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And when it is, Shane will leave.

Like he senses my thought, he drops his hand to my thigh, squeezing. But it does nothing to cut through my nerves. I shouldn’t care, but every day, it gets harder to tell myself this is temporary.

Dad keeps his eyes on Shane. “You guys better be good to my baby girl out there.”

“Dad, I don’t need you protecting me.”

“I’m just saying.” He taps his knife on his plate. “My daughter doesn’t need to be brought into any trouble.”

“Doing my best to keep her out of it,” Shane assures him.

“She deserves the best.”

“Dad.” I spear him a glance.

“You treat her right.”

“I can’t believe you’re lecturing him right now,” I grumble, and they both ignore me while my brothers chuckle.

“I will,” Shane says, unbothered.

Dad grins, reaching for his drink and tipping it at Shane. “Well then, welcome to the family.”

Good lord, I could die.

30

HARLOE

I cling to Shane as he takes a turn, following the road that wraps around my family ranch. The west pasture is empty right now, so there’s nothing but the rumble of his bike in the night. The beam from his headlight guides our way while stars shine brightly overhead.

“There,” I yell, but I don’t know if he can hear me, so I point to the right.

He veers the bike toward the small cabin at the heart of one of Harrison Ranch’s pastures, pulling to a stop in the small slip of a driveway and cutting the engine.

This particular cabin has been vacant since Will took over the business side of the ranch and moved into the main house. As the head cattleman, he liked being out in the thick of it in case anything came up. Now Asher is the one who bounces around the property as needed.

“What are we doing out here?” Shane asks, holding his hand out to help me off the bike.

I climb off, giving him my helmet to hang on the handlebars. Today was blistering hot, and after being on the back of his bike, my jeans are plastered to my skin, but Shane insisted I wear something appropriate for riding when we left for dinner, insisting my legs be covered.

“I thought since we were out at the ranch for family dinner anyway, I’d show you the good stuff.”

He glances up at the clear night sky. “It’s fucking endless.”

“You can see every star,” I agree, walking up the steps to the large porch.

It’s twice the size of the cabin itself, with oversized loungers and an outside hearth ready to be lit. I dropped by earlier and dusted off the counters and furniture, set up wood for a fire, and brought out the cushions.

I figured if we were going to be at the ranch tonight, I might as well share a piece of my past with Shane. Show him what it was like for me growing up, while also giving us some space from the guys at Ironside Ridge.

We don’t have forever with each other, but we have tonight.

The sounds of the night play a chorus in the darkness. Brush bristles in the breeze, mingling with the distant hum of cattle. As the fire grows, the snap and crackle of flame overtakes all else.

I sink onto one of the loungers, and I expect Shane to take the other one. He slides next to me instead, draping my legs over his. We fit comfortably, but I curl against him anyway, using the single seat as an excuse to be closer.

My fingers brush the ink on the back of his hand as I take a deep breath. “It’s rustic out here, but you said you used to camp, so I figured you could handle it.”