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“I love you more.” And his mouth claimed hers.

Chapter Twenty-Four

The stench of skunk hovered over the ranch like a foul fog. In the lodge, Nadine simmered a vat of lemons on the stove, swearing that citrus helped counteract the smell. It worked. Sort of. At least, within the dining area.

Thankfully, none of the tourists had been hit directly by the spray.

Graham wasn’t sure it could have been worse if they had. His nostrils burned even as he and Cadence sat on the edge of the dock that evening, bare feet dangling in the water.

No alligators. No crocodiles. Rattlesnakes and bears didn’t swim. Did they? Maybe he didn’t want to know.

He was going to cling to the assumption his feet were safe, because for the first time in his life, he felt like his heart was safe. Didn’t that make all of him invulnerable? He’d felt like king of the universe mounting Ranger earlier. He felt ten times taller now.

Cadence leaned against his shoulder as long shadows stretched across the lake.

Graham barely dared breath at the brush of her hair against his arm, her floral scent barely discernible amid the sulfurous skunk odor. His skin thrilled to her nearness, and he closed his eyes as he rested his cheek against the top of her head.

“I like your beard,” she murmured.

“You do?”

Cadence ran her fingers through the scruff and met his gaze. “I do.”

One day, they’d say those words to each other. It was too soon for lifelong declarations, but wasn’t that where they were heading? The calm assurance of that coming moment settled in his heart.

He lifted her fingers to his lips and kissed them, one at a time, holding her gaze steady with his own. “I love you.”

“Ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred, ninety-two to go.”

Graham couldn’t help grinning. “You’re going to keep count? I love you. I love you. I love you.”

“You’re a numbers guy.” She giggled. “I thought you’d appreciate the effort.”

He leaned down and swept her lips with his. “No need to keep score. There are many, many more where those came from. Like the stars in the night sky.”

Cadence’s fingers cradled his jaw. “There are way more stars visible here than I ever dreamed of in Chicago.”

“There’s way more love in my heart here than I ever dreamed of in Chicago.”

She caressed his lips. “Me, too. I had no idea what love was. Not really.”

“Paul?” He could only say his cousin’s name because Graham was the guy who’d got the girl. Paul’s loss for not knowing what treasure he had in his grasp. Graham’s forever gain.

“Hmm, yes? But also, God’s love. I was too busy, too distracted to think about it much until everything blew up.”

Graham turned slightly to look out across the water as the evening breeze whispered over his face. A few lights shone in the cottages along the shore. A family of ducks paddled by amid the bullrushes. Peace. “Me, too. This summer has challenged me on every level, to be honest.”

“You’re a city boy on a ranch miles from anywhere.”

“I was. Am I still a fish out of water? I don’t know who I am.”

Cadence shifted against his shoulder and looked up at him. “Are you thinking of staying in Montana?”

“What would you think about that?”

“You, first.”

He managed a chuckle. How did she always nudge him to make the first move? “My life in Chicago feels very far away. I haven’t been back since… well, since I met you. I didn’t feel at home that weekend, either, but how much of that was because I was so unsettled about the wedding?”