#ranch au

The sun hasn't cleared the horizon when you step onto the porch, coffee mug in hand. The ranch is already awake. You can hear the low murmur of cattle in the distance, the sharp whistle of someone calling the dogs, the creak of the barn doors and machinery coming to life. This was your ranch. Your responsibility. Your pride.

You'd grown up with dirt under your fingernails and hay in your hair, your father's shadow stretching long over every fence post and pasture. He'd raised you to run this place since you were little. Mainly, because you were his only child, but also because he knew you would take care of the land accordingly.

Now the shadow is yours and you wear it well.

"Morning, wildfire."

The voice comes from near the equipment barn. You don't have to look to know who it is—you'd recognize that low rasp anywhere, the way he says that nickname with practiced ease.

Bucky Barnes leans against the fence, one boot propped on the lower rail, his work shirt already dusty though the day's barely started. His dark hair is combed back, a few strands escaping to frame his face, and his blue eyes track you as you descend the porch steps.

"Morning," you say, keeping your voice level professional. "Crew's here?"

"Most of 'em. Sanchez is running late—truck trouble. I sent Pete to pick him up." He straightens, falling into step beside you as you head toward the barn. "We're rotating the herd to the north pasture today. Fencing's solid, checked it myself yesterday."

"Good." You pause at the barn entrance, turning to face him. "What about the irrigation system? Johnson said there was a blockage in sector three."

"Already working on it, it should be cleared by noon."

You nod, taking a sip of your coffee. This is how it always goes—Bucky anticipating problems before you have to ask, handling details before they become emergencies. Your father had hired his dad twenty years ago, and when the old man got sick, Bucky stepped into the role like he'd be born for it.

Which in a way, he had been.

"You're thinking too hard," Bucky says, his mouth quirking. "I can see those gears turning."

"Well, I'm always thinking. Kind of part of my job."

"Yeah, well." He shifts his weight and for a moment, something flickers across his face, something soft and unguarded… you blink and it's gone. "Try to not hurt yourself."

You shoot him a look that would wilt lesser man. He just grins and tips an imaginary hat before heading toward the equipment barn, leaving you with your coffee and the creeping warmth in your chest that you refuse to name.

By midday, you're elbow-deep in the business of running the ranch, fielding calls from suppliers, reviewing feed costs, checking the schedule for the county livestock show next month. Your office is a converted tack room in the main barn, all exposed beams and the faint smell of leather and hay. You liked it here. It feels real in a way that glass and steel never could.

You're on the phone with the feed supplier, arguing about bulk pricing, when Bucky appears in the doorway. He doesn't interrupt, just leans against the frame and waits, and you're hyper-aware of his presence in a way that's become second nature over the past— how long has it been? Ten months since that first kiss in the summer heat, all sweat and impulse and that kid of chemistry that burns.

Ten months of this thing between you that has no name, no rules, no promises.

You finish the call—a victory, 10% discount— and set the phone down. "What's up?"

"Got a situation with the new colt. He's favoring his left foreleg, might be nothing, but I want you to take a look before I call the vet."

You're already standing. "Show me."

The colt is in the training pen, a gorgeous chestnut with a white blaze and too much attitude for his own good. You'd purchased him at auction three months ago, saw the potential in his bloodline and the fire in his eyes. Now he's limping, and your stomach tightens.

Bucky's already in the pen, speaking low and calm as he approaches the colt. The animal sidesteps, nervous, but Bucky doesn't rush. Just keeps talking, that steady murmur that works in horses and people alike, until the colt allows him close enough to run a hand down his neck.

"Easy, buddy."

You slip through the fence rails and approach from the other side, moving slow. The colt's ears flick toward you, but he doesn't spook. Between you and Bucky, he's boxed in by a kind of trust, and after a moment he settles.

"I've got his head," Bucky says. "Check the leg."

You crouch, running your hands carefully down the colt's foreleg, feeling for heat, for swelling, for anything out of place. The colt shifts but doesn't pull away, and you can feel Bucky's presence above you, solid and grounding.

"There," you murmur, fingers finding a tender spot just above the fetlock. "Minor strain, I think… it's not serious, but he needs rest."

"Figured." Bucky's voice is close—closer than you expected. You glance up and find him watching you with an expression you can't quite read. "You want me to call Doc Johnson anyway?"

"Yeah, better be safe than sorry." You straighten, brushing dirt from your jeans. "Good catch."

"Just doing my job."

"You do it well."

Something passes between you— a look, a breath, the weight of words unsaid. The colt stamps impatiently, breaking the moment, and you step back.

"I'll handle the rest of the rotations," Bucky says, his tone careful and neutral. "You've got that conference call at two, right?"

You'd forgotten. "Shit, yeah. Thanks."

"Anytime, wildfire."

There it is again. That nickname. The way he says it—affectionate and just a little bit awed, like you're something bright and untamed and worth admiring from a careful distance.

You walk away before you can do something stupid like ask him what it means, why he started calling you that. If it means what you think it might.

That evenings you stop by Miller's feed store in town to pick up supplements. Bucky's with you—he'd been checking on a part for the tractor at the hardware store next door.

Old Miller's behind the counter, and his eyes light up when he sees you.

"Well if it isn't the lady rancher herself," he says warmly. "How's business?"

"Good, been busy lately." You hand him your list. "Need these loaded up when you get a chance."

"You got it," he glances at Bucky. "And how's your foreman treating you" Working you too hard?"

It's a joke, everyone knows you're the one who sets the pace, but you see Bucky's jaw tighten slightly.

"Bucky runs a tight ship," you say. "Couldn't do it without him."

"That's good, that's good. 'Course your daddy always said the Barnes men were the best workers in the county." Miller starts pulling items from shelves. "You keeping busy, Bucky? Staying out of trouble?"

"Yes, sir" Bucky says evenly.

"Good man," Miller chuckles. "Though I gotta say, at your age, figured you'd have your own spread by now. Following in your old man's footsteps is fine work, but eventually a man wants something of his own, you know? Something to build on."

The words are casual, friendly even, but you see Bucky's shoulders stiffen.

"I'm exactly where I want to be," Bucky says, but there's an edge to it.

You pay quickly and get out of there, but the damage is done. Bucky's quiet on the drive back, staring out the window with that same look from earlier.

"Miller's an old gossip," you say. "Don't listen to him."

"He's not wrong though." Bucky's voice is carefully neutral. "I'm thirty-two and I don't own anything but a truck and a cabin on someone else's land."

"You own half the knowledge that keeps this ranch running," you counter. "That's worth more than—"

"It's not the same," he cuts you off gently. "And you know it."

You don't know what to say to that. Because in the world you both live in—where land equals legacy and property equals status— maybe he has a point.

But it doesn't make it right.

By the time the crew clocks out, the sky is bruising purple and gold, the heat of the day giving way to the cool promise of night. You make your rounds, checking that everything's secured, the animals settled, the equipment stored. It's a ritual, this final sweep and you always find peace in it.

You're in the main barn, running through inventory counts one last time, when you hear footsteps behind you.

You don't turn around. "Thought you left already."

"Had some things to finish." Bucky's voice is low in a way that sends heat curling through your belly. "Saw your truck was still here, figured you were doing your obsessive end-of-day check."

"It's not obsessive, it's thorough."

"Right." He's closer now, close enough that you can smell him—sweat and hay and something uniquely Bucky that makes you want to turn around and close the distance, and— "You done?" he asks and there's an edge to his voice that makes your pulse quicken.

You set down the clipboard and turn to face him.

He's still in his work clothes, shirt untucked and streaked with dust, hair falling loose from its tie. There's smudge of grease on his jaw and his eyes are dark in the dim light of the barn, and you know this look. Know what comes next.

"Yeah," you say, your voice already dropping to something lower. "I'm done."

The space between you evaporates. You don't know who moves first—maybe it doesn't matter. His hands find your hips, fingers digging in with just enough pressure to make you gasp, and your fingers curl into his shirt, yanking him closer. Then his mouth is on yours, hot and demanding, and you open for him immediately.

God, you'll never get tired of kissing him. The way he tastes like coffee and the mint he chews when he's working, the way his stubble scrapes against your skin, the way he kisses like he's starving for you.

His tongue slides against yours and you moan into his mouth, pressing closer, needing more. His hands slide from your hips to your ass, squeezing, lifting, and suddenly your feet aren't touching the ground anymore. You wrap your legs around his waist instinctively, feeling the hard length of him pressed against your core even through layers of denim, and the friction makes you both groan.

"Fuck," he breathes against your mouth, walking you backward "You feel—"

"Don't talk," you manage, biting his lower lip hard enough to make him hiss. "Just—"

Your back hits the wall of the tack room and he pins you there with his hips, grinding against you making your head fall back and desperate sounds tear from your throat. His mouth moves to your neck, teeth and tongue and the kind of rough attention that you crave. Your hands are already fumbling with his belt, impatient, needing him out of these fucking clothes.

"Wildfire," he murmurs against your throat, and the nickname sounds different now. "Let me—"

He sets you down just long enough to yank your shirt over your head, his flannel following seconds later. Then his hands are on your breasts, thumbs brushing over your nipples through the fabric of your bra, and the sensation shoots straight between your legs.

"Off," you demand, reaching behind yourself to unhook it, and he helps, tossing it aside before his mouth replaces his hands.

The first pull of his lips around your nipple makes your knees buckle, makes you grab his hair to stay upright. He works you with his mouth—sucking, biting, soothing with his tongue—while his hands work open the button of your jeans. You're already shoving them down your hips, kicking off your boots in a graceless rush, and then you're standing there in nothing but your underwear, while he's still mostly dressed.

"Not fair," you gasp and he pulls back just enough to flash you a wicked grin before dropping to his knees. Oh. "Bucky—"

"Let me," he says again, and this time it's not a question. His hands slide up your thighs, thumbs tracing the edge of your underwear, and when he leans forward and presses his mouth against you through the fabric, you nearly come apart right there.

"Jesus Christ," you manage, fingers tightening in his hair as he mouths at you, the friction not nearly enough. "Stop teasing."

He hooks his fingers into the waistband and drags your underwear down, helping you step out of them, and then he's right there, face level with your cunt, looking up at you like you're something sacred.

"You're so fucking wet already," he murmurs and then his tongue is on you and coherent thought becomes impossible.

He eats you out like it's his religion—long, slow strokes of his tongue followed by focused attention on your clit that makes you shake. Your fingers are fisted in his hair, hips rocking against his face, and he takes it all, groaning like your pleasure is his, like this is what he needs.

When he slides two fingers inside you, curling them just right, you cry out his name.

"That's it," he encourages, voice muffled against you. "Let me hear you, wildfire. Let me—"

The orgasm hits you like a lightning strike, sudden and devastating, and you come with his name on your lips and your legs shaking and his fingers still working inside you, drawing it out until you're oversensitive and trembling.

He pulls back, mouth glistening, and the look on his face is pure hunger.

"I need you," you manage, still catching your breath. "Now."

He's on his feet in seconds, shedding his jeans and boxer in quick, efficient movements, and then he's sitting on the old wooden bench and you're straddling him, lining him up, sinking down onto him in one smooth motion that makes you both groan.

He feels so good, thick and hard and perfectly filling, the stretch of him always just on the edge of too much in the best possible way.

"Christ," Bucky grits out, hands gripping your hips hard enough to bruise. "You're fucking perfect."

You start to move, rolling your hips, finding the rhythm that works, and his head falls back against the wall, throat exposed, jaw clenched. You lean forward and bite the tendon in his neck, and his hips buck up involuntarily.

"Harder," you demand against his skin. "Don't hold back."

His hands tighten on your hips and he starts to thrust up into you, meeting your movements, and the angle is perfect—hitting that spot inside you that makes your vision blur. You brace your hands on his shoulders and ride him harder, chasing the pleasure building in your core, and he watches you with dark, hungry eyes.

"So fucking beautiful," he murmurs, one hand leaving your hip to cup your breast, thumb circling your nipple. "You look so beautiful like this, taking what you need from me—"

"Bucky," you gasp, rhythm faltering as the pleasure builds. "I'm—"

"I know, wildfire, I can feel that pretty cunt of you squeezing me so tight…" His other hand slides between you, thumb finding your clit, and the added stimulation makes you cry out. "There you go, come for me wildfire. Wanna feel you come on my cock."

His touch and relentless thrust sends you over the edge and the orgasm crashes through you, walls clenching around him. You can hear him curse as he follows you over, spilling inside you with your name broken on his lips.

For a moment, neither of you moves. You just lay down breathing, tangled together in the half-dark of the barn, the smell of hay and sex and the summer breeze in the air, your bodies still joined, hearts pounding against each other.

Then—and this is different, this is new—Bucky doesn't pull away immediately.

His arms wrap around you, pulling you against his chest, and your head finds the curve of his shoulder like it was made to rest there. His hand slides up yous spine, tracing patterns on your bare back, and you feel him press a kiss to your temple.

That wasn't part of your routine. The sex? Yes. The intensity? Definitely. But this tenderness, this soft aftermath… that was new territory.

"Hey," you say quietly, not moving from where you're tucked against him.

"Mm?"

"You okay?"

He's quiet for a moment, then his hand finds your hair, fingers threading through the stray strands absentmindedly.

"Yeah," he says, but his voice sounds strange. "Yeah, I'm just… catching my breath."

You pull back just enough to look at him, and what you see in his face makes your chest tighten. There's something unguarded there, something raw and almost frightened, like he's said too much, shown to much.

His hand comes up to cup your jaw, thumb brushing your cheekbone, and for a second you think he's going to say something important, something that will change the shape of this thing between you.

But then he blinks and the moment fractures.

He lifts you gently, helping you off him, and you both reach for your clothes in a silence that feels heavier than before. You watch him dress—jeans first, then his shirt, fingers working the buttons with a focus that seems excessive for such a simple task. He doesn't glance at you once.

"Same time tomorrow?" You ask, trying to sound casual, trying to rebuild the easy rhythm that's kept this simple for ten months.

He stills, shirt half-buttoned, and for a long moment he doesn't answer.

When he finally looks at you, there's something in his eyes that makes your stomach drop. Something that looks like longing and resignation all tangled together.

"Yeah, sure."

Not "same time, wildfire" with that hint of warmth. Just "yeah, sure". Like you're asking him to check the fences, not meet you here tomorrow night.

He finishes dressing in silence, and you pull on your own clothes, hyper-aware of every movement, every breath. When you're both decent again, he moves toward the door. Just before he reaches it, he pauses. Doesn't turn around.

"You know Miller's not wrong," he says quietly. "About… a man wanting something of his own."

Your stomach drops. "Bucky—"

"I'm just the foreman," he continues, still not looking at you. "Always will be. That's—" He shakes his head. "That's just how it is."

"That's not—you're more than—"

"Goodnight, wildfire."

The nickname sounds wrong in his mouth now. Distant like he's already pulling away.

Then he's gone, the door swinging shut behind him, and you're left in the tack room, fully dressed now but somehow feeling more exposed than when you were naked.

You sink onto the bench, hand drifting to where his thumb had traced patterns on your back, and Miller's words echo in your head.

Eventually a man wants something of his own.

And Bucky's response: I'm just a foreman, always will be.

Like that's all he'll ever be. Like that's all he thinks he's worth. Like loving you—if that's what this is— means settling for scraps instead of building something real.

The thought settles in your chest like a stone, and you realize with creeping dread that something's changed. And if Bucky's convinced himself he's not good enough, that he can't give you what you deserve because he doesn't own land or have money or status… you don't know how to fight that. Or if he'll even let you.

The first sign that something's wrong comes three days after that night in the tack room. You're going over breeding schedules when Bucky comes in to report on the north pasture rotation. He's all business, standing near the door instead of leaning against the frame like usual, keeps his eyes on the clipboard in his hand.

"Rotation's complete," he says. "Moved the last of the herd this morning without issues."

"Good," you wait for more—the usual back and forth, the easy conversation that filled spaces between work tasks, but he just nods.

"Need anything else?" He asks instead.

You, you want to say. I need you to look at me like you did three nights ago. I need you to stop acting like a stranger.

"No," you say instead. "That's all."

He's gone before you can figure out how to ask what's wrong.

Within the days, things get worse.

Bucky starts sending Pete or Sanchez to give you reports instead of coming himself. When you do see him, he's never alone; he's always with the crew, always busy, always with a reason he can't try for long. The nickname disappears entirely. Now he calls you by your name, said in a tone so professional it feels like a reprimand.

Meals with the crew become exercises in studied avoidance. He sits at the opposite end of the table, talks to everyone but you and leaves as soon as he's done eating.

The nights are the worst. You wait in the barn like always, telling yourself you're just finishing paperwork, but he doesn't come. Not that night,not the next, not the one after that.

On the fifth night, you stop waiting.

On the sixth day, you corner him in the equipment barn.

"We need to talk," you say, closing the door behind you.

He doesn't look up from the harness he's mending. "Kind of busy."

"Bucky, what the hell is going on?"

"Nothing's going on, just work."

"That's bullshit," you move closer and he shifts away and the retreat stings. "You've been avoiding me for almost a week, you won't look at me, won't talk to me—"

"I talk to you every day, about work."

"That's not what I mean and you know it."

His jaw tightens. "Don't know what else you expect from me."

"I want you to tell me what changed!" Your voice rises despite yourself. "I want you to tell me why you're acting like—like we're nothing to each other."

"We're not nothing." He finally looks at you, and his eyes are so carefully blank it makes your chest ache. "You're my boss, I'm your foreman, that's what we are."

"That's not— we're more than that. You know we are."

"Are we?" He sets down the harness, standing up. "Or was it just convenient? You scratch an itch, I scratch an itch, nobody has to call it anything more?"

The words hit like a slap.

"You don't mean that."

"Don't I?" His voice is even, controlled, and somehow makes it worse than if he was yelling. "Been thinking about it, about what this is, and maybe Miller was right, maybe it's time I figure out what I want instead of just—" He gestures vaguely. "Instead of this."

"Instead of me, you mean."

Something flickers across his face—pain, maybe— but it's gone too fast to be sure.

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to." You're trying to keep your voice steady and failing. "If you want to end this, Bucky, just say it. Don't make up excuses about figuring out what you want."

"I'm to making excuses." His hands clench at his sides. "You're running a multi-million dollar operation, you're smart, successful and I'm just—"

"Stop." You know where this is going and you can't stand to hear it. "Don't you dare finish that sentence."

"I'm the hired help," he says anyway. "That's the reality, and maybe it;s time we both stopped pretending it's anything else."

You laugh, but it's an ugly sound. "Is that really what you think you are to me? After everything we—"

"After everything, that's still what I am." His voice is flat. "That's all I'll ever be."

You stare at him, at this man you've known for years, loved for months even if you haven't said it out loud… and you don't recognize the stranger looking back at you.

"You're a coward," you say quietly.

He flinches. "Maybe I am."

"This isn't about what you are, this is about you being too scared to—"

"I need to finish this repair," he cuts you off, turning back to the harness. "Was there something work-related that you needed?"

The dismissal is clear and absolute.

You leave before he can see you cry.

The Hillside County Livestock Show is your least favorite event of the year, and that's saying something considering you spend most of your life covered in dust and dealing with literal bullshit. But there's something about the forced socializing, the political maneuvering disguised as friendly conversation, the way everyone sizes up everyone else's cattle like they're comparing dick sizes—it grates.

Still, you go. Because your ranch has a reputation to maintain, and because your breeding program produces some of the best cattle in three counties, and because your father never missed a year and neither will you.

You're standing near the action ring, catalog in hand, watching a decent Angus heifer go for more than she's worth, when you feel someone approach from your left.

"Impressive animal," a voice says. Deep, smooth, with the kind of confidence that comes from never being told no. "Though I'd say she's overvalued by at least fifteen percent, maybe is some sentimental bidding."

You glance over. The man beside you is older, mid forties probably, with silver threading through dark hair and a smile that has probably charmed plenty of people. Expensive boots, custom shirt, a watch that costs more than most people's trucks. Everything about him screams money.

"Sentimental bidding keeps the market interesting," you reply neutrally, turning back to the ring. "Besides, she's got excellent bloodlines, she'll be worth the premium to the right buyer."

"Spoken like someone who knows her stock," he extends a hand. "My name is Clayton Sheridan, I just purchased the Meadow brook Ranch, east of your property."

So this was your new neighbor. You'd heard someone bought old man Peterson's spread after he retired to Arizona, but you hadn't paid much attention to the details.

You shake his hand briefly. "Welcome to the area."

"Thank you, I've heard impressive things about your operation, fastest-growing herd in the county, certification for quality genetics…" His hand lingers a moment too long before you pull away. "It's rare to see a woman running a ranch this size… and running it so well."

There it is. There it's the compliment wrapped in condescension, the implication you're an exception rather than simply capable.

"My father raised me for it," you say, voice cool. "Gender doesn't have much to do with whether you can read a market or manage a land."

"Of course, of course." His smile doesn't falter. "I didn't mean to imply otherwise, just… admiration. It must keep you very busy, handling everything by yourself."

"I have an excellent crew."

"Ah yes, your foreman Barnes, isn't it? Son of your father's foreman?" Something in his tone makes your jaw tighten. "Lucky to have someone who knows the place so well, family legacy and all that."

You're trying to formulate a response that's polite but firm when you catch movement in your peripheral vision. Bucky, standing near the equipment displays about thirty feet away, his attention locked on you and Clayton with an expression you can't quite read.

Even from there, you can see the tension in his shoulders.

"Excuse me," you say to Clayton, not waiting for a response before you start walking toward Bucky.

But by the time you navigate through the crowd, he's already gone.

You get home from the show late, exhausted and frustrated. The house is dark and empty, and you should go to bed, but instead you find yourself walking to the stables.

Copper's in his usual stall, the big bay gelding lifting his head when you approach. Twenty-two now, long retired, but still your father's horse.

"Hey, old man," you murmur, letting yourself in. He presses his nose into your palm, warm and familiar, and you lean your forehead against his neck. "Long day."

He huffs softly, patient like always.

You're running your hand down his shoulder when you hear footsteps.

"Thought I saw the lights on."

Bucky's in the stable entrance, hands in his pockets.

"Couldn't sleep," you say.

"Yeah, me neither." He shifts his weight. "How's old Copper doing?"

"Good, little stiff in the mornings." You stroke the horse's neck. "I should take him out to pasture more."

"I can do it tomorrow if you want," Bucky offers quietly. "Give him a good walk, let him stretch his legs."

Something in your chest aches at the offer. Even with all this distance between you, he's still thinking about what you need.

"You don't have to."

"I know," he takes a step closer. "But Copper's important to you."

"My dad's horse," you say quietly. "He was the first horse I rode."

"I know," his voice is gentle. "I remember."

For a moment, the walls between you feel thinner. Like maybe you could reach across this space, say what needs saying. Then Copper shifts, and Bucky clears his throat.

"I should let you finish up. Just wanted to check you were okay."

"I'm fine."

It's obviously a lie, but he doesn't call you on it.

"Goodnight, wildfire," he says softly, and then he's gone.

"He still cares," you tell the horse. "He wouldn't check on me if he didn't, right?"

Copper just snorts and goes back to his hay.

You stay a while longer, taking comfort in the familiar routine of checking water, running your hands over Copper's legs to make sure he's sound, whispering all the things you can't say to Buck into the horse's patient ear.

When you finally head back to the house, you see Bucky's cabin light is still on.

Neither of you is sleeping tonight.

Clayton Sheridan doesn't understand the concept of boundaries, as you discover the next two weeks.

The flowers arrive first, expensive arrangements delivered to your door with cards that are just on the edge of appropriate.

Looking forward to being neighbors.

Thinking of you.

You throw most of them away.

Then, he starts showing up: at the feed store when you're picking up supplies, at the diner where you grab Saturday breakfast, at the county planning meeting where you're discussing water management.

"What a coincidence," he says every time, with that practiced smile.

It's not a coincidence and you both know it, but he keeps playing his game.

The gifts escalate: wine, a leather portfolio with your ranch name embossed, an invitation to some charity gala in the city, hand-delivered.

"I think we'd make quite an impression together," Clayton says when he drops off the invitation. "Power couple of the ranching community."

You haven't even said yes to coffee.

"I'll think about it," you answer, because outright rejection seems to make him more persistent.

Through it all, Bucky gets quieter, more distant. Like he's disappearing piece by piece.

You catch him watching sometimes— watching Clayton talk to you, watching the gifts arrive, watching you navigate the attention with gritted-teeth politeness. And every time, his expression is the same: resigned, like he's watching something inevitable play out.

Like he's already decided how this story ends.

Three weeks into Clayton's courtship, you're in the barn doing evening checks when Bucky appears in the doorway. Your heart jumps at the sight of him. This is the first time he's sought you out in almost a month.

"Hey," you say carefully.

"Hey." He shifts his weight, not quite meeting your eyes. "Wanted to let you know… the mare's showing signs, probably foaling tonight or tomorrow."

"Okay, you need help monitoring?"

"No, I got it." He starts to turn away, then pauses. "Your neighbor came by today. Sheridan, he was looking for you."

Your stomach sinks. "What did he want?"

"Didn't say, just asked where you were, when you'd be back." Bucky's jaw tightens. "Seemed pretty comfortable helping himself to the property."

"I'll talk to him."

"Sure." Another pause. "He seems… interested."

"Bucky—"

"Just an observation." His voice is carefully neutral. "A guy like that— successful, established. Probably looking to settle down with the right person."

"I don't care what he's looking for."

"Maybe you should." Bucky finally looks at you and there's something in his eyes that makes your breath catch. "Opportunities like this don't come around often."

"Opportunity?" You stare at him. "He's a stranger who won't take a hint, that's not an opportunity, that's a problem."

"Is it?" Bucky's voice is soft, almost sad. "Or is it exactly what someone in your position should be looking for?"

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Means he can give you things, things I—" He cuts himself off, jaw clenching again. "Just think about it."

He's gone before you can respond, leaving you alone in the barn with a sick feeling in your stomach.

Clayton makes his move the following week. You're at Miller's feed store, alone for once, when he corners near the grain.

"I was hoping to run into you," he says, blocking your path to the checkout. "Saved me a trip to your property."

"I'm kind of in a hurry—"

"It'll just take a moment." He steps closer, and you resist the urge to step back. "I've been patient, I think. Given you time to get to know me. And I'd like to think we've developed a… bond."

"Clayton—"

"Let me take you to dinner." It's phrased like a request, but it feels like a demand. "A real dinner, not as neighbors, not as business associates… a date."

"I appreciate the offer, but—"

"I know I can give you what you need," he continues, like you haven't spoken. "Partnership, stability. A merger of our operations could be incredibly beneficial for both of us. I know you're a smart woman, you have to see the potential."

There it is, the assumption that this is about business, about strategy, like you're an asset to be acquired.

"I'm not interested," you say clearly. "In dinner, in partnership, in any of it. Sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, but—"

"The wrong impression?" He interrupts you again, his smile doesn't reach his eyes. "You've been accepting my gifts, letting me court you."

"I've been polite, there's a difference."

"Is there?" He is closer now, close enough that you can smell his cologne. "Or are you just playing hard to get? Because I have to tell you, it's getting old."

"I'm not playing anything," your voice goes cold. "I said no. That's final."

Something flickers across his face—surprise, then anger, quickly masked.

"You're making a mistake," he says quietly.

"That's my choice to make."

"Is it?" He glances toward the window, where your truck is parked. "Or does your foreman make your choices for you?"

Your blood runs cold. "That's none of your business."

"In a town this size, everything is everyone's business." His smile turns cruel. "You're fucking the help, everyone knows it. So stop acting high and mighty with me when you're spreading your legs for some ranch hand who'll never be able to give you what a real man could—"

"That's enough." The voice comes from behind you. Miller is standing at the end of the aisle with a bag of feed in his arms and steel in his eyes. "Mr. Sheridan, I think it's time for you to leave my store."

Clayton's expression smooths back into charm "We're just having a conversation—"

"I heard what kind of conversation you were having." Miller sets the feed down with a heavy thump. "And I won't have you speaking to a lady like that in my establishment. Time to go."

"This is ridiculous—"

"Now." Miller's voice is firm. "Before I call sheriff Morrison and have you removed for harassment."

Clayton looks between you and Miller, jaw tight with barely contained rage. Then, he smooths his expression into something coldly polite.

"Of course, my apologies if I caused any… discomfort." But his eyes hold a dark promise when they land on you. "We'll continue this conversation another time."

He's gone before you can tell him there won't be another time. Miller waits until the door closes before turning to you with concern.

"You alright, honey?"

You nod, but your hands are shaking. "Thank you for stepping in."

"That man's got a mean streak under all that polish," Miller says. "My wife had a cousin who dated a man like that once, all charm until you say no, then…" He shakes his head. "You be careful. Men like that don't handle rejection well."

"I will."

"And for what it's worth?" Miller's voice gentles. "Whatever that jackass said about you and Bucky? That's your business and nobody else's. Young Barnes is a good man, his father was good people and he is too. Don't let anyone tell you different."

The kindness breaks something in you and your eyes sting. "Thank you, Mr. Miller."

"Call me if you need anything. And tell Bucky to keep an eye on that one, Clayton Sheridan strikes me as the type to hold a grudge."

You pay for your supplies in a daze and load them into your truck with shaking hands. You should go home, go straight to your bed. Instead, you park near the stables.

Copper's in his stall, and he lifts his head when you approach, nickering softly.

"Hey, old man," you manage, voice cracking.

You let yourself into the stall and he immediately presses his nose to your chest, and that's when you break.

You cry into Copper's neck—from anger, from humiliation, from the way Clayton looked at you like you were something he could buy or break. From the fear that maybe he's right, that everyone is talking about you and Bucky, judging you, seeing something shameful in what feels sacred.

"He doesn't know anything," you whisper into Copper's mane. "He doesn't know us, doesn't know what we—"

But even as you say it, Clayton's words echo: Fucking the help.

Is that what people see? Not two people who care about each other, but something tawdry and wrong?

You're still crying when you hear footsteps.

"Wildfire?"

You straighten quickly, wiping at your eyes, but it's too late. Bucky's standing at the stall entrance, and even in the dim light, you notice he's been drinking. Not drunk yet, but there's a flush on his cheeks, a looseness to his shoulders that means he's had a few. And his eyes look sad, pained.

"You heard," you say flatly.

"Whole town's heard by now," his voice is rough. "Was at the diner grabbing lunch and Pete and Sanchez were with me. Table next to us was talking about how Sheridan got turned down by the ice queen rancher who's too busy fucking her foreman to see a real opportunity."

You flinch at his words.

"They didn't know we were there," Bucky continues, stepping into the stall. "Didn't know Pete and Sanchez were ready to flip the table. I had to practically drag them out before they started throwing punches."

"Bucky—"

"Then I heard the rest of it, how you rejected him at Miller's, how he got nasty about it, how old Miller had to throw him out." His jaw clenches. "And I wasn't there, I was checking fence posts while he cornered you and I wasn't fucking there."

"You couldn't have known—"

"I should've been there!" The words burst out of him. "I should've been the one telling him to back off, to leave alone, to—" He stops, hands clenching into fists. "But I can't, can I? Can't defend you publicly without everyone knowing exactly what we are to each other. Can't step in without proving every goddamn thing they're saying about us. Can't stand next to you in town and tell assholes like Clayton Sheridan that you're mine."

"I don't need you to—"

"Well maybe you should." His voice drops. "Maybe you should have someone who can do all that, someone who can take you out without counting cents."

"Stop," you cut him off, voice shaking.

"Why? He's right about one thing, wildfire. I can't give you what someone like him could. Can't give you respectability, or stability, I can't give—"

You cross the stall in two strides and kiss him hard. He freezes for half a second, then he's kissing you back something that feels like desperation… and fear.

His hands fist in your hair and you grab his shirt, pulling him closer, needing to erase Clayton's words, the town's gossip, the shame trying to creep into something that's never felt shameful before.

"I don't want respectable," you gasp against his mouth. "I don't want public dinners, or whatever the hell you think I need. I want you."

"You're upset."

"I'm fucking furious," you correct. "At Clayton for being an entitled asshole, furious at this stupid town for their gossip, furious for you thinking any of it matters—"

He kisses you again, harder this time, walking you backward until your back hits the stall wall. His body presses against yours and you can feel how much he wants this despite all his protests about what you deserve.

"We shouldn't," he breathes against your neck. "You're upset, I've been drinking, this is—"

"I don't care," your hands work at his belt. "I need this, I need you, please Bucky—"

Something breaks in him. He lifts you and you wrap your legs around his waist, and then you're fumbling with clothes, desperate and graceless. When he pushes inside you, you both groan like it's a homecoming and a goodbye all at once.

The sex is different this time. Rougher, more desperate. Like you're both trying to prove or forget something. Or like you're trying to hold onto something that feels like it's slipping away.

When you come, it's with his name on your lips and tears on your cheeks. He follows moments later, your name broken and his forehead against your shoulder. For a moment, you stay like that, connected, breathing hard, coexisting in the same space. Then he sets you down carefully and reality crashes back in.

You both fix your clothes in silence. The air feels heavy, charged with everything still unsaid.

"I'm sorry," Bucky says finally. "For drinking, for not being there when Clayton—"

"Stop apologizing." Your voice comes out sharper than intended. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Didn't I?" He won't look at you. "Miller threw him out, Miller defended you. And where was I?Where the fuck was I?"

"You were working, doing your job."

"My job." He laughs, but it's bitter. "Right, because that's what I am. The foreman, the employee, not the—"

"Not the what?" You push. "Say it."

"Not the boyfriend," he says quietly. "I heard what he said about you, about us. And I wanted to kill him, wanted to drive straight to his ranch and—"

"But you didn't."

"Because what would that accomplish? Everyone would know then, would see exactly what we are and—" He runs a hand through his hair. "Maybe they're right to gossip, maybe we are—"

"Would you please stop?" You grab his arm, forcing him to look at you. "Don't let him do this, don't let their gossip make this into something shameful."

"It's not shameful," he says. "But it's not right either. You deserve better than barn hookups and secrets, you deserve someone who can stand next to you proudly, take you to dinner, court you the way you should be courted—"

"I don't wanna be courted by anyone else!"

"Well maybe you should! Maybe you should want someone who can give you a normal relationship, someone who's—" He swallows hard. "Someone who's your equal."

"You think you're not my equal," you say slowly.

"I know I'm not." His voice is flat. "I'm the foreman, you're the owner. And no matter what we feel, that's the reality, that's what everyone sees when they look at us."

"I don't care what they see—"

"Well, maybe I do." He's breathing hard. "Maybe I care that I can't defend you without it looking like the hired help overstepping. Maybe I care that men like Clayton can say whatever they want about you and I have to just— just take it because what am I? What right do I have?"

"The right of someone who loves me," you say, and watch his face go white.

"Don't," he whispers.

"Why not? It's true, isn't it?" You step closer. "You love me, and I—"

"Don't say it," he backs away, hands up like he's warding off a blow. "Please don't say it."

"Why not?"

"Because it doesn't change anything!" His voice breaks. "It doesn't change that I can't give you what you deserve. It doesn't change that I will never be enough. I'll never be enough for you, wildfire. And the sooner we both accept that, the—"

He doesn't finish, just turns and walks out of the stall, leaving you standing there with Copper and the ruins of your heart. You sink down onto the bench and Copper nuzzles your shoulder gently.

"He's wrong," you tell the horse. "He's so wrong."

But the words feel hollow even as you say them. Because how do you fight someone who's convinced themselves they're not worth fighting for?

You threw yourself into work because work didn't require you to think about the way Bucky's jaw had tightened when you'd said the word "love".

Work was spreadsheets and feed orders and the county extension agent calling about soil testing. Work was quantifiable, solvable, something you could actually control… unlike the man who was currently avoiding you like you carried some contagious disease.

It had been two weeks since the stable. Two weeks of Bucky sending Pete or Sanchez to deliver reports that he used to give himself, two weeks of catching glimpses of him across the property—always busy, always moving, always just out of reach. When you did cross paths, his eyes would slide past you like you were part of the landscape, something to navigate around rather than toward.

"Boss?" Pete stood in your office doorway, hat in hand. "Bucky wanted me to tell you the irrigation system's back online, no more issues in sector three."

Bucky wanted me to tell you. Not "Bucky said", or "Bucky asked", like even the mention of his name in connection with you required careful phrasing.

"Thanks, Pete." You kept your voice level. "Anything else?"

"No, ma'am, that's all." He hesitated. "Though uh… if you need anything else, I can—"

"I'm fine," the lie came easily now. "Tell the crew I'll do the evening walk-through myself tonight."

After Pete left, you sat back in your chair and let your eyes drift to the window. You could see the training pen from here, the fence where you and Bucky had worked with the colt just weeks ago, where his hands had been steady on the animal's neck, his voice low and soothing, and the three of you—you, him, the skittish colt— were the only things that mattered in the world.

Your mind drifted before you could stop it, reaching back to a different summer. You'd been sixteen, and Bucky had been nineteen, home from community college for the summer to help his dad with the heavy work.

Your father had sent you both to check the fence line at the north property border, and you'd spent the whole afternoon trying not to stare at the way Bucky's shirt stuck to his back in the heat, the flex of his forearms as he drove new posts into the hard ground. He'd caught you looking once and grinned—that easy, boyish grin that always made your stomach flip—and you'd turned away so fast you nearly tripped over the wire spool.

Later, sitting in the shade of the truck bed sharing a canteen of water, he'd looked at you differently. Not like his boss' daughter, not like the kid who used to chase him around the barn.

"You've got dirt on your face," he'd said.

"Where?"

Instead of answering, he'd reached out and brushed his thumb across your cheekbone, so gentle it barely counted as touch. Your breath had caught, and then… so quick you almost thought you'd imagined it, he'd leaned in and pressed his lips to yours.

Just a peck, soft and sweet and over in a heartbeat.

He'd pulled back immediately, eyes wide. "I shouldn't have—"

"It's okay," you'd whispered.

But he was already climbing out of the truck bed, putting distance between you, and the rest of the drive back had been silent. Neither of you mentioned it again, not that summer, not the next. By the time he came back to work full-time after his dad got sick, you'd both learned how to pretend it never happened.

Except you've never forgotten.

And now, seventeen years later, he was looking at you the same way: like you were something he wanted but couldn't let himself have. Only this time it wasn't because you were too young, or because he was overstepping with the boss' daughter. This time he'd convinced himself you were too good for him.

You pressed your palms against your eyes, willing yourself not to cry in your office in the middle of the workday.

Your phone buzzed, another text from Clayton Sheridan that you immediately deleted without reading. He'd been trying to "apologize" for a week now, messages that sounded sincere until you read between the lines and saw the entitlement still lurking here.

The afternoon sun slanted through the window, dust motes dancing in the golden light, and you forced yourself back to the feed cost analysis spreadsheet on your screen. Work didn't ask questions you couldn't answer, work didn't look at you with resignation and longing tangled together… work was safe.

So you buried yourself in it and pretended you couldn't feel the Bucky-shaped hole in your chest getting wider every day.

Bucky sat at his kitchen table with his laptop open and a beer he hadn't touched going warm beside him. The numbers on the screen hadn't changed in the last hour, no matter how many times he refreshed the page or recalculated his math.

$58,000 in savings. Fifteen years of hard work, of living cheap and saving steady, and that's what he had to show for it.

He pulled up another tab showing land listings in the county. The cheapest viable spread was listed at $425,000. The nicer properties started at $650,000 and went up from there.

He took a long pull from the beer, grimacing at the taste. The smart move would be to look further out, maybe two counties over where land was cheaper, but that would mean leaving the ranch, leaving you, and what was fucking point of building something if you weren't part of it?

His phone sat face-down on the table. He'd been staring at it for twenty minutes, trying to decide if he should call his cousin Hugh. He had made something of himself, built a successful business in Denver, bought a house. Hugh would probably tell him to forget the ranch work, come to the city, learn a trade that paid better..

But Bucky wasn't Hugh. He didn't want an office or a crew of subcontractors or a house in the suburbs. He wanted land, cattle and horses and the kind of legacy his father had helped build for someone else's family. He wanted to be able to stand next to you and not feel like he was taking something he hadn't earned.

His father's voice echoed in his head, rough from years of cigarettes and dust: A man provides for his family, son. You work hard, build something and give your wife and kids a life worth living.

His old man worked himself into an early grave trying to live up to that standard, died at sixty-two with nothing but a paid off truck and a pension that barely covered his medical bills. Bucky's mother had held it together with grit and his father's life insurance, but she's had to move into town and had to make herself smaller to fit into what was left.

Bucky had sworn he'd never put a woman in that position, that he'd build something solid before thinking about settling down… and then you'd kissed him in the barn last summer with dirt on your jeans and challenge in your eyes, and every promise he'd made to himself had evaporated.

Ten months of telling himself it was just physical, just chemistry, just two people scratching an itch. Ten months of lying to himself and to you and pretending it wouldn't end in exactly this kind of pain,

He opened a new tab for job listings this time. Foreman positions at other ranches—most paid about what he was making now, maybe five thousand more if he was lucky. Manager positions required degrees he didn't have. The oil and gas jobs paid better but required months away at a time, and what good was money if he couldn't be near you?

He closed the laptop harder than necessary.

This was about building something with you, about not being that guy who moved into your house, worked your land, lived off your success. He'd seen it before: men who married into ranching families and became permanent accessories, useful but ultimately replaceable.

His pride wouldn't let him become that.

But how the hell was he supposed to close a $400,00 gap? Even if he worked himself into the ground, saved every penny, made all the right moves he'd still be forty before he had enough to buy anything worth having.

And you'd be what? Waiting around for him to get his shit together? Turning down men like Clayton Sheridan who could give you everything right now? The thought of you with Sheridan made him want to put his fist through the wall, made him want to drive to that bastard's ranch and make it crystal clear that he'd never speak to you like that again.

But he hadn't, because what right did he have? He wasn't your boyfriend or your husband. He was just an employee, the man who was too proud to be with you on your terms and too poor to offer his own.

His phone buzzed, it was a text from Pete:

Boss asked me to tell you she's doing the evening rounds herself tonight, thought you should know.

Bucky's chest tightened. You were avoiding the crew now, doing the work yourself rather than risk running into him. Or maybe you didn't trust him to do his job anymore.

He typed back: Thanks, I'll check the north pasture, make sure everything's locked down.

It was cowardice, making sure he'd be on the opposite end of the property when you made your rounds. But he wasn't strong enough yet to see you and not break, he wasn't ready to look into your eyes and see the hurt he'd put there.

Not until he had a plan and could offer you something more than apologies and empty promises.

Bucky drained the flat beer and got back to work on the numbers. Somewhere in these spreadsheets, in these listings, in the careful mathematics of sacrifice and saving, there had to be an answer, there had to be a way to become the man you deserved… he just had to find it.

You found him in the equipment barn three days later, and this time you didn't let him walk away. You were done avoiding him.

He was replacing the hydraulic line on one of the tractors, his shirt off in the afternoon heat, and for a moment you just watched him work, watched the flex of his shoulders, the concentration on his face, the competent sureness of his hands. This was the Bucky you'd grown up with, the one who could fix anything, who moved through the wold with quiet capability.

The one you'd loved since you were sixteen years old.

"We need to talk," you said.

His hands stilled on the wrench, but he didn't look up. "Kind of in the middle of something."

"I don't care." You stepped into the barn, letting the door swing shut behind you. "You've been avoiding me for three weeks, I'm done pretending this isn't happening."

"Nothing's happening," his voice was carefully flat. "I'm working, you're working, that's all there is."

"That's bullshit and you know it."

He finally looked at you, and the exhaustion in his eyes made your chest ache. "What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to stop running," you move closer. "I want you to stop deciding what's best for me without asking me what I actually want."

"I know what you want."

"Do you? Because from where I'm standing, it seems like you've built this whole story in your head about what I need and what you can't give me."

His jaw tightened. "You deserve someone who can give you a real future."

"I deserve someone who loves me," you countered. "Everything else is just details."

"They're not just details!" His voice rose, frustration finally breaking through. "They're the difference between being your partner and your charity case. I don't want to just be the guy who lives in your mansion, works your land and gets to be with you because you're generous enough not to care that he's got nothing to offer."

"That's not—"

"It is, though." He set down the wrench, finally giving you his full attention. "You're telling me the money doesn't matter, that the land doesn't matter, that I don't need to be able to provide anything because you've already got it all covered. You're telling me to just… accept the fact that I'll never contribute equally to this relationship, that I'll always be the hired help who got lucky enough to fuck the boss."

The crudeness of it made you flinch. "Don't talk about us like that."

"Why not? That's what everyone else is saying." His laugh was bitter. "And maybe they're right. Maybe that's exactly what this is—you slumming it with the help because it's convenient and exciting, and me being too stupid to see that I'm just a phase before you settle down with someone appropriate."

The accusation stung like a slap. "You think you're just a phase to me?"

"I don't know what I am to you!" His voice cracked. "Because you keep saying it doesn't matter, that we'll figure it out,that love is enough, but it's not! Not when I lie awake every night doing math that doesn't add up, not when I have to watch men like Clayton Sheridan circle you like sharks because I can't protect you… not when I know that staying with me means you'll never have a man who can stand beside you on his own as an equal—"

"You're my equal—"

"I'm your foreman! I earn in one year what you make in one month! We're not equals, no matter how much you want to pretend we are."

"Money doesn't make someone more or less valuable, Bucky. We—"

"It's not about value!" He ran both hands through his hair, pulling slightly like he wanted to tear something out. "It's about being able to build something together, about me being able to contribute more than just labor and good intentions… about not feeling like a kept man every time you solve a problem I can't afford to fix."

"So what do you want from me?" Your voice shook. "You want me to pretend I don't have money? Want me to apologize for inheriting this ranch? To make myself smaller so you can feel more like a man?"

"No! Christ, no, it's completely the opposite. I want—" He stopped, his jaw working. "I want to be worthy of you, I want to look at you without feeling like I'm stealing something that should belong to someone better. But I can't do that with fifty-eight thousand dollars in savings and a truck I've had since college."

Fifty-eight thousand dollars. That number hit you like a gut punch. He'd been counting, calculating, measuring himself against some impossible standard and finding himself lacking.

"Bucky," you said softly, stepping toward him. "I don't care how much money you have, or if you own land or if you live in that cabin for the rest of your life. I care about you because I love—"

"Don't," he backed away, hands up. "Please don't say that again."

"Why not? It is the truth."

"Because it doesn't change anything!" His voice was ragged. "You saying you love me doesn't change the fact that I can't give you what you deserve, doesn't change that I wake up every morning knowing I'm not enough or that I want to be the kind of man who can take care of you."

"I don't need you to take care of me, I can take care of myself, I just… I just need you to be here, to stop running from our love, to—"

"That's exactly the problem." His voice went quiet, deadly calm. "You don't need me, not really. You need a good foreman and a warm body in your bed, and I can be both of these things but that's not what I want to be. I want to be necessary, I want to provide for you. I want to build you a life instead of just existing in the one you already have. And you telling me none of that matters, that I should just be grateful that you want me anyway…"

He laughed, but it sounded like something breaking.

"I don't need your pity, ma'am."

The formality hit like a physical blow. Not wildfire, not your name, not even a cold distant boss. Just ma'am, with all the professional distance that implied, with all the class and power differential laid bare.

Your throat closed. "That's not— I'm not pitying you, Bucky, I'm trying to tell you that I love you—"

"And I'm trying to tell you that's not enough. Not when loving you means giving up every shred of pride and self-respect I have left."

"So what?" Your voice broke. "You'd rather have your pride than have me?"

"I'd rather become someone worthy of having you." He picked up his shirt, pulling it on with sharp, angry movements. "And I won't let you settle for less than you deserve just because you think you love me."

"I don't think I love you, I know I love you, I've been in love with you since I was sixteen years old." He froze, shirt half buttoned. "That kiss by the north fence, you think I forgot about it? You think I didn't spend the last decade wondering what would've happened if you hadn't pulled away?"

"Stop," the world was barely a whisper. "Don't do this."

"Don't tell me what I feel, Bucky, don't tell me I'm wrong about loving you, and don't you dare walk away just because you've convinced yourself matters more than—"

"Don't you understand? It's not about the money!" He shouted, and you'd never heard him yell like that, not in twenty years. "It's about what the money represents, about being able to look my father's ghost and say I built something… it's about not being the guy who couldn't make it on his own, so he shacked up with the rich girl who felt sorry for him. It's about not being enough, and I'm not, not yet. I have to at least try to become someone who can stand next to you without shame."

You stared at him, this stubborn, proud, heartbroken man and realized you were fighting a ghost. Not just his father's expectations, but generations of them… every man in his family who'd worked someone else's land and dreamed of their own. Every lesson about what it meant to be a provider, the man of the house.

"And what if you never have enough?" You asked. "If the math never adds up and the land prices keep rising and you're still chasing this impossible standard in ten years? What then?"

His silence was answer enough.

"You're going to let this destroy us," you said. "You're going to choose pride over love, over happiness, over us, because you can't accept that maybe your father's way isn't the only way. That maybe I don't need you to own land to prove you're worthy of me."

"It's not about what you need," he said quietly. "It's about what I need. And I need to be able to respect myself when I look in the mirror, which I can't do right now."

He moved past you toward the door, and you didn't stop him this time. At the threshold, he paused, but didn't turn around.

"I'm sorry, wildfire," he said and the nickname sounded like a goodbye. "I'm sorry I'm not the man you think I am."

Then he was gone, and you were alone in the equipment barn with the smell of motor oil and the wreckage of your heart scattered across the concrete floor. You sank down onto the workbench, pressing your palms against your eyes and let yourself finally break.

Because he was right about one thing: love wasn't enough. Not when one person had already decided they weren't worthy of it.

You were in your office when you heard a truck. The engine was too loud, too aggressive, not the familiar sounds of Pete, Sanchez or Bucky's trucks. Something was wrong.

You looked up as footsteps approached, uneven and heavy on the gravel outside, and Clayton Sheridan appeared on your doorway. The smell of whiskey hit you before his expression did.

"There you are," his words spurred slightly at the edges. "Been looking for you."

Your hand moved toward your phone on the desk, but he saw the movement and stepped fully into the small office, blocking the only exit. The space suddenly felt suffocatingly small.

"Clayton, you need to leave." Your voice came out steady, but without its usual steel. You were so tired lately, tired of fighting, of hurting, tired of everything. "You're drunk, this isn't—“

"This isn't what?" He moved closer, and you stood up instinctively, chair scraping back. "Isn't appropriate? Since when do you care about appropriate? You've been fucking your foreman for months, don't talk to me about appropriate."

"Get out of my office."

"Or what?" He was close enough that you could see the anger in his bloodshot eyes, the mean set of his jaw. "You gonna call your cowboy to come save you? Oh, wait. I heard you two had a falling out, guess even he figured out you're not worth the trouble."

The words hit hard, landing right on the wound Bucky had left bleeding. Your breath caught, and Clayton saw the flinch, the way you'd gone still.

"That's it, isn't it?" His voice dropped, almost soothing, which made it worse. "He finally wised up, left you all alone in this big ranch, and now you're realizing what a mistake you made by turning down a real man for some hired hand who couldn't even stick around."

You should tell him to leave again, move past him, get out of this small room, get your phone, do something. But you felt frozen, hollowed out, like all the fight had been burned out of you in that equipment barn when Bucky had called you ma'am and walked away.

Clayton took another step, you backed up until your hip hit the desk.

"I'm trying to be reasonable here," he was so close, invading your space, using his size to intimidate. "Trying to give you another chance, because despite you embarrassing me, rejecting me and making me look like a fool, I'm still willing to overlook it. Still willing to offer you a real partnership."

"I don't want—" Your voice came smaller than intended, and you hated how weak you sounded. But you were so empty, so worn down by weeks of heartbreak and loneliness and loving someone who'd convinced himself he wasn't worthy of being loved back.

"Don't want what?" Clayton's hand came up, palm flat against the wall beside your head, caging you in. "Don't want stability? Success? A man who can actually provide for you instead of living off your charity?"

You turned your head away, trying to duck under his arm, but he shifted and suddenly you were truly cornered, desk behind you, Clayton in front, his other hand coming up to block your escape route.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you," his voice had gone hard. "I've been patient, I've been courteous. I've given you space and time and you've thrown it back in my face over and over, and I'm done being nice.

"Let me go," you tried to put command in it, but it came out defeated.

"Not until you listen and understand what you're throwing away by being stubborn about some ridiculous idea of love with a man who has already given up on you. He doesn't want you enough to fight for you, but I do. So you're going to stop being difficult and—"

"Get your fucking hands off her."

The voice came from the doorway, low and lethal, and you'd never heard Bucky sound like that. Clayton turned, hands dropping, and you could see him trying to recalibrate, trying to pull on charm or authority, but he didn't get the chance. Bucky had already crossed the small office and his fist connected with Clayton's jaw with a sickening crack.

Clayton staggered backward and hit the wall. "What the hell—"

"You don't fucking touch her." Bucky hit him again, this time in the ribs and Clayton doubled over with a wheeze. "You don't corner her, or come to her property drunk and put your hands near her talking like she's something you can intimidate into—"

He grabbed Clayton by the shirt and hauled him toward the door. Clayton tried to swing back, caught Bucky's cheek with a glancing blow, but Bucky barely seemed to notice. He shoved Clayton out into the barn aisle, following him out.

You stood frozen in the office, watching through the doorway as Bucky grabbed Clayton again and drove his fist into his stomach. Clayton crumpled, coughing and Bucky dragged him upright.

"You ever come near her again," Bucky's voice was shaking with barely controlled rage, "and I will fucking end you. I don't care about consequences, or going to jail, you don't get to scare her and make her feel small. Are we clear?"

"You're insane—" Clayton choked out.

Bucky shoved him toward the barn entrance. "Get the hell out."

He punctuated it with a kick to Clayton's ass that sent him stumbling forward. Clayton caught himself, turned back like he might try to fight, but whatever he saw in Bucky's face made him think better of it. He spat blood onto the barn floor and shot you a look full of venom before limping toward the exit.

"This isn't over," Clayton said.

"Yeah, it is." Bucky's voice was flat. "You're done. Now get the fuck off this property before I make you."

Clayton left, and you could hear his truck start up moments later, tires spitting gravel as he sped away.

Silence filled the barn. You were still standing in the office doorway, arms wrapped around yourself, shaking. Not from fear but from shock, from the crash of adrenaline, from everything finally being too much. Bucky turned to look at you, and his expression crumpled.

"Did he hurt you?" He stayed where he was, like he was afraid to get closer. "Did he touch you?"

You shook your head, the words wouldn't come.

"Jesus Christ," he ran both hands through his hair, pulling hard. "I was just walking back from the equipment barn, heard his voice and— If I hadn't been walking by, if I hadn't heard him say that shit about you, if he'd—"

He couldn't finish, his hands were shaking, knuckles already swelling and split.

"Bucky—" You managed, but your voice sounded wrong and distant, like it belonged to someone else.

"Boss!" Pete appeared in the barn entrance, Sanchez right behind him. They must've seen or heard the commotion. Pete took in the scene: you trembling in the office doorway, Bucky with blood on his knuckles, the tension still cracking in the air. "What happened?"

"Sheridan," Bucky's jaw was tight. "Showed up drunk, cornered her in the office. I handled it."

"Handled it?" Sanchez was looking at Bucky's hands. "Jesus, man."

"Is he gone?" Pete asked.

"Yeah," Bucky's eyes hadn't left you. "He's gone."

Pete moved toward you carefully, like you might spook. "Boss? You okay?"

You nodded, but it was a lie and everyone knew it. You weren't okay, hadn't been for weeks, and this had just broken something that was already cracked.

"Why don't you come with me?" Peter said gently. "Maria's at home, she can make you some tea, you can get away from here for a bit."

"I'm fine," but your voice shook on the words. "I don't need—"

"I insist," Pete said. "Just for a few hours, let us make sure Sheridan doesn't try to come back, let yourself breathe."

You wanted to argue, stay here and deal with this yourself, prove you didn't need protecting, but you were so tired of fighting, so tired of being strong. And the thought of Pete's warm, comfortable house, of his wife Maria's kind presence, of being somewhere that felt safe for just a little while…

"Okay," you whispered.

Bucky's face did something complicated. "I can stay here, keep watch—"

"No." Pete's voice was firm. "You need to clean up and cool down. Sanchez and I will handle security, you go home."

For a moment you thought Bucky would argue, but then he just nodded. His eyes met yours one more time, and the guilt and longing and helplessness in them made your chest ache. But he didn't say anything, he walked away, disappearing into the darkness beyond the barn, and you felt the distance between you like a physical wound.

Pete's house was warm and lived-in, smelling like the chicken Maria had roasted for dinner and the vanilla candles she loved. She met you at the door with soft hands and softer eyes, asked no questions, just guided you to the kitchen table where a chamomile tea was already waiting for you.

"Pete called ahead," she said settling into the chair across from you. "Said you had a rough evening."

"You could say that," your hands wrapped around the mug, seeking warmth even though you weren't cold. You were shaking again, small tremors you couldn't control.

Maria reached across the table and covered your hand with hers. "You're safe here, mija. Whatever happened, you're safe now."

You nodded, throat tight. Through the window, you could see Pete outside, on the phone—probably coordinating with Sanchez, making sure your property was secure. Making sure Clayton wouldn't come back.

The simple care of it broke something loose in your chest.

"Pete's a good man."

"The best," Maria's smile was soft, full of easy affection. "Drives me crazy sometimes, leaves his boots in the middle of the floor and falls asleep during every movie, but he's good all the way through"

You watched Pete through the window, the way he moved with easy confidence, the way he glanced back at the house, checking on his wife to make sure she was okay. There was something so simple about it, so uncomplicated.

"How do you make it look so easy?" The words came out before you could stop them. "Being together."

Maria tilted her head, studying you. "It's not always easy. We've had our share of hard times—money troubles, my mother getting sick, that year Pete threw his back out and couldn't wait for three months. But we're partners, you know? We figure it out together."

Partners. That word sat heavily on your chest.

"What if one person thinks they're not good enough?" You stared into your tea. "What if two people love each other but one of them is convinced… they don't have enough to offer?"

Maria was quiet for a long moment. When she spoke, her voice was gentle. "This is about Bucky, isn't it?" You looked up, startled. She smiled sadly. "Honey, everyone knows you two have been circling each other for months, and everyone can see you're both miserable right now. Whatever he thinks he doesn't have… does it matter to you?"

"No," the answer came immediately. "It doesn't matter at all, I don't care about money or land or any of it. I just want him."

"Have you told him that?"

"Yes, multiple times, but he won't listen. He's convinced that loving me means being able to provide for me the way his father provided for his mother, the way—" Your voice broke. "The way Pete provides for you, and he can't. At least not in the way he thinks he should, so… he'd rather let me go than accept that maybe I don't need what he's supposed to give me."

Maria's eyes were sad. "Men and their pride, especially the good ones. They get these ideas in their heads about what it means to be a man, what they owe the women they love, and sometimes those ideas do more harm than good."

"So what do I do?" You hated how desperate you sounded. "How do I fight someone who's already decided he's not enough?"

"I don't know if you can, mija." She said it kindly, but it still hurt. "Sometimes people have to figure things out for themselves, have to learn that love isn't about what you can provide in dollars and cents.It's about showing up, being present, building a life together even when it's hard… But you can't force someone to believe they're worthy of love, that's something they have to find on their own."

You felt tears prick your eyes. "What if he never does?"

"Then that's his loss. Because from where I'm sitting, he's throwing away something real and good because he's too stubborn to see that you already chose him, that you'd choose him every day if he'd let you."

The tears spilled over then, you tried to wipe them away, embarrassed, but Maria just moved her chair closer and pulled you into a hug. You let yourself cry against her shoulder—for Bucky, for the relationship that was dying before it ever really lived, for the loneliness that had become your constant companion.

"I love him," you whispered into her shoulder. "I've been in love with him since I was sixteen years old and I don't know how to stop."

"Oh, sweetheart." Maria rubbed your back. "Maybe you're not supposed to stop, maybe you just have to love him from a distance while he figures things out. And maybe he'll figure it out on time… but you can't sacrifice yourself while you wait. Can't make yourself smaller or quieter just to make him comfortable with loving you."

You pulled back, wiping your eyes. "I don't know how to do this."

"None of us do," she smiled sadly. "We're all just making it up as we go."

Pete came back inside then, took in your tear-stained face and his wife's protective posture, and his expression softened.

"Everything's secure, Sanchez is doing perimeter checks, but the property's locked down tight." He hesitated. "You're welcome to stay here tonight, the guest room is ready."

You shook your head. "I appreciate the offer, but I should go home. I can't let Clayton chase me out of my own house."

"You sure?" Maria asked.

"Yeah," you stood, steadier now. "I'm sure."

They walked you to your truck, Pete insisting on following you back to make sure you got inside safely. The drive was short, and when you pulled up to your dark house, Pete waited until you unlocked the door and turned on the lights before giving you a wave and heading back to his own home.

You stood in your empty living room and felt the silence press in. You've always loved this house and all the memories that it contained, but lately it felt too big and lonely. Tonight it was just you and the weight of everything that happened.

You should eat something, shower or try to sleep.

Instead, you sank onto the couch and let yourself feel everything you'd been holding back—the fear from Clayton's visit, the heartbreak from Bucky's rejection, the bone-deep exhaustion of loving someone who wouldn't let himself be loved.

Eventually you dragged yourself upstairs, changed into sleep clothes and crawled into bed. The house settled around you with familiar creaks and sighs, and slowly, finally, you drifted into an uneasy sleep.

The smell woke you first. Acrid, wrong, burning.

You sat up in bed, disoriented. The clock read 2:17 AM. For a moment you thought you were dreaming, but then you heard it— the panicked whinnying of horses, the sharp crack of wood giving way. Fire.

You were out of bed and running before conscious though kicked in, flying down the stairs in your sleep clothes, your slippers hitting the porch steps, and then you saw it: the stables lit up against the night sky, flames already consuming the east side of the building, spreading fast through the old dry wood.

The horses.

Copper.

You didn't think or stop to call for help or consider the danger. You just ran.

The heat hit you when you reached the stable doors, but you ripped your shirt up over your nose and mouth and plunged inside anyway. The smoke was thick, black, choking, but you knew this building like you knew your own heartbeat, knew exactly where each stall was, which horses were where.

"I'm coming!" You shouted, voice muffled through the fabric. "I'm coming, it's okay!"

The first stall was Daisy's, the chestnut mare. You fumbled with the latch, hands shaking,a nod shoved the door open. She reared back, eyes rolling white with terror, but you grabbed her halter and dragged her toward the entrance. "Go, go, go!"

She bolted past you into the night, and you were already moving to the next stall. Juniper, the bay mare heavy with foal. She was screaming, hooves striking the stall door, and you got it open just as part of the roof above groaned ominously.

"Out!" You slapped her hindquarters and she ran, coat slick with sweat and far.

The smoke was getting thicker. You couldn't see more than a few feet in front of you, couldn't breathe without coughing, but you kept moving. Duke and Ranger in the double stall, the two yearling colts next, skittish and terrified but moving when you shouted at them.

Your lungs were burning. Each breath felt like inhaling glass, and your eyes streamed tears from the smoke, but you pushed deeper into the stable. Eight horses out. Copper was the only one missing.

His stall was in the back, farthest from the entrance, and the fire was spreading fast. You could feel the heat on your skin, could hear the ceiling beams cracking and shifting. You should leave, get out while you still could, but Copper was your father's horse. Your first horse. The only living reminder of him, and you wouldn't leave him.

"I'm coming, old man!" You choked on smoke, stumbled, caught yourself against a stall door. "I'm coming!"

You found his stall by memory more than sight. The smoke was too thick now, the world reduced to burning shapes. Your fingers found the latch and you yanked it open. "Copper! Come on, baby, we gotta go—"

He was pressed into the back corner, wild-eyed, making sounds you'd never heard from him before. You grabbed his halter, pulled, but he wouldn't move.

"Please," you begged, coughing so hard you nearly doubled over. "Please, Copper, please—"

He finally moved, and you were leading him toward where you thought the entrance was, one hand on his hater and one hand trailing the wall, it the smoke was everywhere now. You couldn't see or breathe properly anymore.

Your foot caught on something and you went down hard, hand ripping free from Copper's halter. You heard him bolt, heard his hooves on the concrete floor, and you tried to get up and call after him, but your lungs wouldn't work. The smoke was too thick and the world was starting to gray at the edges.

Get up, you told yourself. Get up, you have to get out.

But your arms wouldn't hold you. You collapsed face-down on the concrete floor near what you thought was the entrance, and distantly you realized you were going to die here in the stable. On the land you loved.

You couldn't breathe anymore, couldn't move. The smoke filled your lungs and the world went soft and strange, and the last thought before everything went black was of Bucky's face when he told you he wasn't enough for you and walked away.

Then nothing.

Bucky had been awake when the fire started.

He'd been lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about the way you'd looked when Clayton had you cornered in that office. The fear in your eyes, the way you seemed so small, so defeated, like all the fight had been burned out of you.

It was all his fault. If he hadn't pushed you away, if he hadn't been so goddamn stubborn about his pride and his plans, maybe you wouldn't have been so vulnerable when that bastard showed up.

He was still stewing in guilt and self-loathing when he smelled the smoke.

For a second, he thought maybe someone was burning trash, but it was 2 AM and the smell was too strong. He got out of bed and looked out his window toward his property.

His heart stopped.

The stables were on fire, visible even from his cabin, and he was running before his brain fully processed what he was seeing. Running toward the fire in just his sleep pants and boots he grabbed by the door, no shirt, no phone, nothing but pure animal panic driving him forward.

The horses were scattered in the yard, wild-eyed and panicked, and his first thought was relief—someone got them out, they were safe—but then he got closer and saw the stables entrance and his world tilted sideways.

You were lying face-down just inside the doorway, smoke billowing around you, and you weren't moving.

"No!" The scream tore out of him, raw and animal. He was at the entrance in seconds, dropping to his knees, hands on your back. "No, no, no, please—"

You weren't breathing. Your skin was gray, lips tinged blue, and there was ash in your hair and you weren't fucking breathing.

"Help!' He screamed it into the night, voice breaking. "Help! Someone call 911! Please help!"

He got his arms under you and lifted, staggering away from the entrance as part of the roof collapsed inward with a shower of sparks. You weren't breathing limp in his arms, a horrible dead weight, and he couldn't—

"Please, don't be dead, please wildfire, please—"

He laid you down on the grass far from the fire, hands shaking so hard he could barely function. Tilted your head back, checking for breathing… nothing. He pressed his fingers to your throat, searching desperately for a pulse.

There. Weak and thready, but there.

"Call 911!" He screamed it again, looking around wildly, but no one was there. Everyone was asleep or too far away to hear. "Somebody please help us!"

He started CPR, hands laced over your sternum, counting compressions like the training he'd taken years ago. Thirty compressions, two breaths. Your lips were so cold under his, and you still weren't breathing on your own, and he was going to lose you before he ever got the chance to tell you, that he'd been an idiot, that his pride meant nothing compared to you.

"Come on, baby, come on," he begged between breaths. "Breathe for me, please breathe. I'm sorry, I love you, please don't leave me, please—"

He continued, thirty compressions, two breaths. Your chest rose and fell when he breathed for you, but then nothing. No response.

"HELP!" His voice was wrecked, tears streaming down his face. "Please, someone help!"

Lights flickered on in the distance. There was a truck approaching. Thank god.

Thirty compressions, two breaths.

"You don't get to do this," he told you, voice breaking. "You don't get to die because I was too fucking stupid to tell you I love you. Come on, wildfire, fight, I know you're strong."

Another thirty compressions, two more breaths.

Your body jerked and you coughed, harsh and wet and he rolled you onto your side as you vomited up smoke and ash. You gasped, a horrible wheezing sound, but you were breathing. Your eyes fluttered but didn't open, and your breathing was labored and wrong, but you were alive.

"That's it, that it baby, breathe." He was sobbing openly now, one hand on your back and one stroking your hair. "You're okay, you're gonna be okay, just keep breathing for me."

Pete's truck roared up, and he was out and running before it fully stopped. "Jesus Christ— what happened?"

"She went in," Bucky choked out. "She went into the fucking fire, got the horses out and she— call 911, she's not breathing right, she needs oxygen."

Pete already had his phone out and was shouting into it about the address and fire and person down.

Sanchez appeared from somewhere, still pulling on his shirt. "Holy shit— is she—"

"She's breathing, but barely." Bucky couldn't stop touching you, couldn't stop checking your pulse like it might disappear if he looked away. "She inhaled too much smoke, she was unconscious—"

You coughed again, weaker this time, and made a sound like you were trying to speak.

"Don't talk," Bucky said. "Don't try to talk, just breathe, help is coming, you're gonna be fine—"

But you weren't fine. Your breathing was getting worse, more labored, and your skin was still that terrible gray color. He gathered you against his chest and pressed his forehead to yours.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so fucking sorry, I love you, I was just too stupid and proud and scared to—" His voice broke completely. "You have to be okay, because I can't do this without you, wildfire, I can't."

Sirens in the distance getting closer. The volunteer fire department, the ambulance. Pete was directing them, shouting coordinates.

You made another small sound, and your eyes opened just a crack. "Bucky," you breathed, barely audible.

"I'm here," he was crying so hard he could barely see. "I'm right here, I've got you, you're gonna be fine."

"Copper—"

"He's fine, all the horses are fine. You got them all out, you crazy, brave, stubborn—" He couldn't finish, just held you tight as the ambulance pulled up, as EMT's swarmed with oxygen and equipment.

They tried to take you from him but he couldn't let go, couldn't release you until one of them put a hand on his shoulder.

"We've got her," she said gently. "Let us help her."

He forced himself to release you, watched as they got an oxygen mask on your face, loaded you onto a gurney. Your eyes found his one more time before they put you in the ambulance, and he saw fear there.

"I'm coming with you," he told the EMTs.

They didn't argue. He climbed into the ambulance and took your hand, and as they pulled away, he pressed his lips to your knuckles and made you a promise.

"You're gonna be okay," he said. "And when you are, I'm gonna tell you every single day for the rest of my life that I love you. Gonna prove to you that I can be the man you deserve, that my pride was bullshit, that yore all that matters. Just— don't leave me before I get the chance. Please, wildfire, please don't leave."

Your fingers twitched in his, the barest squeeze and he held on like you were the only thing keeping him anchored to the earth.

The first thing you became aware of was the beeping. Steady, rhythmic, accompanied by a mechanical hiss that matched the uncomfortable pressure around your face. The second thing was the voice.

"—and I know I don't deserve it, I know I fucked everything up, but if you wake up, I swear to God, I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Proving that I can be the man you think I am, even if I don't believe it yet."

That was Bucky's voice, coming from somewhere to your left.

"I'm sorry I pushed you away, I'm sorry I let my pride and my own stubbornness matter more than you, I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention when the fire started. I'm sorry for all of it."

You tried to open your eyes but they felt crusted shut, heavy. Your throat burned like you'd swallowed razor blades, and breathing hurt in a way that suggested your lungs had been through something awful. And then you remembered it all: the fire, the stables, Copper.

You tried to move or speak, but all that came out was a rough sound that might have been a cough.

There was movement immediately, a warm hand closing around yours. "Wildfire? Hey, hey, don't try to talk. You've got an oxygen mask on, your lungs need time to heal. Just— just squeeze my hand if you can hear me."

You squeezed, or at least tried to. Your hand felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.

"Thank god," his voice broke on the words. "You scared the hell out of me, I've aged like ten years tonight."

You managed to get your eyes open finally, blinking against the harsh hospital lights. Everything was blurry at first, but slowly it resolved: white ceiling tiles, an IV stand, medical equipment beeping away. And Bucky, sitting in a chair pulled up close to your bed, still shirtless under the blanket someone had draped over his shoulders, covered in soot and ash, eyes red-rimmed.

He looked like he'd been crying. Bucky Barnes, who you'd never seen cry, not even when his father died, had been crying over you.

"Hey," he said softly, and his thumb traced circles on the back of your hand. "Welcome back."

You tried to speak, but the oxygen mask muffled everything, and your throat was too raw anyway. You lifted your other hand weakly, gesturing at the mask.

"No way," he caught your hand gently, brought it back down. "Doctor said you need to keep that on for at least another few hours, your oxygen levels were scary low when you came in, you inhaled a lot of smoke."

You made a frustrated sound, and he actually smiled. "I know, I know, wildfire. But just rest, okay? Everything else can wait."

But you didn't want to wait. You'd heard him confessing, apologizing, saying things you'd been desperate to hear for weeks. You needed him to know you'd heard and needed to respond, needed—

The door opened and a nurse came in, checked your vitals with practiced efficiency. "Good to see those eyes open. How's the pain level? Blink once for manageable, twice for severe."

You blinked once. Everything hurt, but it was distant, muted by whatever they had you on.

"Good, the doctor will be in soon to check on you." She adjusted something on your IV. "You're very lucky, young lady. Another minute or two in that smoke and we'd be having a very different conversation." Her eyes cut to Bucky. "And you should probably get checked out too. That cough doesn't sound good."

"I'm fine," Bucky said automatically.

"You performed CPR for several minutes and you've been breathing smoke residue all night, at least let me listen to yous lungs."

He looked like he wanted to argue, but the nurse had already pulled out her stethoscope with a look that said she wasn't asking. While she checked him over—pronounced him "borderline but not critical"— you watched him. Catalogued the soot in his hair, the redness along his eyes, the exhaustion in his body… He'd stayed all night.

After the nurse left, silence fell between you. Bucky was still holding your hand, his thumb still stroking your knuckles, but he was looking down at your joined hands like he was afraid to meet your eyes.

"The horses are all okay," he said finally. "Pete's got them in the training paddock and the north pasture. Copper's fine—spooked but fine. You got every single one out before you…" He swallowed hard. "Before you collapsed."

You squeezed his hand.

"The stable's gone, total loss. But Sanchez thinks the fire was deliberately set, he found evidence of accelerant near the east wall. The sheriff's already investigating, smart money's o Sheridan."

That should have made you angry, should've sparked fear or rage, but you just felt tired. You'd deal with Clayton later. Right now, all you cared about was the man sitting beside your bed, still covered in ash from pulling you out of the fire.

You tugged weakly at the oxygen mask, and this time Bucky didn't stop you, just helped you pull it down to rest under your chin.

"Wildfire—"

"Did you mean it?" Your voice came out as a rasp, barely audible, your throat shredded but you needed to know. "What you said earlier, did you mean it?"

His eyes finally met yours, and they were so raw it hurt to look at. "Every word, I love you. I've been in love with you for so long I can't remember what it felt like not to love you. And I'm sorry I let my pride and y stupid hang-ups about money and worth keep me from saying it. I'm sorry when I pushed you away when all you wanted was—"

"Bucky," you interrupted him, voice still rough. "I'm not gonna die."

He blinked. "What?"

"I'm not gonna die," you repeated. "So you can stop with the dramatic deathbed confessions."

For a second he just stared at you, then incredibly, he laughed. "You almost died and you're making jokes?"

"Someone has to lighten the mood." You tried to smile but your face felt stiff. "You look like shit, by the way."

"Yeah, well." He scrubbed a hand over his face, smearing the soot. "Watching the woman you love nearly die in a fire will do that to you."

The woman you love. He'd said it again, and this time the words settled in your chest like something warm and permanent.

"I heard you," you said quietly. "In the ambulance, and when I first woke up, I heard you."

His hand tightened on yours. "Then you heard me say I'm sorry, that I was an idiot, and that I'm going to spend every day proving I can be man you—"

"You already are." You cut him off. "You've always been, that was never the problem."

"Then what was?"

"You not believing it." You coughed, wincing at the pain in your chest. "You letting your father's expectations and your own pride convince you that you weren't enough… but you were always enough, Bucky, you were always more than enough."

He was quiet for a moment, just looking at you with those blue eyes full of things he'd never let himself say out loud.

"I thought I needed to build something first," he said finally. "Thought I needed to have land, money, something concrete to offer you, something that would make me your equal instead of just… the foreman who got lucky."

"I never wanted an equal. I don't want a business partner or a merger, or someone who can match my net worth. I just want you, the guy who checks on Copper because he knows the horse matters to me. The guy who fixes problems before I know they exist, the guy who punched Sheridan for cornering me and then ran into a burning building to save me even though—" Your voice cracked. "Even though I'd already gotten myself out."

"Barely," he said roughly. "You barely got yourself out, and when I found you lying there not breathing, I—" He stopped, jaw working. "I couldn't breathe either, felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest. And all I could think was that I'd wasted so much time, weeks we could have had together because I was too proud to accept that maybe love doesn't care about bank balances and property."

You brought your other hand up to cup his face, felt the scrape of stubble and the warmth of his skin. "Life's too short."

"Yeah, it is." He said leaning into your touch.

"I was at Pete and Maria's house yesterday before the fire," you ran your thumb along his cheekbone. "Watched them together, the way they move around each other, the easy affection, how simply it all looked… and I just wanted that with you so badly it hurt. Just simple love, coming home to each other, building a life together without all the weight and the expectations and the fear."

"I want that too," he said quietly. "But I don't know if I know how to do simple. Don't know if I can turn off the voice in my head that says I should be providing more."

"Then we'll figure it out together." You held his gaze. "I'm not asking you to change overnight. I'm not asking you to suddenly be okay with everything you're not okay with, but I need you to try. Need you to let me in instead of pushing me away when it gets hard."

His eyes were bright again. "What if I fuck it up?"

"You will," you smiled slightly. "And I'll fuck it up too. We'll fight and disagree and drive each other crazy, but we'll do it together."

He was quiet, and you could see him wrestling with it—the pride and the fear, but also hope, all tangled together in a know he'd spent his whole life tying.

"I don't have much," he said finally. "Don't have some grand plan, damn, I don't even have a shirt on right now, but I love you, wildfire. I love you so much it terrifies me. And if you're willing to take a chance on a stubborn idiot who almost lost you because he couldn't get out of his own way—"

"I'd give it all up," you interrupted. "The ranch, the money, the legacy… all of it. If it meant I could have something like what Pete and Maria have, If it meant I could have you."

His breath caught. "You don't mean that."

"I do," you held his eyes, let him see the truth "I love the ranch, the work, the land… but I would walk away from all of it tomorrow if it meant having a simple life with you. A small place, horses we actually have time to ride, mornings where we drink coffee together. I'd trade the empire for the everyday, Bucky, every single time."

"Don't say things like that, wildfire." He pressed is forehead to yours, careful with the oxygen tubes and the IV lines.

"Why not?"

"Because it makes me want to take you up on it, makes me want to say fuck the ranch and the town and everyone's expectations and let's just run away together."

"Maybe we should," you said.

He pulled back to look at you. "You're delirious from smoke inhalation."

"I'm serious," and you were. "Not today, or tomorrow, but maybe eventually."

"You'd really leave?" He searched your face. "You'd really walk away from everything you've built."

"For us?" You smiled. "In a heartbeat."

He kissed you then, gentle and careful with your injuries, tasting like smoke and salt and promise. When he pulled back, his eyes were wet again.

"I don't deserve you."

"Probably not," you agreed and he huffed a laugh. "But you love me anyway."

"I do," he said it like a vow. "God help me, I do."

"Then that's enough," you laced your fingers through his. "We'll figure out the rest, but right now, can we just… be?"

"Be what?"

"Together." You squeezed his hand. "Just two people who love each other… just us."

He settled back into the chair, brought your joined hands up to press a kiss to your knuckles. "Yeah, wildfire. We can do that."

You drifted off to sleep with his hand in yours and his voice soft in the darkness, telling you about how Copper had tried to break back into the paddock, about how Pete was already talking to contractors about rebuilding the stable, about how the sun was going to rise soon, and when it did, everything would look better.

One year later

You woke up to the sunlight streaming through the bedroom window and the smell of coffee drifting up from downstairs. For a moment, you just lay there, hand drifting to your still-flat stomach, the secret sitting warm in your chest.

You've known for three weeks, ever since you'd taken the test in the bathroom of the main house while Bucky was out checking the irrigation system. You'd been waiting for the right moment to tell him, something that matched the enormity of it.

You are going to be a father.

The other side of the bed was rumpled and empty, Bucky's watch still on the nightstand beside a book about investment strategies he's been reading. Your husband had surprised you over the past year while you've been scaling back the ranch operations, he'd been building something of his own. Nothing that took him away from you, nothing that required sacrifice or absence, but careful investments in stocks, a small stake in a friend's agricultural tech startup, some rental properties two counties over that he managed remotely.

"Not trying to match you," he said when he first told you about it, almost shy. "Just building something for us, for the future."

And now there was a very specific future growing inside you.

You pulled on one of Bucky's old flannel shirts, over your sleep clothes and padded downstairs barefoot. He was in the kitchen, leaning against the counter in jeans and nothing else, two mugs of coffee already poured.

Well, one mug of coffee… the other was herbal tea.

Your heart stuttered. Had he noticed? You've been so careful, switching to decaf when he wasn't looking, making excuses about wanting to cut back on caffeine.

"Morning, wildfire." He turned and smiled, and you searched his face for signs that he knew. But he just looked like himself—happy, relaxed, the permanent tension he used to carry finally gone from his shoulders.

"Morning, husband." You crossed to him, let him pull you in for a kiss that tasted like coffee and mint toothpaste. "You made me tea?"

"Figured you might want something different." He handed you the mug."You've been drinking less coffee lately, thought maybe you were getting tired of it."

Not suspicious, then. Just Bucky taking care of you the way he always did, paying attention to the small details.

"Thank you," you took a sip. "You're up early."

"Couldn't sleep." His hands settled on your hips. "Kept thinking about that trail ride you promised me."

"Did I promise you a trail ride?"

"You definitely did," he kissed your temple. "Said something about finally having time to actually ride horses instead of just breeding and training them."

He wasn't wrong. In the year since the fire, things had changed. You hired two additional hands, promoted Pete to co-manager, and started actually delegating tasks. The ranch still ran beautifully, but you and Bucky had something you'd never had before: time.

And soon, you'd need that time for something else entirely.

Your hand drifted to your stomach before you could stop it, and you caught yourself, turning the gesture into smoothing down the shirt. But your mind was already spinning—would you still be able to ride in a few months? Would Bucky insist you stop? Would he be overprotective, or excited or scared or—

"Wildfire?" Bucky's voice pulled you back. "You okay? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine," you smiled, probably too brightly. "I'm just hungry, should eat something before we ride."

His eyes narrowed slightly, but he just nodded. "I'll make breakfast, you sit."

You perched on one of the kitchen stools and watched him move around the kitchen with easy familiarity. This was your favorite part of the new life you'd built, mornings like this, just the two of you before the day really started.

Soon there would be three of you, and the thought made your chest tight with joy and terror in equal measure.

"Actually," you said as he cracked eggs into a pan, "what if we skip the trail ride this morning? We could go this afternoon instead, make a whole thing of it… pack a picnic, ride out to the creek, spend a few hours just existing."

He glanced over his shoulder a bit surprised. "Yeah? You want to play hooky from ranch work on a Tuesday?"

"We're the bosses, we're allowed." You wrapped both hands around your mug. "Besides, when was the last time we just took an afternoon for ourselves?"

"Good point," he played the eggs, added toast and brought it over to you. "We can do the morning checks, make sure everything's running smooth, then disappear for a few hours."

"Perfect."

The world came out soft, full of meaning he didn't quite catch yet, but he would. This afternoon, by the creek, you'd tell him about the baby, about your future, about how everything was about to change in the best possible way.

You just had to make it through the morning without giving it away.

By noon, you'd packed a basket with sandwiches, fruit, and the fancy cheese Bucky loved from the market in town. You'd also packed ginger cookies for the nausea that had been creeping in the past week, and a bottle of sparkling cider that you hoped would work for a toast.

Bucky was tacking up Duke and Ranger, and you were trying to calm your racing heart. You've told people difficult things before, you've fired employees, negotiated contracts, stood up to your father when he was being stubborn, but this felt bigger than all of that.

"Ready?" Bucky appeared in the tack room doorway, looking unfairly handsome in his worn jeans and work shirt, hair pushed back from his face.

"Ready," you grabbed the basket and let him help you mount Ranger.

You rode out in comfortable silence, taking the familiar trail north toward the creek. The autumn day was perfect—cool but not cold, the leaves just starting to turn gold and red. When you reached the creek, Bucky dismounted first and came to help you down, hands lingering at your waist a moment longer than necessary.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked. "You've seemed… I don't know, different today. Nervous, maybe?"

Damn his observant nature. "I'm fine, just happy."

"Yeah?" He smiled, some of the concern easing. "Me too."

You spread out the blanket you'd fought while Bucky loosened the horses' girths and let them graze nearby. The creek burbled softly, and the sun filtered through the trees in dappled patterns, and everything felt almost too perfect.

"This was a good idea," Bucky said settling beside you on the blanket. "We should do this more often, just disappear for a few hours."

"We should," you busied yourself unpacking the basket, hands shaking slightly. "Especially now that you've got your investments working for you, Pete can handle more of the daily operations."

"Speaking of which," he took the sandwich you handed him. "I wanted to talk about that. Remember the tech startup I invested in? They're doing really well, better than projected. My stake has almost doubled in value, and—" He paused, looking almost shy. "I've been thinking about diversifying more, maybe some agriculture projects or another rental property, something that can generate passive income."

"That's amazing, Bucky." And it was. You'd watched him transform over the past year from someone who measured his worth in sweat equity to someone who understood there were other ways to build security.

"Yeah, well." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I know I used to be weird about money, but this feels different. Feels like I'm building something that's ours without sacrificing time with you. Without having to choose between being present and being a provider."

"You've always been a provider." You set down your untouched sandwich. "But I'm proud of you for finding a way to do it that works for you."

"I had a good teacher," he kissed your temple. "You taught me that there's ore than one way to build a life together."

This was it. This was the moment. Your heart was pounding so hard you wee sure he could hear it.

"Speaking of building a life together," you started, voice shaking slightly. "There's something I need to tell you."

He set down his sandwich, his attention immediately focused on you. "What's wrong? Are you sick? Is it the ranch? Is—"

"Nothing's wrong." You took his hand, pressed it against your still-flat stomach. "Everything's right, actually. Everything is… perfect."

He froze and you watched understanding dawn slowly: the tea instead of coffee, the fact that you'd been tired lately, the way you'd been careful about lifting heavy things. All the small signs he'd noticed but hadn't put together.

"Wildfire," he breathed. "Are you—"

"I'm pregnant." The words came out in a rush, nervous and excited all at once. "About six weeks. I found out three weeks ago and I've been trying to find the right moment to tell you and I thought here, by the creek, it felt—"

He cut you off with a kiss, so deep and full of joy so pure it made your chest ache. When he used back, his eyes were bright with tears.

"You're pregnant," he said, like he was testing the words. "We are having a baby."

"We're having a baby," you were crying now too, laughing through the tears. "I know we didn't plan this, we haven't even talked about kids yet, but I'm so happy, I'm so—"

"Happy," he finished for you, his hands coming up to frame your face. "God, I'm so happy I can't even— I don't have words, I don't know what else to say except I love you and this is everything."

He pulled you into his arms, held you tight against his chest, and you could feel him shaking.

"Holy shit, I'm going to be a dad" he whispered into your hair.

"You're gonna be a great dad," you pulled back to look at him.

"I know, thanks to you. And this baby is gonna have everything they need, not because of money or any of that shit I used to obsess over, but because we'll be their parents."

"Yeah," you covered his hand with yours. "Yeah, they will."

"How are you feeling? Are you sick? Do you need to see a doctor? Should you even be riding? Jesus, should I have let you get on a horse—"

"Bucky," you laughed, cutting off his spiral. "I'm fine, I saw the doctor two weeks ago, everything looks good. I can ride for another few months as long as I'm careful. The morning sickness is mild, just some nausea, nothing terrible. I'm healthy, baby's healthy, everything's perfect."

"Everything's perfect," he repeated, and then his eyes went wide again. "Wait, does anyone else know? Pete? Maria? Have you been keeping this secret by yourself."

"Just me," you squeezed his hand. "I wanted you to be the first to know, wanted it to be just us, just this moment."

"Best moment of my life," he kissed you again, soft and sweet. "Well, second best, first was marrying you."

"Third best was punching Sheridan's face."

He laughed, loud and bright, and the sound of it made your heart soar. This was the man you'd fallen in love with, the one who could still laugh, who could let go of his pride and just be happy, just be present in the moment.

"We should celebrate." He reached for the basket, pulled out the sparkling cider you'd packed. "Did you plan this?"

"I hoped," you watched him pour two glasses. "Hoped you'd be happy, and this would be the right way to tell you."

"It's perfect." He handed you a glass, raised his own. "To our future."

You clinked glasses, sipped the sweet fizz, and then he was kissing you again, laying you back on the blanket with careful hands.

You laid there together as the afternoon sun shifted through the trees, talking about names and nursery colors and whether you'd find out the gender or be surprised. About how the ranch would need some adjustments, but nothing you couldn't handle. About how Pete and Maria would be thrilled, how the crew would rally around you, how this baby would grow up surrounded by love.

About the future you were building, not just the two of you anymore, but three.

He placed his hand over your stomach, and you covered it with yours, and for a long moment, you just sat there together, listening to the creek and the horses and the perfect silence of a life finally fully lived.

When you finally rode back, the ranch was settling into evening—crew heading home, lights coming on in the main house, the familiar rhythm of end of the day routines. But everything looked different now, felt different.

Because you weren't just coming home to the ranch you ran together. You were coming home to the place where you'd raise your child, whey you would see their first steps, teach how to ride their first horse, learn what it meant to work hard and love harder. Where they'd grow p knowing their parents chose each other every day and created a life worth living.

Bucky helped you dismount, hands lingering in your waist, his eyes soft with wonder and love and barely contained joy.

"Ready to tell everyone?" You asked.

"Ready," he laced his fingers through yours. "Let's go tell our family."

Now, Leon was a different story. He's hated you since day one. Short, blunt replies and no smiles. Yet, the horses at his stable adored you, and you assume that's why he keeps letting you visit. You've always been curious about the man. He's devastatingly handsome even if you got a feeling he's nearly twice your age.

You've noticed how kind and patient he is with his employees. Farm hands, veterinarians, and anyone else he happened to have under his wing. He makes plenty of dad jokes. Though, there's no wedding band, and everyone you've talked to says he's a loner. Long story short, you're extremely interested in the man.

The sun is setting, and the horses are all in their stalls, but that stupid girl is still here. Leon tried to talk his friend, Chris, into politely kicking you out. In which he replied, "I'm off the clock. It's your problem now." He's sick of it being his problem.

That damn girl has been a problem since day one. Gorgeous, bright, and intriguing. But young. Too fucking young. He'd rather lie to himself and everyone around, acting like he hates your guts.

His heavy, work boots kick up dust as he stomps into the stable. His eyes find you, a moth to the flame. You're so breathtaking. Golden light falling on you and offering an angelic glow. An innocent smile on your face as you talk lowly to a black mare. Your feminine hands brush over the horse's nose before hugging its big head to your chest.

He forgets to say anything, completely mesmerized. That is until you say your goodbyes to Storm and turn to him. Your smile should evaporate at the sight of him, but it just widens. "Hey, Leon." You wave at him, and he scowls in answer.

"What are you still doing here? Get out." He points his thumb behind him and towards the exit.

"Why are you so mean?" You pout, the smile now fading. "I was just leaving."

"Good." Leon grins with satisfaction and crosses his beefy arms. He notices the way your eyes flick down and follow along the defined veins.

A huff leaves you and your arms cross in front of you to mimic him. Now, his eyes are drifting down, but for different reasons. They find your breasts, and his dick comes to life. They're so perfect and highlighted by your arms.

"Why do you hate me?" She snaps. The young thing says it like he should be frightened. But he's just turned on. Ain't that pathetic. It's just some attitude and narrowed eyes. Oh, but your scrunched up nose is so cute.

"Hate you?" His footsteps are harsh and kill the space between you. Your bodies brush, but you don't step back. Though he notices you lean away from his broad frame. "Why would I hate you? Have you done anything to deserve it? Have you mocked me? Tripped my employees? Drugged my horses?" He quirks his eyebrow up, having fun messing with you.

"Drugged your horses?!" You gasp, a shocked expression taking over your pretty features. "How could you say that? I love Storm, Daisy, Mr. Lucky and all the other horses. Hell, I knew most of them before you even came on the scene."

Now, you're fired up. Poking at his chest and shooting daggers at him. More insults and accusations fall from your lips. The noise becomes irrelevant, like it's coming from underwater. No, he's set on your lips. So lively, so unique, and such an enchanting color.

He wants to pull the bottom one between his teeth before sliding his tongue inside. He wants to suck on your top lip and hear you whine. If only he could kiss you until there's saliva strung between your mouths.

Leon wishes he didn't know you were single. He wishes you were married and carrying some other guy's little toddler. If you were dating some idiot he could let you go. But somehow. Someway, no one had claimed you, and he loathes it. Because his foolish, senior brain believes that means he has a chance.

"Are you even listening to me?" You pat his prickly cheek and wave your hand in front of his face. He frowns and grabs your hand.

"No, I'm not listening." He growls, "get out of my stable."

You yank your hand from him and give him a death glare. It's exactly what he wants. Yes, hate me enough to never come back. Then, I can forget you. Live out the rest of my life, not craving a woman that I can't have.

Leon's ashamed doesn't matter that he tried everything he could to avoid this. A cold shower and watching the most boring things on his tv. But you kept coming back to his mind. And no, he couldn't paint you in a bad light. Couldn't come up with a single thing that disgusted or angered him.

No, everything just made him hard. He should be asleep. There's an alarm on his nightstand blinking 2 a.m. in accusing red. But his hands are itching. "Come on, Leon. Don't do it." He whispers in the emptiness of his bedroom. Yet, his hands are sliding down, and his breathing deepens.

Boxer briefs are slid down to mid-thigh. His large hand wraps around his semi-hard member, and it doesn't take long to get it to full mast. He grunts as images of you spring up and along with it snippets of your voice.

The fire in your eyes and the bite to your words. The friendliness you bestowed upon his employees. The gentleness his horses received from you.

He groans louder, head falling back against the headboard. Precum glistens on his tip, and he quickly spreads it over the pulsing veins of his dick. His hands quicken, and you play like a film reel in his mind.

It's too much. His groans building. The slick noises and frenzied jerks of his hands. All he can think of is you. Every small detail of your body and how magnificent it is.

Leon comes with your name on his lips. He chants it, falling apart while imagining you there with him. Your cries of bliss and your tired, shimmering smile underneath him.

It's not the first time he's touched himself to thoughts of you, and to his disappointment, it won't be the last.

You stayed away for a few weeks. He was . . .okay. Leon thought he'd forget you given enough time. Yet between brushing down horses and fixing fences, he'd catch himself looking for you. He was not with it, and Chris was starting to get worried. The muscular brunette was practically begging him to take a vacation.

Leon doesn't do vacations. This is his ranch. His peace. His work. His home. A young woman with delectable curves and a pure heart was not gonna be his undoing.

You didn't wanna come back. Leon's a miserable, old fart and you were upset with him. But a phone call from Chris changed everything. He told you Storm, that magnificent mare, had become sick. The vet on hand didn't know if she'd make it as old as she is. So, you jumped in your car and rushed over.

Your wheels crunch over gravel, and your car door slams before you're racing to the stables. No longer can you hold back your tears when Storm comes into view. She's lying on her side and hooked up to some drip. She makes a horrible wheezing noise, and sweat covers her tar black coat.

"Hey, pretty girl." You muttered softly, attempting a smile. Tears drip down your cheeks. You don't know how long you sit there in the hay, speaking to her and petting her. Footsteps and voices force you to wipe your tears and clear your throat.

That deep, smooth voice belongs to Leon, and the other you assume is the vet. One stays and one goes. You keep your eyes glued to Storm and her alone.

Leon sighs, exhausted and forlorn. "Chris tell you?" You nod in response, and the latch to the stall clicks open. Then, you feel him standing over you. His scent washes over you, masculine and laced with leather. He drops to Storm's other side, across from you.

She gives a weak yet welcoming sound. His large, calloused hands carefully ease her head onto his lap. "It's alright, girl. You're alright." You whimper, tears flooding over once again. Something in his smooth, deep voice tells you she won't make it. Even worse, it sounds like he's said goodbye before, like death is an old friend.

You curl in on yourself, holding your head in your hands. Logically, this is stupid. Crying in front of a man who hates you, crying in general, and not being stronger. Storm was getting old, and you knew that. You just didn't want to face it.

But it hurt so bad. All those memories overcoming you. You remember Storm being around when you were just a little girl, watching her from afar and bringing her snacks as you got older. Mr. Hammond always encouraged your love for the horses.

A warm weight settles on your shoulder. "Hey, you wanna talk to her? I'll step outside." You lift your head to find Leon. A kindness in his eyes and a smile forming on his handsome face.

A shaky breath leaves your lips, and you nod. His hand pats your shoulder, and a sense of calm comes over you.

He leaves you to say your goodbye.

Then, you and Leon stay with her until her final breath. The whole night is spent together, learning about one another and reminiscing about moments with the black mare. He forgets that he hates you. You forget why you were angry with him. There's a shared respect for one another, bonding during one of the darkest moments of your life.

Months pass, and healing has its way. You come over more, and Leon doesn't treat you with cold cruelty. He's welcoming, warm, and soft with you. You fall hopelessly in love. No longer experiencing just curiosity or attraction. It's so much more.

"God, it's so peaceful out here." You exclaim, stretching out in the rocking chair. Leon's next to you in his own chair, rocking at a leisurely pace. He holds a beer bottle in one hand, looking way too hypnotizing.

His warm chuckle reaches your ears, "Yeah?"

"Yep. It's almost better than my farm." You reply, a little playful and winking at the older man.

"Pfftt. That itty bitty teenie tinnie thing you call a farm?" Leon snorts, returning the friendly teasing.

"Uh!" You lean forward and face him. "It's a beautiful farm, and at least I don't need fifty million people to help me run it."

"I don't have fifty million people employed." He tilts his head to you and points his beer bottle to you before taking a swig. His dirty blond hair falls over his bright blue eyes.

"Forty-nine million nine hundred ninety-nine?" You ask with a grin and a special twinkle in your eyes.

Leon bursts out laughing and nods. "Yes, definitely. That many." His laughter sets a fire in you, hot and filling. It flickers inside you, and you melt. You give him a tender smile, eyes glued on him.

He feels the air shift, and he turns to you. You're smiling at him, and there's something in your gaze he doesn't wanna name. You look so gorgeous that his chest is in pain. Pain worse than a bullet wound. His hand clenches and unclenches, longing to touch you. What'd he give to caress your cheek and brush his lips over yours.

"Leon," you whisper, eyes drifting down to his lips. His own gaze drops to your lovely mouth and a thirst he's never known bubbles up inside. Leon has an out of body experience. There's no control as his hand reaches for your arm.

He sees his hand drawing you in. You leaving the safety of your rocking chair to stand in between his legs. Your hands cup his scruffy cheeks, and his hands find the small of your back.

Then, your lips meet his own.

It's so light that he could mistake it for a figment of his imagination. But then you sink into him, lips pressing harder, and a needy noise scrapes along your throat. He's shocked by the needy noise that he gives in response.

He should have more control. You're not his first kiss. Definitely, not his first girl. And for fuck's sake he's too old to be this desperate. But it makes no difference. His hand curls around your hip while the other caresses your back, mapping out the curves of you.

The moon shines behind you, painting this moment in glimmering silver. Fireflies dance in the open fields, and a simple porch light flickers above. Your lips meet over and over. And Leon. He's lost in you in all ways imaginable.

You pull away, and his lips chase yours. A low whine in the back of his throat can be heard. "Should we stop? Do you want to stop?" Leon hears your concern and the defeat in your voice as if you're already expecting a 'yes.'

"Hell no." He replies in a gruff tone, nearly growling in anger. Leon doesn't want to be separated from you. Maybe he'll regret it in the morning. Maybe he'll even despise himself for kissing a woman your age. But he might just be in love with you. And yes, he's most definitely turned on by you.

It's the most stunning thing he's ever witnessed. The way desire sparks in your eyes before turning into a low simmering heat. Your whole body language changes and your confidence skyrockets. Your hands slip beneath his shirt, and your lips find his adam's apple. Kissing and licking on it like a sweet candy apple.

He stands up from the rocking chair and scoops you into his muscular arms. Your legs lock around him, and his head tilts back, letting you have your way. The wooden planks of his front porch squeak as he carries you inside. The door shuts behind him with an audible creak of hinges.

He lays you down, your hypnotic body laid out on cool sheets. The same sheets he's been sleeping in. "Oh, darling. You're so beautiful." He kisses your brow before stepping back. His heavy-duty working boots hit the floor. Then, his flannel, along with the tight shirt underneath.

"You wanna do the rest, honey? Or should I undress you first?" Leon smiles, a hint of teasing in his words. You're looking at him as if he's every dream you've ever had come true. Openly admiring with wide eyes and shaky breaths.

"May I?" You gesture towards his lower half, face hot and now licking your lips.

He steps forward and answers in a low, sultry tone. "You can do whatever you want to me." His reply leaves you wet and aching. A feeling so intense that you've never encountered. Your fingers tug at his belt loops. The bulge in his jeans is nearly at eye level with you, causing your thighs to press together.

You unzip his wranglers, and it's all too loud in this tense moment. The room is burning hot as the denim is pulled down. Then, your hands curl in his waistband, and you catch his jaw ticking. The simple muscle twitching beneath his stubble makes you hotter than the sun.

You feel like a blazing inferno here in this old rancher's home. When he's left naked and you're fully clothed, things couldn't be more clear. He might be older and stronger, but you're in control here. Nothing will be forced on you, and you'd rather die before forcing anything on this man.

"Come here." You whisper, eyes burning into his. You grab at his massive, scarred shoulders and sink into the mattress, dragging him with you. His naked, tan body is hovering over you. His lips drag along your neck and collarbones. You sigh in bliss, and low content noises slip from his chapped lips.

Over time his body sinks into you, hard cock nudging at your hips through your clothing. Your hands cease their exploration of his toned body and squeeze his shoulders. "I need you to undress me, Leon. Please." You're breathing, hard and heavy. Cunt aching for friction and desperate for no more boundaries.

"Yeah, baby. I'll undress ya." His hands, worn from hard labor, are gentle with you. They slip off your shirt, strip down your jeans, and peel off your undergarments. It's slow and intimate. Your heart races the whole time, and your body closes in on itself in an attempt to cover up.

He calls your name, yearning and mesmerized in equal measure. His hands palm your breasts and follow the curve of your torso. A restrained groan leaves him as he follows the lines of your body. Over your hips and down your legs. "You're so damn gorgeous. I can't breathe."

His sky blue eyes have darkened into a raging sea. He really has wanted you this whole time. Yet he was such a jerk, doing anything and everything to push you away. To make you hate him and you never understood until now.

He was terrified of this. Wanting you. Needing you. In such a desperate manner. With such all consuming desire.

"Leon, I need you too." It's all you can think to say. Your voice hoarse and quiet in the dark. Tears pricking at the corner of your eyes.

His heavy body falls into you, and his lips collide with yours. You become a writhing mess on his mattress. Kissing and touching what you both thought you couldn't have. Two of his fingers slip inside you, and you cry out from the unexpected sensation. His thick fingers brush over your walls as his thumb plays with your throbbing rosebud.

"Oh, god. You sound so damn good. Better than I imagined. So fucking sweet." He's breathless, hips rutting into the bed as he fingers you. You're just as bad. Rocking into his hand and moaning unabashedly. "That's it, baby. I need you to cum so I can slide into you. Nice and painless."

The thought of his dick finally inside you finishes you off. Your nails leave marks in his tan skin. Your back arches, and your head is thrown to the side. The older man watches the whole thing without any shame.

"Beautiful. So fucking beautiful." He kisses you, thumb brushing over your clit lightly as you come down.

The tender kisses abruptly end with you gasping. He has his tip nudging at your wet folds. "Is this okay? You ready?" Leon whispers, laying kisses on your face from forehead to chin.

Your heart pounds fiercely, but you clasp onto him and spread your legs wide. "Yes. Please, Leon. Own me."

The weary rancher groans loudly as he pushes forward. Little by little, his throbbing dick slides inside your slick walls. A whimper slips free as he finally settles to the hilt. He sighs, hiding his face in your neck. His hot breath washes over you and sends a tremor throughout your body.

His thrusts start off slow, holding you close and mouthing at your shoulder blindly. You rub his broad back and follow the edges of his shoulder blades.

"Do you have any idea how many times I've jerked off to you?" The older man slurs, hips thrusting into you again and again. His muscular body is covered in sweat and curved over you. That combined with his breathy noises in your ear drives you to whimper.

"N-no. Tell me. Please. How much?" You stutter. Nails bitting into his skin and walls pulsing around his dick. It's like you can see the pearly gates now.

"All the time. Every night. Can never forget your smile. When the sun gives you a halo. When you laugh or talk to the horses. Every glimpse of skin and curve hinted at . . ." He groans, speeding up, and you cry out. "It drives me crazy. You drive me crazy."

You call his name, legs quivering like a foal. You throw your head back and his calloused fingers reach for your clit. The sweetest release rushes over you. Fireworks exploding behind your eyes.

He pulls out at the last second, jerking his cum onto your stomach instead of inside. It's a shame, but next time he'll wear a condom so he can at least stay connected with you. Great, now he's thinking about doing this another time. He was a fool to believe he could let go of you.

His eyes trail all over you as he catches his breath. Your eyes are shut, lashes kissing your cheeks. Your breasts rise and fall with your uneven breaths. His mess is splattered on your stomach. He runs a hand through his dirty blond hair and tries in vain to be normal about this.

You're too young. Way too young. But that doesn't sound like a good enough reason to push you away anymore. No, you're a bright and stunning woman who loves this ranch, the horses, and possibly him. The thought of you not feeling the same way he does crushes his heart, making it bleed.

"I'll . . .I'll clean you up." His voice falls flat, and the bedroom no longer feels warm in a pleasant way. More like stuffy, and no one wants it on their skin. He walks to the bathroom, not even noticing he's still naked.

When he returns with a warm wash cloth, he finds you in his flannel shirt and a shy expression on your face. He groans and runs a hand down his face.

"What?" You laugh lightly, looking even more uncertain.

"Nothing." He shakes his head, knees sinking into the mattress as he starts cleaning you up. The wet cloth roaming your stomach and inner thighs.

"You sure?" You brush his hair back as he lays a kiss on the curve of your tummy.

"Hmmm, nothing." He hums and sits back up. "You need anything else?" His large hands rub up and down your thighs in a soothing manner.

Your head shakes back and forth. "Just need you to hold me." Your voice is so small and timid. His chest tightens, and he envelops you in his big arms. The mattress shifts beneath you both as he holds you to his chest.

Silence falls like a warm blanket, and his calloused hands idly rub your back. A clock ticks on the wall, and the old ranch house creaks in a familiar pattern. There's no doubt in his mind that he's fucked. He wants this. Wants you forever. Every night from here on out he wants to share it with you.

To fall asleep next to you. To bring you pleasure. To hold you close and feel your breath on his skin.

"Hey, Leon?" Your voice breaks through his spiraling thoughts. He hums in acknowledgment. "You're not gonna push me away anymore, right?"

He takes a deep, fortifying breath and gently pulls you away from his chest. He caresses your cheek and whispers your name. "No more pushing you away. I know I'm older. A bit broken and I don't have much to offer. I know your tiny farm is better than my ranch." He smiles at your responding giggle.

"But I do want this if you want me." Heat tingles at the back of his neck and spreads to his face. God, he feels so stupid. His eyes widen in surprise when you kiss him. Just a single press of lips that lingers.

"I want you, Leon. No more pushing me away, or I'll make you wish you were dead." You give him a playful grin and nip at his jaw. He just laughs and rolls you two over. Laughter spills into his bedroom, spelling out a new future with you two intertwined.

🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎

Holy crap! I broke a personal record! This is now my longest fic ever!

You can barely focus on Mabel’s tour, too absorbed with mentally rehearsing your argument to convince Joel not to fire you. Your mind races, deciding how to plead your case:

‘You won’t even know I’m here,’ you agonize as Mabel shows you the guest cabins.

You’re barely paying attention as she tells the group how Joel and his brother, Tommy, designed and built the entire property. Intrigue registers vaguely in the back of your mind, but you don’t entertain it long.

‘Technically I was off the clock when it happened,’ you muse, the words sounding unconvincing to your own mind.

You're not above begging at this point. The bridges have been burned back home, and you don’t have a plan B. 

‘I need this job,’ you internally plead, contemplating if Joel will be swayed by pity instead.

Your ruminations run wild on an endless loop until you feel a headache coming on.

Before you know it, the group is coming up on the staff’s quarter, a grouping of rustic, two-story cabins, framed cozily by an outcropping of fragrant spruce trees. Dried pine needles litter the driveway leading back to the welcome center, which stands looming in the distance. 

In a haze, you pull your attention back to Mabel’s droning voice.

“Alrighty,” she concludes, clapping her hands together enthusiastically. “I’ll leave y’all to unpack. We’ll meet at the barn in two hours.” She holds up two fingers for emphasis. “You’ll get to meet your horse and we’ll head out to the trails. Sound good?”

Everyone replies with a collection of nods and ‘Yes, Ma’am’s’ before dispersing and trekking off towards the staff housing, leaving you and Marge standing in the driveway.

“C’mon,” Marge whispers to you excitedly, grabbing your arm. “You can bunk with me.”

“I’d love to,” you beam at her. “I gotta grab my stuff at the welcome center. Walk with me?”

Marge grins placidly, “Sure thing.”

It seems everyone else but you knew to drop their bags off at the staff dorm, but you don’t mind getting to talk with Marge more. You’re overjoyed to have found a friend so quickly. 

In the weeks leading up to your arrival in Wyoming, you’d find yourself laying awake at night, imagining the people you’d be working with. Some nights, you’d dread colleagues that would be aloof with you, unimpressed with a girl who’d never worked on a ranch before. On others, you’d imagine someone like Marge: jovial, warm, eager to include. 

Your mind never thought to conjure your boss, never occurring to you to envision someone like Joel Miller, with his drawling accent and bedroom eyes. Men like him existed in cowboy romance novels, but certainly not in your orbit.

You head in the direction of the welcome center, gravel crunching underfoot, the smell of pine wafting through the trees. The early summer day is balmy, a light sweat gathering at the base of your neck.

“So, how many seasons have you been here?” you ask conversationally, glancing sideways at Marge.

“This is my fifth season,” she answers, a proud grin on her face. 

“I came to Jackson fresh out of high school, did one season here, and just…never left. How could I?” she gestures to the mountain range stretching across the horizon. “I wrangle here in the summer, bartend at the ski resort in the winter, and do odd jobs in between. It’s great.”

You marvel at her. “Sounds great.”

Marge is your future ideal; tangible proof that the life you yearn for not only exists, but is possible for you, too. 

Your awe is tempered, however, by a twist of dread in your gut. It would be devastating to make it to Jackson, see your dreams spelled out in front of you, only to have them dashed into a million broken pieces, tainted by a choice you’d never realized was a mistake. 

Last night was the lichpin holding together your dreams, the cornerstone on which your dreams balanced. And Joel Miller, the adjudicator of your fate.

“What about you, new girl?” Marge quips. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh! I…” you begin, tapering off thoughtfully. 

You can’t think of a way to summarize what led you here. Your desperation to get away from doctor’s offices and fluorescent lighting, the sharp odor of hospital disinfectant. Of dredging up ghosts best left unacknowledged.

You settle on, “I needed a fresh start. I’ve always loved horses, been riding them since I was little. I had a mare named Buttercup.” You chuckle, thinking fondly of your childhood horse, of her white mane and golden coat. “My grandparents had a barn in the countryside where I used to spend the summers.”

You’re flattered by how intently she’s listening to your story.

“What about this summer? Won’t they miss you?” Marge asks, eyebrows knitting together.

“They, uh, won’t,” you admit, trying to respond casually, despite the aching in your chest. “They had to sell the farm when they got older. Broke their hearts.” It broke yours too. 

You’d always mourn the loss of your childhood haven, always miss the twinkle of windchimes as you sat on the front porch at twilight. Riding Buttercup through the tall grassy fields, picking wildflowers to put in your hair. Your grandmother singing in the kitchen as you baked cherry pie together.

Now, an ugly warehouse was all that remained. Lush fields bulldozed and packed over with concrete, the willow tree you used to lay under for hours, nothing more than a stump and wood chips. You couldn’t bear to drive past it anymore.

Marge’s eyes shutter apologetically. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine. The past is the past.” You shove down the melancholy, like you always do. 

You fish for a lighter topic. “Who was your first horse?”

“Stevie,” she tells you, eyes sparkling in fond memory. “After the great Stevie Knicks.”

“No way!” you exclaim, “I love Stevie Knicks!”

You and Marge chatter excitedly about your favorite Stevie Knicks songs, vehemently agreeing that Silver Springs is one of the best songs ever written. 

By the time you’re swapping your top 3 Fleetwood Mac songs (Rhiannon, Silver Springs, and Little Lies, respectively), the shade of the welcome center glides over your face, a welcome reprieve from the blinding sun. 

You’re one of the few staff members with a car, the parking lot mostly empty.

You’re fishing your keys out of your back jeans pocket, fitting them into the lock when Marge suddenly calls, “Hey Joel!”

You whip your head around, breath catching in your chest. You look across the parking lot to see none other than Joel Miller ambling towards you. Your heart rate picks up, face flushing. 

You attempt to school your face into a neutral expression, suddenly not knowing how to hold your arms. You cross them in front of your chest in what you hope is a casual motion.

“Hey Marge,” he greets her with a tight lipped smile, pointedly not looking at you. 

He’s carrying a heavy metal tool box, dark grease staining his fingers. Another dark smear stretches across navy t-shirt, stretched tight across his chest and biceps. 

“Good winter?”

You internally scold yourself for the way your heart quickens when you notice how ruggedly handsome he looks, sweat glistening on his brow, looking like he just stepped out of some contractor porno.

Marge responds casually, “Oh, same old. A little slower than usual, but good.”

Though there’s no chemistry to the interaction, you can’t help but feel a sense of envy at the obvious familiarity between the two. Especially when he doesn’t acknowledge you at all, talking as though you aren’t there.

You’ve been pondering what to say to him for the last few hours, but now that he’s in front of you, all your arguments disintegrate from your mind like dust on the wind. An unwanted sense of panic rises in your chest, making your brain feel fuzzy. You try to focus on your breathing.

“Glad to hear,” he replies. 

There’s a strained pause, in which he glances at you and scratches the back of his neck uncomfortably.

You glance down at your boots, wracking your mind for something to say. You want to talk to him, to plead for your job, but you could hardly have a candid conversation about last night with Marge around. 

But time was of the essence. If you didn’t talk to him now, maybe he would make up his mind before you could change it.

Marge clears her throat, your head snapping up to look at her. 

“Joel, have you met our newest wrangler?” she pipes up, regarding you warmly.

He reluctantly shifts his gaze to you, a muscle ticking in his jaw as he finally meets your eye. 

Unbidden, an image of him kneeling before you, those same eyes gazing hungrily up at you, while his tongue moved between your legs, flashes across your mind’s eye. You shove it away, trying to ignore the way your stomach swoops.

Your heart races as you force yourself to maintain eye contact, painfully aware of retaining a sense of normalcy around Marge. The sun beats down on your face, dizziness from the overwhelming heat threatening to take hold.

“Don’t believe I have,” he says tightly. You don’t miss the furrow of his brow.

You stammer your name, internally cursing yourself for the pathetic delivery. You pause, registering that you’re no longer nameless strangers in a bar. You’re boss and employee, who should’ve never looked at each other, let alone touched one another.

“It’s a pleasure,” he huffs, his tone suggesting anything but. 

He turns back to Marge, the absence of his gaze leaving you cold and hollow. 

“I gotta repair a roof over at the guest cabins,” he explains, indicating to the tools he’s carrying, “but I’ll catch ya later.”

“Cool, see ya Joel,” Marge returns nonchalantly.

He pivots on his heel to leave. It’s now or never.

“Actually,” you chirp, voice rising an octave in your distress. Joel turns back to you, an unreadable expression on his face. “Could I talk to you for a second?”

His eyes wide infinitesimally, shooting the barest glance in Marge’s direction. 

“Maybe later,” he says shortly, not quite meeting your gaze. 

He offers a terse nod of acknowledgment to Marge before stalking off in the opposite direction. 

Your face burns with shame, embarrassed and indignant at the way Joel just brushed you off. Based on his attitude, you’re fired for sure.

“Say hi to Ellie for me!” Marge calls after him. 

He raises a hand in acknowledgement without turning back. You watch him walk away, feeling your last hope extinguish. 

“Who’s Ellie?” you ask Marge absentmindedly once Joel is out of earshot.

You feel like you’re going to throw up when she replies, “His daughter.”

He has a daughter. 

Is he married? Did you sleep with a married man? The situation is already sticky enough, but adding homewrecker to the list? You’re not sure you could stay here and look his wife in the eyes while continuing to work here. Maybe it would be best to just go home…

“D-daughter?” you choke out, the words getting stuck in your throat. You try to compose yourself, asking with as much indifference as you can muster, “Does he have a wife?”

“Joel?” Marge laughs, scoffing incredulously. “God, no. He’s been divorced a long time. And he adopted Ellie a few years ago.”

Your heart softens at that, relief flooding your body. As much of a mess you were already in, at least you weren’t complicit in a cheating scandal. You’re also intrigued that a man like him, with his brusque, intimidating exterior, could have the tenderness to adopt.

“Oh, cool,” you mutter casually as you swing open your car door to retrieve your baggage. 

Marge offers to carry your backpack, and you drag your suitcase along through the gravel, gray dust coating the underside. A red cardinal swoops low as you make your way back through the wooded glen, chirping cheerfully. 

You’re close to the staff lodging when Marge asks curiously, “What was all that about with Joel, back at the lodge? I’ve never seen him act like that.”

You compose your face into an impassive expression, despite the panic coursing through your chest. You must have been too obvious earlier.

“What’d you mean?” you respond airily, putting on a show of looking absentmindedly around the glen at the birds swooping back and forth.

“Dunno,” she voices thoughtfully. She’s watching you closely, your palms glistening with sweat in a way that has nothing to do with the heat of the day. “I’ve just never seen him so…jumpy.”

“I wouldn’t know. Never met the guy,” you fib, praying she can’t see through your bold-faced lie.

A wild, intrusive thought emerges, of what would happen if you told Marge what happened between you and Joel last night. Your mind is a tangled mess and you wish there was someone you could talk to about it, someone to help you sort out this terrible mess with no clear solution in sight.

Another part of you cringes at what she would think of you, of the likelihood that she would judge you. And the fact that you would have to own up to lying to her face. You only just met the girl, and while she seems kind, she obviously has loyalty to the man who’s employed her for years. You don't want to give her the wrong impression.

“Maybe he’s stressed,” she muses. “There’s always so much to do before guests get here.”

“Yeah, that’s probably it,” you offer, thankful that she’s not examining you closer.

You’re relieved when you finally get back to the staff quarters, Marge pointing you in the direction of cabin twelve. 

You’re pleasantly surprised by the cozy furnishings on the ground floor. A seating area with a plush floral couch and leather arm chair are situated in front of the door. A circular dining table with a vase of yellow wildflowers sits on the opposite wall, standing in front of a cut fieldstone fireplace. Photographs of past staff adorn the wood paneled walls, an ode to the wranglers that came before. 

A small kitchen with honey wood cabinets is positioned on the far side of the room. An eclectic collection of magnets litter the old refrigerator, a crystal suncatcher hanging from the window overlooking the sink. The space is cozy and welcoming, large windows casting the space in an abundance of natural light, which catches the crystal glass, painting rainbows around the room. The air is tinged with the earthy scent of wood and musk.

The wooden floorboards creak softly as you follow Marge to the staircase off of the kitchen.

Through the window on the landing, you can make out the green metal roof of the barn peering through the tops of the trees. You march up the staircase behind Marge, boots thumping on the wood panels as you haul your suitcase along behind you.

The staircase opens onto a long loft space; hefty cedar bunk beds stand on either side of the windows in three corners of the room, the fourth housing a small bathroom. Through the gap in the door, you glimpse seafoam green ties, a cramped shower, and a tiny window covered by a roman shade.

There’s already three other girls unpacking, clothes strewn haphazardly across beds, personal mementos in the process of being hung with sticky tack. They gabble happily, pausing as you and Marge step off of the stairs. 

One of the girls seated on the floor, breathtakingly beautiful with umber skin and dark curled hair, flashes a dazzling smile at you. 

“Hey guys,” she smiles sweetly, eye twinkling.

“Hey Kiara,” Marge returns with a matching sunny smile. “Maddy, Claire, good winter?”

“Can’t complain,” one of the other girls replies, blonde hair and generous hips draped across a bottom bunk. 

“Have you seen Brett?” she adds conspiratorily, propping herself up on an elbow. “Hot damn.” She fans herself dramatically. The other girls dissolve in giggles.

Marge looks uncomfortable for a second, her smile dropping infinitesimally. You seem to be the only one who notices her less-than-pleased reaction, the girls just continuing to titter in amusement.

Recovering smoothly, Marge gestures towards you with her free hand, an affectionate grin on her face. 

“Have you met the fresh meat?” she eyes you playfully.

You beam at them, offering a small, “Hey,” with an awkwardly raised hand.

“You’ll have to come with us on our lake day! It’s a blast,” Kiara exclaims enthusiastically, the warmth of her smile setting you at ease. “Don’t worry, we’re not so bad.”

“Besides that one time,” Claire cuts in, pointing an accusatory finger at her, “That you used my toothbrush.” Her light brown hair is tucked under a Bass Pro Shop baseball hat, freckles dotting her nose.

She looks at you seriously, “Hide your toothbrush.”

You snicker at the absurdity of her advice.

“Okay, okay,” Marge placates, raising her hands in mock surrender. “We should get unpacked before lunch," she orders, calling the group back to their original goal.

“You’re over there,” Kiara jabs her finger to the corner opposite the bathroom, the only bunk free of luggage.

You and Marge drag your luggage across the room, Marge claiming seniority in favor of the bottom bunk. You rummage in your backpack for some Tylenol, swallowing the pill dry, before transferring your clothes to the massive shared dresser splitting the room.

Your heart pangs, watching the girls giggle and recount their time apart, wondering if you’ll even be around long enough to truly belong in their cherished circle. 

The rest of the morning passes quickly in a haze of chores and anxiety. After hastily stuffing all your clothes into the dresser, you grab your well-loved hat off your nightstand, the five of you meandering to the barn for lunch. 

You gobble down fish tacos and mango salsa (you’re exceptionally impressed by the fare) and chatter excitedly about the latest season of a popular television show. Eventually Mabel rumbles along, shooing you off to the paddock.

You’re delighted to meet your horse for the season, a black and white spotted Appaloosa mare named Lady, who nuzzles your hair affectionately as you tack up. Your fingers brush gently along her sleek coat as you talk softly, reassuring her. 

You don’t envy the other new wrangler, Jason, who chases his horse around the paddock, desperately trying to mount up.

You fit your boot in the stirrup, grunting softly as you swing your leg over Lady’s back. Her mane is soft against your fingers as you stoke your hand along the back of her neck. You squeeze her gently with your legs, clicking your tongue as she walks through the paddock gate and out onto the dirt lane.

You wait there patiently, feeling Lady shift beneath you as a balmy breeze rustles your hair.

Once all 8 wranglers are mounted up, you spur Lady into a trot, following Mabel down the dusty lane. The thud of galloping hooves fills the air as the group meanders down the wooded path. 

After a few minutes, the tree line breaks, revealing a breathtaking view of the Tetons in the distance. The path continues down a steep incline and you pull on Lady’s reins, slowing her into a walk.

Lady carefully picks her way down the hillside, yellow flowers and greenery brushing her strong legs. Buckley, the ranch dog, weaves between the horse's legs, trotting alongside the group between sniff breaks.

You find yourself riding behind Marge, carefully following her lead. You gaze in wonder at the scenery, taking in the babbling creek running through the valley on your left. When you look down the hill, you see three dark shapes moving in the distance.

“Are those black bears?” you call to Marge. 

Except she’s not the one who answers. 

“Yup. But they're not the ones you need to watch out for.”

A young man pulls his horse to walk alongside yours, ashy blond hair flopping into his eyes. He fixes you with a magnetic smile, revealing pointed incisors. You find yourself pleased with the view.

“And what should I be watching out for?” you shoot back playfully, raising an eyebrow.

His eyes glimmer with satisfaction at your response.

“Well, the snakes, of course,” he quips matter-of-factly, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

You scrunch your nose up; you hate snakes.

“I do my best to avoid them.”

He eyes you curiously, seemingly to regard you as a novelty. The corner of mouth quirks up.

“I don’t think we’ve met,” he remarks. “I’m Brett.”

You offer your name, liking the sound of him repeating it. You tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear shyly.

Brett has the kind of warmth that draws you in, makes you feel chosen. Like any joke you tell him is the most hilarious line ever uttered, any story you share, perpetually interesting.

The steep wooded incline lets out onto an expansive plain, short grass shuddering in the light breeze, the jagged surface of the distant mountains illuminated in the afternoon sun.

“You coming to the bonfire tonight?”

You chuckle sheepishly, “What bonfire?”

“What bonfire?” he jokes exasperatedly, clutching his pearls. 

You can’t stop the giggle that escapes your lips at his theatrical movements.

Marge suddenly appears on your other side, having slowed her steed to walk parallel to your’s and Brett’s. 

“We’ll be there,” she snaps testily, an air of impatience in her voice. “You just can’t help yourself, huh?” She narrows her eyes accusatorily. 

“Nice to see you too, Margaret,” he jibes, entirely unfazed by her irritation. 

Marge’s returning stare cuts like a knife. Brett tips his hat with a smirk to Marge and a wink to you, spurring his horse towards the front of the group.

“What’s that about?” you murmur curiously to Marge.

She looks at you thoughtfully for a minute, as if she’s mulling something over. An unreadable expression swims behind her eyes.

She sighs, “Just…be careful.”

Her reaction arouses your curiosity. Knowing this isn’t the time or place to push for details, you simply answer, “Okay,” and decide to ask her about it later.

Your horses amble along the plain as the sun beats down, the unforgiving heat prompting sweat to build on your forehead. A herd of bison graze the distant grassland, a speckle of dark hides dotting the expanse.

The group continues on for another mile, completing a full circle and arriving at the dirt lane leading to the barn. Lady ambles into the paddock with a huff. Your jeans are moist with her sweat, dust coating your damp face. 

After carefully de-tacking and giving Lady a gentle brush, you meet Marge at the paddock gate.

“So, about this bonfire,” you start casually, crossing your arms and leaning your hip against the fence.

“Do we have time to shower first?”

The annual bonfire night at Teton ranch is regarded as a rite of passage. The entire staff gathers to celebrate the beginning of the season and the last days before guests arrive; drinks flow, blunts are passed around, questionable choices are made. 

You’re told Mabel never attends, choosing to turn a blind eye to the shenanigans her employees get up to. To your surprise and dismay, Marge tells you that Joel is usually in attendance, to keep the staff from doing anything truly stupid, citing legal liabilities as his primary motivator.

The firepit is nestled in a clearing of pine trees, golden lights strung between trunks, casting the space in a warm glow. Navy adirondack chairs and long wooden benches circle the sizable stone firepit, flames cracking merrily, glowing sparks drifting into the night sky and the stars beyond. You’ve never seen so many stars in your life, your view completely uninhibited by clouds or light pollution. 

The familiar smell of campfire smoke drifts past you on the breeze. Raucous laughter rises above the chatter, the melody of soft guitar strumming meeting your ears.

It seems you and Marge are the last to arrive, your hair still wet from the shower, dampening the back of your sweatshirt. 

The festivities are already in full swing: Jason, Brett, and a few on the housekeeping staff toss bean bags in a cornhole match, cries of victory rising above the din. Maddy is laser-focused on a game of beer pong, amber liquid dripping down her chin as she throws her head back, downing a red solo cup. 

She slams the cup down with a crunch, eyeing her opponent smugly. You catch a whiff of weed drifting over from a group gathering around the firepit, the scent making your brain fuzzy.

You snag two seats at the end of a long bench, Marge sandwiching herself between you and one of the kitchen staff, a girl named Alice. Marge, the ever-extroverted butterfly, immediately launches into conversation with her as your eyes gaze around the space.

You can vaguely make out Claire leaning against a tree, just outside the circle of firelight, twirling her hair flirtatiously as she chats up one of the kitchen staff.

Your heart stutters as a dark figure emerges from the trees, a pack of beer hanging at his side. A few people call out to Joel in greeting, to which he offers a tightlipped smile, before stalking off to drop his offering at the drink table. You eye him cautiously across the space, feeling queasy with the knowledge that you need to find a way to talk to him. 

He rips open the cardboard of the beer package, dropping the cans one by one into the ice bucket. You watch as he leans back against the sturdy wooden table, arms crossed as he surveys the commotion. 

You feel like you’ve been caught doing something you’re not supposed to, the noise of the party falling away when his eyes meet yours across the clearing. Your breath hitches as you maintain his stare, your palms sweaty despite the cool evening.

Your mind strays to this time last night, when you were staring at a stranger across the bar, none the wiser to the absolute mess you were setting yourself up for. 

And like last night, Joel doesn’t look away, entrancing you in his stare, making the rest of the world fall away.

“He-llo ladies.”

A voice cuts through your trance, tearing your gaze away from Joel. Brett grins down at you elatedly, standing with his back to the flames, casting his outline in an orange glow.

“Thought you were never going to show up,” he chuckles lightheartedly, taking a swig from the beer can held between his fingers. 

His easy charm and energetic presence draw you in. You can’t help but smile back.

“I was just grabbing some drinks for those monsters,” he jerks his head back towards the cornhole match. “You guys want a drink? Marge? Alice?” he offers, extending the beer can towards them.

“I’m good,” Marge grunts shortly, crossing her arms. 

Just like this afternoon, Brett seemed entirely unconcerned by her reaction. He simply looks toward Alice.

“Sure,” she pipes up, fixing him with a sweet, flirtatious smile.

“Hey, wanna give me a hand?” he says, looking at you.

You’d rather go anywhere but the drink table right now, given a certain someone brooding beside it, but you can’t say no without looking rude, so you answer, “Yeah, sure.”

You and Brett pick your way carefully around the campfire, making sure not to step on any toes as you sidle around the benches and chairs. 

“So, what do you think about the ranch, new girl?” he asks conversationally.

You’re barely focusing on what he’s saying, painfully aware of every step drawing you closer to the one person you don’t want to see.

“Yeah, it’s–uh–great,” you mutter distractedly, fiddling with the hem of your sweatshirt.

He takes your unease for ennui, grinning jovially, “Ah, cheer up.” He continues comfortingly, “It takes a bit of getting used to.”

You simply nod, your heart pounding in your chest as you approach the drink table; it stands just outside the glow of string lights, silhouetting Joel as a brooding figure in the dark. 

He’s still leaning back against the table, arms crossed casually as he surveys the party. He’s wearing a blue checked flannel tonight, sleeves rolled up over his tan forearms. 

You avoid his eye as though he were Medusa.

You’re torn about how to approach Joel. Logically, you know you should just talk to him. That would be the mature, adult thing to do. But every time he’s near you, or looks at you, you forget how to breathe, any rehearsed speech swept from your mind.

Brett, oblivious to the war raging in your mind, adds, “You’ll adjust.”

It takes you a second to even remember what he’s talking about. You just nod and give him a tightlipped smile.

You feel as though you’re watching a slow motion horror movie as Brett walks up to Joel, greeting him enthusiastically. 

“What’s up, boss man?”

Joel doesn’t return his smile, just murmurs, “Hi Brett,” as he takes a sip from his beer can. His eyes flit briefly over to you, making your heart jump uncomfortably. 

Joel seems to like Brett just as much as Marge. Unlike all the other staff, Joel doesn’t seem to have a great fondness for him. Whereas everyone else greets him with a smile or warm glance, Joel regards him with an unenthused, if a bit irritated, expression.

“Just grabbing some drinks,” Brett carries on, fishing cans out of the large ice bucket. “What are you drinking?”

“Beer,” Joel says curtly.

Just then, someone shouts Brett’s name over the din, motioning with an impatient hand for him to rejoin the cornhole game.

“Brett, it’s your turn!” Jason calls impatiently. “C’mon man!”

“I’ll be back in a few,” Brett grins apologetically to you, jogging off towards the cornhole match.

You’re mortified when he leaves you alone, standing awkwardly next to Joel. Your heart races, thudding loudly in your ears.

You take a shaky breath, rallying your last ounce of bravery. You have half the mind to just walk away and accept your fate.

All of the sudden, he pushes off the table.

“I’m gonna grab some more firewood. Give me a hand?”

You’re shocked that Joel is talking to you, let alone acknowledging you, and shocked further still when his hand closes around your arm, pulling you along with him before you can disagree. 

It's dark enough that no one notices as he drags you towards the large metal shed at the far end of the clearing, situated just out of the glow of firelight. His grip is firm enough to keep you from shaking him off, but not so rough as to hurt. You allow him to drag you along, heart hammering anxiously in your chest. 

He pulls you around the corner, shielded from the view of any curious onlookers. The moment he releases your arm, you round on him, blabbering ceaselessly.

“Please let me stay I need this job.” The words spill out of your mouth in one breath, the words running together in a desperate mumble. You don’t give him a chance to speak before plowing on, “You won’t even know I’m h—”

“What the hell are you goin’ on about?” he interrupts you, eyebrows knit together in confusion. 

He stands an arms length away, face silhouetted in darkness against the distant firelight at his back. He crosses his arms in front of his chest, staring down his nose at you.

A cool breeze whispers across your skin, ruffling the trees next to you and prompting goosebumps to appear on your skin. You shiver and wrap your arms around yourself.

“Aren’t you going to fire me?” you ask tentatively, hoping you’re not putting the idea in his head.

“Fire you?” he echoes incredulously.

You pause, unsure of how to go on. You thought your exit from the ranch was a done deal. His confusion sparks hope in your chest.

“I thought that…” you trail off. 

“The season starts next week,” he hisses impatiently, like you’re a child failing to grasp a basic concept. He gives an exasperated sigh. “I ain’t got time to find another wrangler before then, so you’ll have to do.” 

His eyes sweep over you with disgust.

His contempt stings like a slap to the face. You can’t believe the contrast between his sweet words and gentle caresses of last night. In this moment, you regret ever smiling at him, ever letting him touch you. 

You can’t stand the way he’s treated you today: the loathing glances, blatantly ignoring you. Yet he somehow has the audacity to talk to you as if you’re irksome, as though you’re less than him, when he was just as much of a willing participant last night as you were.

Your skin simmers with barely leashed rage, anger clouding your mind as you spit, “Are we gonna talk about last night?”

His nostrils flare, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

“There’s nothin’ to talk about.” His gaze is cold and hard, chilling you to the bone.

“Oh really?” you snark derisively, eyebrows raising as a dangerous smile plasters your face. “You sure had a lot to talk about when you had your hand—”

“Nothin’ happened,” he cuts you off again, as though if he says it with enough conviction, it will be true.

Or maybe that’s actually how he feels. Maybe last night didn’t mean anything to him. Maybe that’s a typical Friday night for him. Disgust seeps through your veins at the thought of just being another notch on his belt.

You stare at him, shocked and speechless. 

“You’ll go about your business. I’ll go about mine,” he huffs sternly, “We clear?” 

He points his finger at you for emphasis, and you contemplate biting it off. His shoulders are rigid, white-hot tension emanating from him in waves. 

You continue to stare at him in disbelief until he repeats, his words coming out rougher this time, “Are we clear?”

Perhaps you should be groveling with appreciation. You were desperate to keep your job, after all. But the sting of feeling used and discarded, talked down to by a man who worshiped you not twenty four hours before; it fills your head with a droning roar that no sensible thoughts can make themselves heard over. 

He is a stain on the pristine vision of your Wyoming dreams, tainting your summer of freedom with his unbidden presence. Rage, vindictive and ugly, roils in your gut, demanding justice. You hate him for what he’s ruined.

“Sure thing, boss,” you spit with as much venom as you can muster. Your hands are clenched tightly into fists, fingernails leaving stinging half-moon indents on your palms.

Joel’s eyes darken at your sarcastic tone. You glare at each other, chests heaving in the intensity of the moment.

In a motion so brief, you’re almost certain you imagined it, his eyes dip to your lips, immediately flicking back up to meet your simmering gaze. You despise yourself for the way your stomach flutters as he looks down at you, for the heat stirring in your core as his musky scent reaches you on the night breeze.

Desperate to salvage what’s left of your dignity, you sidle around him with your head held high. You march towards the firelight and cacophony of voices, leaving Joel standing alone in the dark.

Chapter 3