Page 102 of Love in the Wild

A flutter rustled through her middle at the mere thought of him. Surely, that would go away soon, right? So far, her visceral reactions to Gage were only growing stronger.

Cheyenne smiled, but the expression was reserved. After dealing with her own conflict with someone who wasn’t afraid to use violence to get his way, Hadley’s sister kept her guard up. “Everything going good between you two?”

“Pretty good.”

Hadley’s response wasn’t a brush-off. She was always open with Cheyenne, but they did their talking in private places. The short and sweet answer accomplished its goal to give her sister a quick update.

“See you tomorrow. Love you!”

“Love you too!” Hadley shouted back as the truck started moving again.

The door behind her creaked, and Mr. Chambers stepped out onto the porch.

“Hey, I was just waiting here for Gage,” Hadley said as she stood.

Mr. Chambers gestured for her to sit back down and lifted his cup of coffee. “Want some? I have a fresh pot brewed.”

“Thanks, but I’d like to sleep tonight,” Hadley said as she lowered herself back into the seat.

“Sleep is for the weak,” Mr. Chambers said as he looked out at the hills leading to the stables. “How are you?”

“Great. My shoulder is much better.”

“Good to hear. How about your mama?”

“She’s good too. Cheyenne’s dad is helping out so much. He got her into an amazing facility, and she seems really happy. I definitely don’t worry about her as much.”

“I’m happy to hear that. You need anything?”

Hadley pressed her lips together and considered his question. People rarely just asked her if she needed anything, and it was even more rare that they meant it. “I don’t think so. I’m pretty happy.”

Mr. Chambers rested his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “I’m proud of you. Give me a holler if anything comes up.”

“Thank you.” Hadley turned her head away to blink back the moisture in her eyes. She’d lived through many times when she desperately needed help, and it was freeing to realize she’d found rest in a place where she was content. On top of that, she had a very real lifeline in the event things took a turn for the worst.

“Tell Gage I said hello,” Mr. Chambers said as he stepped back inside the house.

Hadley rested her elbows on her knees and said a silent prayer. The Lord knew exactly what He was doing and seemed to constantly be leading her in the right direction.

Gravel crunched under tires, and Hadley lifted her head. Gage’s truck was headed her way, and she stood. As soon as the truck was parked, he opened the door and stepped out.

Desperate to be near him, she met him in front of the truck and fell into his embrace. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she met him with a slow, deliberate kiss that had her toes curling.

Gage pulled back and brushed her hair from her face. “Hey, sunshine.”

Oh goodness. There went the butterflies again. “Hey. How was your day?”

“Good. Better now.” He pressed another quick kiss to her lips before grabbing her hand and leading her to the passenger side. “Where are we going?”

“The archery range. I worked there today getting things cleaned up and ready for the season, and I forgot how peaceful it is out there.”

“They have an archery range? Is there anything this ranch doesn’t have?”

“A pool.”

Gage opened the door and stepped to the side for her to get in.

“Why would you need a pool?”

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