Page 9 of Stalked By the Rancher

We're stepping into the cool night air, the kind of quiet where you can almost hear the stars twinkling if you listen hard enough. He grabs my hand, leading me to a spot where the earth dips and the sky opens wide.

"Wow," slips from me because there's no other word for it. The heavens are spread above us like a dark velvet sheet dotted with endless diamonds, and I'm caught, breathless.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Sawyer's voice is low beside me, sending ripples across my skin.

Before I can respond, he's pulling me close, his arms wrapping around me in a move as smooth as the slide of silk. Our bodies press together, and I can feel every line of his muscular frame against mine. His heat seeps into me and I'm melting, melting...

"Look up," he whispers, and I tilt my head back against his shoulder, gazing up at the cosmic dance above. His chest rises and falls against my back, and I'm caught in the rhythmic tide of his breathing.

"Ever seen anything like it?" he asks, his lips brushing the shell of my ear, and I shiver.

"Never." The word is barely a breath, but it's true. The stars have nothing on the man holding me.

“I imagine this right here is why my grandparents chose this place to build,” Sawyer admits softly.

I don’t speak, sensing he’s going to say more.

"They built the ranch with their bare hands," Sawyer explains, pride lacing his words. "And every generation has added to it."

"Tell me their story," I urge, hungry for more than just the history.

As he recounts tales of love, hardship, and triumphs, I see a new layer to Sawyer Blackwood—a man deeply rooted in legacy, yet standing right here with me, vulnerable and open. Each word is a window into his world, and as he shares them, it's like he's giving me pieces of his soul.

"Your turn," he says after a while, eyes searching mine.

"Me?" My life seems small compared to the epic saga he just told me.

"Everyone's got a story, Nora. What's yours?"

"Nothing special," I demur, but Sawyer shakes his head.

"Come on, darlin’. Surprise me."

So, I start with the little things—my favorite books, the summer I learned to swim, the scar on my knee from a bike accident. And Sawyer listens, really listens, his gaze never leaving mine. In this quiet night, filled with the echoes of the past, we're weaving a new narrative, one that's just ours.

We talk until I don’t know what time it is, and I realize this is no longer just about flirtation or games.

This is something real, something that could last longer than a summer on the ranch.

"Thank you," I whisper, touched by the trust he’s shown in sharing his family's legacy with me.

"Thank you," he replies, his hand finding mine across the table, warm and certain. "For listening."

I look up at him, and there it is.

That look he gives me, that super intense look that makes my heart want to skip a beat.

His lips part, and am I imagining it, or is his head moving closer to mine?

A thousand thoughts run through my mind.

Yes, I want this. I want him to kiss me.

But he’s my boss. He’s so much older than me. He technically hired my dad. Could this get my dad fired?

But then it all fades away when Sawyer’s lips finally touch mine.

My eyes slip closed and fireworks explode behind my eyelids.

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