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Her head fell back and she laughed. Not the polite, carefully measured one she gave her family when they asked about work. Not the tight, humorless one she'd used when her ex made some snide comment.

This one came from her belly, and it did something to my chest I wasn't prepared to examine too closely.

"Come on, city girl." I nodded toward a narrower trail. "Trust me."

She looked from the trail to me. I could practically hear the wheels turning in her pretty head. Then she gave Lady Di a gentle nudge as she sighed, "Famous last words."

Twenty minutes later, we emerged from the trees onto the ridge. The valley stretched out below us, green pastures broken up by white fences and clusters of oak and pine trees. The ranch house sat in the distance, its roof barely visible between the rolling hills. Beyond that, mountains rose against a sky so blue it almost looked fake.

Mikayla pulled Lady Di to a stop. "Wow."

One word. That was all she said. But the way she said it made me feel like I'd just handed her something precious.

"Not bad, huh?"

She didn't answer right away. "It's beautiful."

"Yes, it is." I wasn't looking at the view.

She caught me. "That line probably works on a lot of women."

"Which line?"

"The whole looking-at-me-instead-of-the-scenery thing."

I shrugged. "I’ve only used it on you."

She gave me a skeptical look. I held her gaze, not breaking eye contact. Something flickered in her eyes before she turned back toward the valley.

I dismounted and walked over to help her down.

"I can manage," she informed me.

"I know."

"I've gotten off a horse before."

"Very impressive."

She swung her leg over the saddle, and I caught her by the waist as she slid down. For one perfect second, she was pressed against me. Her hands landed on my shoulders. Mine stayed on her hips. Her gaze dropped to my mouth. Mine did the same.

I could've kissed her. Hell, I wanted to kiss her so badly my teeth hurt. But I wanted her to choose it.

She swallowed. "You can put me down now."

I glanced at her boots, which were already planted firmly on the ground. "Pretty sure I did."

Her cheeks turned pink and she licked her lips nervously in the most adorable way. I stepped back before I embarrassed us both. "Come on. There's a spot over here."

I led her to a flat stretch of grass beneath an old oak tree. She sat beside me, leaving a perfectly respectable amount of space between us. Approximately eighteen inches. I knew because every single one of them offended me.

For a while, we just looked out over the valley.

Mikayla tipped her head back and closed her eyes. "You know what I just realized?"

"That you're madly in love with me?"

She ignored my guess. "That this is the first time in months, maybe years, I haven't thought about work."