Jack huffs a laugh, and I swear it’s so rare it should be bottled and sold as a collectible.
“You’re everywhere,” I add, then immediately regret how breathless I sound.
His mouth twitches. “That’s kind of the job.”
“No, I mean—like—specificallywhere I am. Every time I turn around, there you are. Either catching my cupcakes or dragging me away from hay-related tragedies.”
“You say that like it’s a coincidence,” he says, voice dry as a Texas summer.
My brows lift. “Wait. You’re—are youassignedto me?”
He nods once.
“Oh my God.” I clap a hand over my mouth, half-horrified, half…thrilled? “Is this a bodyguard thing? Likeofficially?”
“Unofficially official,” he says. “Your brother asked for a shadow detail. You’ve had some close calls.”
“I thought Wyatt was just being Wyatt.”
“He is. He’s also not wrong.”
I blink. “Okay. Um. Wow. That’s… weirdly flattering? Like I’ve finally made it. I’m dangerous enough to need a personal bodyguard.”
Jack exhales like he’s not sure if I’m a nightmare or a fever dream. “You’re not dangerous,” he mutters.
“No,” I say, winking. “But apparently Iattractdanger. Like a goat to stickers.”
He chuckles—chuckles—and I feel like I’ve won the Valor Springs lottery.
“Are you going to, like… follow me around forever now?” I ask, doing my best not to twirl my ponytail like a high schooler with a crush.
“Until your brother says otherwise. Or the threats stop.”
“Do I at least get to pick your code name?” I tease.
“No.”
“I’m thinking something like… Agent Cupcake. Or Lone Star Daddy.”
He coughs like he’s trying not to choke on his own tongue. “Pleasestop,” he mutters.
“Sir Cupcake?” I try again. “Ooooh. Commander Frosting?”
“Stella.”
“Too much?”
“Way too much.”
I grin. “You like it.”
He doesn’t answer. Just levels me with that unreadable look again—the kind that makes my stomach do a barrel roll and my brain start calculating how many years are between us and whether or not age gaps are still trending in romance novels.
“Interview?” he says instead, jerking his head toward the lobby. “I’ll walk with you.”
I nod and we head out side by side. His stride is longer than mine, but he slows for me. Doesn’t even realize he’s doing it, I bet. I sneak a glance up at him and catch the edge of a smile. Just the edge.
“Why Lone Star?” I ask, because I suddenly want to know everything. “Why security?”
