Page 20 of Wyoming Cowboy Undercover

He was about to ask what was her first when she grabbed his hand, and they took off running. The moment was light and carefree, and he just wanted to go with it.

They ran past huts and tiny houses where couples and families lived, passing the infirmary, and darted into a grove. The trees were fifty feet tall and had clusters of green fruit. The air was spicy and fragrant.

“What grows here?”

“Black walnuts. My father had this grove planted when I was a child because I’m deathly allergic to peanuts, which he banned from the compound.” She stared up at the nuts in the trees. “They’ll be ready to harvest in a couple of weeks. We’ll do it during the waxing moon, then we’ll make black walnut butter for the year, which is delicious, especially with a little lavender honey.”

“I thought if you were allergic to one nut you were allergic to all.”

“That is a common fallacy. I was tested for allergies.” She took his hands, interlacing their fingers. “Did you know peanuts aren’t actually a tree nut? Their legumes.”

Learn something new every day.“Had no idea.”

She stared at him with patient, tender gravity that had devastated him from the first. He couldn’t bear the thought of anything ever hurting her, much less killing her. The world was a better place because she was in it.

A breeze blew wisps of hair that had fallen loose from her bun. The golden strands brushed her face and he ached to touch her cheek and tuck them behind her ear. Why did she have to be so beautiful? There was something ethereal about the delicacy of her porcelain skin, and the arresting mix of her electric blue eyes and sunny blond hair. And her heart was so open, so strong and full of light. Why did she have to be everything he never knew he wanted and couldn’t have?

Focus.You’ve got a job to do.

Rocco tore his gaze from hers and glanced up at the sky. “I’ve heard people talking about the upcoming full moon. But I don’t get what the lunar cycle signifies to you all,” he said, looking back at her.

“Well, new moons are a time to initiate beginnings. That’s when we accept novices. We plant seeds for the future and set clear intentions for the month ahead. Full moons are about transformation when the seeds of the new moon come into bloom. We hold shedding ceremonies and people are reborn as Starlights. But this one, on Tuesday, is different.”

Rocco drew her closer, bringing her flush to his body, and he heard her breath catch. The sexy sound quickened his blood, awakening every cell in his body “Different how?”

“Because of the eclipse.”

He’d spent so much time during their training sessions learning about her, what made her tick, what made her smile and laugh, made her uneasy or blush, for the sake of digging deeper into her cult that he was at a disadvantage.

“How does a lunar eclipse change things?” he asked.

“It’ll be a full eclipse. A supercharged version. Like a wild card, bringing volatility and exposing secrets. A time for one thing to end and something else to begin. The moon will be directly opposite the sun. There could be friction, intensified emotion, polarity. My father wants us to be cautious.”

“Are you worried about something bad happening?”

“No.” She shook her head. “We’ll do a cleansing ritual that night and have a shedding ceremony. Things will be revealed, but whatever happens is meant to.”

She amazed him. She had so much faith in how things would work out. “Don’t you ever worry?” Unable to stop himself, he brushed her hair back behind her ear, caressing her skin. Keeping her close, he watched the flush creep up on her cheeks.

Mercy pressed closer. One small hand curled over his shoulder, up his neck, her fingers diving into his hair. Her other hand moved up his back, her fingers dancing over each vertebra, leaving a trail of sensation in their wake.

He could lose himself in her. Even scarier, he wanted to.

“You saw me have a panic attack,” she said. “That’s proof I worry.”

She stared up at him, and he was aware of every inch of her that made contact with his body. The roundness of her hips. The softness of her curves. Her smile. Her smell—she smelled so good, vanilla and sunshine. Everything about her triggered a visceral response.

There was something here, between them, electric and charged, that neither of them could probably afford to explore. But that didn’t curb his desire, no, his need to hold her. To kiss her.

A low, husky hum came from her, as though she were giving consent, the sound shooting down low in his belly. She rose on her toes, angling her mouth toward his, giving him a clear green light.

He lowered his head to hers, aching to taste her.

A horse whinnied, a rider approaching, and they jumped apart, separating like teenagers.

Chapter Six

Mercy’s heart hammered in her chest as Shawn rode up on horseback.

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