It’s not entirely a lie. Jesse was with me for most of that evening.
“You’re sure about this?” Noah presses. “Because if Jesse was involved in what happened to those cattle?—”
“He wasn’t,” I interrupt, perhaps a bit too forcefully. “Jesse would never do something like that.”
Noah closes his notebook and studies me for a long moment. “All right,” he says finally. “I think that’s all I need for now. But Aubree, if you remember anything else, anything at all…”
“I’ll call you,” I promise, standing from the table on legs that feel slightly unsteady.
As he makes his way toward the exit, the group of us at our table is quiet. Jesse’s eyes find mine immediately, and I can see the tension in his shoulders, the worry lines around his green eyes. When I reach them, he wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me close against his side.
“You did good,” he murmurs against my ear, his breath warm and comforting.
“Thank you,” I whisper back.
Devlin nods toward the door. “Let’s get out of here.”
The four of us walk out into the evening air, and I take a deep breath, feeling like I can finally breathe properly again.
“So,” Jesse says as we reach his truck, his hand still resting on the small of my back. “Does this mean you aren’t going back to Chicago?”
The question catches me off guard, even though I’ve been expecting it.
I turn to face him, taking in his rugged features, the dark beard that frames his full mouth, those striking green eyes that seem to see straight through to my soul. This man has turned my entire world upside down, and somehow that feels exactly right.
“I’m staying,” I say, loud enough for Devlin and Atlee to hear as well. “You better get used to me being here.”
The smile that spreads across Jesse’s face is worth every uncertainty, every fear I’ve had about this decision. Before I can say anything else, he picks me up and twirls me around in the parking lot, my feet leaving the ground as I laugh and wrap my arms around his neck.
“Jesse!” I squeal, half protesting, half delighted. “Put me down!”
“Not a chance,” he says, spinning me once more before setting me back on my feet. His hands frame my face, thumbs brushing across my cheekbones. “You’re sure? Because once you commit to this life, to me, there’s no going back. You were coddled as a teenager. It won’t be like that this time. Ranch life isn’t easy, Aubree. Neither am I.”
I reach up and trace the line of his jaw, feeling the rough texture of his beard under my fingertips. “I don’t want easy,” I tell him. “I want you. I want this. All of it.”
He kisses me then, right there in the parking lot, with Devlin and Atlee watching. It’s not a gentle kiss. It’s claiming, possessive, full of promise and heat. When we finally break apart, I’m breathless and dizzy and completely, utterly in love.
“Well,” Atlee says from somewhere behind us. “I guess that settles that.”
I glance over to see her smiling at us, while Devlin is trying very hard to look anywhere but at us. His cheeks are actually pink, which is endearing on such a tough, silent man.
“Come on,” Jesse says, opening the truck door for me. “Let’s go home. Atlee, Devlin will drive you back into town.”
Home. The word settles in my chest like a warm ember. This place hasn’t felt like home since my parents died, but right now? I can’t imagine it feeling any other way.
As Jesse drives through the darkening countryside, his hand resting on my thigh, I watch the familiar landscape roll by. This is my world now, these people are my family, and despite all the chaos and danger and uncertainty, I can’t imagine being anywhere else.
I place my hand over Jesse’s, where it rests on my leg, threading our fingers together.
“I love you,” I say quietly, the words carrying all the weight of my decision, my commitment, my future.
“I love you too,” he replies, bringing our joined hands to his lips to press a soft kiss to my knuckles. “Welcome home, Aubree.”
As we turn down the long drive toward the ranch, toward our life together, I know with absolute certainty that I’m exactly where I belong.
TWENTY-FIVE
JESSE
