Page 154 of Burn the Wild

She tilts her chin. The fire in her eyes scorches. “What am I?”

“Birdie Girl, you’re pretty much my goddamn everything.”

She’s out of my league, but I’m not worried about keeping up. Because I’m keeping her.

The brightest smile tugs at her lips. “I am?”

My heart skips a beat. “Yeah. You are.”

Joy. It’s all over her face. And it’s all I want to see for the rest of my damn life.

I kiss her then. Hard. Hungry.

The ride, the rush, Reese—I’m all in.

“There, there!” Dakota cries.

I rush around and drop napkins onto a picnic table.

She thins her lips, gives me an abashed look. “I feel bad bossing you around.”

Charlie, crouched behind the food stand, snorts. “You learned it from your husband.”

I bat my eyes. “Stars are just like us.” She laughs and I touch her arm. “This is fun. Really.”

The Rough Rider Rodeo—an annual tradition in Resurrection—is a sight to see. Small-town charm at its finest. The mouth-watering scent of elephant ears and hotdogs lingers in the air. News crews roam with video cameras, while a local band belts out country music on stage.

The Montgomery’s are a full-throttle force. It’s all hands on deck for Dakota. As a food vendor, she’s selling hand pies before the rodeo begins. Her unofficial official opening of The Huckleberry.

Everyone’s here. Ruby’s in the booth with Dakota assembling desserts. Charlie’s hammering on the busted side of the booth. Davis keeps running into town whenever supplies get low, and Stede’s taken Duke to the calf-roping exhibit.

And I’m manning the coffee station while Ford wipes down picnic tables.

The only ones missing are Wyatt and Fallon, who’ve gone to get ready for the rodeo.

Belonging—that’s what this feeling is in my heart.

Something’s shifted in the last week. Ford’s brothers treat me like we’ve been friends for years. And right here, at this rodeo, with this family, I feel more at home than I ever did on stage or with Gavin.

Ford, in ranch jeans and a gray T-shirt, hustles food to guests. As he passes by, he flashes me a sexy smirk. My heart flips as I stare at his handsome profile. His chiseled jaw and day-old scruff is quintessential heartbreaker. And damn the audacity of that backward baseball cap.

Something’s shifted between us, too.

Ever since he dropped the no-friends bomb, we’ve been moving fast. Every night I stay over at his place, it feels like I’m sealing my fate. To stay. To trust. To love—so deeply I almost don’t know what to do.

Except tell him the truth. Tell him I love him. But can I trust him not to leave me? Do I trust him to love me back? That feels like asking for the world.

Besides, he has a job offer waiting for him. Whatever’s between us, I’m terrified of ruining it. So, I busy myself with all things rodeo.

By the time late afternoon falls, I’m a sweaty, sticky mess.

Ford pulls me from the booth and hands me a bottled water. “Here, take a break.”

I glance over at Dakota, making sure she has it under control before I sink onto the picnic table bench.

His phone chimes. He glances at it quickly, then me. “Your pill.”

I blink. “You set an alarm?”

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