Hazel didn’t want to tell Dylan what he’d done wrong. It sounded stupid inside her own brain, and she’d been battling with her emotions for five weeks. But he stood before her in all his handsome cowboy glory, from that charcoal hat, to his black polo, to those long, jean-clad legs.

He’d been brave. She wondered how much courage it took to drive into town to see someone who wouldn’t call you back.

“Sit down,” she said, more of a barking command than the gentle way she’d intended.

Dylan blinked and returned to the salon chair. She pulled a drape from the hook along the back wall and fanned it around his neck. Her fingers brushed his skin as she snapped the cape, and a shiver ran from her shoulders to her toes.

“You just want this cleaned up?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Hazel melted from the outside in, her heart the last thing to thaw. Everything about him being here was so right, and she knew she needed to employ the same bravery he had.

“I felt like you were too busy for us,” she said, her scissors going snip, snip, snip along the longer hair on top of his head. “The new ranch came first, and that bothered me. I know that makes me into a bad person, but honestly…..”

Their eyes met in the mirror, and Dylan seemed only interested in what she had to say. “Go on,” he urged.

“It reminded me too much of Peter.” She swallowed, her fingers working through Dylan’s hair as if they had a mind of their own. “He always did what he wanted. Molded me into what he wanted. And I was always on the outside looking in. Always at home waiting for him. You…it felt the same.”

She went back to the cut, because it was easier to focus on his hair than his beautiful eyes. “And when you didn’t even tell me when you were moving, I felt abandoned. And I’ve never gone out with a man twice since Peter walked out on me. Until you.”

Snip, snip, snip.

His hair fell to the floor and she pushed him right and left and back to make sure she got it all even.

“I’m so sorry,” he finally said. “I can see what you mean now. But I didn’t mean to act like that. The situation was…tense on a lot of levels.”

“I know that.” She put the scissors on the shelf in front of him and plugged in the trimmers. With her back to him and her eyes down, she didn’t have to see his face, which made it easier to keep talking. “That’s why I said I’m a bad person. I should’ve been more patient or something. But I just…couldn’t.”

She switched on the trimmers; the electric buzzing sound made talking a little harder. She turned them off again. Turned toward him and looked right into his eyes. “I know life gets busy sometimes. Bad things happen and make situations hard. Heck, good things can bring tension and stress. But I don’t want to be Number Two, ever.” She lifted her chin. “I did that for years, and I was made to feel that second best was all I could ever be.”

With every muscle in her chest quaking and her hands shaking too hard to hold the clippers, she added, “I’m worth being picked first.” She put the clippers down on the shelf and drew in a deep breath.

“Of course you are,” Dylan said. “Hazel. You are.” He stood and gently turned her toward him, gathering her into his arms.

She wrapped her arms around him, stealing his strength as she tried to inhale calmness into her still shaking lungs. She felt herself calm in the safety of his arms, the masculine scent of his cologne sinking into her senses.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I want to always choose you first. I will choose you first in the future. I promise.” He pushed away from her, his eyes as bright as sincere as she’d ever seen them. “Okay? I love you, and I’ll put you first.”

He was made of handsome lines and pretty words. And she believed him. She loved him. She nodded, and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “There’s one more thing I need.”

“Name it.”

“A kiss.”

Thankfully, Dylan’s serious eyes crinkled and he smiled as he lowered his mouth to touch hers. And finally, finally, Hazel felt like she’d gotten it all.

“Wow, you’ve really done a lot of work here.” Hazel glanced around as she got out of his truck. He’d insisted they go together in his truck, though she’d said he’d have to drive her all the way back to town that evening.

“I don’t care, Hazel. I want you right beside me.” And then he’d kissed her like he loved her, and Hazel climbed into the truck and held his hand the whole way out to his new ranch.

“I’ve been working on all the buildings,” he said. “I think I’m getting closer to caught up. Then I’m going to build a few more cabins down on the end.”

“More cabins?”

“We need more ranch hands,” he said. “And there’s not enough space for who we need.” He glanced down the long road leading away from where they’d parked. “I’m going to build my house out there too, I think.”

Hazel slipped her hand into his. “Really? You want to live out with the ranch hands?”

“Shane will always be the foreman,” Dylan said. “He was born for it. I was born as the middle child, the one who gets things done but quietly. On the outskirts.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

“It is. It’s why I like going out to that cabin in the North End Zone at Grape Seed.” He squeezed her hand and locked his eyes on hers. “I’m okay with it. I used to hate my role in the family, among my brothers, but I’m fine with it now.”

“And Austin? Where will he live?”

“There’s a second house just down at the crossroads,” he said. “Remember how John was using it as his business headquarters? Well, it’s cleaned out now, and it needs some major remodeling. Then Austin will move in there.”

“How long will that take?”

“It’s down on the list a bit.” Dylan started to move toward the house, and Hazel went with him.

“Oh, the dogs.” She dropped his hand and turned back to let Milo and Monty out of the back of the truck. They jumped down, their paws puffing up dust, and sprinted around. “They’ll calm down once they smell everything,” she said, smiling at them.

“Titan will go nuts.” Dylan chuckled. “But he’s potty trained now, and I’ve taught him to sit.”

“So much progress, even while working and moving.”

Dylan froze, his gaze nervous.

A twinge of guilt hit Hazel, when she realized how what she’d said sounded. “It’s fine, Dylan. I don’t expect you to ignore the needs of your new puppy.” She tugged him toward the homestead. “Come on. I can smell steak cooking, and I’m starving.”

They went inside and found a flurry of activity, with Austin stirring something on the stove, a panicked look on his face. “Shane!” he called, his gaze flying to her and Dylan when he heard the door close.

A dog barked, and claws slipped on the hard floor as Dylan’s pup sprinted toward him. Milo and Monty panted and started circling the new dog, all tails whipping in circles.

“This is going to burn,” Austin said. “And Robin and Shane are out babysitting the steaks, and she said all I had to do was stir it.”

“Like I can cook,” Dylan said. He looked at Hazel. “Maybe…?” He nodded toward Austin, and Hazel stepped up to the stove to see barbeque sauce simmering nicely in the pot.

“It’s fine,” she said. “Keep stirring.”

Shane came in through the back door and said, “Dylan. Hazel.” A smile formed on his face as he came closer. He drew Hazel into a quick side-hug that felt like acceptance. “Good to see you again.”

He sent a pointed glance at Dylan, who ignored him, and said, “Why are you yellin’ at me?” to Austin.

“I can’t stir this,” he said.

“I just wanted ten minutes alone with Robin,” Shane grumbled, stepping over to the stove and taking the wooden spoon from his brother.

“Oh, please,” Austin said. “You don’t need to be alone to kiss her. You do it constantly, right in front of me.”

“I do not.” Shane’s tone suggested Austin stop talking immediately, and the youngest Royal brother moved away, the message clearly received. “Nice haircut,” he said to Dylan.

“Thanks.” Dylan surveyed the kitchen. “What can we do to help?”

“Go set the picnic table on the back porch,” Shane said.

“We’re eating outside?”

Yeah, that didn’t sound all that fun to Hazel either, though she usually liked being outdoors.

“Austin got the outdoor air conditioner working.” Shane took the pot off the stove and set it on the granite countertop. “It’s cool on the patio.”

Dylan led Hazel outside to a beautiful, shaded patio, which indeed had air conditioning blowing from vents in the ceiling above. “What’s up there?” she asked.

“That’s the balcony off my bedroom,” he said. “I wonder if my deck is heated in the winter.”

“Nope.” Austin joined them. “And I fixed the shades too.” He indicated the sunshades that fell between the posts that held up the balcony. “It’s like another room out here, but without the real walls.”

Hazel loved this seemingly screened in porch, the scent of browned meat, and the glorious Texas sunshine. But most of all, she loved the way her hand fit in Dylan’s, and she loved that she felt accepted and at home on this ranch, and she turned to Dylan to say the words she’d wanted to at her house and hadn’t been able to.

“I love you,” she said.

He jerked his gaze to hers, searching, examining, wondering. “Yeah?”

She giggled. “Yeah. I love you.” Her laughter rolled out of her as he swept her into his arms and kissed her.

“Come on,” Austin grumbled. “Not you too.”