Page 35 of Not Over You (Prosperity Ranch 3)

Knox lifted his other hand and ran it behind her head, into her hair. Goose bumps skittered across her skin at his touch, his nearness. “You’re not just any woman, Jana. That’s why I brought you here before I have to take off again.”

“You keep saying that,” she said. “What are you talking about?”

“Look,” he said, turning so that they were both facing the ranch house, even though it was at a distance. The summer moon made the white ranch house silvery, and the shapes and shadows of the barn, the arena, and the tended lawn were like a postcard.

“This is what I want,” he said in a soft voice. “And I want to know what you think about it.”

“You want Prosperity Ranch?”

“No.” He slipped his arm across her shoulders while they stood side by side. “I want my own place. My own ranch. Where my wife can raise our babies and make as much jam as she wants. Or write a book.”

“Knox,” Jana whispered. “I can’t believe you’re saying all of this. You can’t possibly know that we’re… going to be like that.”

“I don’t know one hundred percent.” He pulled her closer. “Because you’d have to be a part of that percent.”

She turned toward him in the crook of his arm. His mouth was only inches away, and she could swear she heard his heartbeat. Racing as fast as hers. “Knox…”

“Come to San Antonio,” he whispered. “Hang out with me. We can begin to figure out what’s going on between us. Slowly. Like it should be.” Before she could fully comprehend what he was suggesting, he dipped his head and brushed his lips against hers. Ever so gently.

Jana couldn’t have defined what it felt like being this close to Knox, her body nestled against his, as the night deepened and cooled around them. “Going to San Antonio to watch you in the rodeo feels like chasing you.”

“You can’t chase something that’s not running.” His lips strayed to her jawline, and he pressed his mouth there.

Jana’s skin pebbled at his touch, and she was done with the teasing, light kisses. She wanted more of this man. She grasped his shirt and tugged him closer with a determination that surprised even her.

Knox’s mouth lifted into a smile before he claimed her mouth. The heat built instantly, and he hoisted her close. Her fingers trailed behind his warm neck, then into his hair as she clung to him. Knox’s hands moved along her back as he angled his mouth over hers for a deeper kiss.

Everything about this night, about this kiss, about his sweet words, would have made any woman swoon. Except Jana had spent years trying to get over this man… none of it had worked. She’d had her heart broken once, and letting him in again would only set her up for a heartbreak she didn’t know if she could recover from.

“Knox,” she whispered, drawing away. “This feels too good to be true.”

Knox gazed at her through half-closed eyes, sending another round of heat through her. “I agree. I don’t deserve you, but I want to try to be worthy of you, of this, of us having a second chance.”

Jana’s eyes pricked with tears—why, she couldn’t define it. Knox was saying things beyond her wildest hopes. Could she trust in it? In him? Could she let go of the images of those women flocking to him, knowing that he hadn’t always turned down those types of women? And that had been the issue that had ended his marriage.

Knox’s baggage was heavy. Was she strong enough to help him carry it?

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