His eyes warmed, that particular shade of brown she was coming to associate with safety and steadiness."That's the part they didn't factor into their calculations.They crunched the numbers.They didn't crunch you."
A laugh slipped out of her, startled and a little raw."You're terrible at metaphors."
"I work with motorcycles and construction supplies, not poetry," he said."You'll have to translate the sentiment yourself."
She sobered, the weight of everything settling back over her."You heard what Diaz said.This is calculated.Methodical.These people have been working on this for over a year.They've already burned one building.They broke into the trailer.They're not going to stop because we're irritated."
"No," he agreed."They'll stop when it becomes more trouble than it's worth.When the cost of pushing exceeds the value of what they're pushing for."
"And how do we make that happen?"she asked.
He reached across the table and covered her hand with his, his palm warm and rough against her skin."We make it crystal clear that you're not for sale.Not your land, not your peace of mind, not your life.We stay visible, like Diaz said.We keep her in the loop on everything.We let Copper Moon see what's happening so it's not just a quiet transaction buried in a deed index somewhere."
"And you?"she asked, searching his face."Where do you fit in this plan, Colby?"
"Right here," he said without a moment's hesitation."Beside you.In front of you if I need to be.Behind you, if that's where you want me.This is your fight, Sabrina.You get to decide what it looks like and how far you're willing to go.My job is to make sure you get a chance to build what you're building without someone tearing it down every time you turn around."
Her eyes burned, pressure building behind them.She turned her hand under his so their fingers could interlock."When you say it like that, it sounds so simple."
"It's not," he admitted."But the core is simple.You own that land.You belong on it.Some people with a spreadsheet and a development plan disagree.That's their problem, not yours."
"Diaz said my land is the crown jewel," she murmured."I hate that they see it that way.Like it's a prize to be won instead of a place where people live."
"How do you see it?"he asked.
She looked at the plan again, at the little rectangle with its penciled porch, the path she had drawn in a faint curve up from the drive.
"It's home," she said."Not just for me.For the people who will stay there someday.For the ones who need somewhere quiet to fall apart and put themselves back together.It's a place to rest.To breathe.To feel safe when the rest of the world feels too loud."
He held her gaze, his expression carrying something she couldn't quite name."Then that's what we protect."
She nodded slowly."We."
"We," he confirmed.
Silence settled between them for a beat, but it wasn't heavy or awkward.It was full, weighted with shared understanding.
She squeezed his hand."You really are on my side.I keep having to remind myself that's real.That it's not going to disappear."
"Honest and on your side," he said."Remember?Those are the same thing."
She huffed out a breath that was almost a laugh."Right."
He watched her, his thumb tracing slow circles on the back of her hand."What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking that six months ago, if they'd caught me on the wrong day, I might have said yes," she admitted."If they'd waved a big enough check and promised to handle everything, I might have folded.I was so tired then.Worn down from years of Gavin making me question every instinct I had.I didn't trust myself to know what I wanted anymore."
"And now?"he asked.
She drew in a breath that felt deeper than usual, like her lungs had finally remembered how to expand."Now I trust myself more than I trust anyone with a logo and a pitch deck.I know what I want.I know what this land means to me and what it could mean to other people.I have people in my corner who see that too.That changes everything."
"Including me?"he asked softly.
She met his eyes directly."Especially you."
He lifted their joined hands and brushed his mouth over her knuckles, the touch brief and steady, not a question so much as a promise.Something inside her settled in a way it hadn't done in a very long time.
"I want this," she said, her voice low."The cabins.The land.The life that comes with building something from nothing.And I want you in it.Not as a contractor I might hire for a deck someday.Not as a friend who helps out.As this."She gestured between them with her free hand."Whatever this is becoming."
