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I wanted that tension to melt away.It was sweet that he was upset on my behalf, but it wasn’t necessary.So I ran my fingers along his jaw.“It could have been much worse.I’mokay.”

He laughed.“The only reason you’re okay is because you’re an eternal optimist.Someone like me would havecrumbled.”

“I’m not an optimist.”I hadn’t been for a long,longtime.

“Bullshit.”He looked at me over the tops of his sunglasses before turning his attention back to traffic.“You see the good in every situation.You have faith things will work out.When times are hard you put your nose down and work.I hate to break it to you, Lily, but you’re anoptimist.”

He’s said that at the waterfall too.“But Iworry.”

“I think optimists are still allowed toworry,babe.”

“She’s not wrong.”I changed the subject without warning.“Meredith.The shit going down with my parents is ugly and you being attached to me wouldn’t be good forbusiness.”

It just wouldn’t.If he thought his sex life interfered with his work then my life would be acatastrophe.

“Let me worryaboutthat.”

I turned in my seat so I was facing him.“But I can’t, Colt.If you’re serious about us then you should know everything before you say you can handle it.”I never wanted to be in the position I was in when I came to Landry Ranch again.Half information, white lies, whatever I called it didn’t matter.Having to explainitdid.

Itsucked.

“All right.Lay it on me.How badisit?”

“Maybe we shouldpullover.”

He arched a skepticaleyebrow.“Babe.”

“Fine.There’s been a string of problems over the last two years.It started with tax evasion.”He winced.“Followed by accusations—that have now turned into law suits—that they intentionally used the Hope Foundation to scam two hundred and thirteen people out of theirmoney.”

“Howmuch?”

This time I winced.“Ten milliondollars.”

He let out a low whistle.“That will get you some serious time in jail if it proves to be true.But it doesn’tinvolveyou.”

“There are rumors that I was part of the whole thing.I wasn’t,” I saidquickly.

“I know.You don’t have to tell me about false rumors.”To my surprise he pulled off the road and into the gravel.“You’re right.It’s bad.It won’t look good for a guy trying to hold his family company together to suddenly shack up with a woman whose family is accused of scamming people out ofmoney.What?”

I grinned.“You saidshackingup.”

He grinned.“I did.I just assumed that at some point, if things keptgoingwell...”

I leaned across the console and kissed him once on the lips.“Ilikeit.”

“Istheremore?”

Oh, there was more.But nothing nearly as horrible.“They sold my grandmother’s Oscars.That’s when people really turned on us as a family.I had nothing to do with it.I would have paid for them myself if I’d known what they were doing.And then they sold the remaining film rights.Between that and the scam, no one wanted to touch me.Every studio called me abadbet.”

“I’d bet on you in aheartbeat.”

And I could tell he meant it.“Luckily Ted did that.He was the one who got me this film about your parents and brought me to your ranch.He’s like a fairy godfather orsomething.”

Colt busted out laughing.“Why do I get the feeling he’d love beingcalledthat?”

Because he would.“So that’s what I’ve been dealing with for the last two years, on top of all the other crap they’ve put us through over the years.That’s what you’d be bringing into yourworld.”

“It could be worse.”He took my hand and began playing with my fingers.“It’s a volatile time for the ranch.The next few weeks are so important to making it work once and for all.If it all falls together right, I won’t have to worry anymore.It’s taken ten years, but it’s finallyworking.”