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When he pulls back, he looks at me with a war of unspoken questions written across his handsome face. He probably wants the same answers I do; what are we doing, where is this going…will I stay?

The truth is that I want to stay.

My desire to go back to California dwindles each day. But my life is there, my trainer, my best friend, Oakley. As much as my passion for show jumping has cooled, it’s still how I make a living for myself. My heart is at war with my head. The logical choice is to fly back to California next week and continue my training, to get ready for next year’s competitions. But my heart wants to be here, learning more about Hank and Otto, and seeing where this could go with Lincoln.

Lincoln slips back into bed and pulls me into his strong arms. I fall asleep against his warm chest.

I’m not sure how long I sleep before he gently wakes me. “I need to head out, okay? If I’m not home for dinner, Poppy will have questions.” He swallows. “I’m not quite ready to answer those questions yet.”

I nod, wishing he could stay all night, but understanding why he can’t.

I wouldn’t want to explain any of this to Hank, either. Not yet.

Lincoln grabs his discarded clothes and gets dressed, coming back for one last kiss before he steps into his boots and eases out the door.

I watch him go, a sadness tugging at my heart that I don’t quite understand. Grabbing my phone, I type out a text to Blair.

Hattie

SOS

Not even a minute later, my best friend’s face pops up on my screen with a FaceTime request.

CHAPTER 23

Lincoln

I walk into Porcupine Cafe just before six in the morning. Thankfully, they open at the ass crack of dawn here in ranch country.

Lanie is standing behind the counter, looking bored as hell while a man orders. The cafe is already bustling, full of local ranchers dressed for their workdays. Most are just grabbing a quick coffee, so several tables remain open.

The man ordering pays, then steps aside. Lanie’s bored expression brightens the second she sees me.

“Well, hey there, Handsome.” Lanie leans in, resting her hands on the counter. Her low-cut top gapes open, likely to show off an ample amount of cleavage.

But I keep my eyes trained firmly on her face.

“I haven’t seen you around lately.” She preens.

“Yeah, been busy on the ranch,” I say. “What’s today’s special?”

Lanie toys with a strand of her blonde hair, biting her bottom lip. “We’ll make you whatever you want.”

Peter pipes up from the back, his head peeking through the cutout in the wall between the kitchen and the front desk. “No, we won’t,” he grumps. “No offense, Linc. The special is a ham and cheese omelet with a side of grits.”

I tip my chin in thanks. Peter graduated high school with Owen and me. He moved back here after serving several years in the military. “I’ll take that, please,” I say. “And coffee.”

Peter salutes me with a tattoo-covered hand, then disappears.

Lanie, mildly annoyed at the interruption, punches my order into the machine and tells me the total.

Paying with cash, I smile politely and step away before Lanie starts flirting again.

I spot Owen already seated in the back corner of the cafe with a mug of hot coffee in front of him and head in that direction. The bell above the cafe’s door jingles, and Jackson strides inside, giving us a quick wave before getting in line to order.

Peter’s wife, Becka—another person I graduated high school with—small town—steps out from the swinging kitchen doors. She holds a pot of coffee in one hand and two mugs in the other.

Becka smiles at us, resting the mugs on our table. “I’m assuming Jackson is joining you both?”