Page 56

56

Dylan tossed her bag into the front seat and started to slide into the driver’s side. It was the first night she had been allowed to drive herself anywhere. Her cowboy was a wee bit on the traditional side when it came to her driving. He had driven her everywhere for days.

He’d actually said she drove like a bat out of hell, and he would feel better driving her to the inn himself. Just in case. So the bats of Masterson County would be safe.

Ha-ha. Still, she liked how he fussed over her. But…well, she also liked her independence. And the inn wasn’t that far from home. She was already teasing him about him making the path from the back of his barn that Nikki had used as a teenager to hike to the inn a bit more accessible. One tiny corner of the Fletcher habitat brushed against the acreage the inn owned. Connected.

Just like the rest of the land behind the inn was owned now by one seriously delicious man named Brandt Barratt, fiancé of one Meyra Talley. Dylan’s Fletcherlings and Meyra’s Brandtlings could play in the woods—supervised, of course—between the three properties someday. The way Fletcher had explored those woods as a child too.

She was going to give her future children a heritage. Memories. Belonging.

Dylan couldn’t wait. She was starting to understand why the inn was so important for her dad now. Why he wanted her, the twins, and Dorie to experience it too.

She and Mr. Fletcher Tyler were going to practice the making of those Fletcherlings very, very soon too.

Maybe she’d do a candlelit dinner? Get some sexy lingerie. She’d never really had any before. Or seduced the man she loved by candlelight either.

That’s what she’d do for tomorrow night. Maybe a trip to the mall again? She’d take Dahlia. Her sister would be so scandalized by buying lingerie. She’d convince Dahlia to buy some for herself too. It would be fun.

Then, she’d take Dahlia home. Then she’d go find her cowboy.

Dylan’s hat fell to the snow. She bent down to pick it up, almost bonking her head on her door. Graceful, she was not. At least not tonight. She was tired. That was her excuse, and she was sticking to it.

She was missing an internal organ now too. Tired was more than acceptable.

A hard arm went around her neck. Dylan was yanked against a male body. It was definitely male.

And a lot bigger than her.

She tried to scream.

She couldn’t. No sound could get out.

No matter how much she fought, Dylan just couldn’t get away.