A brand-new truck sat outside my cottage, gleaming blue in the evening light.

I stopped dead in my tracks. Kameron leaned against it with keys dangling from his fingers, that infuriating grin spreading across his face as he watched my reaction.

“Kameron Banks, what have you done?”

“Before you get mad…” He pushed off the truck, hands raised in mock surrender. “It’s the one I mentioned. The blue one from Marysville.”

“You bought me a truck?” My voice came out higher than intended, caught between shock and something dangerously close to touched. “Without asking? Without even warning me?”

“Your rust bucket is officially dead, firecracker. The mechanic called it a lost cause and you need reliable transportation.”

He tossed the keys toward me and I caught them reflexively, the metal warm from his hand. “I can’t accept this.”

But even as I said it, I was admiring the truck—extended cab for the triplets, good tires, the kind of reliable vehicle I’d dreamed about but could never afford.

“It’s too much for a gift… And I won’t be bought either, Banks.”

“Then don’t consider it a gift.” His expression turned shrewd. “Consider it… ranch property. For the head veterinarian’s exclusive use. Technically belongs to the business.”

“That’s not how it works and you know it—”

“MAMA! Is it time yet?”

Lily came tearing around the corner of the barn, her face bright with anticipation. Luke followed close behind, clutching a small horse brush he must have found somewhere. Levi bounced beside them with barely contained excitement.

“Time for what?” I turned to Kameron, suspicion replacing gratitude.

“Colt told me about what happened with Levi at the stable fence the other day.” Kameron’s voice softened as he glanced at my children. “So I thought it might be safer to teach them to interact properly than to keep chasing them away from things they don’t understand yet. I offered to give them lessons.”

My maternal instinct kicked in immediately. “They’re five years old, Kameron. Too young for—”

“Just ground work,” he interrupted gently. “Basic safety, how to approach horses, reading their body language. Grooming, maybe. I’ll be right there the whole time, I swear it.”

“Please, Mama!” All three voices chimed together.

“We’ll be so careful,” Levi said earnestly. “We’ll do everything Big Kam says!”

My resistance wasn’t really anger. It was fear. Fear of them getting hurt. Fear of losing control over one more thing in my rapidly shifting life.

“One trial lesson,” I said finally. “But not today. You show me exactly what you plan to teach them first.”

“Yes!” Luke pumped his fist in the air.

“Thank you, Mama, thank you!” Lily threw her arms around my waist.

Kameron grinned and herded them back toward the cottage. “Come on, little ones. Cookies for everyone who washes their hands properly. Your mama needs some quiet time.”

They disappeared in a chorus of excited chatter, leaving me holding the keys to a vehicle I desperately needed but couldn’t afford to accept.

* * *

I left the main house with worry sitting heavy on my shoulders after checking father’s evening medication, only to spot Ryan’s cruiser near the barn.

He was talking with Colt, their conversation too quiet to hear, but my brother’s body language screamed discomfort. The moment Ryan saw me approaching, his face went pale.

He offered a rushed “Hey, Ivory” and practically sprinted to his vehicle.

Weirdo.

“What was that about?” I asked Colt, watching Ryan’s taillights disappear. “He looked terrified.”

“He came to see Stella.” Colt’s tone was carefully neutral, but I noticed how his eyes tracked over my face, lingering on my mouth. “They’ve been spending time together. He wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to fire her over it.”

“And?”

“Their personal life isn’t my concern.”

Something in his expression suggested there was more, but I was distracted by how the evening light caught his hazel eyes, turning them almost amber.

God, he was beautiful in that rough, masculine way that made my stomach flutter.

Silence stretched between us, but it wasn’t empty. It was charged, crackling with everything unsaid. I could feel his gaze on me like a physical touch, making my skin prickle with awareness.

“I’m glad you stopped avoiding me.” His voice dropped, intimate. “These past days without you have been… difficult.”

“I wasn’t avoiding you.” The lie tasted bitter on my tongue.

“Yes, you were.” He stepped closer, and I didn’t retreat. “I understand why. But I’m not sorry for what almost happened between us, Ivory. I’m only sorry we were interrupted.”

The memory of his hands on me—how close we’d been, how badly I’d wanted him to close that distance—made my breathing go shallow.

“I meant what I said—I’m here when you need me, Ivory.” The parallel to Kameron’s recent words wasn’t lost on me. “But I’m tired of pretending I don’t want more.”

Run, my mind whispered.

“Tell me what you need.” His voice was rough, commanding. “I want to hear you say it.”

My face burned, but the need overrode embarrassment. “Touch me. Please.”

“Good girl,” he praised, and the words sent a shock of pleasure through me.

His fingers found my clit, circling with perfect pressure, and my knees nearly buckled. Only his body pressing me against the wall kept me upright.

He slid two fingers inside me without warning, and a cry escaped before I could stop it. His free hand immediately came up to cover my mouth, pressing gently but firmly.

“Shh, baby,” he murmured against my ear, his fingers never stopping their devastating rhythm that had me climbing fast. “Can’t have anyone hearing you. Much as I’d love everyone to know who’s making you feel this good.”

I moaned against his palm, the restraint somehow making everything more intense. His fingers curled inside me, finding that spot that made my vision blur.

I was racing toward the edge embarrassingly fast, my body remembering his touch like it had been waiting six years for exactly this moment. He knew exactly how to touch me, how to drive me higher with devastating efficiency.

“That’s it, baby. You’re so close. I can feel it.” He increased the pressure, the pace, his fingers hitting that perfect spot with each thrust. “You’re squeezing my fingers so tight. Gonna come for me?”

I nodded against his hand, face burning with embarrassment at the admission.

“Let go. I’ve got you. Come for me, Ivory. Let me feel you fall apart.”

His words, his fingers, his nand on my mouth—it was too much. The orgasm crashed over me like a lightning strike, my body clenching around his fingers as waves of pleasure rolled through me.

I muffled my cry against his palm as he worked me through it, drawing out every aftershock until I was trembling and oversensitive.

When I finally came back to myself, he withdrew his fingers slowly and brought them to his lips. He tasted me while watching my face, his hazel eyes dark with want.

“I’ve missed this,” he said quietly. “Missed you.”

I couldn’t speak. Could barely breathe.

Colt kissed me again, and I tasted myself on his tongue. When he pressed closer, I felt how hard he was against my hip.

“I think about you constantly,” he said against my mouth. “Had to hide how much I want you more times than I can count.”

I wanted to yell at myself. Wanted to remember all the reasons this was dangerous. But my body was still humming, and the taste of him lingered on my lips.

I was breaking every rule I’d set for myself.

And I couldn’t seem to stop.