Jack walked into Magnus’s pen. Ever since he had been breeding again, the bull had become a lot calmer. Jack knew he should just go. Get his things and leave. Next morning, Earl could send him whatever he needed. The car keys were in his pocket. He could drive until he found a place to sleep.

Of course if he asked, Earl would insist he slept at his place. But he didn’t want to involve anyone else, or worse—talk about what happened.

A part of him was sedate and another part riled up with the idea he had lost Lola forever. When she’d left him two years ago, he had been shaken and lost. Back then, all of it happened in Los Angeles. He’d been able to pick up the pieces and head home… to the ranch… where he belonged.

How about now? He couldn’t simply move out of the region, not when there was his baby to consider. Not when… he’d be leaving Lola behind.

I love her. His forehead tightened, and he shut his eyes hard. Misery welled up inside him. He loved her, and he’d lost her. Why hadn’t he been able to come to terms with his feelings sooner? Maybe then he wouldn’t be in such a predicament.

All he really wanted was to storm into the house and declare his love. But she wouldn’t believe him, and that would only make things worse. She needed time. Ironically so. And she might never believe me. The thought brought a bitter aftertaste to his palate, like he had just eaten a rotten piece of fruit.

He fished out his cell phone and called his lawyer. He didn’t care what time it was. He paid him the big bucks for a reason. It rang three times then the answering machine got it. “I want to sign the deed of Red Oak Ranch over to Lola and make her the sole propriator. All of it. Have the paperwork emailed to me tomorrow.”

That was the right thing to do. He’d transfer it to her. As much as that killed him, at least she would have security. He’d iron out shared custody and how they’d raise their child together after she had time to cool down. But giving her the land showed her he believed in her. She kept her pregnancy from him, but he had to understand she was overwhelmed.

Red Oak, the river, none of it mattered if it meant being miserable.

“D-Do you mean that?” said the female voice behind him.

Jack’s insides shook like a damn earthquake. Popping his knuckles, he turned around to see her. Did she want him to vacate the entire property immediately?

As if listening to his conundrum, Magnus grunted.

“Yes. Of course I do.”

Still wearing that sinful dress from the party, she walked closer to him. The remains of makeup under her eyes and cheeks revealed that she’d been crying. If he could kick himself for hurting her, he would. “This ranch means everything to you,” she said, her voice a tad softer than earlier. Almost like she was about to break down again.

He smiled more to himself than to her. For once in your life man, tell her how you really feel. No bogus deals. No fuck friend tale. Tell. Her. “No. You mean everything to me. You always have. And it’s time I start acting like it.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it, and opened it again. “Oh, Jack.” A glint of surprise darkened her irises, and her full lips broke into the kind of smile that did things to a man’s heart—like roping it so tight he could barely breathe.

“What are you doing here?” he asked as soon as he was able to string words together.

“I… I had to talk to you. You know, Margo told me the truth. The lady in the picture is my mom, and my dad is my biological dad. They had a fling when they were teenagers, and she had to give me up for adoption but my dad insisted he adopted me. And my mom, being the crazy narcissistic she is, never allowed him to tell me the truth.”

Jack drew back for an instant. Holy shit. No wonder she’d been riled up when they talked after Margo’s visit. What a hell of a messed up plan her parents had—lying to Lola all those years. “How are you?” he asked, wanting to hold her and yet knowing she needed the space between them to express herself fully.

Lola waved her hands in the air. “You know what? I should be mad at her. I tried. But this whole thing just proves one thing. My father was my dad my entire life, and who cares that I never knew he was my birth father? He loved me. After his death I kept looking for something that would tell me more about myself. I’d gotten used to everyone else’s definition about who I really was and I wanted to find a way to define myself instead.”

Hadn’t he been one of those folks? His throat clogged up. How many times did he assume the worst when it came to her? “Lola…”

“I found myself here on this ranch. And tonight I’m making the choice to overcome my past and move on. I left you before.”

“I probably earned it. I pushed you because I didn’t wanna lose you.” His mother left him so what guarantee would he have that Lola wouldn’t too? He had hoped it would be different. But he’d followed a little too close in his father’s footsteps and ended up having her leave just the same. “I was stupid.” Magnus made some snoring sounds even though he was wide awake. Jack moved away from the pen, and every step drew him closer to her. Every step set a crazy record of heartbeats.

She rubbed her hands together, and he could tell she was nervous. Anxious. Hopeful? “I wasn’t able to see a future for us because of my doubts. But now, I can’t see a future without you in my life.”

Erasing the distance between them, he held her hands in his. Her palms were cold. “Do you mean that?”

“Yes. When I last went to LA I realized that part of my life doesn’t make sense anymore. Nothing makes sense without you.”

He took her into his arms, and kissed her hard. A tremor surged through his body, from head to toe. “I love you, Lola St. James.”

She stroked his cheek. “I’ve waited for you to say this for longer than we both have known. I love you too, Jack Canyon. My stubborn yahoo. I love you lots.”

“There’s another F we’ll be great at.” Besides fucking and fighting, he’d added to himself. Besides friends—while the only friends rule didn’t work, he’d appreciated having in her someone he could rely on. Trust. And love.

“What is it?” she whispered, her eyes soulful.

“Family,” he said, and captured her sweet lips with his. She linked her arms around his neck, tightly, as if she never wanted to let go. He held her close, for a long time just savoring the kiss, savoring the wonderful feel of her warm body against his. He’d never ever let go of her again.

Looked like Fritto pie and champagne made a hell of a combo after all.