Jace doesn’t step in right away, doesn’t override me or try to redirect her. For a second I think he’s going to let it go exactly the way I set it, which should make this easier.
It doesn’t.
Part of me is already bracing for the other shoe to drop, for him to push or argue or try to negotiate something that gives me a reason to tighten the line again. When it doesn’t happen, I’m left with a different kind of tension that sits deeper than I expected.
“Hey,” he says after a beat, his voice low enough that it doesn’t carry past us, and when I look at him, there’s something measured in the way he holds my gaze, something that tells me this isn’t casual. “Before you go… can I have a few minutes with her?”
The question lands between us, simple on the surface but heavier underneath. I feel my instinct kick in immediately, sharp and protective, ready to shut it down before I’ve even thought it through.
“No,” sits right there on the edge of my tongue.
So does yes.
Letting him show up instead of assuming he won’t.
Hadley looks between us again, quieter now, like she understands this part matters even if she doesn’t know why. The weight of that settles squarely on my shoulders.
I don’t like this.
Not the decision.
Not the way it feels like something is shifting whether I’m ready for it or not.
But I also don’t like what it says if I refuse him every time he asks for something reasonable.
“Five minutes,” I say finally, the words coming out steady even if they don’t feel that way inside. “Right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
Relief doesn’t flash across his face, which I half expected, just that same steady acknowledgment like he understands exactly what I’m giving him and what I’m not.
“That’s all I’m asking for,” he says.
I nod once, stepping back enough to give them space without leaving the barn, my arms folding loosely again like I need something to hold onto while I watch this play out.
Hadley shifts closer to him, already leaning into whatever this is becoming, and he lowers himself again, bringing his focus fully to her like nothing else exists for those few minutes.
And as I stand there, telling myself I’m still in control of this, still setting the pace, still deciding what comes next…
It doesn’t feel that simple anymore.
For the first time since I walked into this situation…
I’m not sure I’m the only one making the rules.
Chapter seven
Crossing the Line
Jace
The five minutes she gave me feels like both too much and not nearly enough. I don’t waste a second of it once Riley steps back, arms folded like she’s holding herself in place while she watches us.
Hadley looks up at me like I’m about to reveal something important, something only she gets to be part of. I can’t remember the last time anyone looked at me like that without expecting me to prove something first.
“Well,” I say, resting my forearms on my knees as I crouch in front of her again, keeping my voice low and easy, “we’ve got exactly five minutes to decide something very important.”
Her eyes widen instantly. “What?”
I lean in just a little, like I’m letting her in on a secret. “Whether you’re officially hired as the ranch’s head cookie security officer.”
