“Not entirely,” Devlin admits. “The Morrisons are definitely up to something with the water rights. And we did steal their cattle, so that part’s real enough. But Noah wouldn’t be pushing so hard if it weren’t personal. He’s been waiting for his chance, and now he thinks he’s got it.”
“Because of me,” I say quietly.
His eyes flash. “This isn’t your fault, Atlee. Not any of it.”
“I didn’t say it was,” I counter. “But I am involved now. Noah sees me as your weakness, as a way to get to you.”
“You’re not my weakness,” Devlin says fiercely. “You’re my strength. But yes, he’s going to try to use you against me. That’swhy I’m worried. My life’s been complicated enough before you came along, but now…”
“Now what?” I challenge when he doesn’t finish.
He sighs, running his free hand over his face. “Now I’ve got so much more to lose.”
I shift on the couch, turning to face him fully. “You are a good man, Devlin Nelson. The way you helped Jessalyn, the way you stood up to Noah…not many people would have done that.”
He looks away, uncomfortable with the praise. “I did what anyone would do.”
“No,” I disagree, reaching up to turn his face back toward mine. “You didn’t. Most people would have kept driving, would have told themselves it wasn’t their business. But you stopped. You helped. Just like you helped me.”
“And look where it’s gotten you,” he says bitterly. “A target on your back, caught up in all this mess with the Morrisons and Noah.”
“I’m exactly where I want to be,” I tell him firmly. “Right here, with you.”
“Even if it makes you a target?” he asks, a trace of vulnerability in the question.
I lean forward, pressing my lips to his in a gentle kiss. “I would be a target every day,” I whisper against his mouth. “If it meant I got to spend every night with you.”
He groans softly, his arms coming around me, pulling me closer. “You’re too good for me, you know that?”
“I’m exactly right for you,” I correct him. “Just like you’re exactly right for me.”
We stay like that for a long moment, holding each other on the couch, surrounded by half-built shelving units and sawdust. It’s not perfect. There’s still Noah and the Morrisons to deal with, still a storm brewing on the horizon. But it’s real. It’s ours.
“I should finish these shelves,” Devlin finally says, though he makes no move to let me go.
“They can wait,” I tell him, sliding my hands up his chest to link behind his neck. “We’ve got time.”
His eyes darken at my words, his hands tightening on my waist. “Do we?”
“All the time in the world,” I assure him, bringing my lips to his again.
And for a little while, at least, I almost believe it. The troubles outside our door fade away, and there’s just us, Devlin and Atlee, building something together that no one, not even Noah Sanchez, can tear down.
Later, as the afternoon stretches toward evening and Devlin returns to his woodworking, I find myself thinking about Jessalyn and about how one small act of kindness—stopping to help a girl on a dark road—can change the course of multiple lives. If Devlin hadn’t stopped that night, would Noah have become the man he is now? Would Devlin? Would either of them have crossed my path?
It’s strange how life works, how the worst moments can lead to the best ones if you just keep going, keep trying, keep believing that there’s something better waiting ahead.
As I watch Devlin work, his strong hands crafting something meant to last, I make a silent promise to myself. Whatever comes our way—Noah, the Morrisons, or some new trouble we haven’t even imagined yet—we’ll face it together, because some things are worth fighting for.
And what Devlin and I have? That’s worth everything.
TWENTY
DEVLIN
After spendingtime with Atlee yesterday, I’m ready for the workday on Monday. I watch as she exits the driveway and turns onto the main road, then I get in my truck and head for the Grizzly River Ranch. When I get there, I see one of my brothers I haven’t seen in a while. Getting out of my truck, I walk over. “Where the fuck you been, Austin?”
He gives me a grin. “Doing a little reconnaissance, which is why I’m here today. I’m calling a meeting in the barn.”
