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Wyatt rolls his eyes. “I don’t see you wasting away.”

“I don’t see you helping out with the kids.” I nod at the corral. “Where’s the foal?”

“Up your?—”

“I’ll help.” Mollie loops her arm through Wyatt’s. “I’m terrible with adult animals, clearly, so maybe I’ll have more luck with the baby ones.”

Wyatt grins. Are they gonna be buddy-buddy now? And why does that piss me off so much?

“To be fair, Maria’s been skittish since your daddy passed,” my brother says.

A shadow flickers across Mollie’s face. “Sounds like a lot of us miss him.”

“He was a legend.” Wyatt pats the hand she’s got on his forearm. “You got a good name, Mollie.”

Ignoring the now-familiar twist inside my chest, I crumple the empty foil and shove it in my back pocket. After the shower, the lemonade, and the sandwich, I feel like a new man.

I also feel like punching my brother. But that’s nothing new.

Following Wyatt and Mollie out to the corral, I nearly fall the fuck over when I see Mollie head right for my niece. Mollie crouches beside her, smiling as she shows Ella how to straighten her fingers so the goats can nibble at the carrots in her palm.

Mollie smiles. A bright, happy thing that makes an entirely different sensation bloom in my center.

I will myself to ignore it.

“Great job!” she says, holding up her hand for a high five.

Ella slaps it, giggling like the adorable lunatic she is. “More! Ella need more!”

Sawyer turns from his conversation with Ella’s teacher. “How do we ask?”

“Please!” Ella says.

Mollie laughs, glancing up at my brother. “How can I resist when she asks so nicely?”

“Ella use her manners,” my niece replies. “You loves her.” Then she body-slams Mollie in her approximation of a hug.

Sawyer and I both lunge forward at the same time. “Ella, gentle!”

But Mollie just laughs, wrapping her arms around my niece. “She’s fine. I needed a hug, Ella. Thank you.”

I will not dwell on why Mollie would say that.

I will not keep staring as she and Ella become fast friends.

I also will not stare at Mollie’s breasts, which look like they’re about to spill out of the deep neckline of her dress.

But desire—familiar, achy—grips my heart and squeezes. It’s not sexual desire. Well, not entirely. It’s…deeper than that.

I loved growing up in a big family. Loved being surrounded by people, despite the chaos. Most of all, I loved the feeling of belonging I’d get when the seven of us were together.

I felt safe. Seen. Happy.

Even when I was young, before my parents died, I knew I wanted a family of my own. I always thought I’d raise a bunch of kids on Rivers Ranch, same way I was raised: surrounded by nature, community, and a real sense of home.

But then life happened. And, well, I’m too fucking busy taking care ofthisfamily to think about starting my own. Especially now that we’re back to square one in terms of our future. I can barely keep my head above the water as it is.Emotionally. Financially. Physically. Adding a wife and babies to the mix…

Yeah, that ain’t gonna happen.