Page 36 of Rancher's Return

“Neither do I. But they don’t seem to have an angsty, over-the-top teen romance thing happening. I mean, they’re going to the movies with Colton’s younger brothers.”

“Yeah,” she said, smiling.

It really was the most wholesome, lovely thing. The way Buck and the boys had formed a family. The way Colton took care of Marcus and Reggie.

“I don’t mean... Just to be very clear, it isn’t that I don’t think Colton is wonderful. I do.”

“No, I know. Lily is a great girl. You’ve done an amazing job with her. I can only hope that I do half as well with the little bit of time I have... That is the only thing. I wish I had more time to parent Colton.”

“I know you don’t know this,” she said softly. “Because you left home at eighteen and didn’t really have contact with anybody, but parenting doesn’t end at eighteen. Colton is going to need you a lot when he’s off to college. And he’s going to need this place to come back to. Your continued support when he’s not technically a kid anymore, that’s going to mean the world to him.”

The corner of his mouth tipped upward into a smile. “I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

“I mean, it’s a great way to continue to show that when you took him in, it was forever. I imagine he hasn’t had a lot in the way of stability.”

Buck shook his head. “No. Colton was put in foster care when he was three. He got bounced around all over the place for years before his mom lost parental rights. And then... He was running away from foster homes all the time. He got caught with drugs he was selling. And that was how he ended up at Hope Ranch.”

Sympathy made her chest tight. “That poor kid.”

“Yeah. He was fifteen when he came to the ranch. Alone in the world. Angry. He’s had two years of stability. Compared to all those years without it.”

“It’s amazing what a difference it makes.”

“I just wish... You know, it’s one of those things. I just really wish I could’ve found them earlier. But in order to do that I would’ve had to find myself earlier. And I wasn’t there yet.”

“But you were at the ranch for sixteen years.”

He chuckled. “Yeah. And for a while, that was just triage. Me trying to stop the bleeding so I could stay standing.”

“I need a cutting board,” she said.

“Right here,” he said. He moved toward her, and then reached up into the cabinet above her head, bringing his chest right up against her, and when he looked down, the breath exited her lungs in a gust. He was so close. She could smell him.

He smelled like cedar, dust and hay.

She wondered about the plans he had for this ranch. He had mentioned a little about them a couple of times in passing when they were planning different things for her business. But she found she wanted to know more about him. And at the same time, she realized she also wanted to draw closer to him. She felt dizzy with it.

He seemed frozen there. He wasn’t grabbing a cutting board. He was just standing there. His hand pressed against the cabinet above her, and her eyes drifted to his forearm, well muscled and glorious. To his mouth again, down to his broad chest. His lean waist. Highlighted perfectly in the maroon Henley shirt he was wearing.

“Buck,” she said.

A warning, an invitation—she wasn’t exactly sure.

But his name tasted like moonshine that neither of them allowed themselves to drink anymore. Intoxicating. Forbidden.

Then suddenly, he grabbed the cutting board and took a step back. “Here,” he said.

“Oh,” she said, taking it from his hand.

Their fingers didn’t brush. He was very careful to make sure they didn’t.

He cleared his throat. “Anything I can do to help? I thought all the prep was done.”

“I decided I wanted to add a little bit more garlic. That’s all. It’s in the suggestions in the recipe, but since I’m doing it...”

“You shouldn’t do it. You already did all the work.”

“I don’t mind. It’s my job. And cooking is easy for me. Probably a lot easier than watching you stumble through the motions.”

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