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Every step forith the baby inabout Nash was easy She could even trust that he wanted the in hiain before she could let herself go there She hoped he would take her conversation to heart and face those demons, as much as she hoped the feud between hiot anywhere being silent And if one thing was certain, it was that she would fight for her happiness On her terms

Right as she crossed over the creek, Nash trotted up next to her on Bentley He stared at her Hard

“What?” She laughed

A beat passed Then the side of his mouth curved “Is this what I have to look forward to? You pointing out the shit that everyone else tiptoes around?”

She gave a knowing look “Would you expect any different of me?”

He shook his head and exhaled deeply, resting his hands on the horn of his saddle He stared off in the distance before that intense gaze settled back onto her “This is tough forabout what happened It’s hard”

“I know it is,” she said gently, her heart leaping into her throat

So many emotions crossed his expression, it was hard to identify where his head was at But it was the acceptance in his voice that spoke volumes “I’ll tell you about all the shit that went doith the PBR Not right now But soon Can that be enough for now?”

She lost herself in the openness he offered They’d never been in this space before, and it was all she wanted and more “Not nowbut soon” Because that hat they needed Steps forward They didn’t need to be big steps, and she also didn’t need to have all the answers for what he planned for his future, but they needed to be real and honest steps She sh”

“Good” He nodded firmly

Right as her heart softened to hi He reached into the pocket of his Levi’s beneath his chaps “Nash,” he answered the phone Then the color slowly drained from his face “I’m on my way”

“What’s wrong?” she asked before he could even hang up

He spun his horse around and called to Beckett, “Walk the guests back We’ve got a fire at the ranch”

Audible gasps caaze on her “Stay here” Bentley shot forward at a full gallop