If anyone had told Katy that she would fall in love with a ranch in Montana, she would have called him crazy. But that would have been before her own personal cowboy decided to devote himself to wooing her to the dark side, as he’d called it.

There was nothing dark about Twilight, other than the name. And even that…well, she supposed his great-great grandparents hadn’t realized that a series of vampire books would eventually become bestsellers so she couldn’t fault the name.

The place was a wonderland. She’d never knew such untouched natural beauty still existed in the world. Though, when she pointed that out to Dax, he correctly pointed out that perhaps she’d spent too much time in cities. There was a great big world out there, after all.

He said this and then tore off a hunk of the incredible fresh-baked bread he’d brought along. Seemed there was a baker in town whose name she now needed to jot down. Surely the wedding party would need fresh bread and pastries…and she might just need more too before she left.

But pastries aside, she found herself stifling a laugh at his haughty look as he judged her city-centric ways. She could admit that as a born-and-raised Manhattanite she was a bit snobby in that regard. But then again…

“Look who’s talking,” she said, reaching over absently to brush some crumbs from his sleeve. “Don’t get me wrong. I fully admit that you live in paradise—”

“During the summer,” he pointed out. Ever the fair one, her Dax. No, not her Dax, obviously. That was just a saying. She shook off the thought and got back on point.

“Fine, for part of the year you live in paradise, but don’t you ever get the urge to travel? Don’t you ever want to see what else is out there?” She shoved a piece of ham in her mouth before she could start selling him on all the things he might like in the big city. She wasn’t trying to convince him—it would be a fruitless endeavor, and what was she really hoping to achieve?

He seemed to think that over, giving it some real thought and not just a pat answer. “I guess I’ve always been pretty content with what I’ve got.” He shrugged. “I like a simple life.”

She fought the urge to say something snarky, not because she didn’t agree but because…oh heck, she supposed she was jealous.

“What was that sigh for?” he asked. He leaned back so he was lounging on his elbows, the sound of the creek a distant melody and the scenery around them making her feel like they were on the set of a movie rather than living in real life.

“I was just thinking how nice that sounds. A simple life.” Now it was her turn to shrug as she looked down at the food spread out before her. At this particular moment she was hard-pressed to say what was so great about fancy restaurants when she could be sprawled out under a hot sun with a cool breeze and sexy cowboy.

A strange sort feeling snuck up on her. She felt…cozy. Settled and content in a way she’d never experienced before.

Maybe it was the sunshine or the fresh air. Or maybe it was the company. It was probably a combination of all of the above. All she knew was she was content. Her normal restless energy was gone and the constant chatter in her brain had faded away.

“I take it your life isn’t simple,” he said.

She got the feeling he wanted to ask more. Every time he looked at her she got the suspicion that he was taking note of everything about her. He had this way of making her feel like she was the most fascinating person on the planet.

It wasn’t true, of course, but the effect was heady. She’d never been the center of someone’s universe before.

Maybe he was one of those guys who made everyone feel that way. He was a good listener and he seemed to be genuinely interested in other people. She shouldn’t take it so much to heart, but she did.

It had been a long time since someone cared enough to try and get close, past the defenses and the pretenses. Overlooking the obvious to see what was beneath.

He shifted, sitting upright and brushing off his palms. “What brought you to Los Angeles?”

She sighed. She didn’t want to think about LA or her clients or the life she was going back to. She liked her life…normally. But sitting here in this peaceful Shangri-La, it felt so far away and she loved that. But he’d been answering her questions honestly and he deserved the same.

“I fled New York after breaking up with my ex.” She gave him a rueful grin. It was the pat answer she gave whenever anyone asked that question so it just sort of slipped out. “I guess I’d just needed a change. I needed to stand on my own two feet.”

“Being independent,” he said. “That’s a big deal for you, isn’t it?”

She nodded. “My father was controlling.” She made a face. “I was an only child and he’d always been protective to the point of overbearing.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I guess I can see that. It was hard for Cole and me to give Alice her independence when she went off to college. It was hard to remember that she was a grown-up and not a little girl anymore.”

She nodded. “Exactly. My dad will probably never see me as a grown-up, but the distance helps.” She smiled as she reached for a piece of cheese. “It’s hard to admit but we have a better relationship now that I’ve moved across the country than we ever did when I lived ten blocks away.”

“So you were trying to escape your family then,” he said.

She nodded. She almost didn’t continue, but she had to. “And my ex.”

She cleared her throat, ignoring his stare as she toyed with the food. She never really talked about this with anyone, least of all a strange man, or a man she’d just kissed. But again, he had been so forthright about his divorce, and he seemed genuinely interested.

And honestly, she wanted him to understand. Because her current hangups with dating were largely based on her experience with Rick. Not that she and Dax were dating. They weren’t. They couldn’t. It would be pointless since she was leaving so soon.

But she wanted to.

“Are you all right?” Dax gave her shoulder a touch to get her attention.

She nodded quickly, struggling to swallow that last bite. “Mmhmm. I was just just...uh…thinking.” About how I finally want to date someone for the first time in years and I can’t.

How unfair was that?

She shook her head. “Sorry, I got distracted. I was going to say that my ex was a major part of my leaving.”

He gave a sympathetic wince. “Tough breakup?”

“Kind of, but not like you might think.” She cleared her throat. Man, this was hard to talk about. “I wasn’t heartbroken, not like I should have been. I mean, we’d been together for five years, we were engaged…I should have been more upset. Instead I felt...”

His gaze never left her face even as she struggled for the right word.

“Relieved,” she finally said. “That sounds cold, I know, but it was a relief.”

“How so?”

She shrugged. “I may not like how overprotective my dad was—is—but I was used to it. I think subconsciously we all seek out what we know, even if we don’t like it.”

Dax nodded. “It’s our comfort zone.”

“Exactly. I guess I fell into a cliché,” she said with a little laugh. “I was set to marry a man who was just like my father.”

“Controlling?” he asked with a sympathetic wince.

She nodded. “At first I thought his protectiveness was sweet. But then it turned suffocating.” She took a deep breath as she thought back to that dark time and how far she’d come. “It started to feel like he didn’t trust me to make my own decisions.”

“That must have been difficult,” he said, his voice a soothing murmur.

She looked over at him, studying him. Funny how at first sight she’d thought he was such an old-fashioned chauvinist, but now… Well now she didn’t know what to make of this guy. On one hand he was old-fashioned. His lifestyle was simple, like something from another time, another era.

But not necessarily in a bad way.

For the first time in her life, she could understand the appeal of a slower pace, of a life that wasn’t spent competing and constantly running.

What was she thinking? She shook her head. This was a vacation—no, a working vacation—she wasn’t actually looking to live here.

As if reading her mind, Dax shifted, gathering up some of the uneaten food. “We should probably get moving if we’re going to see all of the venue sites Alice has lined up before supper.”

The rest of the day was spent slowly making their way around the property, which never lost its awe-inspiring appeal no matter how long she gazed at the horizon or tried to digest the sweeping views.

She experienced the oddest sensation of being exhausted but rested as they drove back to the main house. Exhausted from so much walking and exploring, but rested in a way she couldn’t quite explain.

Maybe this was why people took vacations to remote parts of the world like this.

Huh. Maybe her next vacation wouldn’t be to a crowded beach but to a ranch…just like this one.

She hadn’t realized she’d let out a little laugh until he glanced over with a smile of his own. “What’s so funny?”

She shook her head. “Just thinking how much a person’s perspective can change in the course of twenty-four hours.” She paused for a second, unsure of how much to reveal. But then she looked at who she was talking to. A man who seemed to take everything in stride and who inexplicably seemed to understand her without her having to rationalize or explain. Taking a deep breath, she spit it out. “You know, when I first showed up here, I fully expected to hate it.”

She glanced over and saw his grin spread wide across his face. “No kidding,” he drawled.

Laughing, she smacked his arm. “I guess that was pretty obvious, huh?”

“Let’s just say you did not seem thrilled to be in this fine state of ours,” he said, ever the diplomat.

She pursed her lips as she thought about her behavior the night before. Had it really only been one night? “I guess I was a bit of a brat, and I’m sorry about that.”

He reached over and clasped her hand in his. She felt the warmth of it all the way to her toes. “No need to apologize. I didn’t give you much reason to be happy to be here.” He gave a little shrug. “I guess it’s obvious that I’m not as keen on my sister’s plans for a guest ranch as she is.”

“No kidding,” she said, imitating his cowboy drawl and making him laugh.

“Yeah well…” He gave her a sidelong look that made her heart attempt to jump out of her chest in response. “I was wrong.”

She thought he might not say anymore but then his voice lowered and his tone softened. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Her heart did a backflip before wringing itself out to dry. Oh mercy. How had he managed to put so much emotion into one little phrase. I’m glad you’re here.

She was glad too, even though a little part of her was already feeling homesick for this place and for him. Which was utterly ridiculous because she hadn’t even left yet, not to mention the fact that she’d only just arrived. It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since she’d first spoken to Dax Deckland.

How on earth could he have this much sway over her emotions already?

The silence between them grew heavy. She cleared her throat. “I’m glad too.”

That was it. That was all she could manage. It was the truth, though. No matter how hard it might be to walk away, she’d never regret meeting this man. Maybe he’d been sent from above to show her that her heart wasn’t made of ice after all.

Yes, that had to be it. He was a sign that she could feel something deeper than just apathetic admiration for a man, after all.

Maybe once she returned home to LA she’d meet someone and feel this same way. She’d meet someone who lived in her world, in her city, who fit into her life and she into his.

Much as she tried to convince herself, her heart just wasn’t in it. Her heart had turned into a brat, it seemed. I want this man, and this life, and this world.

She shook her head at her own silliness.

Her heart would get over it.