Page 24 of The Rancher

“Thank you.”

Stone shifts so he’s sitting on the floor with his legs in a wide V, with me sitting cross-legged between them. “Baby, if you want to leave, you can. If staying here is not the best thing for you, I would be honored to drive you home.”

“What about my dream of my own home?” I can feel my face heating. “That dream has kept me going for years.”

“Look at all this land. Plenty of room for a tiny house here, if you like. That way you still have a home that is one hundred percent yours. If anything ever went sideways between us…not that I think it will…you could call a truck and have it hauled away.”

He takes my hands, gently, comfortingly. “Plus, and I’m just throwing it out there… if you lived here, you wouldn’t be paying rent or bills. Think how much faster you could save up. Maybe you could switch to just working a shift and a half instead of two shifts every day. Or go down to only one job.”

He hesitates. “I mean… I could give you the money right now. That would make me so happy, baby.” His deep brown eyes meet mine. “But I already know you won’t take it. That’s one of the many reasons I love you.”

My breath stops. My ears ring faintly. The entire world is silent for a moment as my heart thuds awkwardly in my frozen chest.

Stone loves me. He said it so casually I could have missed it.

“Now,” he smiles, “while you’re considering that, what would you like me to change?”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“If you decide to move in with me, you’re changing your whole world. What would you like me to change? I need to be on this ranch to run the stables and the horse rescue, but if you want a different house built, or⁠—”

“I love this house,” I stammer. “It’s amazing.”

“Cool. Still, you’ll want to make changes. We can turn the other guest room into your office. You said you sometimes work on your bed for a change, right? You could work there sometimes. Or, better yet, out on the back deck.” He looks around the main floor. “Hmm… While we’re at it, the dining room table is way too big for just two people…”.

He stares down at our clasped hands. “I’m… flooded, I guess you’d say, with a primitive urge to care for you, Remy. Provide for you. Make you comfortable and happy every way I can. I guess it’s a guy thing that I’ve never tapped into before.”

I nod slowly, smiling. “I’m kind of glad all this is new for you, too.”

“Yeah. But I’m never going to let these urges change your dreams. You can work whatever hours you like, and I’ll stay the hell out of your way.” His eyebrow raises. “Within some kind of healthy limit, of course.” His chuckle is calming. “If you wanted, you could drop both of your jobs and help me care for the new horses. Short answer, baby, I need you to do whatever feels good and right to you.”

He lifts my hands to kiss along my fingers. “We all have different feelings in our guts. I don’t expect you to ignore yours. Just be open to all possibilities. Is that fair?”

His deep brown eyes glow with…honesty, I guess? The panic falls away from me like flower petals in a strong breeze. He’s not going to train me after all. This amazing man is just going to love me.

“More than fair. I can do that.”

“What if you lived here for another few weeks, and when you’re comfortable and totally trust that this is real, we’ll figure it out then?”

My shoulders drop a full inch. “When I’m comfortable. Sure.”

“Yes?”

“Yes.”

“So I can call Tim tomorrow and you’ll let me buy you whichever tiny house you want?” He laughs when I grab a pillow from the couch and smack him in the chest with it.

“Not on your life, buddy.”

His sexy lips stretch into a smile. “But you’ll think about it?”

“No!” My chin lifts as I feel my smile spreading through my face, my shoulders, my chest. I was just able to playfully hit Stone with a pillow without being scared that he would raise his voice or abandon me. I know the truth in my heart. My brain has just been spinning on every negative detail.

I’ve been so used to bad things happening my whole life that I panicked when faced with nothing but good. Stone is wonderful. Living with him is wonderful. I just need admit to myself that I really am a bit of a broken bird who sometimes needs a bit of help.

And that’s fine.

I take a slow breath and smile. “In a few weeks, once I feel more settled, I’ll consider moving here, saving on rent, and buying my house myself.”