Just… space.
I sit on the edge of the bed, letting myself feel the strangeness of it all.
I can make this work.
I have to.
It’s strange, being here after a full week in Coyote Glen. Seven days of trying to pretend I’m not shaken. Seven days of sleeping in Wild Reverie’s creaky guest room. Seven days of avoiding The Hollow because of one blindingly stupid choice.
Silas.
Even thinking about that night sends a flush up my neck. One perfect, reckless lapse in judgment that I absolutely cannot repeat.
Not here. Not with my job on the line. Not with a man like Boone in the next room and a child asleep down the hall.
I need stability. Discipline. A fresh start that doesn’t involve anyone’s hands on my skin or mouth on mine, no matter how good it felt in the moment.
My phone buzzes.
Roman: Are you alive?!
Creed: Do we need to send out a rescue team?
Sloane: Are the ranch guys being nice to you, or do I need to come punch someone?
Ezra: We’re proud of you.
Warmth floods my chest. I hit video call.
It rings once before chaos erupts.
“Laneeeyyy!” Sloane shouts.
“She lives!” Roman crows.
“Blink twice if the cowboy is weird,” Ezra demands. “Or if he’s hot. Preferably if he’s hot.”
Creed sighs. “Give her a moment, you feral wolves.”
I laugh. Really laugh. The sound untangles me.
“It’s good,” I tell them. “The kitchen’s great. The room is great. The whole place is… actually really beautiful. I think I can do this.”
“We know you can,” Roman says. “They’re lucky to have you.”
“Also,” Ezra adds, full of mischief, “if your new boss is attractive in a grumpy, broad-shouldered cowboy way, just know?—”
“No,” Sloane interrupts. “She needs stability, not another romantic disaster. Or any man with a jawline sharp enough to slice her self-esteem.”
Creed: “She’s here to work, not to acquire cowboys.”
Ezra: “I’m just saying, if one of them has big hands…”
“Ezra,” Sloane snaps.
I laugh harder, tears stinging the corners of my eyes. The teasing fills the quiet ranch house with a warm and familiar sound.
When I catch my breath, I wipe my eyes. “How’s the tour going? You guys surviving?”
