“Yes.”
“And you came anyway.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She looked past him, out across the land. “Because I needed a place where staying would be a choice. Not an expectation.”
Cole was quiet for a long moment.
“When people stay here,” he said finally, “they do so because they follow our structure. We don’t bend it for individuals.”
“I’m not asking you to.”
“Good,” he replied. “Because I won’t.”
She met his gaze steadily. “Then we don’t have a problem.” A corner of his mouth twitched — not quite a smile.
“Adrian trusts you,” he said. “Tanner likes you.”
“And you?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
“I don’t trust easily,” he said at last. “But I trust patterns. And so far, yours are consistent.”
“That’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me,” she replied dryly. He exhaled, something like amusement flickering briefly. “Don’t get used to it.”
They resumed walking.
At the fence’s end, Cole stopped and leaned his forearms against the rail, gaze distant. “If something changes,” he said, “you tell me first.” “Why you?”
“Because if there’s a decision to be made,” he said evenly, “I make it.” She nodded slowly. “And if I disagree?”
“Then we talk,” he replied. “But we don’t pretend it isn’t happening.” She accepted that. More than that — she respected it.
As they turned back towards the house, she realised something with a quiet certainty.
Cole wasn’t controlling the situation to keep her in line.
He was controlling it to make sure, if things went wrong, he would be the one standing in front.
And that knowledge settled differently than she’d expected. Not like a warning.
Like a boundary she could lean against without being pushed over.
**CHAPTER EIGHT.
The storm arrived without warning.
One moment the air was still and heavy, the sky bleached pale by heat. The next, the wind cut sharp across the land, lifting dust and leaves, carrying the metallic scent of rain before a single drop fell. She was outside when it started.
Tanner swore softly from the porch as the first thunder rolled overhead. “That’s not ideal.”
Cole was already moving. “Adrian—bring the horses in. Tanner, secure the equipment.”
She turned instinctively towards the barn. “Tell me what you need.” Cole didn’t hesitate. “Stay where you are.”
