Page 42 of Stud Ranch

On the other side of the river, Dylan drew his horse to a halt. He twisted to look at them. “You two want to take a break?”

Before she could answer, Shaw swung his leg off his horse. “I think a short break will benefit all of us.”

He walked over to her, hands up to help her out of the saddle. She stared down into Shaw’s eyes, her heart tripling its beat. How did she get so deep so fast?

She was in over her head.

* * * * *

Dylan crouched on the riverbank and plucked a long blade of grass. Sticking it in his mouth, he gave it a thoughtful crush with his teeth.

The fresh tang of the grass hit his taste buds, making his mouth water.

Watching Shaw and Sloane interact with each other left his head clouded with confusion. Their history showed itself in the way they moved together. The way they looked into each other’s eyes.

Strangely, it didn’t leave Dylan feeling like the odd man out so much as curious as to what happened to break them apart.

He stared at the water rippling over the rounded rocks in the riverbed for a moment before he pushed to his feet. Twisting, he looked at the others. They stood near the horses, talking. Shaw said something, and Sloane laughed. The soft sound was music that touched a chord deep inside Dylan.

When he sat staring at her sleeping face that morning, he knew he was in trouble. He was falling for his client.

And the stolen moment with Shaw in the shower had been the final push his heart needed to open up to him too.

After this was all over, he’d be in a world of hurt.

As he approached, the pair broke apart, making space for him to join the small circle. Sloane’s sudden gasp made him search her face for signs of pain.

“Did you get stung by a bee?”

She shook her head and withdrew the cell phone from her back pocket.

He and Shaw exchanged looks. Apparently nobody informed Sloane about the no cellphones rule on the ranch. It was a liability thing for their clients as much as a benefit to the ladies who came here seeking no distractions from the outside world.

Dylan wasn’t about to tell her about the rule, and Shaw remained silent too.

She swiped a thumb over the screen and gasped.

They stared at her harder. “Is everything okay?” Dylan asked when she didn’t speak.

She pressed the back of her fingers against her lips, nodding. “My mom sent a photo of Marigold.”

Shaw rocked as if punched.

With a soft smile, Sloane held up the phone for them to see.

It took Dylan a moment to realize that Marigold was the name of their daughter. When he saw the child, he felt as if someone had socked him in the gut too.

In awe, he could only gape at the image of the dainty little girl with her father’s warm brown hair and her mother’s eyes.

“She looks like you,” Shaw grated out.

Sloane twitched her head to look at him. “You think so? I’ve always thought she looks nothing like me.”

Dylan nodded in agreement. “She has your eyes, Sloane. But I can see Shaw too.”

Shaw’s chest squeezed. He turned away and sank to the bank, one knee hitched up and the other long leg extended down the curve of the land.

Sloane’s eyes widened as she met Dylan’s gaze. Together, they moved to sit with Shaw.

---