I chuckled. “I’ll be fine, I promise. He was only a dick at the beginning. It’s not like that anymore.”

“All right, I believe you. Just let him know I’ll kick his ass if he’s mean to you.”

I burst out laughing. “Pretty sure he would obliterate you. He’s a trained killer, genius.”

“Even so. The threat still stands.”

“Okay, superman, get your rest. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” I hung up the phone and bolted out of the bedroom. “Blake? Blake!”

I searched everywhere in the house and then headed out to the barn. When I saw Nightshade’s stall empty, I knew where he’d gone. I walked out and took up my usual spot on the fence. The sun was going down, casting a warm glow over the pasture. There were no loud noises or car horns, and the smell of the air was clean and crisp. I was going to miss it.

“He loves me, he loves me not.

Oh, how I wish I knew. We haven’t known each other long,

But when I’m with him, I feel like I belong.

He loves me, he loves me not.

My gray-eyed cowboy, I need to know.

Your heart may never be tamed, but I am not afraid.

Will you love me if I leave, will you love me if I stay.

Gray-eyed cowboy, please show me the way.”

The words flowed through my mind so easily, I completely immersed myself in them. It wasn’t until Nightshade whinnied in the distance that I was able to snap out of the haze.

Blake noticed me on the fence and guided Nightshade over, the hooves beating across the ground as they galloped to me. He had his hat so low over his eyes, I couldn’t tell if he was angry. The closer he got, the more tension I felt.

“How’s Nick?” he asked, voice clipped.

“He’s fine. Why did you leave? I would’ve ridden with you.”

He shrugged. “I needed time to think.”

“About what? You’re not mad that I talked to Nick are you? He’s my friend, Blake. That’s it.”

His jaw tensed. “That’s not why I’m pissed. I understand he’s your friend and you were worried about him. And I’m also glad to hear he’s awake, that’s great news. But you need to know, I don’t like to share. When you go back home, if you’re planning on parading around in front of the press with him, I don’t think I can do this. It wouldn’t be good for me or you.”

I nodded and lowered my head to hide my smile. He was jealous and I loved it. “Are you trying to say you want me to parade around with you?” I asked, meeting his gaze.

He huffed. “I don’t know what the fuck I’m trying to say. What I do know is, if we’re starting whatever it is between us, then we’re going to do it right. I want the whole world to know you’re mine.”

And I wanted the whole world to know he was mine. “Once all of this is over, you’ll get your wish. But right now, you owe me a shower, or two.”

He patted the saddle and reached for my hand. “Let’s go then. I owe you a lot more than that.”

Blake

Two Days Later

I didn’t like to consider myself the jealous type, but Nick was going to be a problem. Every time Hadley called, they stayed on the phone for an hour at a time. What made it worse was, she hadn’t told him about us. The guy probably thought he still had a chance with her.

“Ready for dinner?” she called out, strolling into the kitchen.

“Yep. Which is why I already started it. I got tired of waiting on you.”

She snorted. “I know what you mean. Nick could talk for hours if I let him.”

I finished chopping the potatoes and tossed them in the boiling water. “So when are you going to tell him about us? You’re leading him on.”

Sighing, she grabbed the lettuce and washed it off. “I’m not purposely leading him on. I just don’t want to tell him over the phone. I feel guilty because he’s in the hospital over me. Not to mention, my agent is adamant on me not getting involved with you.”

“Why, because she wants you with her brother?” I snapped.

She shrugged. “Could be. But she also knows what happens to couples in our situation. The media will try to rip us apart.”

“Only if we let them.”

“Which is why we’re going to be fine,” she said, stuffing a strawberry into her mouth. “But I’m warning you, you have no clue what you’re getting into.”

I leaned over and kissed her lips. “I’m a big boy.”

She giggled. “That you are.”

My phone rang and since Hadley was closest, she snatched it up. “It’s Robert,” she said, handing it to me.

“What’s going on, my man?” I answered. Putting him on speaker, I placed the phone on the counter and sat down. Hadley sat across from me.

“We identified the prints on the lighter. We’re searching for the guy now. It looks like he skipped town a couple of weeks ago.”

“Who is he?” I asked. Hadley perked up, chewing her nails as she listened.

“His name is Dane Privette.”

Hadley gasped. “Oh my God, I know a Dane. He works at the coffee shop I go to every morning. He’s always so nice. Every day, he’d have my order ready when I walked in. Do you think that’s him?”

“Yes, he works at the coffee shop off of fourth street. I’m sorry, Hadley. Sometimes you can never tell with people,” Robert added. “And judging by the surveillance tapes, he fits the build and description. I don’t know what he was doing at your house, but I’d have to say, it probably wasn’t the first time he’d been there.”

“Do you have any leads on where he went?” I asked.

“Yeah, his roommate said he was going to New York. We have people searching for him now. Don’t worry, we’re on his ass. He’ll be found soon.”

“Thanks, Robert,” Hadley replied. “What happens when you get him? Do I go home?”

“Hell no,” I cut in. “You’re not going anywhere, until I look at the case. Trust me, the wrong people have been accused before.”

“Which is why I’ll send you the files,” Robert offered. “I haven’t forgotten the day you were arrested for attempted murder. I knew someone had to fuck up big time to bring you in.”

Hadley gasped, but I shook my head. It was a long story. “Call me when you find him.”

“Will do.”

I hung up and blew out a sigh. “Go ahead. I know you want to.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it. “Have to say, it was a shock to hear you were arrested. But for murder?”

“Attempted murder. And believe me, it pissed me off when they brought me in. I was accused of shooting someone because the evidence had been planted in the trunk of my car. It’s a good thing I had video surveillance around my house.”

Her eyes went wide. “Wow, that’s crazy. Who did it?”

That was the worst part. “Someone I used to work with. He deceived us all. Ever since then, I’ve learned to be very careful on who I trust. You need to be the same way as well.”

“Does that mean I can trust you?” she asked.

As much as I wanted to say yes, I couldn’t. “That’s a decision you have to make for yourself.”

Hadley

A waiting game; that’s all it was. It’d been two weeks since they’d identified the owner of the lighter, yet they hadn’t found him. He was supposedly near New York, which was good because that meant he was nowhere near me.

Now that Dane was the prime suspect and the police knew who they were looking for, Felicity wanted me back home. However, I wasn’t ready to go back, not until they found him. Besides, Blake had been making sure to keep me busy . . .

“Your riding has gotten better,” he noted. We were nearing the barn from an afternoon spent on horseback. Snowflake was almost ready to be given back to her owners, which made Blake sad. He tried not to show it but I knew he’d grown attached to her, and her to him.