“Uh… yes?”
“That means you cook with love,” she mutters, nodding decisively. “You’re good.”
Joanne pats my arm. “Trade us a pie later, and we’ll keep these boys in line for you.”
The moment they walk away, another vendor approaches. A middle-aged woman with silver braids and a wagon full of handmade soaps.
“Morning, boys,” she calls. “Got your usual lavender bars!”
“Thank you, Ms. Dove,” Caleb says smilingly.
“Don’t let Silas hog them,” she warns. “He bathes like he’s starring in a movie.”
“I resent that.” Silas smirks. Then, to me: “I don’t. She’s right.”
Across the square, a florist waves a giant bouquet at Caleb. A coffee vendor brings Silas a pastry “before he flirts his way into stealing all of them.” A teenage boy comes running up to ask Boone what time the ranch is open for riding lessons this week.
And it hits me, fully and deeply:
These men aren’t just known here.
They’re woven into everything.
Boone is the quiet center of gravity.
Caleb is the calming, gentle backbone.
Silas is the heartbeat that keeps people smiling.
And somehow people assume I’m part of that orbit now.
It’s dizzying.
It’s warm.
It’s terrifying.
CHAPTER TEN
Silas
There aretwo things I’m good at in this life: Making people laugh and pretending I’m not constantly drawn to the woman who turned my brain inside out the other week.
Today, I excel at both.
The farmers' market is buzzing this morning. Sun out, music low, kids weaving between stalls fast as caffeinated ferrets. Boone is already in Full Stoic Ranch King Mode, Caleb is quietly fixing something someone broke, and Sadie is on pumpkin-arranging duty with Micah, running logistics for a small militia.
I float through it all, greeting people, leaning on stalls, spreading just enough charm to keep the town’s goodwill pointed our way.
“Silas!” Ivy calls across the square, waving me over.
She’s got one hand on her belly, the other wrestling a small tornado disguised as her dog, Pickle. The triplets are running circles around her, while Penny stands off to the side, judging everyone.
I stop in front of Ivy, grin already in place. “You look radiant today, Ivy.”
“That’s because I swallowed a whole basketball,” she deadpans.
“Sexy.”
