Page 107 of True North

“You know something, my love?” I say, almost a whisper.

“What?” He leans closer, his arm sliding behind me, tucking me into his side.

My heart all but explodes.

“You are something else, you know. There’s never been a man on this earth who loves as hard, has so much faith in the people he loves, and—” I scrunch my nose up before drawing a long, steadying breath. “Who’s believed in me so unconditionally.”

His lips meet my forehead. “’Bout time you figured it out.” A quiet chuckle shakes his body, now pressed to me.

I huff a breath and it hits his shoulder.

Smart ass.

But he’s right. It took me way too long to learn who this man is to me. I’m done being clueless. If two people ever stood a chance to build something from nothing, it would be Harry and Louisa.

The ache in my legs and sore feet fade as I look up to an angled jaw and deep blue eyes. The five o’clock shadow claiming is face is sexy as hell. All I want to do is melt into him, pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist anymore.

Just for a while.

* * *

The early morning rays have only just splintered the horizon when I roll over to find the bed empty. Harry’s spot is cold. Fragrant aromas of coffee and bacon waft down the hall and rouse me from the warmth of our bed.

I love that. Our bed. Like we are already doing this thing together. Like we are the only two people on God’s green earth.

Out here, maybe we are.

I wander toward the kitchen to find a fully dressed and ready for a workday Harry. Socked feet slide across the hardwood floor as he scoots over to the stove, flipping the bacon sizzling on the heat.

“Hmm, he cooks.”

Harry glances over his shoulder. “A little. Don’t get used to it. It ain’t my forte.”

I chuckle and slide onto a stool at the counter. “Smells just fine.”

“Fine,she says.” He tosses three strips of bacon onto my plate and plucks a piece of toast from a pile on a plate to the one in his hand. “Here. Rancher’s breakfast, for the newest ranch hand on this old place.”

“You make all your new employees breakfast?” I raise a brow.

“Only the ones I can’t get out of my head.”

I take the plate in exchange for a warm smile. “You know, you should give this ranch a name.” I pick a slice of bacon between two fingers and bite off the end. It’s delicious.

“One day.”

“One day, you need to give many things a name. Like poor old Horse. You can’t possibly expect a girl to give it her all when she doesn’t even have a name, Harry. That is the furthest thing from commitment.”

He looks up at me and stills.

What’d I say?

Commitment?

His jaw feathers as he finally says, “You give her one. She’s yours now.”

My face lights up. “Really?”

He chuckles and shakes his head. “Really. Can’t go expecting you to work a herd on foot now, can I?”

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