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She closed her eyes and plunked her head back down against me. “While I agree, that presents a new problem.”

“Yeah, I know,” I muttered. And then tipped my head. “Idea.”

“Ooh, give it to me!” she exclaimed giddily.

“Rooney. He’s still got that big refrigerated eighteen-wheeler, right? You know, the one he had back when he was a butcher before getting into welding.” I pulled the horse to a stop as she whacked my waist in excitement.

“Yes! I never knew why he kept it in pristine condition; I mean, he’s not used it in twenty, thirty years. But oh my gosh, this could work!” She squealed again and then pulled her lips tight. “It took me two days to drive here hauling a trailer with a single horse.”

“Yeah, I thought of that, but I don’t see any other option.” Spinning sideways on my horse, I faced her the best I could. She gave me a tight smile.

“Rooney could get hurt,” she muttered.

“He’s a tough ol’ man; he’ll be fine,” I answered and gently grabbed her chin, tugging her gaze up. “This will work.” Her big eyes were wide and round with fright. She slowly nodded, the gentle swirls of a storm lingering behind her mask of determination was evident through the clear glass pane separating us.

“Wait, isn’t your sister-in-law your vet? The one that’s pregnant and due—”

“I was planning on having Doc perform it.”

“Doc?” her brows furrowed, and I brushed a thumb across her jaw.

“He’s technically retired, but he was Tenley’s boss and still pops into the clinic from time to time, especially since she’s gonna have a baby any day now,” I answered. She didn’t say a thing as her bottom lip trembled. Her eyes bore into my soul, winding down to the deepest depths that even I dared not to go. Every inch of my entire world was exposed to the innocence that tugged me closer to her.

“This will work,” she whispered, leaning toward me.

My gaze flickered down to her plump lips, begging for my kiss to be against them again. I needed another taste, another quick reminder of what her velvet brush felt like upon my mouth.

Her eyes followed, and my heart jumped in my chest. Everything disappeared around me; the thought and urgency of getting home floated away like a flower petal in the gentle, warm summer draft. The idea that there was anything other than this moment danced like tender music wrapping her tighter in my heart.

And I tipped my head, pausing right above her mouth.

“We’ll have to give Rooney a call,” she muttered, her warm breath brushing across my skin. Smelling sweet and strange, she pressed her lips lightly against mine.

I didn’t move to deepen the kiss—at first. Her pale lashes fluttered as a smile pulled across her face, matching the same one on mine. And I grabbed her cheeks, sealing the distance between us.

Simple and brief, I melted against the silky tenderness of chapped lips spent too long beneath the sun. She giggled as my unshaved face brushed against her skin, and then she leaned forward even more. There was no gap to close between us, but she certainly tried to lessen it as I slid my fingers over her ears and threaded them through her hair.

There was no before her, and there was no without her. There was only here right now with her, and a future with her. This became a life I no longer wanted to experience unless it was for her, and only for her.

But I knew she needed things to move slowly, seeing as it was crazy to think that after such a short amount of time together her feelings would be as strong as mine. Plus, I couldn’t be selfish.

As gently as possible, I broke our kiss apart, her lips lingering against mine even after I pulled away.

She kept her eyes closed and opened her mouth to speak, but I beat her to it.

“Yeah, I know. This is also something we aren’t gonna talk about,” I said lightheartedly.

She giggled, and her fingers tightened around my waist. “Exactly.” Finally, her lids opened, revealing her beautiful gray eyes. “Exactly,” she whispered again.

Clamping my teeth together, my stomach plummeted to the ground, heavy at the shift in her tone. Such a casual kiss, but one that must have been more weighted for her than it was for me.

“Please don’t be mad, I just…” Her voice trailed off at my lack of response.

“Ain’t mad. Never mad, Goldie.”

She nodded, pulling her bottom lip in between her teeth. That was harder than I thought it’d be. “How far do you think Bud can run? We need to get back,” she asked, her voice breaking.

I glanced at the horse, knowing that he would certainly not last long, but if we gave him adequate breaks from trotting, we might be able to cut this journey a bit.