Dax wasn’t sure what had come over him but he had a restlessness inside him that he couldn’t wrangle.

Actually, he knew exactly what had come over him. It was a severe case of wanting. He hadn’t felt anything like it since…ever. He’d never felt this way—not even about keeping the ranch. He loved his life, but at this particular moment he would give it all up if it meant he got to keep Katy by his side.

Heck, he’d sign over the deed to the ranch for one more kiss.

This was lunacy, pure and simple. It was an infatuation that would fade once she left.

He shifted in the driver seat at that thought. He didn’t want her to leave. What on earth? Yes, that kiss had been phenomenal, but he wasn’t one to lose his head over a kiss…or anything else, for that matter.

He was the steady one in his family. The calm one, the reasonable one.

But there was nothing reasonable about the way he felt right now—like he wanted to hold her close and never let go. That feeling had grown since the kiss so he couldn’t entirely blame hormones or pheromones or whatever it was that had made his world tip upside down at the feel of her lips beneath his.

No, this feeling had taken on a life of its own. The more time he’d spent with her, the more they’d talked, the more she’d shown him her real self, the more he’d fallen in love.

Love?

The word echoed through him. No, it couldn’t be. His heart started racing as the house came into view. No way. This couldn’t be love. Granted, he’d never really fallen in love before. Not even with Shannon, and they both knew it. But still, it didn’t work like this. Real love took time to develop.

Didn’t it?

There had to be another explanation. He just couldn’t think of one. And now that the word had been let loose in his mind, it seemed to reverberate, bouncing off his skull and sending shockwaves throughout his entire body.

This was love. He had fallen in love with Katy Hunter.

He stepped on the brake too hard as he came to a stop in his usual parking place beside the main house.

“Sorry,” he said as they both lurched forward a bit at the sudden stop.

“No worries,” she said with a smile.

That smile. Holy cow, that smile. She was radiant and so at ease. It seemed the more time she’d spent touring the ranch, the more she’d relaxed. He could see the effect this place had on her and it was magnificent.

He knew his family loved it here—Twilight was their home, after all. But he’d never seen anyone take to it like she had.

Like he did every day.

She clearly felt it, the majestic energy, the sweeping, humbling serenity. And it suited her. He’d watched her nervous energy settle into something enchanting. A peacefulness that made her features soften with joy and her lips turn up in a small smile he guessed was unintentional.

She was beautiful in her strappy heels, with her quick speech and her rapid-fire wit. But this was another side of her that he felt blessed to witness. It was a side of herself he’d guess she was just now discovering for herself.

He helped her out of the car and held onto her hand even after he should have let it go. She didn’t pull away and for that he was grateful.

His mind started to get away from him as he led her to the house. What was he thinking? It wasn’t like this could lead anywhere.

But his heart wasn’t listening. She was here now, it seemed to say in return. Hold onto her, hold onto this moment, for as long as you can.

That was what he would do. He would make the most of this little time they had together. He would make sure he spent as much—

“There you are!” Alice’s voice jolted him out of his thoughts as they entered the family room where Alice, it seemed, had been waiting for them.

Her pixie features lit up with excitement as she caught sight of Katy walking in behind him. He saw her gaze drop to their intertwined hands but she didn’t so much as blink.

He let go quickly anyway, suddenly absurdly self-conscious.

“You must be Katy,” Alice said as she walked toward them, her hand outstretched.

Katy snapped back into her work mode, as Dax had come to think of it. She was all polite, polished perfection. The only thing missing were her heels and her snazzy clothes, but even wearing hiking boots and a casual outfit, she conveyed poise and professionalism just by the switch in her demeanor.

Alice was clearly impressed. He watched with some amusement as his little sister chatted excitedly with Katy, asking her about her trip so far and filling her in more details about the guest properties, answering some of the questions he hadn’t had answers to this morning.

Alice was wide-eyed and eager, and so very in her element that he couldn’t help but be impressed. This was a side of his sister he’d never truly seen. Oh, he’d watched her start up this business but he’d never had much to do with it before.

Her knowledge and her confidence were impressive. He barely heard James walk into the room and stop beside him.

“Who is this?” he asked, only half joking. “And what happened to my baby sister?”

James hesitated for a moment too long and when Dax turned he saw James watching her with an intensity that made him nervous. Not for the first time he found himself questioning just how close his old friend and his little sister had grown.

James looked over at him with a grin that made Dax feel guilty for having suspicions. “I guess your little sister is all grown up.”

Dax grumbled something incoherent. He wasn’t entirely sure he liked his friend noticing just how grown up his little sister was. But then Alice distracted him. He heard her asking Katy about her dinner plans and he experienced a surge of panic.

“If you’d like, James and I could grill up some steaks,” his sister was saying.

Dax took a step forward. “Actually, uh—” All eyes were on him and Katy gave him a questioning look.

Well heck, he hadn’t meant to do this in front of an audience, but there was no turning back now. “I was, uh…” He glanced over at his sister but she didn’t get the cue that she should give him privacy. He settled for lowering his voice as he turned to face Katy. “I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me tonight in town.”

She blinked at him and he saw a hint of pink creeping up her cheeks. “Dax Deckland, are you asking me on a date?”

The air went still around him and he was intensely aware of all the eyes on him. He cleared his throat. “Yes, ma’am, that’s exactly what I’m asking.”

A heartbeat of tense silence followed. But then she grinned and it lit up her face, making her eyes dance with laughter. “I’d love to.”