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“What made you stay?”

I think for a minute, staring out at the pink and blue hues of the sunset. “I used to love my summers here as a kid, visiting Aunt May and James. But when I got busy rodeoing, the visits stopped. It wasn’t until after Stetson’s death that I finally had the thought to come back because it’s the only place I ever felt true peace.”

I pause, staring across the land, my stables visible as a dot in the distance. “I started out in an RV on a rented piece of land from Aunt May. It only took a few days to know it’d be permanent.”

“What made you start the stables?” Juliet asks next.

“Horses were my therapy. I mean, aside from actual therapy. I figured if they could bring peace to anyone else, even for a short time, it was a fine thing to pursue.”

She peers up at me, her eyes as deep blue as the darkening sky. “You’re a good man, cowboy.”

Her words mean more to me than she’ll ever know. Her goodness—her faith and belief in me—have changed me, maybe even convinced me to believe that I am good.

She leans against the fence, her arms folded as her stare continues. Her warmth replaces the sun’s touch on my skin, and an image flashes in my mind. Juliet sitting on my porch swing with me and a blue-eyed baby. Horses flicking their tails in the distance. A future of security, peace, and joy ahead of us all.

The image is one of tranquility and overwhelming joy.

And I want it something fierce.

Juliet

This is what I want for the rest of my life—Archer looking at me the way he is now. Dad has no idea who Archer is, but I do. And he’s the best man for me.

The only man for me.

Dad hoped a week without Archer would extinguish my crush, but it did the opposite. Being away from him settled my love in granite—etched to last through the eternities.

And I’ve kept away from him for long enough.

My eyes drop to his lips, and his arm presses against mine.

He’s wearing his tan cowboy hat again. The one that drives me wild inside. But I focus instead on the curve of his lips.

“Why are you smiling?” I ask.

“I’ve just missed you.” He lets out a deep sigh and a slow shake of his head. “That was one heck of a week.”

I shrug. “It wasn’t that long.”

His grin grows. “You know what I love about you, Juliet?”

Love? Did he just say love? “What’s that?”

“You can’t tell a lie without giving yourself away.”

I turn to face him, leaning my left elbow on the fence. “What do you mean?”

“Your voice goes higher whenever you stretch the truth.”

“What? It does not.”

“Let’s test it, shall we?” He leans toward me with a smirk. “Did you miss me this week?”

“No.”

I freeze. My voice did get higher. How have I never noticed this before?

Archer grins. “Do you still have a crush on me?”