“I love you too,” he says quietly, and the world stops spinning for a heartbeat before it starts up again, faster and more vivid than before. “God help us both, but I love you too.”
Relief floods through me, followed immediately by a terror so acute it steals my breath. Loving Jesse has always been dangerous. He’s the kind of man who burns bright and lives hard, who makes enemies as easily as he makes allies. But lying here in his arms, watching the firelight play across his features, I know I’d rather have this, as dangerous and uncertain as it is, than spend another day pretending I could be happy without him.
“We’re a mess,” I murmur against his chest, pressing a kiss to his heart.
“Yeah,” he agrees, his arms tightening around me. “But we’re our mess.”
The fire begins to die down, casting longer shadows across the room, but neither of us moves to tend it. Tomorrow will bring cattle runs and separations and all the dangers that come with the life Jesse’s chosen. But tonight, we have this—the warmth of the dying fire, the solid reality of each other’s bodies, and the fragile, fierce thing that’s grown between us.
“Get some sleep,” he murmurs against my hair. “Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”
I nestle closer, breathing in his scent—leather and smoke and something wild that’s purely Jesse. “Are you going to drop me off at Nora’s?”
“Yeah, darlin’. I’ll drop you off.”
His breathing evens out beneath me, but I stay awake a while longer, memorizing the feeling of his arms around me, the sound of his heartbeat, the way his chest rises and falls with each breath. In a few hours, he’ll be gone, and I’ll be left with Nora and Atlee, waiting and worrying and trying not to think about all the things that could go wrong.
But right now, in this moment stolen from time, everything is perfect. And maybe that’s enough. Maybe these perfect moments are what make all the danger and uncertainty worth it.
The fire crackles one last time before settling into embers, and I finally let sleep take me, safe in the arms of the man who’s always been my greatest risk and my deepest desire.
TWENTY-THREE
JESSE
“Who’s watching us?”Aubree asks as I pull up to the curb in front of Nora’s apartment.
“You don’t have to worry about that. All you have to worry about is staying safe while I’m gone. Devlin and I will be here to pick you up after the sale.”
“Good, then you can take us all out for dinner. We’ve only ever been to the bar, Jesse. I’d like to be seen on your arm in this town, if at all possible.”
My heart stutters in my chest. “Are you sure? You wanna be seen with me?”
“Why wouldn’t I? You’ve selflessly made sure my brother’s ranch has stayed afloat for the last eight years, while sacrificing what you could’ve done for yourself, regardless of how y’all did it and what you’ve had to do. You’re a good man.”
She doesn’t know the half of it. “I’m not a good man, and I’m not selfless. Your ranch has put food on the table for my entire family and made sure we had a roof over our heads. I’m grateful.”
“Then be grateful by taking me out for dinner. Please?”
“I’m going to have Devlin with me,” I argue. Dinner is not my type of schtick.
“He can come too. I’m sure he owes Atlee a good time. No telling how gruff he was, ordering her around the night my brother got shot.”
I grin, just imagining it. There’s a ten-year age gap between the two of them, and my brother has never been accused of being soft about anything. “Fuck, okay. We’ll be here. But you have to promise not to go outside until we come and get you.”
She seems to contemplate what I’ve said, but in the end, she leans in, placing a kiss on my cheek. “I promise we won’t open the door for anyone except you.”
“Good, I just want you to stay safe. Do I need to walk you up there?”
She shakes her head. “Nora’s standing right there. I think we’ll be fine.”
With another kiss, she’s out the door and heading up the stairs with Nora. They both wave at me, and then I’m off to the market. Devlin’s meeting me there with a semi full of cattle, and when we’re done, hopefully we can put this whole situation behind us.
The livestock market sits on the outskirts of Grizzly River. I can smell the dust and manure before I even turn into the gravel lot, the familiar scent mixing with diesel fumes from the idling trucks. My hands tighten on the steering wheel as I scan the area, looking for any sign of the Morrison boys or their associates.
Devlin’s already there when I arrive, his massive frame leaning against the side of our cattle trailer. Even from a distance, I can see the tension in his shoulders, the way his dark eyes sweep the lot. Eight years in the Army before he came back to help run the ranch left their mark on him. He’s always been the more cautious one between us.
“See anything?” I ask as I approach, my boots crunching on the gravel.
