Page 65 of Open Arms

“Mmmhmm, yes, ma’am.”

I led the way, holding her hand in mine with a soft touch. After another minute, we were there. I stepped aside, and let Chloe see it. The gasp that came from her lips made it all worth it.

26

Chloe

“Wow,”I murmured, unable to keep the awe from my voice.

“Pretty amazing, huh?” Mason’s voice was a warm rumble next to me.

In the woods, just a few hundred yards behind his house—behind my cottage—was a hidden treasure. A natural hot spring, hidden in a small clearing of trees. Steam rose from the water as tendrils of moonlight snuck through the branches overhead.

“Amazing doesn’t cut it.” The words tumbled out as I edged closer, drawn to the spring like a moth to flame. “It’s like something out of a fairy tale. How could I have lived out there this whole time and not known this was here?”

Mason chuckled, that easy sound that always set my heart to fluttering. “I was waitin’ for the right time to show you. It’s an ancient natural spring. Been here longer than any of us.”

“An ancient spring . . .” I echoed, letting my fingers hover over the surface, feeling the heat radiating off the water. “How did you find this place?”

“Old Tim Carter mentioned it once when I washelping him fix a fence. Said it was a secret worth keeping.” Mason stepped beside me, his presence reassuring. “So, when I found out exactly where it was, I bought the house and all the land around it.”

“All of it?” I turned to look at him, my eyes searching his face.

“Every last acre.” He nodded, gray eyes serious. “The homes on the street all have lots that end at the tree line. The woods are mine. Couldn’t risk someone coming in and ruining this. It’s too . . . special.”

“Special,” I repeated, the word not quite capturing the magic of it all. “You did that? Just to protect it?”

“Seemed like the right thing to do.” His shrug was nonchalant, but I could see the care in his gaze as he looked over the water. “Some things are worth holding onto.”

My heart did a funny little skip. Worth holding onto. Yeah, I knew a thing or two about that.

The steam curled into the night sky, a dance of warmth against the cool air. I stood there, my heart swelling in a way that made words feel small and inadequate.

“Chloe?” Mason’s voice was soft, pulling me back from the edge of my thoughts.

I turned to him, saw the flicker of moonlight catching in his eyes.

“You’re really a romantic at heart, aren’t you?”

He chuckled, but shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Maybe . . .” I echoed, but the simplicity of the moment, the honesty in his admission, it was enough to tip the scales. I stepped closer, feeling the pull of him like gravity. “Mason, you’re . . . you’re amazing, you know that?”

“Reckon I’m just a man who knows what he wants.” His hand reached up, brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “And I want this—to share moments like these with you. I’m hopin’ forever, but I’ll settle for now.”

My breath caught, lodged somewhere between hope and a burgeoning reality.

“Forever might not be long enough,” I whispered, realizing the truth as it tumbled from my lips.

His arms wrapped around me then, a solid embrace that spoke of protection and promise. Our kiss was a seal, a silent vow exchanged under the watchful eye of the stars. It was tentative at first, a question asked and answered without words, then deepening, a conversation of lips and breath and shared dreams.

“Let me take care of you,” Mason murmured against my mouth, his hands moving to the hem of my shirt, fingers grazing the skin at my waist.

“Okay,” I managed, every nerve ending coming alive under the kindness in his touch.

Slowly, reverently, he peeled the fabric away, his movements deliberate, worshipful. Each inch of exposed skin seemed to sing under the cool night air, then warm again beneath the heat of his palms.

“Beautiful,” he said, and I felt it—not just heard it. Felt beautiful in his eyes, in the tender care he took undressing me, as if I were something precious, something cherished.

---