Page 142 of Colt

My heart dips. “It’s a new thing I’m trying out.”

“Yeah, well, I hate it.” He helps me up into the truck, then looks me in the eye, suddenly all earnestness. “You know I like it, right? So fucking much.”

I laugh, a swoop of joy moving through me. “I know.”

“There’s an old pole barn about a mile or so from here,” Colt explains as he puts the truck in gear. “It’s got the best views on the ranch. It’s also not being used right now, so we’ll have plenty of privacy.”

My body lights up. “I like the sound of that.” I turn my head to look at him. He seems…different. Lighter somehow.

Happier.

“You’re awful chipper today,” I say.

He adjusts his grip on the wheel. “I am.” A pause, and then he glances at me, his eyes more gray than green in the sunshine that slants through the windshield. “I apologized to Billie and Ryder. Had a good talk with her first about the whole thing, and she apologized too. Then went and saw Ryder. It went well.”

“What?” I sit up in my seat. “That’s amazing! Good for you.” I know what a big deal it is that Colt let his guard down like that.

“Felt good. And awful. But mostly good.”

“Holding a grudge is one of the worst feelings ever. It’s like cutting off your nose to spite your own face.”

He nods. “Yup. Forgiving them… I told her the truth. That I couldn’t be happy for them at first because I haven’t been happy myself. I said I still got work to do⁠—”

“And you’re doing it by opening up to the girl you hate.” I smile, a bubble of something good and warm expanding inside my middle. I reach across the console to pat his thigh. “I’m honored.”

His lips twitch. “You should be, Fort Worth. Have you talked to your mom at all?”

Colt knows my parents were not pleased that I chose to spend Thanksgiving on the ranch. We’ve actually talked a lot about my family dynamic and how different it is from his family’s warm, mostly sane approach to making family time happen.

I shake my head. “I’ve tried calling her, but she’s giving me the cold shoulder. I feel bad. I want to also, you know, draw some boundaries. Let this anger go, the anger I feel over…everything.”

“You ever thought about going to therapy?” Colt’s eyes find mine. “It’s helped me a shit ton. Maybe talking to someone can help you figure all that out. Because it sounds to me like you feel this need to always toss your mom a life preserver, but that’s not your job. Your mom is an adult. She’s the one responsible for keeping her own head above water, not you. And your dad…I mean, I doubt he’s ever going to change.”

Is there anything sexier than a man who gets it? Gets you?

I think not.

“I know,” I say thickly. “And I want to accept it. I know rationally that you’re right about all that stuff.”

“So talk to someone so you can start to internalize it. Want me to ask my therapist for a rec for you?”

Goddamn it, it’s like this man is on a mission to make me fall in love with him today.

“You really do mean business,” I say with a smile.

“Never did anything halfway in my life.”

“I’d love that, thanks.”

“Consider it done.” Colt uses the heel of his hand to put the truck in park next to a faded red barn with metal siding and a shallow roof.

We climb out of the truck. The barn sits on the rise of a yawning canyon, affording us spectacular three-hundred-and-sixty-degree views of the surrounding Hill Country. The size and scope of the Wallaces’ property takes my breath away.

I walk to the edge of the canyon and gaze out over the undulating hills. The leaves are really changing, igniting the landscape in fiery shades of deep red, orange, and yellow. Far in the distance, I see a cloud of dust billowing up against the horizon.

“That’s our herd of cattle.” Colt comes up to stand behind me. He presses a scruffy kiss to my bare neck, and I shiver. “Everybody out there was in good shape earlier, so I was able to sneak away.”

The throb between my legs becomes unbearable. Reaching behind me, I dig my hand into his wet hair. “You ever used toys before?”