I flip through channels, each click of the remote a harder one. Shows and commercials fly by. The images begin to blur together.

“Well look at this,” Nash drawls from the other end of the couch.

I glance over at him and grunt to show him I’m listening. He peers at something on his phone. “Emily is in trouble again. Looks like she got into a fistfight with another woman over a man.”

“How do you know this?”

“Facebook.”

I gawk at him. “You’re friends with her on Facebook?”

“Fuck no. That bartender friend of hers, what’s her name? Annie… She friended me. She just posted something about it.”

“Oh.” I look back at the television set, but it still doesn’t hold my interest. “Hey… Is Cheyenne’s profile private?”

“I don’t know. Why?”

“What she said today, about her having other things going on in her life… that could mean a man.”

He sits up straighter. “I’m looking now.”

My knee rapidly bounces up and down while I wait for him to find her page. I cross it over my other leg to still it.

“It’s private,” Nash announces. “I can’t see her posts or anything.”

“Shit.”

“We should go over there right now. Who cares what time it is?”

I glance at the clock. “Just for the record, it’s almost midnight.”

“If she is seeing a man we need to put a stop to it right now. He’s probably about to propose to her, if he hasn’t already.”

“Stop it,” I bark. “Cheyenne’s not getting engaged.”

“Why, because we’re too dumb to put a ring on her finger ourselves?”

“Speak for yourself.”

Nash turns to face me, his eyebrows angrily bunching together. “So now it’s you against me?”

“You’re putting words in my mouth.”

“Someone needs to say something. Here we are, sitting here like fools while the one woman for us walks out of our lives.”

I fall back against the couch cushions. Nash is right. We’ve been gone for three months. It’s crazy to think Cheyenne hasn’t found a man to take our place.

“Call her up,” I say.

“She’s not gonna answer.”

“Do it anyway.”

He dials her number but she doesn’t answer.

Nash slumps into the side of the couch. “Shit. What if she’s with him right now?”

My insides curl. “Let’s go there now. We can see if she’s home or not.”

“Now you’re talking.”

We creep across the dark field. Each step is a familiar one. I know where all the rocks and hidden holes are. Just like with every square foot of the farm, I could walk it in my sleep.

Accepting responsibility of the ranch made me just as surprised as anyone else could be. I never seriously thought about coming back home, but the last three months have been hard. The ranch has been on my mind almost as much as Cheyenne. It’s been a magnet tugging at me across state borders.

For the first time, I can picture the Town of Cody as my home.

Dad calling me up and asking me to take over the family business just makes sense.

Cheyenne’s house is completely dark.

We sneak along the perimeter and peer up at the windows.

“We’re gonna get shot,” Nash grumbles.

“Not if you be quiet.”

“Where’s her bedroom?”

“Uh… I don’t know.”

“Great,” he sarcastically hisses.

I study the second story. “There. At the double windows. I’m pretty sure that was Cheyenne’s room as a kid. It probably still is now.”

“Let’s hope so. If it’s not Mrs. McGee might get the wrong impression and think we’re looking for a cougar booty call.”

“How can you joke right now?” I snap. “Cheyenne could be out with a man.”

“Fine,” he seriously says. “Back to business.”

I scratch my jaw. “Let’s throw some rocks at the window.”

“They’ll break the glass. Heft me up.”

“Hell no.”

“Put me on your shoulders and I’ll climb onto the side roof.”

I shoot another look at the double windows. The image of a strange man’s hands on Cheyenne’s naked body hits me. “Okay.”

I bend down and brace my hands against the side of the house. Nash awkwardly climbs onto my shoulders. His boots dig into my muscles and I grit my teeth.

“Jesus,” I snap. “Did you gain weight?”

“Can it. Get me higher.”

I clamp onto his calves and stand up. We sway a bit and almost tumble down. There’s a scuffling noise as Nash grabs onto the gutter.

“Got it.” He pulls himself onto the side roof and I step back to watch. He crouches in the moonlight and shuffles across the tiles. At the windows, he cups his hands around his eyes and presses his face to the glass.

“Knock,” I tell him, making my voice as loud as I dare.

He raps slightly. Nothing happens.

My gut turns to stone. Cheyenne’s not home. It’s just what we feared. We’re three months too late. She’s got a boyfriend and is out of our lives forever.

My nails dig into my palms. We should have come back sooner.

There’s a bumping upstairs and the window opens. Cheyenne pokes her head out, hair falling all around her face.

“Nash?” she groggily asks.

I whistle and her face turns in my direction. “Clay?”

“We need to talk to you,” Nash says.

Cheyenne rubs her eyes. “My parents are going to wake up. What are you doing here?”

“What he said,” I hiss up at her.

Nash offers her his hand. She runs her fingers through her hair and sighs.

“Okay,” she whispers. “One second.”

She vanishes from the window and returns in a minute. Nash helps her climb through and walk across the roof. I lift my arms for her to jump down into them.

“No. Uh-uh.”

“I’ll catch you,” I promise.

She nudges the tips of her sneakers a bit closer to the edge. “Okay. But if you drop me I’m going to kill you.”

She crouches down and jumps. I catch her firmly beneath the arms and pull her into my chest. Her hair falls across my cheeks and her breath kisses my lips. I wrap my arms tighter around her.

“What about me?” Nash asks. “You gonna catch me too?”

I don’t answer. I just push Cheyenne’s hair back from her face and step to the side to let Nash get down.

“You need to put me down,” Cheyenne softly says.

I grudgingly deposit her on the grass.

“You two are crazy.” She wraps her arms around herself. “It’s the middle of the night.”

“You didn’t answer your phone,” Nash says.

“Because it’s the middle of the night.”

I lightly touch her shoulder. “It’s important.”

“Really? It’s that important?”

Something bangs in the house. Cheyenne’s head whips towards the nearest window. “We need to get away from here. We can’t afford to wake up my parents. If they hear us, they’re sure to come out here.”

“Come back to my place.”

“I don’t know.”

Nash pushes close to her. “Cheyenne,” he huskily murmurs.

Her shoulders slump and her arms drop to her sides. “Let’s go.”

I take her hand and lead her across the field.

At the house, we settle onto the living room couch. Cheyenne looks uncertainly around herself. “This is your home for real now, huh?”

“Yes.”

“Mine too,” Nash grins.

Cheyenne looks me over. “This is what you really want?”

“I’ve already committed to it. My dad moved most of his stuff. He comes back for the last bit next week.”

She looks at her pajama pants. “I don’t know why I came over here.”

“Because you want to,” I quickly say. “You want to be with us.”

“If I do it’s because I’m crazy.”

From the other side of her, Nash touches her knee. “We’re better than anyone else you’ll ever find, Cheyenne.”

“I’m not looking.”

My fingers twitch. I want to get my hands on whatever guy’s been messing with her and pound him into the dirt. “Who is he?”

Her nose wrinkles. “Who is who?”

“Him. The man you’ve been...” Bitterness fills my tongue. I can’t finish.

Cheyenne slowly blinks. “You think I’ve been seeing someone else?”

“Haven’t you?” Nash lashes out.

Something like a choking sound leaves Cheyenne. It rounds out, turning into a laugh. She presses her fingers against her mouth and giggles. “There’s no one.”

Relief rains down on me. “That’s the honest truth?”

She stops laughing. “Yes, Clay. It’s the honest truth.”

“Then why won’t you still be with us?” Nash demands. “We came back for you, Cheyenne.”

“You came back for the ranch,” she argues.

“And for you,” I solemnly tell her. “Nash and I want to be on this ranch, but half of the reason we’re here is you.”

Her face falls. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

“But we did. We came back for you, and we’re going to get you. There’s no reason you shouldn’t...”

“I’m pregnant.”

The words ring in the room. Over Cheyenne’s drooped head I lock eyes with Nash. His mouth slowly falls open.

I work my jaw around. It’s turned to jelly. “I… Who… whose is it?”

Her brown eyes pierce me. “You’re the only two men I’ve been with.”

“God,” Nash says. “God...”

“How far along are you?” I ask her.

She sucks in her lower lip as she seems to contemplate the answer. Or maybe she’s bracing us, getting us mentally ready for the answer. “Twelve weeks, I think. I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow and will get a better idea then.”

“Awww, hell…this is…” Nash starts to say.

“Stop,” I command him. His voice is getting on my nerves and I need to think.

“Shut up,” Nash tells me. “We should have come back sooner.”

“It’s not my fault we didn’t.”

“Stop!” Cheyenne screams. She hops up and turns to face us. “Is this what you do now? Fight?”

“We’re figuring this out,” I tell her.

“There’s nothing to figure out.”

“It’s our baby, Cheyenne. One of ours.” My eyes fall to her stomach. She’s not showing, but there’s a new softness to her I didn’t notice till now.

She protectively folds her arms across her stomach, shielding herself from my gaze. “Correction. It’s my baby. You two have nothing to do with this.”

Nash stands up. “Wait a second...”

“Now you’re the one who’s acting crazy,” I say.

Cheyenne’s lips tremble. “I know you both well enough to know this isn’t what you want. Just because you came back here doesn’t mean you’re ready for a family. Raising a kid isn’t the same as raising a herd of cattle.”

Nash reaches out for her. “We know.”

Cheyenne quickly steps backward. Her calves hit the coffee table and she stumbles a bit. My stomach flips.

“Be careful,” I say.

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

I stand too, but don’t make a move to touch her. One wrong move on mine or Nash’s part and she’ll be out the door. “Just what were you planning on doing? Raising this baby all on your own?”

She defiantly lifts her chin. “Yes.”

“You think we’re that bad, huh? You don’t think we should be around our kid?”

“Only one of you is the father.”

I look over at Nash. I’ve known him long enough to know what he’s thinking right now. It doesn’t matter who the father is. Cheyenne belongs to both of us, and so does that baby she’s carrying.

“We’re here now,” Nash solemnly says. “And we’re going to take care of you and the baby.”

Cheyenne’s eyes glisten. “How can I believe you? This isn’t how things were supposed to be between us. This is the opposite of what was gonna happen.”

“And it’s wrong?” I counter.

“It’s not you,” she sadly says.

“Hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but you don’t know everything about us. Nash and I came back here. For you. And we’re not about to leave.”

“Not now, but one day you will.”

A groan rumbles in Nash’s chest. “Cheyenne...”

“Marry us,” Nash says.

My head swivels towards him at a whiplash speed. He catches my eye and gives me a slight nod.

I know what he’s telling me. This is the one way we can show Cheyenne we mean business. If we don’t lock her down in a permanent way, she’ll be gone.

And she’ll take our kid with her.

“Yes. Let’s do this.”

“You can marry one of us, Cheyenne,” I rephrase.

Cheyenne’s eyes widen. She plops down on the coffee table behind her and stares straight ahead, as though the shock of it all drains her of energy.

I lean back on the couch and take her hand in mine. “Move in here with us. Be our wife. I’m not exactly sure of all the details, but this can work.”

She gulps. “I can’t marry you both.”

“Maybe not on paper,” Nash says, sitting next to me and taking her other hand. “But we can make this work, somehow. We can have a ceremony with just you and Clay. Or you and me. It’s no one’s business that you’ll belong to us both.”

Her eyes rapidly flick between the two of us. “Why now? I’ll just come straight out and tell you that I don’t feel right about this…about y’all proposing off-the-cuff like this, and just because I’m pregnant.”

I grip my hand tighter around hers. “We came back here before we knew you were pregnant. We already aimed to get you back. It ain’t no crime to want to be in our kid’s life too.”

Cheyenne’s chin trembles. A tear rolls down one cheek. “I don’t know…”

Nash starts to pace around the room like a caged animal. “You being here with us… that’s what matters.”

Another tear falls from her eye, and her body tenses. “This all feels so sudden…so forced.”

I lift her hand to my mouth and press my lips to her skin. She needs to remember what our touch used to mean to her. For a split second, I start to hate the fact that I’ve never been enough of a smooth talker to tell her all the right things. “We’re not letting you get away, Cheyenne McGee.”

“Not a chance,” Nash adds.

“I…can’t,” she shouts back to us. “I won’t.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I won’t do that to my unborn child. You’re doing this for all the wrong reasons. I don’t want a shotgun wedding, least of all with two men who had no problem leaving me behind once before.”

She covers her face with her hands and fiercely shakes her head. Her fingers drop away and she looks at us with a new coldness in her eyes. “Please, just let it be. Don’t follow me… I need time to think,” she says in a hushed breath.

She pushes past us and whips the front door open so forcefully that it hits the wall with a bang.

I run onto the porch, trying to stop her. She can’t do this alone. I can’t just let her leave her with my kid. If it’s mine. Even if it’s Nash who bred her, she belongs with us.

“Cheyenne!” I shout, but she doesn’t answer, and Nash grips my shoulder to stop me from doing something stupid.

“Give her some time,” he says as the night sucks her away.