“You looked good out there,” he said.
She turned toward him, but her body swayed before she could speak.
“Shannon?” His arms came around her, pulling her to his chest with quiet urgency. “You’ve gone white as a sheet.”
She tried to nod, but the pressure behind her eyes pulsed harder. Still, she forced a small smile, the kind that tried to deflect.
“I’m okay, Jamie. Don’t worry about it.”
“Don’t lie to me, love,” he said, one hand cradling the back of her head.
Jackson, ever the shadow at Jamie’s side now, let out a bark like he agreed with him.
“We’re going home. Now.” His words were clipped, final. “You and me. Pizza. Beer. Sofa. No yard work. No arguments.”
“I don’t know…” She sighed, her stomach churning and her head swimming.
Bucky stepped in and took Trixie’s reins from her shaky hand.
“I’ve got the yard sorted, Shannon,” he said, already walking away. “You pushing yourself like this won’t help anyone.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon, Bucky.”
Jamie stepped closer, crowding her space withoutsmothering it. His scent—mint, cedarwood, and something purely him, moved around her.
“No, you won’t.” He took her hands in his. “A weekend off means your sexy ass at home until Monday morning, doing nothing but resting and eating.”
He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek, the sentiment tender and commanding all at once.
“You’re mine to take care of, love. Remember?” he whispered, the words a vow. “And right now, that means stripping your schedule until you remember how to fucking breathe.”
Jamie didn’t need her to be strong. What he expected, though, was a full surrender. And deep down she accepted that in his arms, she wasn’t falling apart.
Rather, he heldher together.
“I know I need a few days off,” she admitted, brushing sand from her breeches, “but there’s so much to sort on the yard. I’ve a new client arriving tomorrow. They’re dropping off their horse. I need to be here in person.”
Jamie’s brow lifted, unimpressed. “I’m not asking you to take a break, ShannonStubbornColter. I’m telling you because it's what you need. I’ll arrange for someone else to greet the new horse. And I’m not taking no for an answer.”
She huffed, fingers curling into the fabric of his jacket as she pulled herself up on tiptoes and kissed the curve of his pout.
“You might be right,” she whispered against hismouth, “but I’m not taking a break just because you said so. Got it?”
She poked a finger into the solid wall of his chest, playful defiance in her eyes, even as her body leaned into his.
“A few days off…in bed…with a certain good-looking guy is my idea of rest. Strictly rest, of course. Nothing else.”
Her cheeks ached from smiling when his mouth curved into that slow, knowing grin, the kind that made promises without saying a word.
He didn’t speak right away. Just stared at her like he already knew how the next few days were going to go, and resting wasn’t part of his plan.
“I’ll grab some more stuff from the loft,” she said, pressing her forehead to his chest. “Meet you at the helicopter.”
“That’s why you like me, isn’t it? Because I know what’s best for you.”
She unclipped her safety helmet and pulled it free, shaking out her hair.
“Hmm…do I like you?” She puffed out her cheeks and released a slow, thoughtful breath like she had to think about the answer.
