Mia couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. She looked over at Joaquin, saw that he was watching her. “This feels likeChristmas.”
He kissed her temple. “Hang on, angel, because it only getsbetter.”
He wasn’t just sayingthat.
Jack took them behind the cabin and onto a path that led through stands of aspen and snowy pines, the valley opening off to their left, mountains all around them, their snowy summits hidden byclouds.
“God, it’s beautifulhere.”
As they flew through forest, across meadows, around a frozen lake, and then down into the valley, Mia’s tension began to melt away, her mind empty of everything but the beauty around her—and the man beside her. His body was warm, his breath mingling with hers in a cloud of white, his scent mixing with pine, snow, and freshair.
Jack told them the story of the ranch—how his great-grandfather had bought this spread after World War I and raised his family here. “Nate is the fifth generation of Wests to work theranch.”
“That’s amazing.” Mia tried to imagine having such deep roots, having a place that told the story of one’sfamily.
They stopped a few times so Joaquin could take photos. Apart from that, he sat beside her, holding her hand, asking her if she was warm, pouring hot chocolate for her, laughing with her when a startled squirrel jumped from onePinus ponderosabough to another and brought a shower of snow down on theirheads.
She wasn’t used to being treated like this by a man. She wasn’t used to being the focus of such tenderness and concern. She wasn’t used to someone putting her first, as he had done time and time again this pastweek.
You’re falling in love withhim.
Adrenaline hit her bloodstream, made her pulsespike.
Some part of her tried to deny it, but she knew it wastrue.
Knock itoff.
What if she didn’t want to knock itoff?
“Look.” He pointed, snowflakes on his eyelashes, his cheeks almost as red from the cold as hers. “There, through thetrees.”
A moose grazed on aspen shoots, its head coming up as theypassed.
Yes, she was falling in love with him, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to do a damned thing aboutit.
They came to a stop outside the great house at noon sharp. A ranch hand took the reins from Jack as he climbed down. “I hope you’rehungry.”
Mia pushed aside the sheepskin blanket. “Starving.”
Joaquin helped Mia to the ground. “I only hope you made enough chili so that the rest of you can havesome.”
Jack led them through a heated garage into a mudroom that was about the size of Mia’s living room. “There’s a restroom throughhere.”
“Thanks.” Mia went to the restroom, then washed her hands and followed delicious smells and the sound of voices into thekitchen.
Jack was washing his hands at the sink, and Joaquin was talking to two women and a man with a scarred face who must have been Nate, the Marine who’d beenburned.
Joaquin saw her first. “This is MiaStarr.”
Nate walked over to her, held out a scarred hand. “Welcome to theCimarron.”
The half of his face that hadn’t been hurt was incredibly handsome, and she could see his resemblance to hisfather.
“Thanks for letting us stayhere.”
“You’re welcome. We’re happy to help out.” Nate motioned toward one of the women. “This is my wife, Megan. Our daughter Emily is at school right now. The boy with the messy face—that’sJackson.”
“You’re Marc Hunter’s sister,” Miasaid.