“Sorry,” I say, pushing off from the door frame and stepping into the stall with her. “I was just enjoying the view.”
She rolls her eyes, but I can see the flush creeping up her neck. “The view of me shoveling horse manure? Your standards have really dropped, Jesse.”
“My standards are exactly where they should be,” I tell her, moving closer. “High enough to appreciate a beautiful woman who’s not afraid to get her hands dirty.”
She opens her mouth to respond, but I’m close enough now to see the way her breath catches, the way her pupils dilateslightly. The pitchfork is still between us, but I reach around it to cup her face with one hand.
“Besides,” I murmur, my thumb brushing across her cheek, “I like seeing you here. In the barn, on the ranch. It feels right.”
“Jesse,” she whispers, and I love the way my name sounds on her lips.
I take the pitchfork from her hands, setting it aside before backing her gently against the wall. My hands find her waist, fingers spanning across the soft curves there, and I feel her hands come up to rest against my chest.
“I talked to Truett,” I tell her, my voice low.
“What did he say?” There’s a note of worry in her voice, and I hate that she’s still not sure of her place here, still not confident in what we have.
“He gave us his blessing,” I say, watching relief flood her features. “He said if you had to fall in love with someone, he’s glad it’s me.”
Her laugh is soft and a little watery. “He said that?”
“He did. Among other things.” I lean down, pressing my forehead against hers. “He also said I better take good care of you.”
“And what did you tell him?”
“I told him that was already my top priority.”
She smiles up at me, and I can see something shift in her expression, some last wall crumbling away. “I love you, Jesse.”
The words hit me like lightning, even though she’s said them before. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing them.
“I love you too,” I tell her, and then I’m kissing her, tasting the salt of her skin and the sweetness that’s purely her.
Her hands fist in my shirt, pulling me closer, and I press her back against the wooden wall. The barn around us fades away until there’s nothing but the feel of her lips against mine, the wayshe melts into my touch, the soft sounds she makes that drive me absolutely crazy.
When we finally break apart, we’re both breathing hard. Her lips are swollen from my kisses, her cheeks flushed, and I have to fight the urge to carry her out of this barn and straight to my bed.
“We should probably finish the stalls,” she says, but her voice is husky, and her hands are still gripping my shirt.
“Probably,” I agree, but I make no move to step away from her.
She laughs, the sound echoing in the space between us. “You’re not making this easy.”
“I’m not trying to,” I admit. “I like having you close.”
“I like being close,” she says, and the honesty in her voice makes my chest tighten.
I force myself to step back, to give us both some breathing room. But I catch her hand in mine, linking our fingers together.
“Are you happy, Aubree?” I ask her, suddenly needing to know. “Really happy?”
She looks up at me, her deep brown eyes soft and warm. “Happier than I’ve ever been,” she says without hesitation. “I spent so many years thinking I knew what I wanted, thinking I had to leave here to find it. But everything I was looking for was right here all along.”
“Even me?” I tease, but there’s a serious note underneath it.
“Especially you,” she says, squeezing my hand. “I knew it back then, but you made me work for it.”
I laugh. “I made you work for it? You’re the one who left.”
