And she’d entered it with her eyes open.
** CHAPTER FOUR.
Morning on the ranch came without warning.
No alarm. No gradual easing into the day. Just the sound of movement beyond her door and the low thud of boots on wood that told her she’d slept later than everyone else.
She dressed quickly and stepped into the hall.
The house already felt different in daylight. Less guarded. More functional. Sunlight streamed through the windows, catching on worn surfaces and highlighting the marks of use rather than age. This place wasn’t preserved. It was worked.
In the kitchen, Tanner stood at the counter, sleeves pushed up, coffee already poured.
“You’re up,” he said, as if that had been in question.
“I didn’t hear an alarm.”
He shrugged. “We don’t use one.”
She took a mug when he pushed it towards her, black and strong. “What’s first?”
Tanner paused, studying her. “You planning on helping?” “Yes.”
That earned her a grin. “Good. Cole hates repeating himself.” Outside, the land was brighter and harsher than it had been the night before. The fences stretched further than she’d realised,the open space deceptive in its scale. Adrian was already near the far paddock, moving with efficient precision as he checked the gate.
Cole handed her a pair of gloves without comment.
“Stick with Tanner,” he said. “If something feels off, you say so.” She met his eyes. “I’m not fragile.”
“I know,” he replied. “That’s not why.”
They worked through the morning in steady rhythm. Feeding stock. Repairing a loose fence rail. Small tasks that required attention rather than strength. Tanner explained things once, then let her do them herself.
She noticed how they watched without hovering.
Adrian rarely spoke, but when he did, it was to correct something that mattered. Cole checked in without interrupting. Tanner filled the silences easily, grounding the work in something almost ordinary. By midday, her muscles ached pleasantly.
She wiped her hands on her jeans and leaned against the fence. “Do you always take in strays?”
Tanner laughed. “No.”
Adrian glanced over. “You don’t fit the pattern.”
She raised an eyebrow. “What pattern is that?”
“Desperate,” he said simply.
Cole joined them, his gaze following the line of the land. “You came here knowing we might say no.”
“Yes.”
“And you stayed when we didn’t make it easy.”
“Yes.”
“That’s not running,” he said. “That’s choosing.”
The words settled deeper than she expected.
