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Cora laughed a little, even as tears fell over. “I didn’t think I was scared, but what you’re saying makes a lot of sense.”

“Really?”

She sniffled, reaching out to touch his sweet face. “Maybe you’ll be a psychologist when you grow up and help people.”

He jerked away from her hand and shrugged. “I don’t know. Whatever. Maybe. Maybe I want to be in the rodeo like Boone.”

And maybe I’ll kick Boone’s ass. But she kept that thought to herself.

“Mom, let’s go to the ranch. If you’re afraid to talk to Shane, I’ll go first, and then you won’t have to be.”

“Baby, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“So, we can go? We can talk to Shane?”

She didn’t want to. She practically recoiled from the idea, and that was when it truly hit her just how right Micah had been. How she’d let those old fears swallow up everything she’d been building.

Not because Shane would treat her differently, but because he might not. Because it might actually be good, and things like Micah’s breaking his arm might not be signs, but accidents no one could control. That she’d never be able to predict. There were bound to be heartache and misunderstandings and loss.

It was easier to run away from all that than to stand up for it. Easier to hide in her insecurities than to lay them truthfully down. Easier to proactively dismantle a hurt than try to heal a misstep.

She blew out a breath, her body shaky with too much uncertainty. Too much fear and that horrible, gut-twisting desire to do therightthing, and having no idea what the right thing was.

But Micah was looking at her expectantly, using all the things he’d learned in therapy. Wanting to talk it out,workit out. How could she say no to him and that?

“Okay. Okay, let’s go.”

Micah jumped up, winced a little bit, but it didn’t stop his forward progression to the door. “Just, if you’re going to kiss, can you like let me close my eyes or something?”

Cora laughed, though it was more nervous laughter. She had a bad feeling none of this was going to end in kissing.

* * *

Shane woke with a start to Gavin’s staring down at him. Shane looked around, trying to figure out where the hell he was. A very uncomfortable chair in the barn, in the siblings’ meeting room.

He didn’t fully remember coming in here, or sitting down, and he really didn’t remember falling asleep.

“Afternoon, sleeping beauty.”

“Fuck off,” Shane muttered.

“Fine, I won’t warn you.”

“Warn me about what?” Shane muttered, trying to work the kinks out of his neck. Everything hurt, and he didn’t feel any more rested. God knows he hadn’t gotten his work for the morning done. What time was it? Gavin had said afternoon.

“Saw Cora’s car coming up the drive.”

Shane was on his feet before the sentence was fully out of Gavin’s mouth. “What?”

“Probably here by now.”

Shane took a step toward the door, then stopped himself. Everything about the past few days tumbled into place. “She probably has a meeting with Mom.”

“Doubt it.”

“Why do you say that?”

Gavin gestured out the small window. “Coming this way with Micah. Doesn’t have her fancy wedding planner clothes on.”