I’m so nervous as we walk down the hallway and to the stairs to meet Ryker’s parents. I mean, who tells their parents they’re kidnapping a woman and then bringing her home to meet them? He’s anything but traditional when it comes to romance.

He takes my hand, and I take comfort in the gentle touch. I glance over at him and he’s smiling from ear to ear. How does he do that? Know when I need him before I do, and then smile as though everything in the world is perfect. I guess it is, though.

I woke up this morning and the first thing I thought was how happy I was. I can’t remember the last time I had that thought, if ever. Could this all be happening for real? Am I truly falling for a man who stole me in the night and laid a claim to me? But even now as I walk beside him, I want to lean closer. I’m beginning to crave his touch, which is why I did what I did this morning. My cheeks flush and my body heats as I recall how free I was. Free to make the choice to touch him, free to let him touch me. I might have been kidnapped, but I’m far from caged.

Everything that’s happened between us, I’ve allowed. I don’t regret a second of it, and if I’m really honest with myself right now, there’s a reason I let it happen. I’m falling for him. Hard. I try not to think about it too much, because that’s when I get into trouble. Right now, I’m just going to focus on what’s in front of me, and that’s Ryker’s parents.

When we enter the kitchen, I can see them sitting at the bar having coffee and talking to Lily. Ryker wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me even closer. And for the millionth time today, I wonder if he can read my mind.

We walk over together, and his parents catch sight of us and stand up.

“Cricket, I’d like you to meet my mama, Kathleen, and my dad, Jackie,” Ryker says as he leans forward and hugs his mom, and she gives him a kiss on the cheek. I’m a little surprised when he does the same with his dad, even getting a kiss on the cheek from him, too. Something about it is kind of sweet.

“Cricket? And all this time, I thought her name was Blair,” Kathleen says with an accent thicker than my own. She sounds like she could be from Louisiana, and that warms me a little.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I say, trying my best to be as polite and refined as possible. I’ve got a need to make a good impression.

Kathleen is tall, probably almost six feet. She’s got solid white hair that’s pulled back in a ponytail and she’s wearing dark jeans and a plain white T-shirt. I notice she’s got on boots and looks like she would be comfortable on a horse. She’s got dark eyes like Ryker, and he’s got her smile. There are lines around her lips and eyes, but they appear to be from smiling. When she reaches out and takes one of my hands with both of hers, I immediately like her. Her hands are a little rough, which makes me think she might actually work on a farm, and for some reason that makes me like her more.

Jackie takes my hand next, and his smile is soft. He’s got sandy-blond hair with gray around the temples and he’s about as tall as Kathleen is. He’s got a thin build but is wearing pretty much the same thing as Kathleen, except his shirt is dark green. His eyes are a warm blue and he’s kind as he says hello to me.

“We’ve heard a lot about you,” Jackie says, and then steps back to grab his coffee.

“I’m guessing you two are hungry,” Kathleen says, winking at me and turning around to take her seat at the bar.

I almost choke with embarrassment as Ryker slides his hand down my back and grabs my ass before going over to the bar and making us both plates of food.

“You know, I tried to teach him how to cook,” Kathleen says conspiratorially to me. “Poor Ry could burn water.”

“I’m not much better,” I say and smile at her. “I got a wild hair one time and tried to make deviled eggs. I didn’t know how long it took to boil eggs, so I just figured I’d do an hour to be safe.”

“Oh, honey, what happened?” Jackie asks as he laughs.

“They were like shriveled dust inside.” I laugh thinking about it, but then remember how I broke I was at the time, so I still had to eat them anyway.

“With enough Dukes, anything is edible,” Kathleen says and winks at me.

She’s right. I slapped in some mayo and called it egg salad. It wasn’t too bad after that. I’ve tried over the past few months to get better at cooking, but it hasn’t been going the best.

“That just means Lily can never leave us,” Ryker says and nods over to the table nearby.

Lily is putting out a platter of finger sandwiches along with the other food and then wipes her hands on her apron.

“You know I’m only staying for the money. I keep telling Mrs. Kathleen to make me an offer.” Lily laughs as she hangs her apron up. “Y’all enjoy the food and leave the dishes. Especially you,” she says, narrowing her eyes on Kathleen. “I don’t want to see you with your hands in my sink. Lord knows I need something to keep me busy.”

Kathleen holds her hands up in defense as everyone says goodbye to Lily. She exits out the back and I watch through the window as she goes out to the garden. Ryker says she loves the sunshine and spends hours out there working on her vegetables and plants.

“Thank you,” I say to Ryker as I take the plate of food he piled up for me and take a seat at the table where Lily set out places for us. Everyone else comes over and sits down with their plates as Ryker brings me coffee.

“So,” Kathleen says, and I can almost feel my stomach drop. “Are you enjoying your captivity in Perscia?”

For a moment I have to think about what she means, but then I remember that’s the name of the estate. It hasn’t been that long since Ryker told me, but it feels like a lifetime ago.

“For a prisoner, I have to say it’s pretty great so far.”

At that exact moment, Ryker pours cream in my coffee and places a tray of desserts next to it. He even uses a spoon to stir it, and it’s almost ridiculous how he dotes on me.

“Considering he’s never done this before, I’m happy to see the accommodations are suiting you.” She’s so casual as she talks about her son kidnapping me as she sips her coffee.

The thought of Ryker doing this before me never even crossed my mind. Ridiculously it makes me feel special to know that he’s never gone this crazy for someone. That I’m somehow different for him. Like he is for me.

I decide that I don’t have much to lose and go for the direct question. “Would you mind telling me why he decided to do it?”

Kathleen looks to Jackie and gives him a sad smile. He looks back at her and places his hand over hers, giving it a squeeze. Something passes between them, and I feel like I’ve somehow made them somber.

“I’m sorry…” I start to say, wanting to go back to the playful feeling we had just a second ago.

“No, it’s fine. You have every right to ask,” Jackie says, and I can see the sincerity in his eyes. “And Ryker has the obligation to explain it to you. But not today. Today is for meeting you and getting to know the woman who has our son in knots.”

I glance over at Ryker, who is watching me. He’s got his hand draped across the back of my chair and I feel his thumb brushing along my neck. He’s so casual and at ease. It’s something I haven’t seen in him before, and I really like it. He looks sexy and my mind drifts back to waking up this morning.

“Have you had a chance to visit the peach groves?” Kathleen asks, pulling me from my dirty thought about this morning and sending me straight to the dirty thoughts of the orchard. “It smells heavenly this time of year.”

I almost choke on my coffee as I hear Ryker chuckle, and I think about his comments when his head was between my legs.

“Um, yes,” I say, patting my chest. “It’s really beautiful.”

“We should take a walk out there later. I haven’t been this season and I’d love to grab a basket before they’re all gone.”

“I think we can handle that.” Ryker looks at me and answers my unspoken question. “When they’re in season and picked, we donate them to the farmers market and local food banks.”

“That’s so nice,” I say, mentally marking down another thing about Ryker that makes my heart melt. Can he really be this perfect?

“He’s pretty great,” Kathleen says, and I can hear the pride in her voice.

“All right, enough about me, why don’t you guys interrogate my woman,” Ryker jokes as he tickles my side.

He looks relaxed and so at ease with his family here. I haven’t seen this side of him, but now that I have, I want it all the time. Could he be this way with me?

His parents ask me questions, but they’re careful not to ask one that would make me uncomfortable. We talk about how I liked riding Diamond and what kinds of foods I like. There’s never any talk that might lead back to my job before I came here, or what led Ryker to take me. I wonder now and then if he briefed them on what to say before they got here, but then decide I like the safe talk. It makes me more relaxed and less afraid of landmines I’m not willing to talk about. From the looks of it, Ryker comes from a good home with good parents. My upbringing was the polar opposite of what he experienced, and I don’t want anyone feeling sorry for me. My mom sucks, and I don’t have any family to speak of, but I refuse to let that define who I am.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Jackie says when Ryker tells them about me almost getting swept away in the flash flood. “You’re lucky to be alive. Those things are known to kill farmers who are more worried about saving their livestock than themselves.”

“I’m lucky Ryker was there,” I say.

I noticed he left out the part where I was trying to run away, but I’m sure his parents are smart enough to figure it out.

“We should go for a ride down and check it out today,” Kathleen offers, and everyone agrees.

When we finish eating, we start to clear up the dishes, but it’s as if Lily can hear us and comes in at that exact moment. She lovingly scolds Kathleen before we’re all pushed out of her kitchen and made to go outside.

The four of us pile into the Gator, and Ryker drives us out to the barn. He points out some things for me along the way, and I can see some of the land he’s had bush-hogged so he can put in a playground.

“A playground? What’s that for?” I ask as we drive by it. When I look over at Ryker, he’s got a sly smile.

He shrugs and then squeezes my hand. “For one day.”

It’s then the implication dawns on me. He means for our kids. The thought should terrify me, but instead it warms my heart. He’s already planning a future where we’re together and having kids. I think back to Fritz and how even the sight of children always disgusted him. I thought I never wanted kids either, especially after having a mother like I did. But as time went on, the more the thought had taken hold. Now when I look out onto the pasture I can envision children laughing in the swings and begging Ryker to push them higher. I can almost hear their squeals as I chase them around the old oak tree. It’s so beautiful it makes my breath catch in my throat. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever thought was possible and suddenly I’m homesick for something I didn’t know was there.

“I think that tree would look good with a tire swing,” Kathleen says and points out to the same tree in my fantasy. I can see it, too, and it would be perfect.

They talk about the orchard and how it’s doing this year, and Jackie seems to think Ryker needs another barn. They talk back and forth, and the whole time Ryker’s hand is on my leg, rubbing up and down.

When we get to the stables, Kathleen and I walk towards the horses while Jackie and Ryker go down to talk to a couple of his farmhands about some repairs that were needed after the storm. Ryker was telling me that he’s got several other houses on the property where families and workers live. They all take care of the land and the orchard, and Ryker pays them more money that I’ve ever hoped to make in my life. He says taking good care of his employees is what makes them take such good care of him. And he’s right. As I see him greet the group of guys, they all smile and shake hands like they’re friends. I had no idea this many people were even around us, but I’m seeing today there’s a lot I don’t know.

“Hey Johnny!” Kathleen says, bringing my attention back to the barn. “I was hoping I’d get to see you today. How are you doing?”

They talk for a moment, and I see Johnny smile at her lovingly.

“You know my brother Johnny, don’t you?” Kathleen says as she turns around to look at me.

I step forward and think about how kind he was to me when I needed a friend. He may have betrayed me when he helped Ryker bring me here, but I’m starting to see that there’s more to this than I realized. And he might have done this to help me.

“Hey, Johnny, how’s it going?” I give him a friendly smile and I can see how he brightens immediately. I didn’t realize how much giving him the cold shoulder had affected him until now.

“I’m good, Miss Blair. Are you and Kath going to ride?”

“We sure are. That is, if you’re up to it, Blair?” she asks, and I nod. “All right then. If you don’t mind, Johnny, I’ll saddle up Goober.”

I bust out laughing and look at her. “Who?”

“Oh lord, just wait. She’s as pretty as can be, but you better not be in a hurry on her. She’s a biscuit short of a full breakfast, but she minds, and I have a soft spot for her. I assume you want your Diamond?”

I like hearing that she’s mine, but I worry she might not let me after I tried to take her out and then got her stuck in the rain. “Maybe?”

“Come on with me, I’ll get her for you,” Johnny says.

Kathleen goes down to the end of the barn and into the last stall on the left. Johnny takes me to Diamond’s, and we stand there at her gate as he gets her saddle out.

“I’m sorry—” he says, but I cut him off.

“Let’s forget about it,” I say, and I mean it. “I know you wouldn’t ever do anything to put me in harm’s way, and I know Ryker feels the same. He trusts you, and that’s why we met. I’m going to trust him and trust you, too. So, I’m sorry about how I treated you when I first got here. But I’d like to be friends again.”

“I’d like that, too, Miss Blair.” His eyes lock with mine. “If I thought he would hurt you I would have never gone along with it. It’s just that well…” He puts his hands in his pockets. “I’ve never seen him show interest in a girl before, and then there you were. He was, well…”

“Obsessed,” I finish when he trails off. My cheeks warm, but I want to know more. I take a step closer to Johnny. “So no girlfriends before? Like…” Now I’m the one to trail off, making him smile.

“He dated when he was younger, but not much. There hasn’t been anyone since he found you. Not even a long while before you,” he admits, looking like he’s trying to remember how long ago but can’t recall. I want to ask more. Like how long has it been since he found me, but I don’t want to make Johnny uncomfortable when we just got back to being friends again.

“Maybe I can get this one to forgive me as well,” I say, turning my attention to Diamond.

She comes over to me, and I hold out my hand. I think for a second she’s going to back away, but she tilts her head down as if asking for me to pet her. I run my hand up her jaw and to her mane. Johnny hands me an apple, and I hold it out for her to eat while he puts on her saddle.

When she’s ready to go, I use the nearby stool and climb on. Johnny leads me out of the barn and I see Kathleen waiting on me.

“My goodness, she sure was made for you to ride her. Y’all are both as pretty as can be.”

I blush and thank her for the compliment. I can’t remember the last time a woman called me pretty, and the fact that it’s Ryker’s mother makes it all the sweeter.

Goober is a beautiful horse, black with big white spots that look like someone poured paint on her.

“How’d she get her name?” I ask as we take off down a trail together.

“Well, her real name is Victoria, but the trainer before Ryker kept calling her a goober because she wouldn’t listen. When Ryker bought her, that was the only name she responded to.”

Kathleen leans over a little to whisper like the horse can’t hear her. “But between you and me, she’s probably the smartest one on this farm. She just likes to play dumb so she doesn’t have to work and can take names.”

“That is smart,” I say, and we both laugh.

A comfortable silence falls between us as we take our time going down the trail. Kathleen points out flowers along the way, and we talk about our favorites.

“You know, you remind me a lot of myself,” she says, and I’m surprised.

“That’s nice of you to say, but I’m afraid I don’t come from much.” I hate admitting that to her, because I want her to like me.

“I know Ryker hasn’t told you why you’re here, but I’m free to tell you about myself.” Our horses are going at a slow pace and the only sound on the trail is their hoofs in the grass and birds in the trees. “I grew up in the lowlands of South Carolina. My mama left when I was about a year old, and my alcoholic father wasn’t there much longer after that. I was raised by my grandmother, but she was older than Jesus’s sandals the day I was born and wasn’t able to do much in the way of taking care of me.”

She smiles at me, and I think she’s had a long time to work through this pain, so maybe that’s why she doesn’t sound bitter when she’s telling me. I wonder if I’ll ever get there and learn to not hold on to how my mama was.

“She died when I was fourteen, and nobody ever told Child Protective Services. In my trailer park, you just shut your mouth and minded your business. I kept getting her social security checks, and the girls at the bank all knew me, so they kept on cashing them. It was enough to keep the trailer and get by until I could graduate high school. I kept thinking my diploma was the way out, but even after high school, I was working as a waitress at a truck stop and could barely keep the lights on.”

Suddenly an image of her tired to the bone and worn from life fills my mind, and I can see her so clearly. I could have easily ended up the same way, and she’s right, we’re more alike than I realized. It makes me feel closer to her—a connection of understanding.

“I was terrified of ending up like my mother, but the first asshole that came along, I fell in love with. He was a drinker just like my father and started hitting me about a month into our relationship. Or whatever you want to call it. I got pregnant right after that, and the second he found out, he was gone. In a way I was thankful because I didn’t have the money or the courage to leave, but I knew I didn’t want to raise a baby in that.”

She sighs and shakes her head as if shaking away the bad memories.

“I was raising a child on my own while working at the truck stop diner, but I was determined to make it work. Money was nowhere to be found, but Ryker was healthy and happy and that’s all that mattered to me. But one night I was working a late shift and a couple of roughnecks came in. I was used to all kinds of shit from those guys and ignored it as best as I could. We had a couple of cooks in the back who would look out for us, but these guys weren’t in the mood to be told to calm down. I don’t like to think about what could have happened, so instead I think about the moment when my Jackie walked in and saved me.”

“He saved you?” I ask, thinking about how lucky she is. I’ve heard horror stories about young women working at the truck stop near our trailer park.

“He ended up taking me home to make sure I was safe. He saw Ryker sleeping on a small mattress I had on the floor of his room and I think it broke his heart. It was all I could afford, but Jackie wouldn’t stand for it. He ended up sleeping on my couch that night, and the next day he bought Ryker a bed. A week after that he was moving us into his house.” She looks over at me and shrugs. “Jackie comes from a long line of old southern money. He spoiled me beyond my wildest dreams and took me out to every social event to show me off. But I was always the woman with the kid from the trailer park, and no amount of expensive soap could wash the smell off.”

“So, Jackie is Ryker’s stepdad?” I ask.

“No, Jackie is his father. He may not have been there the night he was made, but Ryker has been his baby boy from day one.”

“I get it,” I say, feeling my heart grow and grow for not only Jackie but for Ryker, too.

“So, when I say I understand how you may be feeling about being thrown into all this, know that it doesn’t matter what anyone else says about you. It matters how he makes you feel. And my Jackie made me feel like a queen from day one.”

I nod and think about how Ryker has done everything to make me happy. How he’s gone above and beyond to do things to please me. Is it really so different than what happened to his parents?

When I was with Fritz I was also trying to be something I wasn’t. With Ryker I can just be me and nothing more. I’m not trying to fit what I think I should be, nor is Ryker trying to push me to fit either, and here I am happier than I’ve ever been in my life. It makes me question so many of the choices I’ve made since I got on the bus and left the trailer park behind. I should have been focusing on doing what would make me happiest and not what I thought was the respectable thing to be doing.

Just then I hear hooffalls behind us and I turn to see Jackie and Ryker riding up on their horses.

“You having fun, Cricket?” Ryker asks, coming up beside me and reaching out his hand for mine.

I take his and we ride side by side for a little way, just holding hands while Jackie tells us about the damage from the storm. It must not be too bad, because Ryker doesn’t say anything, just rides along beside me rubbing his thumb along my knuckles. I should probably be paying attention to what Jackie and Kathleen are saying, but I’m too busy thinking about how much I just want to curl up in Ryker’s arms and let him kiss me.

We ride for a few hours, taking trails and going around the property before we head back to the barn. We stable the horses and talk to Johnny before we take the Gator back to the house and Ryker’s parents say they have to go.

“We’ve got tickets to Spoleto tonight,” Jackie says.

“I tried to get him to take me to something fun. But every now and then I’ve got an obligation to dress up and let him show me off.” She winks at me before coming closer and wrapping me up in a hug. “I know he’s gone about it a little different, but he has the best intentions.”

“I know,” I say, looking over to Ryker. I don’t care how he went about it anymore. I’m just glad he was here for me. In fact, the more I think about it, he saved me that night. I could have gone home and wholloed about what Fritz had done to me. Likely question so many things about myself that I shouldn’t have. Instead he took me home with him, showed me how special I am to him and that I’m perfect being just me and nothing more.

“I’m here if you need anything.” She gives my arm a squeeze before Jackie comes over and hugs me goodbye, too.

We watch them go and close the door behind them. When the lock clicks, I turn around and face Ryker. Slowly he steps towards me until my back is pressed against the front door.

“You’ve been giving me that look all day,” he says, placing his hands on either side of my head.

“What look?” I ask, looking up at his big strong body. His bulk is shadowing everything behind him, so I can see only him.

“Like you want me to take you to bed and give you a good fuck.” He licks his lips and I wonder if he’s thinking about how I taste.

“Maybe I do,” I counter, leaning forward and pressing my chest to his. I want him so badly. Maybe his obsession is rubbing off on me.

I don’t have time to think about what he’s going to say back to me, before I’m being wrapped in his arms and having the breath kissed out of me.

I may have laid down this challenge, but I forgot who I was talking to. When it comes to Ryker, all I have to do is say the word.