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“He’s intense, Av, but this isn’t love. I mean, we just met,” I murmur, but whether I’m trying to convince her or me is anyone’s guess.

Avery chuckles. “Agree to disagree about that. But intense is one way to put it. Zeke’s special. He’s seen more. Lost more. But he’s a good man. The best kind, really, if you’re brave enough to let him in.”

I wrap my arms around myself, needing the comfort.

Avery touches my elbow, grounding me.

“You’re welcome here, Casey. Always. But be careful.”

I blink. “Of what?”

She hesitates. Then, with a smile that’s more tender than teasing, she says, “Once you fall for one of these cowboys, nothing else will ever compare.”

And I know—somehow, I know—she’s not just talking about boots and bonfires.

She’s talking about something bigger.

Wilder.

Something that changes you.

I take a breath, heart thudding, and nod once.

Then I step outside, toward the man waiting like he’s already felt me coming.

Birds fly overhead, and critters scurry in the woods behind the cabin, but everything seems to stop to look at Zeke.

As if nature itself were seeking his approval.

Suddenly, I realize I’m one of them too.

There’s just something about him that feels like, well, like magic. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before, and I think I like it.

In fact, I know I do.

The second I step outside, I realize I’ve made a tactical error.

I thought I was ready.

But nope. I was so not ready.

Because Zeke Gordon is standing beside the biggest horse I’ve ever seen—and somehow, the man looks even bigger.

Broad shoulders wrapped in a soft black T-shirt, those muscular forearms flexing as he tightens a saddle strap. The reins rest loose in one hand like they belong there.

His hair is tied back in a low, lazy knot behind his head, the ends barely brushing the collar of his shirt, and his jaw flexes just slightly as he checks the cinch.

I have the sudden urge to fan myself with my own dignity.

He looks up as I approach.

His eyes are that stormy indigo-blue again. The color is so unique, it’s like something out of a dream.

Like calm water with danger lurking just under the surface.

Zeke’s gaze is focused. Hungry. On me.

“Hey,” I say, trying to sound breezy. “Nice day for a ride. If I knew how to ride that is.”