Page 22 of July's Bad Boy: Blaze

The truck starts, and with the rain done, the fallen trees are a bit easier to move. We limp back toward Mustang Mountain after saying goodbye to Hades and giving him his promised snack. As we approach town, Grace grows quieter, more composed. I can almost see her putting her mask back on.

"People will talk," she says as we pull onto Main Street.

"Let them," I reply with a shrug. "Unless... do you want to keep this quiet?"

She considers this. "I don't want to hide, but I don't want to make a spectacle either. This is still new. Still ours."

I nod, understanding. "I'll follow your lead, then."

The town is bustling when we arrive. Faces turn our way as we park at her house, and I can practically hear the gossip machine whirring to life. Overnight in a cabin during a rainstorm? Scandal!

"Well, I should go and get a shower and you should too," she says.

"I can be back in about an hour to help with deliveries,” I say.

"No deliveries today. I'm helping Ruby at the Merc so she can go to a doctor’s appointment and then I promised Olivia some girl time to catch up tonight. You have a free day." She smiles.

"I doubt it. Shane probably has a honey-do list for me at the ranch," I say with a small smile.

"Blaze Nelson, Cowboy has a nice ring to it," she jokes.

"Blake," I correct her quietly. "When it's just us, I'm Blake."

Her expression softens. "Blake," she agrees.

Leaning in, I give her a chaste kiss before pulling back and getting out of her truck. If I stay much longer, we will end up in her bed and I don't want her to think I'm only in this for sex.

I walk back to the truck Shane let me borrow that’s parked at the Merc, only a few blocks away. This amazing woman has somehow worked her way under my skin in a matter of weeks. Who has made me question everything I thought I knew about myself, and about what I want.

I'd come here ready to burn this place down. Now I'd burn it down to protect her.

The realization should terrify me. Instead, it feels like coming home.

I've finally found something worth staying for. I just pray I’mworth staying for, too.

CHAPTER 8

GRACE

The morning light filters through my curtains, and for a moment I lie still, absorbing the silence of my bedroom that suddenly feels too big, too empty.

"I let him in," I whisper to the ceiling. "Now what?"

Rolling onto my side, I pull the covers up to my chin, allowing myself exactly thirty seconds to remember our time in the cabin. His hands, his mouth, and the way he looked at me like I was something precious. Then I shut it down. Words are easy. Staying is hard. I've learned that lesson too many times to count.

I shower and dress quickly and try not to think about what it would be like to shower with Blaze, no, my Blake. The town square buzzes with activity when I arrive, another pantry swap is gearing up. The town decided to do one every four days until the road is fixed to make sure everyone has what they need.

Tables are arranged in neat rows, people are setting up displays of homegrown vegetables, homemade preserves, and hand-knitted items. Despite everything Mustang Mountain has been through, the energy feels hopeful, vibrant.

I slip into organizer mode, clipboard in hand, checking off vendors and directing traffic. If I stay busy enough, maybe I won't scan the crowd for a certain tall musician every thirty seconds.

"Need help with that?"

I nearly drop my clipboard at the sound of Blaze's voice. He's standing behind me, looking unfairly good in a simple grey T-shirt and jeans, holding a box of tomatoes from Ruby's garden.

"Didn't think you'd show," I say, trying to sound casual and failing miserably.

He’s stopped in to the Merc to see me while I was working there, and I know he’s been helping Shane at the ranch but part of me was ready to hear he’s packed up and left.

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