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“And y’all are total opposites.”

“Where are you going with this, Sally?”

“You two fooling around could’ve definitely ended in catastrophe. What if things had ended badly and she fired you as foreman? What if she’d fired all of us because we were friends with you?”

A muscle in Cash’s sharply cut jaw tics. He looks so much like Wyatt in that moment that it makes my heart hiccup. The genes these cowboys share are insane. Will their sons inherit that handsomeness too?

“Admit it, Cash. You risked more than just your heart when you hooked up with Mollie. But it paid off, didn’t it? No one would’ve believed you if you’d said the two of you were going to work out, but y’all did. You knew she was different, and you knew you could be different too. You guys coming together ended up being even better for the ranch and for us than anyone could’ve ever imagined. Extend us the same grace. Please, Cash.”

Cash’s shoulders rise and fall as he heaves out a breath. He looks at Wyatt. Looks at me.

“You and Mollie,” he says to me at last, shaking his head, “are so fuckin’ smart, it’s annoying sometimes.”

Glancing at Wyatt, I can’t help but smile when I take in the bunny ears on his head. He smiles back, and I feel a heady dose of that relief again.

Wyatt squeezes my hand. “You don’t need to give us your blessing. But you do need to give us a chance.”

More silence. A hawk glides low over the house, its shadow cutting across the yard. The warmth of the sun seeps through my jacket. My heart flutters inside my chest, light as air. I’m so happy, I could burst. This is happening. Wyatt and I aredating. Which I guess means he’s my boyfriend now, doesn’t it?

Not only is Wyatt my boyfriend. Everyoneknowshe’s my boyfriend. And so far, no one’s threatened to murder us yet.

So far, it looks like Cash is actually going to give us a shot to prove him wrong.

I get this floaty feeling inside my chest, like the hawk is soaring through my torso instead of the November sky. I get Wyatt, and I get to enjoy him out in the open.

I feel like I’m getting away with something. This is too easy. Too much of a delight. Didn’t Shakespeare have a lot to say about delights having violent ends?

There is still so much we need to figure out. But it can’t be figured out today, or tomorrow, or even the next day. We have to just…be, I guess, and see what happens.

It’s like jumping off a cliff without a safety net. Totally terrifying.

It’s also the biggest thrill I think I’ve had outside an operating room.

Cash shoves his hands inside his pockets. “Please don’t make me regret trusting y’all.”

Later that afternoon, I help Mom do prep work for tomorrow’s breakfast. We decide to make Mrs. Rivers’s cinnamon rolls—Cash kept the recipe and gave it to Mom—so we throw together some dough that will sit overnight, and chop the peppers and onions that will go in the frittatas that will accompany the rolls.

Mom stretches a sheet of plastic wrap over the dough bowl. “I’m proud of you, you know, for being honest with Wyatt about your feelings. I imagine it wasn’t easy telling your best friend you had the hots for him.”

Grinning, I scoop the peppers into a Pyrex container. “Thanks. I’m proud of me too.”

“You know your father and I are always proud of you. We’re proud of your accomplishments, obviously. But more than that, I’m proud of who you’ve become. You’re a woman with backbone and character and courage. I think it’s spectacular you’re taking risks.”

I blame the onions I just chopped for the sudden burn in my eyes. “I appreciate you saying that. I know Dad isn’t thrilled about this whole thing.”

“But it’s not about Dad, is it? This is about you and what you want to do with your life. It’s okay to disappoint him so long as you’re not letting yourself down.”

Swallowing, I nod. “Easier said than done.”

“Of course. I remember being terrified to tell my daddy I was dating John. Those two didnotget along at first.”

I blink. “Really? How did I not know that?”

Mom grins as she opens the fridge and puts the bowl inside. “Because that’s not part of the story your dad likes to tell. Eventually, your grandfather came around to the idea of us being together. But my daddy, he was hell-bent on me getting my education, moving to the big, fancy city. Which, to him, was Amarillo, but that’s neither here nor there. Point being, he didn’t want me throwing away my dreams to become some small-town boy’s wife.”

“Sounds familiar.”

“Thing is, marrying your dad was one of my dreams. That’s what your grandfather didn’t understand—that being with John didn’t mean giving up on my degree or my dreams for my career.”