“Let me ask you something,” he says.
I don’t answer, but he asks anyway.
“Are you falling in love with her?”
The question hits like a punch.
Not because it’s shocking—because it’s true.
Because it’s already happened. Somewhere between opening that gate, watching her shake with cold while she tried to make jokes, and seeing her smile on that blanket beside Harper like she belonged.
I don’t have time for denial. Denial is a luxury for men who aren’t responsible for lives.
“Yes,” I say simply. “I am.”
Rafe’s gaze flicks to mine, something like approval there.
Rhett huffs a breath. “About time.”
Silas nods once, satisfied. “Then you’ll do what you need to do.”
“I will,” I promise.
“Good,” Silas says. “Because if this ring thinks they can step foot on Wedding Cake Mountain and take a kid?—”
“They won’t,” I cut in, voice hard. “They’ll die first.”
The room goes quiet again. Heavy. Certain.
Silas reaches into his coat and pulls out a small folder. “I’ve got a name that connects Ford to Renshaw’s contact chain. A broker. Someone who moves things—people—between towns. We can start there.”
Rhett steps forward. “We handle it quietly.”
Silas nods. “Quiet. But fast. If they tested your perimeter, they might already know she’s here.”
My blood turns cold.
I picture Kayley in my cabin. Aidan asleep. Her laugh earlier still bright in my ears.
And the idea of that being snatched away makes something primal rise in me.
“Then we tighten everything,” I say. “No movement off property without eyes. No outside contact for Kayley unless it’s through us. I want additional cameras on Zone Six. Double patrols.”
Rafe nods, already thinking through logistics.
Silas adds, “And Gavin—don’t tell her the trafficking angle yet unless you have to.”
I’m not sure I can keep that from her forever, but I understand what he means.
If I tell Kayley that someone might want her nephew as a commodity…
It will destroy her.
And she’s just starting to breathe.
I rub a hand over my face. “We handle it. We keep her steady.”
“Good,” Silas says. “I’ll keep digging. You keep her safe.” Silas opens the door, and the warmth and noise of the lodge rush back in like a wave.
