We couldn’t move at first. We just stood there looking at each other and silently asking, “What the fuck?”

Mr. Sloan cleared this throat and mumbled, “Excuse me,” before heading into the house. Jimmy blew out a heavy sigh then turned to chase after Ness. I knew it’d give me away, but I decided not to care and followed the path Ronnie took.

My insides were roiling as I relived the intense scene. Watching Nessa slap Ronnie in the face ripped me in half. I wanted to snatch her wrist and yank her as far from her sister as I could, but my guess was that Ronnie had lied in order to get Nessa here, and that pissed me off too.

I walked around the side of the house and scanned the backyard. All I could see was a lumbering tree with a tire swing hanging from its thickest branch. I wandered over to the fence line and scanned the paddock beyond. The only sign of life was a couple of horses grazing on the far side. Past that was an old barn. The red paint was peeling off the boards and the heavy door was open a crack.

Without thinking too much about it, I vaulted the fence and headed for the barn. The long grass tickled my ankles as I walked over the lumpy field. I managed to dodge all cow pies and crossed to the opposite fence with minimal mud on my shoes. Not that I really cared, but when I found Ronnie, I didn’t want to smell like shit.

The horses ignored me as I climbed over the fence and headed across the dirt track to the barn. A tractor was parked around the corner, next to a 4-wheeler. I crept up to the large door and peered through the opening. I couldn’t see much in the dim light, but I heard a hiccupping sob and it was enough to pull me through the gap.

I walked past four empty stalls, following the sound to a ladder at the other end. I ascended quickly and found Ronnie slumped on a hay bale, crying her puffy, bloodshot eyes out. Her pale cheeks were blotchy and red. She wiped away the trickle of snot from her nose with the sleeve of her shirt and drew in a shuddering breath.

“She wouldn’t have come if I’d told her the truth.” She rubbed her cheek. Nessa’s finger marks were still on her skin, imprints that gave away how livid she’d been. “I know I’m an awful person for lying, but I didn’t know what else to do.”

I sat down beside her and brushed the tears off her cheeks with the back of my finger. “You’re not an awful person.”

She shook her head and sniffed. “Yes, I am. I’m a lying sinner. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I do, actually.” I smiled. “I’ve been watching you this past week, and all I’ve seen is a sweet, kind heart that was trying to do the right thing. You love your family, and it took a lot of courage to do what you did.” I shuffled off my seat and knelt in front of her so we were eye to eye. Her big brown eyes, glimmering with tears, were beautiful. My throat grew thick with longing and an emotion so strong I didn’t know what to do with it. “There’s nothin’ like you.”

“What?” Her sweet face bunched with confusion

I gave her a sheepish grin. “It’s a song I heard the other day, and it made me think of you.”

Pulling the phone from my back pocket, I found my playlist and selected the song “Nothin’ Like You” by Dan + Shay.

The soft guitar riff filled the musty space. I gazed at Ronnie’s face, her quiet smile making my heart soar.

“I love this song,” she murmured, wiping at her tears.

I sat the phone on the hay bale and cupped her face, brushing my thumbs under her lashes. I couldn’t say anything; my heart lodged in my throat made it impossible to speak. We just sat there, staring at each other, letting the words swirl around us and say everything.

Her perfect, pink tongue swiped her lower lip. I ran my thumb over the moisture and moved toward her, my fingers lightly pressing into her neck and pulling her close. Her breath brushed my mouth before I felt the sweet pressure of her lips on mine. She was soft and pliant, moving in time with me. When I grazed my tongue across her upper lip, she opened up immediately, letting me in. She tasted pure, her innocence alluring. I ran my arm down her back, pulling her off the hay bale and into my lap. Her legs wrapped around me while her tongue swirled in my mouth. My body fired with pleasure at her whimpering moan and the tantalizing awesomeness of her pert breasts squished against my chest.

I splayed my hand on her back, running it up her spine before gripping her neck then threading my fingers into her luscious locks. She clung to my shoulders, deepening the kiss. I could feel her pain, her desire, her passion. It all swirled together in a heated moment that confirmed everything I’d been feeling since I first saw her standing outside my front gate.