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His soft voice broke as he let out a chuckle. “Yeah, well, perhaps it’s growing on me.”

She smiled. “Perhaps you’re growing on me, too.”

“I’d like to keep seeing you.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Warmth spread like wildfire within her. This was the start of something amazing. She could feel it. They might have gotten off to a rocky start, but she could see a future with this man—and it didn’t terrify her nearly as much as she thought it would.

Her ex might have been controlling and borderline abusive. But not every man was like him. Zeke was different. He was thoughtful and generous. There was a quiet kind of peacefulness about him that drew her to him in an unexpected way.

For the first time in a long while, she was excited and looking forward to her future.

When their picnic was all cleaned up, Zeke took her by the hand and they wandered along the edges of the clearing. Neither one of them spoke as darkness fell. The sunset wasn’t even the best part because as soon as the stars came out, they were surrounded by a sky full of glitter.

Agatha leaned into Zeke, glancing up at him every so often and finding him admiring the sky. He had a gentle soul. She could sense it. Once upon a time she had thought she’d spend the rest of her life alone—with only Thomas to care for.

That had suddenly changed.

Maybe second chances at love were possible. People just had to find the one that could make them whole again.

They rode the horses back to the cabin, and Zeke kissed her goodnight. She watched him ride off with both horses until the darkness swallowed him, then she closed the door and rested against it.

A sigh of pleasure burst from her lips, and she let out a little laugh. Her fingertips touched the still tender skin where he’d kissed her, and she marveled at how easy it was to find herself falling in love with a man she’d thought too brash and controlling. There was so much more to him than she had realized, and all of her misgivings were now falling away.

Rather than be concerned about her growing feelings for Zeke, she had other things to worry about.

Namely, Thomas and what he was up to.

19

Zeke

Zeke’s date couldn’t have gone any better if he had weeks to plan it. Were there hiccups? Sure. Eloise knew there was something up and she could spill every bit of it. There was no telling what his other daughters would say or do if they found out, and he had to hope that they’d just mind their own business. He got home late enough to put the horses back in their stalls without being noticed.

And now all he had to do was look forward to the next date.

He didn’t bother returning to his campsite after bringing the horses back and opted to stay in his own room. It was strange waking up in his own bed after spending so many nights in the woods, but that wasn’t the worst of it.

The second he got to the kitchen for breakfast, several pairs of surprised eyes pinned him to his place. Eloise, Brielle, Grace, and Adeline were seated at the kitchen table eating breakfast. Adeline was the only one who still lived here with her husband since they ran most of the daily events. Brielle still handled a good deal of work at the ranch, too. But Grace and Eloise had their own jobs and homes with their husbands.

Immediately, his gaze landed on Eloise. He frowned at her even in his attempt to keep his features schooled. “I thought after you were all married off, you’d be living your own lives. What are you doing eating breakfast at home?”

Eloise glanced toward Brielle, who grinned from ear to ear.

Zeke groaned. “I thought you weren’t going to tell anyone.”

“What?” Eloise laughed. “Brielle dragged it from me. It’s not my fault.”

He shoved his hands into his pockets and trudged toward the coffee maker. “You didn’t have to say a thing.”

“Who is she, Dad?” Brielle called from her seat at the table. “She must be pretty special for you to put together a picnic for her.”

“And take two horses out for an evening ride,” Adeline joined in.

He shot a sharp look at her. “How did you know?”

His eldest daughter rolled her eyes. “Come on, Dad. The horses were clearly taken out. If I didn’t notice details like that, you wouldn’t want me running the ranch.”

Grace was the only one who hadn’t commented yet. She seemed to just be present for the gossip. Of course. That was what this was about.