We glared at each other across the barn aisle, breaths fogging in the cold air. The silence stretched so long even Duke looked uncomfortable, pacing between us.
Then, with perfect timing, Duke bounded forward and tried to cut between us—slipping in the water trough runoff and knocking over a metal bucket. It clanged to the ground, water splashing everywhere, and the ridiculousness of it all hit me like a jolt.
I laughed. Loud and unexpected. It echoed through the rafters.
Max blinked. His eyes narrowed—not in anger, but surprise, as if the muscles for smiling had forgotten their way. Then, slowly, barely, the corners of his mouth quirked.
“Did you just smile?” I gasped.
“Must’ve been gas.”
I laughed harder, wiping a tear from my cheek.
Duke barked once and wagged his tail, seemingly proud of himself.
Max shook his head, then grabbed a towel to mop up the mess. “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re stubborn.”
“Works out, then.”
We worked in silence for a few minutes. And when I handed him the second towel, our fingers brushed. Just briefly. But I felt it—a surprising jolt, like static electricity.
The smile faded from his face, replaced by something thoughtful. Serious.
And then my phone rang.
I dug it from my pocket, glanced at the screen, and felt my stomach drop.
UNKNOWN NUMBER – NYC
I stepped outside and answered.
“Ms. Henderson?” a familiar voice said. “This is Olivia from Mason & Stone. I just wanted to follow up—we need your final answer on the job offer by New Year’s. We’ve got another candidate waiting, but frankly, everyone was rooting for you.”
My throat tightened. “Right. Of course. Thanks for the reminder.”
She hung up with a polite goodbye, and I stood still in the silence, the cold pressing into my bones.
The cold, clear air of the ranch, scented with pine and damp earth, was so different from the city.
Beyond the barn, the land stretched wide and white. A light breeze kicked up powdered snow, swirling it across the yard like glitter shaken from the sky.
Christmas lights blinked on a nearby fence—cheap and half-broken, but somehow… still glowing.
I glanced back at the barn, where Max was still cleaning up the puddle, Duke circling like a guardian.
I thought about the office I’d left behind—polished chrome fixtures, sterile air, heels clacking against tile.
I remembered the breathless subway mornings, the takeout dinners alone in my apartment, the feeling that I was always chasing something I couldn’t name.
And now here I was—boots muddy, confused, standing on a ranch I’d never planned to inherit, arguing with a man I couldn’t seem to ignore.
Two lives. Two versions of me.
And the trouble was… I didn’t know which one I wanted more.
Chapter 6 – Snowy Morning and Frosty Hearts
