Page 104 of The Mountain Echoes

So, we slept together—just that, comfort and warmth.

Not because we couldn’t keep our handsoff each other—though God knows I came close—but because she asked me to stay.

Quietly.

Like it wasn’t a big deal.

But it was.

I’ve gotten to know her, and this is Aria telling me she trusts me.

Considering what that asshole Hudson pulled when they were kids, I doubt Aria has trusted anyone. I have the honor now, and I’m going to do everything I can to keep her…with me.

I rub a hand over my face and lie back against the pillows for a second, staring up at the ceiling.

We didn’t have sex, andyetI feel enormously satisfied. And smug.

She’s mine. And I’ve never wanted anyone the way I do her.

Age has a way of forcing clarity—of making me see what is real and what isn’t. My feelings for Aria are as real as they get.

Son of a bitch!

I’ve done gone fallen in love with her.

I’m smiling like a fool when I swing my legs out of bed, eager to see her, be with her.

As I pull on yesterday’s jeans and a clean shirt I’d stashed in the truck, I acknowledge that something isn’t right at Longhorn.

Someone is working hard to ensure she fails to get her cattle to the Gunnison Auction, where she’ll be able togenerate revenue to buy more head and also pay the taxes.

She’s hadthreeincidents that I suspect were all planned.

Ranching has bad days. But not like this.

When I walk into the kitchen at six in the morning, Aria’s pouring coffee into two chipped mugs, her braid loose, a soft smile brushing her lips.

She looks at me with eyes that are full of excitement. “Oh, I was going to bring you coffee in bed.”

I walk to her, kiss her lips. “Good morning, darlin’.”

She blushes. It’s adorable.

“You drink it black, right?” She holds up a mug toward me.

I take the mug from her, kiss her again, soft, no tongue, just a greeting.

“Black’s the only way to drink coffee, darlin’.”

We sit next to each other at the dining table, the mountains in front of us, still half in shadow.

She tilts her head to look at me. “Thanks for stayin’ the night.”

“How’s the head?”

“Good.”

I take a sip. “You need to get some cameras on the property.”