“I remember that first winter here.” He let out a soft chuckle. “I thought my bones would never thaw.”
I squeezed his side lightly. “City boy.”
“Yeah, well. City boy who still can’t get your horse to let him ride her.” He gestured at Junebug. “Still convinced she’s plotting against me. Probably scheming how to get rid of me when you’re not looking so she doesn’t have to share your affections.”
“She lets you get away with most,” I said, unable to keepthe grin from my voice. “She likes you enough to let you feed her, and she won’t say no to you riding her if you’re with me.”
“Not exactly comforting. I want her to love me the way she does you.”
“Hudson.” I leaned down, close enough that my lips brushed his ear. A shiver ran through him. “Horses can smell desperation. She’ll come around when you stop trying so hard. Just let it be.”
He elbowed me gently. “All right, horse whisperer.” But he relaxed into me, and damn if it didn’t make me want to keep riding until the stars came out.
We cut south, Junebug carrying us easily, the ranch sprawling around us. The cattle grazed in the distance, heads lifting and lowering in a lazy rhythm. Everything was quiet so I could almost believe we were alone in the world.
I tugged on the reins, directing Junebug toward a stretch of open grass where she could graze. She slowed with a huff, grateful for the break, and I slid off first, steadying Hudson as he followed. The saddle creaked, leather brushing against denim. Then his boots thudded onto the dirt beside mine.
I looped Junebug’s reins around a low branch and gave her a pat on the flank. “Go on, girl.” She lowered her head and nosed at the grass, already chomping.
Hudson stretched his arms overhead, spine cracking, then let them fall loose at his sides. Although he’d been working the land for the past four years, he looked around like he wasn’t used to seeing so much space. I imagined it must be freeing for him, given he’d been locked up twice.
I stepped behind him, wound my arms tight around his waist, and drew him back against me. He didn’t resist, just melted, resting his hands lightly over mine. I kissed his neck.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“About this land,” I said, my voice quieter than I expected, “I’ve always known it would be mine one day, and I don’t mean just in the legal sense. Mine in the way you know every tree, every dip in the ground, every creek bed you nearly broke your neck in. I’ve been riding this land for as long as I can remember.”
Hudson tilted his head back against my shoulder. “You have your family’s legacy. That’s pretty cool.”
“I used to think about running it one day.” My throat thickened as I stared out at the cattle grazing for miles. “And about who’d be running it with me. Before you came along, I didn’t realize how goddamn terrified I was that to make my mother happy, I’d end up marrying some hoity-toity country-club-going guy with pocket squares and polished shoes, someone who wouldn’t know a fence post from a fence rail. Someone who wouldn’t love this place the way I do.”
Hudson’s laugh was soft, but he squeezed my hand. “So you settled for a city boy who nearly froze his ass off his first winter? Because I’m not much better. God, I hate to say this, but your mother would get along with mine so well.”
“Settled?” I pressed my lips to the side of his neck, right beneath his ear. “I got more than I ever thought I would.”
“You don’t have to be modest. You’re the catch. A nice dick, smart, kind, you have a fortune, and did I mention a really thick dick?”
I threw my head back and laughed. “Dick’s so good you have to say it twice, huh?”
“The best, but seriously, Matt, you’re a fucking catch. What do I have to offer you but my body? I have no special skills to bring to the table, a questionable past, and money woes.”
“Well, let’s see.” He took my hands and turned themover, running his fingertips over the calluses. “For one, you’re an honest and hard worker. You never complain, even when you work longer hours than everyone else. For that alone, I’d wed you in a heartbeat.”
He stiffened against me. Fuck. Had I scared him? But he had to know I was in this for the I dos and the matching wedding bands, right?
“But outside of that, you’ve brought the greatest joy in my life,” I said. “Just with your presence and Ivy’s.”
I wanted to tell him I would adopt Ivy one day, so we would all share the same surname, but I didn’t want to spook him. The last time I’d moved way too fast, not giving him time to catch up, and Hudson needed time. After all he’d gone through, it took him a little longer to let himself believe and be happy.
We stood like that for a while, wind tugging at our shirts, Junebug cropping grass a few feet away.
“Have you talked to her? Your mom?” Hudson asked softly.
The weight of the question hit me like a stone. I pulled back, shaking my head. “No. She’s called. Left voice notes. I erase them each time.”
“You’re not ready to forgive her?” he said gently.
“Not even close.” My jaw tightened. “She doesn’t get to waltz back in like nothing happened.”
