Page 14 of Forbidden Rancher's Return
"That's not what I meant."
I tilt my head. "Then say what you mean."
He looks at me the way he used to at the stream. Like the words cost more than he wants to pay.
"You always run toward trouble."
"And you always think you can stop it."
The wire hums between us. Tension pulled tight enough to snap.
"You going to run again?"
His jaw sets. "No."
One word. No explanation. Just the word sitting there like a stone that he means to leave in the ground permanently.
I push the last staple into the post. The fence stands straight again.
Rowan's hand rests on the top wire. My fingers still grip the wood.
The distance between us shrinks until I can hear the change in his breathing. Slower now, more controlled, like he's working to keep it even.
"You keep calling me sunshine."
His mouth tilts. The closest thing to a smile I've seen from him since he walked back into my barn.
"You keep answering."
"I told you to stop."
"You told me why."
I step closer. Just enough that the wire presses lightly between us. A thin line that doesn't stop anything.
"And."
"And I don't believe you."
The words hang there between us, rain sliding down the back of my neck, the storm easing just enough to hear each other clearly.
I should step back. I know that.
I don't move.
Neither does he.
Rowan's gaze drops to my mouth.
He doesn't ask.
He doesn't warn me.
His hand slides from the wire to my jaw. Rough fingers, warm palm. And he kisses me.
Not soft. Not careful. The kind of kiss that says I've been waiting eight years and I'm done waiting.
My hands hit his chest. Not to push him away. Just to hold on.
