Except he didn't believe it. Not for a second.
Because the moment Vanessa Baldwin had opened her front door and looked at him with those green eyes, a puzzle piece he hadn't known was missing had slid into place.
And if she called tomorrow and offered him that room, he was going to take it. Not because it made sense or because it was the smart choice or because it fit into any reasonable plan for his life.
But because walking away from whatever this was, whatever crazy, impossible thing had happened in the span of half an hour, felt like the biggest mistake he could possibly make.
So he'd take the room. He'd pay his rent and try not to stare at her over morning coffee and do his best not to make her regret taking a chance on a cowboy with a broken ankle and no permanent address.
And maybe, just maybe, he'd figure out how to convince her that some risks were worth taking.
Even the ones that scared you most.
Chapter 3
Vanessa
Vanessa stared at the three names and phone numbers written in Dustin's surprisingly neat handwriting, her coffee growing cold as she debated whether to make the calls. She'd been sitting at her kitchen table for twenty minutes, phone in hand, trying to convince herself this was just standard due diligence and not an excuse to learn more about the man who'd scrambled her brain yesterday afternoon.
The smart thing would be to call the insurance adjuster first. Get his information, set up an appointment, choose the safe option. But every time she looked at his business card, she thought about Dustin's smile and the way he'd looked at her house like it was special instead of just adequate.
The way he'd looked at her like she was special.
They'd spent half an hour together. Half an hour, and she was sitting here at her kitchen table feeling like a lovesick teenager instead of a twenty-nine-year-old woman who should know better.
Her laptop chimed with another job rejection email.Thank you for your interest in the position. While your qualifications are impressive, we've decided to move forward with other candidates.She deleted it without reading the rest and dialed the first number on Dustin's list before she could talk herself out of it.
"Campbell Ranch, this is Roy."
"Mr. Campbell? This is Vanessa Baldwin. I'm calling about a reference for Dustin Fleming."
"Dustin? Hell, he's a solid guy. What's he gotten himself into now?"
Solid guy. The man who'd filled up her living room yesterday was definitely more than solid. "He's applied to rent a room from me. I just wanted to check on his reliability as a tenant."
"Always paid his rent on time, kept the place clean, never caused any trouble. Only reason he left was because he needed to be closer to the circuit."
"The circuit?"
"Rodeo circuit. He's got talent, real talent. Been watching him compete for about five years now, and he's got the kind of natural ability you can't teach. Shame about the ankle, but he'll bounce back. Always does."
She made notes as he talked, though what she really wanted to ask was whether Dustin had ever brought women around, whether he'd seemed like the settling-down type, whether Roy thought he was the kind of man who'd disappear in the middle of the night without paying what he owed.
Whether Roy thought Dustin might feel the same insane pull she'd felt yesterday.
"How long did he live on your property?"
"About eight months. Longest he'd stayed anywhere in a while, from what I could tell. He's not much for putting down roots, that one, but he's honest and decent. If you need a tenant, you could do a lot worse."
Not much for putting down roots. The words should have been a warning. Should have reminded her that getting involved with a man who didn't stay was the fastest way to get her heart broken. But instead, she was thinking about those eight months, wondering what it would take to make Dustin Fleming stay longer. Wondering if maybe she could be that reason.
After she hung up, she called the veterinarian.
Dr. Patterson was professional and direct. "Dustin's one of my favorite clients. That horse of his is his whole world, and he takes better care of Thunder than most people take care of their children. He's never missed an appointment, always pays his bills, and he actually listens to veterinary advice, which is rarer than you'd think."
A man who loved his horse that much. A man who took care of the things that mattered to him. Vanessa added that to the growing list of things she was learning about Dustin Fleming, the list that was making it harder to pretend she was making a rational business decision.
"He mentioned boarding the horse nearby."
