I don’t know how to answer. What are we, exactly? Colleagues playing a role? Friends out of necessity? Or something else—something unnamed that keeps growing between us with every glance, every touch, every shared moment?
Fate, apparently determined to complicate my life even further, chooses that moment to send chaos crashing back in—on four hooves.
Hamish and Rosita burst into the barn, Lachlan right behind them, shouting obscenities I’ve never heard him use before.
— Grab them! he yells when he sees us.
Without thinking, Alistair and I jump up, positioning ourselves on either side of the door to block their escape. The sheep, trapped, skid on the straw, slam into each other—and then charge straight into a stack of hay bales.
What happens next unfolds in slow motion. The stack wobbles dangerously—then collapses directly onto us.
In an instant, we’re buried under an avalanche of hay as Lachlan’s triumphant voice rings out:
“I’ve got them!”
I struggle to surface, spitting out straw and trying to get my bearings. A hand finds mine, and suddenly Alistair’s face appears inches from mine.
— Are you okay? he asks, his breath warm against my cheek.
— Aside from my wounded ego and hay in places I didn’t know existed? I’m perfectly fine.
A victorious bleat rings out, followed by Lachlan’s exasperated voice.
— You stubborn mule! he shouts—and it takes me a second to realize he’s talking to me, not the sheep. You could’ve caught them!
— Sorry! I shout back. I was a little busy getting buried under a mountain of hay!
I hear Lachlan storm off—presumably with the animals—and then there’s a moment of silence before Alistair and I both burst out laughing.
It’s uncontrollable, freeing laughter that shakes my entire body. Alistair laughs so hard he has to lean against me, his forehead nearly touching mine. I can feel the vibrations of his laughter through my chest, creating a kind of physical intimacy that should make me uncomfortable—but somehow feels completely natural.
— Look at us, I manage between laughs. Supposed to be respectable professionals, and we’re defeated by sheep.
— Lovestruck sheep, he adds, trying to catch his breath. The most dangerous kind.
— Who would’ve thought love could cause this much chaos?
The words slip out before I can stop them—and just like that, our laughter fades.
Alistair looks at me with a breath-stealing intensity. A strand of hay-laced hair falls across his forehead, giving him a vulnerable edge.
Without thinking, I reach up and brush the straw from his hair. My fingers linger, grazing his temple. He doesn’t move. Barely breathes.
— Keira, he murmurs, my name sounding like a question.
I don’t know which of us leans in first. Maybe it’s me. Maybe it’s him. Maybe it’s just the inevitable pull that’s been drawing ustogether from the very beginning, despite everything we’ve done to resist it.
His lips meet mine—and the world stops.
This isn’t like our almost-kiss at the lodge, cut short before it could begin. This is real. Tangible. Electric. His hands find my waist, pulling me closer, while mine slide around his neck like they’ve always known that’s where they belong.
The kiss deepens—more urgent, more real than anything I’ve ever known. There are no McGregors or McKenzies anymore. No contract. No façade. No game. Just Alistair and me, and this blazing connection that feels powerful enough to burn through every barrier we’ve built between us.
When we finally pull apart, breathless, I see the same stunned wonder in his eyes that I feel in my own. Like we’ve just discovered something both precious and terrifying.
— I— he starts, then stops.
— Don’t say anything. Not now.
