Page 35 of Swept for Forever
“Three farms, barely hanging on. Don’t know how muchlonger they’ll make it. It’s tough times all around for ranchers.”
I nodded slightly, wondering if any of those farmers could’ve been Stiff-Neck. It didn’t seem likely. He didn’t look like a rancher. Then again, I wasn’t exactly an expert in the rancher aesthetic.
By the time Logan pulled up to the trailhead, I felt better. Well, not great or cured by any means, but there was something about small-town kindness that made me feel less like I was bracing for disaster.
“Thanks, Logan,” I said as Dom helped me out.
“Anytime,” he said easily. Then, with a teasing smirk, he added, “Take care, okay? And if this guy starts acting up? Blink twice. I’ll stage a rescue.”
Dom rolled his eyes. “Get outta here.” But there was warmth in his voice as he shook Logan’s hand and said, “Appreciate it, man.”
“Come over for dinner sometime?”
“Riley’s cookin’?” Dom asked.
“Betcha!”
Logan drove off, honking twice in farewell.
Dom opened the passenger door, and Lulu wasted no time, leaping straight into the cab.
“Guess riding in the back wasn’t her thing,” Dom murmured, shaking his head as he reached for my hand and steadied me as I climbed in. He buckled me in before grabbing his backpack and tossing it into the truck bed.
Then he slid into the driver’s seat.
How did he still look like this? Like the past twenty-four hours hadn’t wrung him out? His strength wasn’t just in his body but in his will and in the way he pushed forward without hesitation. He hadn’t just carried the weight on his back. He had carried me.
Even elite swimmers I’d known—those so-called golden boys at the pool—needed time to recover after an event. But Dom? He was back at full power, like someone had hit the reset button on his stamina.
“You’re lucky I like you,” he muttered to Lulu, who wouldn’t budge from the spot between us. I didn’t miss the hint. He would’ve rather had me closer.
I let my head fall back against the seat.
“You good?” he asked, starting the engine.
“Yeah,” I mumbled. “Totally fine. Not about to pass out or anything.”
He snorted. “Yeah, you’re full of shit.”
Maybe I was, because the second my adrenaline gave out, I was nothing more than an empty shell, weightless where I should be solid, and heavy where I should be light. Still, I scraped together just enough strength to jab him in the arm.
“Hey! What was that for?” he sulked.
It was a pathetic jab. My fist practically bounced off solid muscle.
“A thank you for doing the heavy lifting. Again,” I said.
His expression shifted. Maybe it meant more to him than I’d realized.
“I’d gladly do it again, Autumn.”
I opened my mouth, ready to toss out a smart remark, maybe something about billing me next time, but the look on his face shut it down. He wasn’t joking.
So I gave a weak smirk and let my eyes flutter shut, either from exhaustion or from the fact that I’d just seen a little too much of him in that moment. Not just the muscle and grit, but the man.
9
AUTUMN
