”

The party had distracted her somewhat, but his request to spend time alone with her had created a low hum of tension beneath the laughter and happy chatter. Heaven help her, she wanted to spend time alone with him. She wanted to hear what he had to say. But she wouldn’t get her hopes up and she’d stay on her guard.

She gave Josh a kiss on his sticky cheek and said she’d be back soon. Gage did the same and walked with her out to the porch. Thanking everyone as they left was just plain fun. She loved this cheerful, flag-football-playing bunch and would be putting a lot of miles on her SUV in the future.

“What a great party.” Roxanne came out the door with Michael and walked over to give Emma a hug. “Love that little booger.”

“He sure hit the jackpot today.” Emma smiled. “Thank you both for coming.”

“Wouldn’t miss it.” Michael gave her a hug and shook hands with Gage. “By the way, buddy, I checked on our current work assignments, so give me a call when you have a chance.”

“Will do, Michael. Thanks.”

“Oh, and we’re the tail end of the parade,” Roxanne said. “Dad wanted me to be sure and tell you that.”

Which meant it was time for that drive with Gage. Emma’s stomach did a little flip-flop.

“Thanks, sis.” Gage gave Roxanne a hug.

“Welcome.” She murmured something in his ear that sounded like good luck. Then she and Michael went down the steps and out to the parking area.

Emma turned to Gage. “Did she wish you good luck?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“What’s going—”

“You’ll see in a little bit. Let’s vamoose.”

“All right.” She walked with him down the steps. “It sounds like you applied for a job at the Guzzling Grizzly.”

“I did. Michael’s ready to hire me. We just have to figure out which shifts I’ll cover.” When they reached his truck, he handed her into the cab.

“But I thought you wanted ranch work.”

“I’ll explain on the way.” He closed the door, went around to the driver’s side and climbed behind the wheel. “I changed my mind about hiring on somewhere as a wrangler.” He started the truck and backed out. “Instead I’ll be working with Zane over at Raptor’s Rise.”

“Really? That’s wonderful!”

“Yeah, it is.” He switched on the headlights and started down the dirt road. “He can’t pay much, which is why I’m going to moonlight for a while at the GG. But if I’m at the center fulltime, that allows him to do more outreach to increase funding. He’s ready to grow the operation and I’ll be a part of that.”

“I’m excited for you. Even better, you sound excited.”

“I’ve never been this gung-ho about a job. Think of what I’ll learn! And I’ll be helping those birds heal and get back to the life they were meant for.”

She studied his profile in the light from the dash. Something was different about him. The change was subtle, though. He’d always cultivated a nonchalant expression, but now he looked genuinely relaxed. Yet purposeful. It was a sexy combo.

He turned left onto the paved road. “We’re not far from where I want to take you, but before we get there, I need to apologize for that half-assed suggestion that you move to Eagles Nest. I wasn’t looking at it from your angle. No wonder you rejected the idea.”

“It did come out of the blue.”

“And I didn’t acknowledge all that you’ve done to create a good environment for Josh—babyproofing the house, adding a swing and a sandbox, plus the birdfeeder. Like I said, I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted.” He’d clearly spent time thinking about it. Maybe he was beginning to understand.

He put on his left turn signal.

“Are we going off-road? I see a break in the fence, but no—”

“There’s a road here, but it needs work. Hang on.”

She gripped the dash as the truck bounced over a rutted, barely-there road. It ended in a clearing and the headlights illuminated the front of a house.

“This is it.”

“This is what?”

“My house.”

“Your house? Since when did you—”

“Since yesterday, although technically it’s not mine yet. Deidre worked some magic and got me the keys. She’s trusting me to give them back tomorrow because this isn’t kosher.” He opened the console and took out a flashlight. “Better stay there and let me come around. The ground’s uneven.” He shut off the headlights and got out.

He had a house? Talk about surreal.

After he helped her down, he kept hold of her hand and turned on the flashlight. “Despite the terrible road, the house is in pretty good shape. It belonged to an introverted guy who spit-shined the house but didn’t want visitors.” He shifted the beam of light over to the left. “The barn’s not in bad condition, either, although he didn’t use it.”

“Do you need a barn?”

“Yep. For my horse. One of the horses boarded at Kendra’s is for sale and he might be perfect for me. I just need to take him out on the trail a few more times to make sure we suit each other, but we had a great ride yesterday.”

“Wow. Are all these changes since Wednesday, or were some of them in the works and you just didn’t tell me?”

“All since Wednesday, but they’ve been due for a long, long time.” He squeezed her hand and started for the house. “Let me show you the inside.”

“Okay.” He’d accomplished more in forty-eight hours than most people would in a month. She was more than a little curious where all this was leading as she climbed the porch steps.

Releasing her hand, he trained the flashlight on the door and inserted the key in the lock. “There we go.” Opening it wide, he led her through the doorway.

“No electricity?”

“Not turned on. I know it’s hard to see with just a flashlight.” He swept the beam around the empty room. “There’s moonlight coming through the windows. That’ll help. The fireplace is pretty.” He drew her to the far side of the room and trained the light on a rock fireplace.

“Very nice. But I’m kerflummoxed. What’s going on?” And this time she’d make sure she got some answers.

“Everything.” He glanced at the moonlight spilling through a large picture window. “I’m gonna douse this.” He turned off the flashlight and laid it on the mantle. “The moon’s nicer.” Then he gazed at her. “Now that we’re here, I don’t know where to start.”

“Start with this house. Why did you buy it and why so fast?”

“I had to buy it fast because someone else was extremely interested and I didn’t want to let it get away. As to why I need a house, it’s for me, because it’s high time I had my own place.”

“How big is it? I couldn’t really tell when we were outside.”

“Three bedrooms, two baths, twenty-five-hundred square feet.”

“That’s a big house for one person.”

“You sound suspicious.”

“Because I am. I hope you didn’t buy this because—”

“I didn’t buy this with the idea you and Josh would live in it, if that’s what you’re thinking. But I do hope you’ll agree to stay here when you come down for a visit.”

“Instead of at Wild Creek Ranch?”

“Exactly. As you probably noticed, this place is only a couple of miles down the road from Kendra’s, and from my dad’s house, too, so they could still see a lot of Josh. But he’s my son. If you’ll agree to it, I want him—and you—to stay with me. I’d like this to be Josh’s second home. I’ve already figured out where I could put a sandbox and a swing.”

The image brought a lump to her throat, but she pushed it down. She had to be strong, for Josh. “Come on, Gage. I can’t believe you didn’t buy this place hoping we’d live here eventually.”

“I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t have some hope of that.”

“Aha! I—”

“But I won’t bring it up. That’s a promise. If you should want to discuss it sometime in the future, I’m all ears. For now, the subject’s closed.”

She stared at him. He’d actually figured it out. “I’m stunned.”

“Why?”

“Three days ago, you had no concrete plan for the future. Since you left Great Falls, you’ve thrown in with Zane’s operation—which is a fabulous idea, by the way—you’re in escrow for this house and you’re ready to buy a horse.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Was my comment about putting down roots the catalyst?” If so, they could still be on shaky ground.

“Not exactly. It was what my dad said. He called me a drifter. Not in a mean way, just calmly stating a fact. I didn’t like it. I especially didn’t like it because he was right.”

“That had to be tough to hear.” Her heart ached for him.

“It’s what I needed to hear, though. I’ve committed to changing, for Josh’s sake, but mostly for my own. I’ll do whatever it takes to break that pattern. If I don’t, I’ll cheat myself out of the good stuff.”

She moved closer, needing contact. “Like your relationship with Josh?”

“Yep. And…with you. I’ve done a great job of mucking that up, but I—”

“Maybe that can change, too.” She took another step. He was only inches away. His body heat called to her and his uneven breathing sent a shiver of anticipation up her spine.

“I sure hope that’s true, because it’s the other reason I wanted a chance to talk with you. It wasn’t just to show you the house.”

“No?” She eliminated the distance between them so her body brushed his.

“I’ve discovered something, and I think it’s only fair to tell you. I mean, it seems like something you should know, since it concerns you.”

“What?” The shadows hid his expression.

“I’m in love with you.”

Her breath caught. “You are?”

“Head-over-heels, crazy as a loon in love with you.” Sliding his arms around her waist, he drew her gently into his arms. “What do you think of that?”

She gulped. “I’m…even more stunned.”

“So am I. I’ve never said that to a woman before. Was nervous about saying it to you. But it feels damned good to get it out. I love you, Emma. I love you.”

Her heart was beating so fast she was light-headed. “Well, in that case…” She paused to clear her throat. “I should probably tell you something.”

“I’m listening.” He sounded apprehensive.

“Turns out I’m in love with you, too.”

His grip tightened. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope.” She swallowed. “I would never kid about that. What do you think?”

“That I’m dreaming this.”

“You’re not.” She pinched him lightly on the ear. “Now what do you think?”

His voice was thick with emotion. “That I’m the luckiest bastard in the universe.” Capturing her mouth, he kissed the daylights out of her until the need to breathe forced him to stop for a minute. “You love me? You’re sure?”

Heart racing, she cradled his face in both hands. “I. Love. You.”

“I can’t get my head around it. I can’t—”

“Here’s an idea.” She pulled him down until their lips almost touched. “Just keep kissing me. Eventually maybe it will sink in.”

“Could take a while.” There was a hint of laughter in his voice.

“You got somewhere to go?”

“No ma’am. I’m exactly where I want to be.”

His words had special meaning, now. “So am I, Gage. So am I.” Giddy with joy, she surrendered to the magic of his kiss and the warmth of his loving arms.