My arms tightened around her slowly.
Carefully.
Like she was something fragile and priceless at the same time.
Rain tapped softly against the porch roof above us.
The ranch lights glowed across wet fields.
And for the first time in longer than I wanted to admit?—
I didn’t feel alone.
Flick’s fingers curled lightly into the front of my shirt.
“You’re shaking.”
I huffed a quiet laugh.
“Bullet wound.”
“No.” She tilted her head slightly against me. “Not from that.”
Damn.
Too observant.
Too honest.
I stared out into the darkness past the ranch.
“Shepherd says fear makes people weak.”
Her body went still, listening.
“He trained men to shut emotions off completely. No attachments. No hesitation.”
My jaw tightened hard.
“He thought caring about people made you vulnerable.”
Flick slowly leaned back enough to look up at me.
Soft brown eyes.
Rain-damp hair.
The most beautiful woman I’d ever seen standing in my arms looking at me like I was worth saving.
“What do you think now?”
I brushed my thumb lightly across her cheek before I could stop myself.
“I think he was wrong.”
Emotion flickered across her face instantly.
Because she understood what I wasn’t saying.
