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And yet here I am.

And I worry it’s too late for me to turn back now.

Chapter 13

Addison

“For a gal who’s never baked before, you sure make a mean muffin,” Hank says after swallowing his bite.

I grin, trying to hold in my excitement. “You’re not just saying that?” I press.

Hank feigns insult, placing a hand over his heart. “Swear to God,” he says.

I grin wider, swiveling back around to the trays of cooling muffins atop the counters. I’d spent the morning further perfecting my recipe, and while I may not have enough to feed every mouth on the ranch, it’s enough to put out for the lunch rush. Hank is already carryinga plate of them out the swinging double doors of the kitchen.

I follow with a plate of my own, watching as Hank is immediately surrounded by excited ranch hands, all grabbing at a muffin.

“You bake now, Hank?” Cora, one of the on-site vet techs, teases him.

“Nah. That’ll be this miss over here.” He inclines his head toward me.

“I vote we keep her around,” one of the guys says, shooting me a smile.

I giggle, setting the plate down.

“Seriously, Addison, these are good,” Cora says.

“Thanks,” I reply, and I mean it. My chest warms. I haven’t felt this proud of something in, well, a long time. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I was allowed the space to just play around and follow an interest. Never, maybe? That thought saddens me for a moment, but I push it aside.

I head back into the kitchen, readying another tray of muffins, when I feel someone approach from behind me. I turn around, expecting to see Hank, but am pleasantly surprised to find Cruz.

His hands reach for my waist, walking me backward and pinning me gently against the countertop with his body weight. “Hey, Princess,” he breathes before leaning down to press a soft kiss to my lips. Ugh, that stupid nickname is starting to grow on me.

I pull back, glancing over his shoulder.

As if reading my mind, he says, “Hank’s busy out there, and no one can see us.”

I giggle, swatting him playfully.

One of his hands roams over my ass, squeezing it.

“Remember your previous concern about health code violations,” I warn him.

“Yeah, I’m actually not that worried about those,” he murmurs, nuzzling into my neck.

“Cruz,” I giggle, and he pulls back an appropriate amount, although his hands are still resting on my waist.

“I want to take you out tonight.”

I blink up at him in surprise.

“Seven o’clock. That sound good?”

I find myself nodding. “Where are we gonna go?”

He grins, stepping back. “A surprise.”

“I don’t like surprises.”