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Grant felt sucker punched and glared at his dad “Why didn’t you tellho to ruin them, but then Lottie left for Portland and told me I could follow or be divorced”

“I lea to stick around to watch your father work hi orth his health—not the ranch, nothing”

Grant couldn’t argue with that Lottie was right His dad’s health was more important than his former lifestyle, and Zoe wasorth losing Zoe Not the ranch, nothing Hell, it had to be love…nothing else could feel this damn scary

As she drove toward the Pattersons’, Zoe’sher conversation with Grant and his parents

Grant had advised her dad to sell, and she couldn’t blaht about it rationally He had been right She didn’t want to be a cattle rancher, and selling the ranch had been the only alternative that made sense for her parents What he and her parents didn’t seem to understand was her need to have been part of the decision—to have been legitimized as an important part of her family

But that had not been Grant’s choice She clutched the cold steering wheel tightly, ain She shouldn’t have run out of Grant’s house without talking out Roy’s revelation She’d left Grant believing she blamed him for her dad’s rejection, and she didn’t She didn’t even bla inside hiive her dad some credit She had been a difficult child for a rancher to raise She sht up She’d been too attached to the ani stories when she was supposed to be doing chores

It wasn’t Grant’s fault her parents didn’t see her as a contributing member of their family unit either But frankly that old pain had been well and truly superceded by a new one Grant’s advice to her dad only confirmed the lack of any hope for a future between the tolifestyle

He e left over fro hie to so

Zoe had spent the last four years running froer She loved that stubborn rancher-tycoonelse on earth, and she believed he loved her He couldn’t have made love to her the way he had otherwise It had been too reverent…too spiritual It had not been si his wife Telling hi cattle ranch was nothing in corim purpose as she turned into the Pattersons’ drive She had plans The Christ would have to wait Grant had invited her to spend the holidays at the ranch, and she intended to accept his invitation

Grant stood under the pulsing hot water, stea around him, and closed his eyes

Zoe had come back She’d shown up on his doorstep not two hours after she’d left She’d conificance in that, but he didn’t knohat She’d had all of her stuff too, not just a suitcase

He’d wanted to yank her into his arms and kiss her until neither of them could breathe, but she’d made it clear she didn’t want to flaunt the physical side of their relationship in front of his parents He would heed her wishes, but as soon as the household had gone to sleep he was going to Zoe’s roo down a dark hallway

He reached for the soap and touched a feminine hand instead “Let me do that”

He spun around at the sound of the soft female voice and ran into a lot more female flesh Naked female flesh He opened his eyes and blinked He rubbed the “Zoe?”

Soft, soapy hands started gliding over his torso “Who else would accost you in the shower?”

“No one” He reached out to touch her, trying to see her tantalizing body in the inky blackness “What happened to the lights?” His hand connected with resilient flesh and he cupped her breast, reveling in the feeling of her turgid nipple against his palm