Page 38 of Last Chance for Her Rancher Boss

“Yes,” Nash said again, with even less hesitation. “Yes, I am.”

The cheeky grin fell off her face as she stared back at him. She had been joking, but Nash hadn’t been. Not one bit. He’d never been more serious in his life. The silence dragged on because apparently Meg had no idea how to respond to that, other than take another sip of her drink and avoid eye contact. Meanwhile Nash was hyperaware of how close they were sitting, their knees just a couple inches from brushing against each other. He could so easily reach out and brush loose strands of hair off of Meg’s freckled shoulder.

She cleared her throat and set her drink aside, folding her hands in her lap. Were her cheeks growing pink or was he just imagining it?

“Nash…” she said. “I’m glad I came here.”

It was a simple thing to say, and for anyone listening in on their conversation, it might not seem like a big deal at all. But Nash’s heart soared. There were so many unsaid things packed up in that one little sentence.

Meg was fidgeting with her fingers in her lap and Nash reached out and held them in his own, stilling them. Meg didn’t pullher hand away. She didn’t look away from him either. Meg was sitting very still, like she was waiting for something, and her cheeks really were pink. Nash could drop her hand, go back to making dumb jokes and drinking warm soda. He could stick to the safe option in all of this. But a decade’s worth of longing and regret flashed through him like a lightning strike. Screw safety. He wasn’t going to let this chance escape him, not this time.

He moved forward, his other hand cupping the back of Meg’s head, and he pressed his lips to hers.

It was a gentle kiss, soft and sweet and unsure. But pretty soon, with Meg rising up to meet him, it was no longer so gentle, and Nash lost himself completely in the moment.

It felt like coming home.

CHAPTER 13

MEG

Meg spent the morning out with the horses under the guise of giving them all a thorough check-over. She was still here to do a job; she had to periodically remind herself of that. Though work was the last thing on her mind right now. They had stumbled out of the treehouse, abandoning Nash’s picnic supplies, and then stumbled back to the main house and into his bedroom. Only when the morning came, with Nash asleep beside her, had Meg been able to bring herself to leave and head outside for some fresh air.

Opal was prancing around, happy as a clam, doing a zoom around the pasture before running back to the safety of her mother. Meg already knew this foal was going to be trouble; she was confident and full of energy and far too smart for her own good. Meg already loved her to bits.

Opal whinnied, and Meg looked up to see a truck rattling up the driveway. As it got closer, Meg could recognize Will through the windshield. She raised a hand in greeting, got a wave in return, and started walking back towards the house. Mostly her stomach was guiding her. The world was properly awake, and she hadn’teaten anything since the picnic yesterday afternoon. She’d been a little too distracted to make herself any dinner…

Just as she reached for the doorknob, the door swung open and Nash appeared. Meg’s hand was still stretched out and she was slightly off balance as she avoided walking face-first into his chest. He looked just as surprised as she felt, blinking like an owl in the morning light, his hair even more disheveled than usual. In each hand he held one of the muffins they had brought from town the other day, and he held one out to her.

Meg took it with a shy smile. God, why was she acting like she’d never met him before?

Well, her brain chimed in, not so helpfully.Maybe it’s because, for the first time ever, we’re both on the same page. No more stuff going unsaid, no more feeling pushed down or pushed away. We’re adults, with our own freedom.

So, it really was like she’d never met him before. She’d never met this version. Meg tried not to think about how daunting that actually was and took the muffin that he offered her.

“Thanks,” she said. She’d never had a proper concussion, but this must be what it felt like… scattered thoughts, no real control over her words, tingling sensations in her extremities. Surely these were the symptoms of some sort of brain injury.Surelyemotions couldn’t make you feel this ridiculous. But of course, Meg knew that they absolutely could.

“It’s fine,” said Nash. At least they were both as awkward as each other, standing there holding muffins like idiots.

The slam of a truck door brought them both back to reality, their bubble bursting open and the rest of the world rushing in.

“What are you two talking all serious about?” Will asked, strolling over with a lazy smile.

“Renovations,” Nash said, not missing a beat. Thank God he was quicker on his feet than Meg was.

Will made a face as he stopped beside them, looking confused. “Renovations? Uh… why?”

He looked at Meg, who wassupposedto be part of the whole selling the farm business. Instead, she had been helping to save it.

“Not here,” Nash said, jutting his head at the house and taking a bite of his muffin. “The ones up on the hill.”

Now Will only looked more confused, and Meg was starting to realize how insane this plan of theirs was when Will,of all people, was looking confused.

“Again,” he said. “Why? Is this part of the sale or…”

“We thought maybe,” Meg said, “we could do the buildings up and rent them out as vacation venues or something…”

Saying it out loud to someone new really did make it sound like a last-ditch effort. Desperate was a word that came to mind. But that wasn’t what Will focused in on.

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