Sam wasn’t wrong.

What he didn’t know was that Andrew Arrowsmith was the last man to throw the punch before we parted ways many years ago.

And this time? I wasn’t going to stop until he saw stars.

My husband did an admirable job of avoiding me for the entire length of our first day at the ranch.

He dodged our meals together, escaped the walk we all did on the trail, and spent long hours with his horses.

Was I disappointed? Yes. Was I going to let it ruin the weekend for me? Hell no. I hadn’t gone on very many trips outside of Boston in my twenty-six years, and this was a golden opportunity to have fun with my friends.

For the first time since I’d married Paxton, I wasn’t broke. I didn’t have to look over my shoulder on the street for fear I’d be ambushed. My life took a turn for the better, no matter how empty it had still felt without Cillian fully in it.

The last day on the ranch, Belle announced she wanted to horseback ride with just us girls.

“But you don’t know how to ride.” Aisling tilted her head, forever the voice of reason.

Belle shrugged, popping a cherry into her mouth over the breakfast table.

“So? You can teach me. Besides, I’ve done my fair share of riding in my life, just not bareback.” She winked. “Safety first.”

“Thanks for ruining breakfast.” Sailor saluted to Belle with her orange juice.

“Seriously, though, who goes to a ranch without riding?” Belle wondered.

My sister had a point.

“Cillian won’t like it if we use his horses,” Ash warned.

“Cillian doesn’t like anything,” I snapped, a little too harshly.

Sailor snorted into her orange juice. “Preach. I actually think it’s a great idea. Not only because it would piss off Persy’s husband, but also because an opportunity to ride horses like Cillian’s doesn’t come often. Each of them costs like 300k or something. Unfortunately”—she patted her rounding belly—“riding is off the table for me. But I’ll cheer you on with a bag of Cheetos in hand. Live vicariously through you.”

My need to stick it in Kill’s face was greater than my fear of mounting a 2,200-pound beast that could break my neck with one wrong move.

“Actually, I agree. I think we should ride,” I chirped.

“Really?” Everyone at the table turned to me in surprise. I wasn’t exactly known for my rebellious streak. I nodded. It was high time I tried new things. And since having a genuine relationship with my husband wasn’t going to be one of them, why not take up horseback riding?

“But Cillian—” Ash started.

“I’ll handle him.” I raised a hand to stop her. “Tell him I held you at gunpoint if it comes to it.”

“Well, then.” Aisling clapped her hands together. “Let’s get changed and meet at the stables in an hour.”

I went through the motions of getting changed, then met Ash and Belle outside the barn. Aisling, who’d learned to ride like her two older brothers from infancy, led Hamilton out of his stall by his bridle, patting his brown coat with a smile.

“He’s the sweetest out of the bunch. He was my training horse after I graduated from ponies.”

“Dang, Ash. That’s the whitest thing I’ve ever heard.” Belle checked her ass in her tight riding trousers with her phone camera.

Ash led Hamilton out of the stables and cantered with him. She explained to us the basic anatomy of the horse, the signals, and what they indicated. We bumped into Hunter, Sam, and Devon on our way out of the barn to the trail. The track wrapped around the smoky mountain like a ribbon.

The men strode into the stables just as we got out.

“You’re riding, too?” Aisling asked, turning tomato-red as soon as she noticed Sam. True to his Sam-ness, he ignored her existence as he breezed past her.

He wasn’t rude to his boss and best friend’s baby sister. But there was no doubt he considered her off the menu.

“Bet.” Hunter fluffed her hair, popping his gum. “Where’s my better half?”

“In the cabin, reading.”

“Bomb. The only stud she should be hanging out with while preggers is me. Dev, can you help Belle get on a horse? I’ll do Persy.”

“I don’t need any help,” Belle protested.

Devon’s eyes ran over my sister as though she was his favorite dessert while a sinister smirk tugged at his lips.

“I like her fire, Hunt.” Devon jerked his thumb toward my sister.

“Great,” she chirped, “because you’re about to get third-degree burns if you keep objectifying me.”

“He’s not objectifying you.” Hunter shook his head. “He’s trying to keep you alive. Your ass has never ridden before.”

“We have Ash to help us.” I squatted down, adjusting my riding boots.

Ignoring my words, Hunter picked me up from the ground like I was a milk crate, carrying me to Hamilton. He untied the reins on the horse, put my boot in the stirrups, and helped me swing onto the saddle, holding my waist.

“Ash is good, but she’s not a professional. If I bring you back with as much as a scratch, your husband will make me bleed from places that aren’t even on my body.”

“He is right.” Aisling smiled apologetically. “Both about my horseback riding abilities and about Kill.”

“Cillian ignores my existence.”

“You’re still his,” Sam cemented, businesslike. “I don’t need to be physically present in my car in order not to want someone to scratch it.”

“Tell me he did not just say what I think he said.” Belle pointed at Sam, scowling.

Sam stood tall, nonchalant as ever. “So dramatic, Penrose.”

“So chauvinistic, Brennan.”

After much bickering, we headed to the trail. I shook with anxiety and exhilaration even though Hunter was riding close to me on Jay and often leaned over to pat Hamilton and give me visual and verbal instructions.

Behind us, Belle was on Washington, Sam on Madison, Ash on Adams, and Devon on Jefferson. Devon and Belle seemed to overcome the initial frostiness. They were bantering like old friends, hitting it off instantly, while Aisling tried to strike up a conversation with Sam and got slammed each time.

Twenty minutes into ascending the trail to the mountains. I heard the gallop of a horse behind us. Hunter turned his head and groaned, pointing his finger to his temple like it was a gun, cocking it and shooting himself with a comic poof!