I cleaned up the last of the debris in the bathroom. Tomorrow, I’d be able to start giving it new life. All the materials had arrived earlier than expected. Though I appreciated my vendors pulling strings for me, I almost wished they hadn’t. The sooner I finished the house, the sooner Lottie would be leaving. And I wasn’t quite ready for that reality. If it were up to me, she’d never leave this town again. At least, not without me.

I picked up my tools, headed for my truck, and then went in search of Lottie. She’d been scarce all day. I kept getting that feeling again that something was wrong. Only this time, I wasn’t going to ignore it. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.

After putting the tools in the truck, I headed for the barn. She hadn’t been in the house since she’d left me to work this morning. Her car was still parked out front, so the barn was the only other place I figured she could be.

She wasn’t in there. Neither was Apollo. I walked up to a restless Dolly, opening her stall door and picking up the bridle hanging outside it.

“Hey, girl.” I brushed a hand along the side of her neck. “They leave you behind?”

I secured the bridle and saddled her up before leading her out of the barn into the adjacent open field. If she went for a ride, I knew there was only one other place Lottie would be.

I stopped short of my destination, pulling back on Dolly’s reins. Lottie was speeding toward me, a vision on the horizon. Her red hair whipped freely behind her as she rode against the summer breeze with the cadence of Apollo’s hooves echoing through the air. The graceful beauty of watching her ride Apollo was indescribable. The sharp pain in my chest grew as she neared.

“Hey, cowboy,” she drew out the words playfully as she slowed Apollo’s stride to a stop a few feet in front of me.

“I was just coming to find you.”

“What a coincidence. I was just coming to find you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She turned her head to the side, looking across the field, her features tortured in thought.

“You wanna talk about it?”

She shook her head.

I swallowed the hurt from her refusal.

“Will you do something with me?”

“Anything, Lottie.”

She looked back at me with a small smile, one that didn’t reach her eyes. “I need to spread my mother’s ashes.”

I nodded my understanding. “You ready for that?”

She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter really…my time to be ready is limited.”

The reminder in her statement didn’t get any easier to take, no matter how many times she said it. Oddly, there was melancholy to her tone that hadn’t been there the times before. She turned Apollo around, decidedly done with discussing it any further. She clicked her tongue, nudging her heels against Apollo, leaving Dolly and me to follow.

* * *

I stood with my back against the tree, giving her space as she said her silent goodbyes. Dolly and Apollo gnawed on some grass a few feet away while tied to another tree. Once she was done spreading the ashes, I waited. As much as I wanted to hold her in my arms, I knew that wasn’t what she needed at the moment.

My phone vibrated in my front pocket. I pulled it out, finding a new text from Wes.

W: Dad wants you here for dinner tonight. We’ve got some business to discuss.

I sighed. Dinner at my father’s house was never pleasant. I could only imagine what he wanted to nag me about tonight. As far as I was concerned, I had no business to discuss with him.

Lottie walked up to me as I was slipping my phone back into my pocket. I reached a hand out to her. Her fingers folded with mine and I pulled her into me, wrapping my arms around her shoulders as I kissed the crown of her head. She curled into my body, her arms around my waist. It was the best damn feeling in the world.

“What do you want to do now?”

“This,” she answered simply.

I squeezed her tighter, silently agreeing with her decision. We remained embraced for a while before she lifted her head to look at me.

“Thank you. For being here.”

She stood on her toes, kissing my lips. I didn’t let her pull away. Instead, I held her firmly to me, deepening the kiss. Begging for her to let me in. Not just into her body, but her heart. I wanted to fucking claw my way inside, take hold, and refuse to let go. Claim her heart the way she’d claimed mine years ago.

When we broke apart, her eyes were still haunted with a confusion I didn’t understand.

“Talk to me, Lottie.” I ran the back of my fingers along her jawline.

She pulled farther away, forcing me to reluctantly release her as she took a step back.

“My mother left me a letter…and…my father showed up yesterday.”

My whole body tensed with the mention of her father. That man was a grade A prick. He was lucky I wasn’t still around when he decided to make his appearance.

“What did he want?”

She scoffed, her eyes rolling. “What else? The farm.”

I stuffed my hands in my pockets, hiding my balled fists.

“I’m sorry, Lottie. He’s an asshole. What did you tell him?”

“To leave.”

“Come here.” I grabbed her hand, leaving her no choice. I needed her back in my arms. I pulled her backside to my chest, her head falling against me.

“Did you read the letter?”

She nodded.

“Did it give you the answers you needed?”

She didn’t respond right away, and I wondered if she would. I was pushing my luck. She was opening up to me like she used to. But I was afraid I might have pushed too hard, too fast with my last question.

“She wants me to stay.”

I pushed down the hope that rose. Tried to hold my breathing level, my body neutral, and my tone even.

“Okay,” I responded.

I didn’t ask her what I wanted to. Did she want to stay? Had she changed her mind about selling the farm? She gave me the answer anyway.

“I can’t.”

“Okay.”

“I have to go back to Seattle. My job is there. Staying is out of the question. It would be absurd. Why does she think I could just drop everything I’ve ever worked for just to stay on a farm that doesn’t even produce? She must have lost her mind at the end. The whole idea is crazy. Right?”

I just squeezed her tighter, kissing her head. She didn’t need me to comment or give my opinion, no matter how much I wanted to. There was no way I could remain unbiased while holding her in my arms. She needed to work this out for herself. Not for me.

* * *

Lottie worked at brushing and settling the horses in for the evening while I hung up all the tack. I held her hand in mine as we walked out of the barn and toward the house. Her hand slipped from mine as she made her way up the steps and I remained at the bottom. She turned back to look at me, her head tilted down.

“You’re not coming in?”

“No. I need to go. My father is expecting me at the house for dinner.”

“Oh.” Her expression fell. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow morning then.”

“Yeah.”

I didn’t move. Although I knew what she was struggling with now, I still didn’t want to leave her behind. I was scared shitless she’d make a rash decision, disappearing without a word once again. She turned to walk inside and I panicked.

“Lottie.”

She twisted, her eyes wide with hope. “Yeah?”

“Why don’t you come with me to dinner?”

“At your father’s house?” Her eyebrow shot up skeptically.

“Yeah. It’ll be fine. He won’t care. And if he does, he’ll get over it.” I smiled.

She looked down at the riding clothes she was wearing. “I’m not exactly dressed for dinner at Beau Monroe’s home. And in case you’ve forgotten, I’m ‘showerless’ at the moment.”

A twisted smile tugged my lips. “You’re more than welcomed to share my shower. Lily is staying with Grams for the night.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, ma’am.” I nodded, arms crossing, smile huge.

“Then…I guess I should go get my things.” She grinned.

“I guess you should.”

* * *

I glanced at the clock on the wall above the TV. We were going to be late if Lottie wasn’t ready soon. Not that I cared all that much. I preferred to stay home, watching baseball on the couch with Lottie curled in my side and a beer in my hand.

I stood from my seat, ready to go find her when she came around the corner, stopping me in my tracks. Fucking gorgeous. I ran a hand through my hair, feeling inadequate. There was no way a man like me deserved a woman like her. She was the definition of a natural beauty. And when she dressed up like that, there were no words in the world sufficient enough.

I scanned my eyes down the length of her body and then back up. And then down again. I had no idea what you called what she was wearing, other than black and strapless, exposing that smooth skin and cleavage I liked to run my tongue over. The only other color was red—her red hair, red lips, and red toenails that were exposed in the heels she wore.

I stood there like an adolescent teen gawking at the first naked woman they’d ever seen. Only difference was, I was a grown man. And she was fully clothed, yet I was still in awe and hard as hell.

“What?” Her eyes widened with worry and then fell to her outfit self-consciously. “Should I change? I can put on a dress if you think that would be more appropriate. I just thought this jumper would seem more casual.”

Her idea of casual dinner attire was most women’s idea of a night in the city, dining at a high-end restaurant. At least, for the women around this town.

“Hell no, babe,” I commanded with a growl.

Finally getting my bearings back, I took two long, determined strides, so I could fuse her body against mine. I licked and sucked, tasting that skin she left exposed for me. She moaned and I groaned.

I needed to get us both out of the house before I stood my family up for dinner. Consequences be damned. I gave her one more hard kiss, then pulled away. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips swollen from my attack on them.

“Let’s get this over with, sweetheart. I’ve got plans for us later this evening.”

“I can’t wait.” She winked, her smile wider than it had been all day.

* * *

Forks and knives clattered and scraped between the very few moments of awkward silence. Beau Monroe was up to something. He’d been uncharacteristically chatty and overly welcoming with Lottie since the moment she walked through his door.

He hadn’t been expecting her. I hadn’t given him nor Wes the heads-up. My father wasn’t a fan of Lottie after the way things played out between us. With those facts hovering at the forefront of my mind, I wasn’t giving him the option to object to her joining us. They were also the reasons I knew his reaction to seeing her shouldn’t have been one of him being pleasantly surprised.

“So, Lottie…Wes tells me you travel all around the world for work. Someone actually pays you to travel and shop for a living?”

The condescendence in my father’s voice wasn’t lost on anyone at the table. Especially not Lottie. Her cheeks were turning a bright red as she gripped her fork tighter. I learned early on how to read the various shades of pinks and reds that flushed her cheeks. And this shade of red made me want to take cover.

I squeezed her leg below the table, hoping my touch would calm her as I glared daggers at my father.

“Dad—”

“It’s fine, Tuck.” She gently placed her hand over mine, giving it a small pat. “I can understand why your father may have a hard time grasping what I do. After all, the only thing he’s ever known is farming.” She pinned her eyes of fury on my father. “You see, Mr. Monroe, I may not spend my days doing manual labor, but I can assure you my job is not easy. Nor is it as glamorous as it may seem. My normal day on average is a twelve-hour day of meetings and correspondence of around five hundred emails—negotiating and managing relationships with our vendors. I rarely take a lunch break. And on the days I do make it home by nine o’clock at night, I’m still working from home until almost midnight. The selection of clothes, the traveling—those are just the perks for all my hard work.”

I lifted our combined hands, kissing the underside of her wrist, damn proud of the way she handled my father. If it wasn’t for present company I would’ve taken her on the dining room table.

Wes shook with a silent chuckle across from me, my father clearing his throat.

“I see. Sounds like you have your hands full. It’s probably best you unload your family’s farm sooner than later.”

This time it was me who tensed, everything coming to light.

“I’m happy to make you an offer. You wouldn’t need to carry on with this remodeling nonsense. You’re just wasting your money there and Tucker’s time. The value is in the land, not that old house. Any buyer is likely to just tear it down.”

“That’s enough, Dad.”

“What? I’m just speaking the truth here, Tucker.”

This time it was Lottie grabbing a hold of my leg as I moved to push from the table.

“I appreciate the offer, Mr. Monroe, and I’ll keep that in mind. But at this time, I’m looking for a buyer who sees it for more than just a piece of land.”

Dad huffed, shaking his head. “My offer is standing. Let me know when you change your mind.”

Lottie smiled tightly nodding her head, doing her best to maintain her cool demeanor.

After dinner she excused herself to use the restroom and return a phone call to a friend, leaving my father, brother, and me alone.

“What the hell was that?”

“What?” my father asked with little concern. “The girl plans to sell the farm. It makes sense she sell it to us. And you should be helping to persuade her to do so.”

I glared at Wes. “You told him?”

He shrugged, leaning back in his chair. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think it was a big secret. She told us at dinner the other night she was selling it. Plus, it will eventually be public knowledge if it isn’t already.”

Wes and I would be having words later. I wasn’t angry with him for sharing the news about the farm. It was for him telling our father about my relationship with Lottie. For now, my father was the main one who deserved my wrath. I turned my threatening stare back to him.

“So that’s what this is all about. You pretending to be the accommodating host. Well, you can forget it. I’m not doing it.”

“When are you gonna get your head out of the damn clouds, son? She didn’t stick around before and she won’t stick around this time.”

“That’s none of your goddamn business. The past was my mistake. I should’ve never allowed you to manipulate me and meddle in my personal life for the sake of your business.” I threw my napkin down on the table as I pushed to my feet. Planting my palms firmly on the table with stiff arms, I zeroed in on him, making damn sure he caught the threat behind my words. “But I won’t do it this time. Not to Lottie.”

I turned on my heels to leave. As far as I was concerned, this conversation was over. But Beau Monroe had a different opinion.

“It’s not just my business, son.”

I stopped at my father’s voice behind me, waves of tension rolling through my body as my muscles constricted.

“It’s also your brother’s. It’s what has supported Grams and what supported your sister and still helps to support Lily. It’s a family business. And maybe instead of turning your back on it like you have over the last few years, you should quit that construction bullshit and help earn your keep.”

“That construction bullshit is how I earn my keep. As far as the family business, you can take my name out of it. I’ve never agreed with how you bullied others for your own gain. You ran too many good farmers out of business. And I won’t be a part of it. Nor will I stand for you bullying me any longer or anyone else I care about. I don’t need your money. You can keep it all, you greedy bastard.”

I left him with my final words, pushing forcefully through the front screen door, running into Lottie on the porch where she’d been on the phone.

“Hey.” Her hands gripped my shoulders, steadying herself. “I just hung up with Hannah. I was heading back inside for dessert.”

“We’re not having dessert. We’re leaving.” I took her hand, pulling her down the drive with me. She planted her feet halfway to the truck, halting my progression.

“What’s wrong, Tuck? What did he say now?”

I dropped her hand, leaving my back to her as I walked away. “Nothing. Will you just get in the damn truck?”

“No.”

“Seriously, Lottie, now is not the time. Get in the truck.”

“No.” She crossed her arms this time, her chin jutting out a tiny bit more. The woman sure as hell had a backbone. “I won’t allow you to talk to me that way, Tucker. I don’t give a crap if your last name is Monroe. I’ve had about enough of the superior alpha male attitudes for one night.”

Damn this woman. She was the only one who could piss me off while making my dick swell. I cursed under my breath, taking the few steps back to her. I cupped her face in the palms of my hands.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Will you please get in the truck?”

“I didn’t get a chance to tell Beau and Wes goodbye.”

“There’s no need. I told them enough for the both of us.”

The only thing I forgot to say as I walked out the door was fuck you. I figured that part was pretty much implied.

Her hands covered mine as she raised her lips to meet mine for a quick kiss. “Okay. Let’s go. I was anxious anyway to see what these evening plans of yours are.”