The proposal didn’t feel romantic. It felt... scheduled. Like checking something off a list. Practical. Efficient. The kind of marriage where I’d keep the floors clean, the fridge stocked, the bed warm when he finally made it home. Declan’s a good guy. Steady. Kind, in his own way. But he’s simple. He doesn’t dream big. Doesn’t chase more. And there’s never been passion between us. Not the kind that grabs you by the throat and won’t let go. Nothing like the passion I’d felt after my wild night together with Hayes.
Worst part? Declan never once noticed that I’m built for more. That standing still has never been my thing and I’d been unhappy floating between all my family businesses and itching for a change. So, I couldn’t stay how things were. I needed more.
I want a family, yes, but I also want a love that burns bright and wild for my kids to witness. Something passionate. Uninhibited. The kind of love I’ve only ever seen from the outside looking in.
I see it in Molly and Colt. I see it in Rae and Cash. Even Troy has it with Georgia—the love of his life, the woman who softened his edges and brought him back to us in North Carolina, out of his structured and stuffy world living in New York City.
Troy always told me I deserved the world. Practically raised me like a second father, with the thirteen years he has on me, and convinced me I should never settle for anything less. So, when Declan asked me to marry him, I knew I had to say no. Because the love I’m searching for? It’s out there. Waiting. Just has to be found.
My bike tires skid slightly as I hit the edge of Mrs. Mayberry’s property. The boundary line is marked by overgrown thistlesthat look more like flowers, swaying lazily in the warm breeze. The smell of her honeysuckle bushes propels me forward and I keep biking, only to notice her car isn’t in the driveway this morning.
She’s always said I’m welcome to come inside when she isn’t home, but I don’t feel right letting myself in today. Not when I’m still so frustrated with this situation. Instead, I turn toward the pond in the back, where the old oak tree and swing still wait for me like my closest friends.
Propping my bike against the tree, I slip off and settle into the swing, curling my legs beneath me. With one lazy push, I’m moving, the breeze catching my hair as I sway gently back and forth.
Tears well in my eyes as I take in the house and the land I’ve loved for as long as I can remember. I’ve been living at my dad’s house where I grew up for so long, helping him out and staying close just in case he needs me, saving every penny of my hard earned money from working in the Marshall businesses, but it’s time. It’s past time to get out on my own.
Cash is already breaking ground on his place, ready to move out with Rae. And Dad’s hinted more than once that I should talk to Mrs. Mayberry about purchasing the Manor. He knows how much I love this land. So, when she told me it was for sale, it felt like destiny. Like fate. And now, it’s slipping through my fingers.
I close my eyes, letting the breeze dry the tears threatening to fall, when the sound of a throat clearing snaps me back to the present. Startled, I turn quickly, my feet dropping to the cool earth below as my chest tightens when I see who it is.
“Hayes,” I gasp, clutching at my chest like that’ll steady my heart. “What are you doing here?”
He’s dressed in nothing but a pair of light jeans hanging low on his strong hips, and a white t-shirt that clings to his broad frame, a completely different look from how I saw him in the hospital yesterday.
God, he’s so handsome, in that way that brings me back to the first time I’d ever laid eyes on him in the rodeo arena. His light hazel eyes meet mine with curiosity as he steps closer, the crunch of his work boots drawing my attention to his feet. Massive, just like his cock was.
Don’t go there.
“Hi Regan. Thought that was you, but what I couldn’t get is why you’re sitting here,” he scratches at the back of his neck like he’s nervous and doesn’t know how to act. “Do you know Mrs. Mayberry?”
I nod my head. “Yes. I live next door. I was waiting for her to get home.”
His brows furrow like he’s still confused.
“My family’s farmstead is next door. The Marshall farm... I’ve known Mrs. Mayberry since I was a kid. I grew up visiting her,” I explain.
“Ah, I’m still new to town, so I haven’t heard about it.”
I nod, biting my lip, trying to keep my voice steady. “So, why are you here then?”
He sighs. “I made an offer to purchase the property. She turned it down because of some strange clause in the deed, but I’m here to see if I can convince her to reconsider by increasing my offer even more.”
His words hit me like a punch.
“You…” I gasp, stepping cautiously toward him. “You’re trying to buy her house?”Of course,he’s the handsome man Mrs. Mayberry said also put in an offer on her land. Well, shit.
He looks confused, like it’s no big deal and he can’t understand why that would be even slightly upsetting to me.
“Um, yeah. I am.”
“The front of the property is built and zoned to be a wedding venue. You realize that, right?” I press.
He shrugs. “But they’ve never done any weddings here. The place is zoned for commercial, and the barn in the back is perfect for the horses I plan to purchase. I’m going to use it as a boarding facility and get back into riding. It’s something I’ve missed ever since I got out of bull riding.”
“You… you want to destroy Mrs. Mayberry’s dream?” I clutch at my chest as I realize what that would mean for everything that she started here. It’s the equivalent of him wanting to bulldoze the place and put up a shopping mall in my mind.
He chuckles, shaking his head. “Damn, you’re really invested in her business idea too?”
