Page 68

I don’t realize I’m staring at his mouth until that mouth gets closer.

Much, much closer.

Wyatt’s about to kiss me, isn’t he?My pulse riots, and my lips tingle, and then?—

“Hello, friends.”

Wyatt and I immediately fall back at the sound of Sawyer’s voice. I have no idea how we didn’t hear him before, seeing as he’s on horseback trotting toward us. Ella, his three-year-old daughter, sits in front of him in the saddle. She’s wearing a pink riding helmet that matches her pink boots.

“Morning, Sawyer.” I smile at his daughter. “And good morning, Ella. We were just…coming to find y’all.”

Sawyer’s lips twitch. “That so?”

“Ella ride with Uncle Wy?” The little girl reaches out for Wyatt. “Ella loves him.”

“Uncle Wy looks like he’s busy trying to get someone else to ride him.” Sawyer clears his throat. “I mean, ridewithhim.”

“Can you not?” A flush works its way up Wyatt’s neck.

Sawyer looks at me. “Only because I like Sally so much. Sorry if we interrupted y’all.”

“You didn’t interrupt anything,” I reply far too brightly. “Wyatt owes me money, so?—”

“She tried to steal it by digging in my pocket.”

Sawyer grins. “There’s a joke in there about pockets and rockets, but I won’t make it since there are children present.”

“I hate you,” Wyatt says wearily.

Ella kicks her feet, still holding out her hands. “Ella loves you!”

“Right! How could I forget?” Wyatt guides his horse toward Sawyer. With a small grunt, he lifts Ella out of Sawyer’s saddle, pressing a noisy kiss to her cheek before settling her on his own saddle. “I love you too, Ellie Belly Boo.”

My pulse hiccups. Because Wyatt isn’t hot enough as it is. Now he’s got to go and be adorable with his niece. I swear to God, I’m going to burst into flames before Wyatt and I so much as undo a single button on each other’s clothes.

“Sally and I were going to check out the herd,” Wyatt says. “Y’all want to join?”

“That’s where we were headed too. That little sleepyhead”—Sawyer nods at Ella—“didn’t wake up until after seven.”

Wyatt curls his arms around her. “You needed your beauty rest, didn’t you?”

“Go, go.” Ella kicks her feet.

Wyatt laughs. “All right, all right, we’ll go. You good, Sunshine?” He looks at me.

My mouth has gone dry. I swallow. I wish he’d stop being so relentless today. First the honesty over coffee, then the race and the laughter. The almost kiss and the sweetness with Ella. And now this, him checking in on me, making sure I’m okay after his brotheralmostcaught us during thatalmostkiss.

Wyatt Rivers would make a really fucking great boyfriend.

Which doesn’t compute because I don’t think the man has ever had a monogamous relationship in his life. Only he asked me not to hook up with anyone else, didn’t he? Which means we are, indeed, monogamous.

My heart swells at the idea, even as I silently chastise myself for reading too much into it. Yeah, we’re monogamous in that we’re not sleeping with other people. But are we in a relationship?

“I’m good.”

We ride for another twenty minutes or so. I smell and hear the herd before we see it. That’s what fifteen thousand head of cattle will do—the ground trembles, the air ripe with lowing and the scent of manure.

We crest a hill, and the breath leaves my lungs when I take in the view. Texas Hill Country stretches out before us in all its autumn glory. The pale earth is set alight by the colorful remaining foliage that clings to the trees. The Colorado River is just visible in the distance, a thick braid of deep blue water that reflects the more ardent blue of a clear, wide-open sky.