GRIFFIN

“Morning.” I bent to kiss Winn’s head, hesitating before my lips could touch her hair.

She wasn’t my girlfriend. Other than her passing out on my chest after sex, we didn’t cuddle. We didn’t hold hands or go on dates. This wasn’t the first time I’d gone to kiss her good morning or goodbye, only to remember that we’d put lines in place.

Except in the past week, I’d spent every night at her place. There wasn’t an inch of her body I hadn’t tasted.

Maybe the lines needed to be redrawn.

F**k it. I brushed my lips against those silky tresses and moved to the coffeepot.

She looked up at me from beneath those long lashes. “Morning.”

I poured myself a cup, standing beside her as she leaned against the cluttered countertop. “What’s on deck for today?”

“Work. My day is slammed with meetings at the courthouse. You?” “We’re moving cattle today.”

These were usually my favorite days on the ranch, when I was in the saddle all day. I’d be up at dawn, itching to go. But I was already late to get started. The sun was up and I was sure the guys were already at the barn, saddling horses. Meanwhile, I was still in yesterday’s clothes and bare feet.

Every morning I lingered here, in Winn’s kitchen, for just a bit longer than the previous day.

“What are you doing this weekend?” I sipped from my mug.

“I’ll probably go and spend some time with Pops. Maybe do some work, and hopefully a piece of furniture or two will show up today.”

This was how our mornings for the past week had gone. We’d wake up early and she’d come out here and make a pot of coffee while I rinsed off the scent of sex with a quick shower. Then we’d stand in the kitchen, talking about our upcoming days, delaying the inevitable exit when I went my way and she went hers.

We had an unspoken understanding. She had her plans. I had mine. But later, we’d come together.

“I ran into Frank yesterday at the grocery store,” she said, glancing up. “And what did the asshole have to say?”

“Be nice.” She elbowed my ribs. “He was not overly happy to hear that we were sleeping together.”

“People are talking.” Just like I’d expected they would. Whether it came from Emily or someone else, it had only been a matter of time. “You good?”

“I’m good.” She nodded. “He asked if we were a couple. I reminded him that I was an adult, it was none of his business, and I could make my own decisions.”

I grinned and took another sip, wishing I could have seen Frank’s face when she told him to butt the fuck out. She might be one of the few people in this town not rattled by gossip.

Eventually it might wear on her. I’d dealt with it my whole life, but this was new to Winn.

“I’m not big on labels, but if you need one, if that would make it easier to field questions . . .”

She lifted a shoulder. “I just got out of an eight-year relationship. I think the only label I need right now is single.”

“Fair enough.” I’d gladly enjoy the hell out of the sex.

“But maybe we should put a limit on it. Just to keep the boundaries in place. Keep talk to a minimum.”

A limit? I hated this idea already. “To what?” “I don’t know. Once a week?”

I scoffed and took a drink. “How about you come out to the ranch tonight? There’s a lot less traffic going past my house than there is yours.”

“So that’s a no on the limit.”

I set my mug down, took hers from her hand and picked her up, earning a little gasp as I set her on the counter. Her legs were bare and the sleepshirt she’d pulled on this morning rode up those lean thighs.

“That’s a hard no.” I pressed in close, dragging my hands up her legs before pushing them apart so I could settle between them. My cock, in a constant state of arousal when it came to her, strained against the zipper of my jeans.

“What time do you have to leave?” She brought her hands to my cheeks, pulling my lips to hers.

“Later,” I murmured, letting her control this kiss.

Yes, I was busy. But somehow there always seemed time for this.

Her tongue dragged across my lower lip. Her taste, infused with coffee, broke on my tongue when she slid hers past my teeth.

My hands left her legs to unfasten my jeans. Then I pushed her panties to the side and drove into her tight body. “So. Damn. Good.”

Winn wrapped her arms around my shoulders and raised her legs, her heels digging into the small of my back. She clung to me as I drove into her again, skin slapping skin the only sound other than our ragged breaths.

We went for it. Hard. Whenever I thought to ease up, her heels would dig in deeper, urging me on. A whimper escaped her lips before her inner

walls fluttered. Then she came on a cry, pulse after pulse, her orgasm triggering my own, and we flew over the edge together.

I held her in my arms as the rush subsided, my nose buried in her hair. Her scent clung to my skin, and for a moment, I forgot what life had been like before this.

The sex. The heat. The woman.

Maybe we did need a limit. Every time we were together, I wanted two more. And one day, I was going to have to cut this off. Before feelings got tangled and we had a mess to unravel.

Maybe it was too late to avoid the mess.

I pulled free and tucked myself away, and this time when I met her brilliant blue eyes, I didn’t let myself lean in to kiss her goodbye. “Tonight.”

“Bye.” She shoved a lock of hair out of her face as she hopped off the counter.

I showed myself out of the house and the cool morning air felt crisp against my overheated skin. The drive home was quiet, the streets mostly deserted at this early hour. But when I got to the ranch, there was a bustle of activity waiting.

Five vehicles were parked in front of my house. Four belonged to hired men. One was my mother’s Cadillac.

I parked and hustled to the front door. The smell of coffee greeted me from inside, and I followed my nose to the kitchen, where Mom was staring out the window that overlooked the backyard.

“Morning, Mom.” I put my arm around her for a sideways hug. “You smell like a woman.”

“Because I was with a woman.”

She sighed. “From what your father says, Winslow Covington is a good cop and is good for Quincy.”

“I would agree.” I let Mom go and moved to the cupboard to pull out my own coffee mug and fill it from the pot.

“Are you—” She held up a hand before she could finish her question. “Actually, never mind. I don’t really want to know. I promised myself when you kids graduated from high school that I’d stay out of your love lives. And frankly, I prefer it that way.”

I chuckled. “What are you up to today?” “Hiding.”

“From?”

“Your father. He’s mad at me.” She blew out a deep breath. “We got into a fight about Briggs.”

“Uh-oh. What happened?”

“I went up to the cabin yesterday afternoon. I made a couple of pies and thought he’d like one. Griffin . . .” She shook her head. “When you told us about him, I believed you, but I didn’t think it had gotten that bad. I knocked on his door and he had no clue who I was. Not a damn clue.”

“Shit. Sorry, Mom.”

She sniffled and dabbed at the corner of her eye. “He’s my brother too. Has been since I married your father. Seeing him like that is heartbreaking.”

“I know.” I pulled her into my side.

“Don’t take your mind for granted, Griffin. Or your heart. They are your gifts. And they are not guaranteed from one day to the next.” She sniffled again, then held up her chin. Because that was my mother. She walked through life with her chin held high. “Your dad is in denial. When I told him what happened with Briggs, he didn’t believe me. He made an excuse that since I had my hair up, I looked different.”

“Yeah, he didn’t seem to believe me either.”

“When his father’s mind began slipping, it was devastating. To see it happen to his brother . . . I think he worries that maybe he’ll be next.”

That was my fear too. I wasn’t sure if I could handle it if my father looked at me and didn’t remember my name.

“We can’t leave this alone,” I said. Not only because he might cause himself harm, but because he might cause harm to others.

Over the past week, since I’d delivered those boots to Winn at the station, I’d thought a lot about this situation. Briggs had most likely found those boots while he was hiking. He’d always been disconnected from events in town, and even if he had heard about Lily Green’s suicide, I doubted he would have put the pieces together.

I’m sure he would have expected that she’d died with shoes on her feet.

Winn had told me they’d confirmed the boots as Lily’s.

But that outburst in the truck, when we’d argued over the month, had plagued me daily. Briggs wasn’t a violent man. Except there were times when he simply wasn’t Briggs.

Could he have stumbled on Lily? Could he have found her on Indigo Ridge and done the unthinkable?

No. Never. He wouldn’t have taken the time to remove her boots. No, she had to have done that. She had to have jumped.

Lily Green and Briggs Eden had nothing to do with the other. “Give Dad time. He’ll make the right decision.”

“He will.” She pulled away and poured the dregs of her coffee into the sink, rinsing it clean. “What are you doing today?”

“Moving cattle to the forest service.”

“Then I’ll get out of your hair. I just wanted to see your face. You’ve been scarce lately.”

“I saw you Tuesday.”

“For a whole five minutes to drop off the mail.” She turned and walked out of the kitchen, pausing before she could disappear down the hallway to the front door. “Bring Winslow around for dinner one night.”

“That’s not really our kind of relationship, Mom.”

“Oh, I’ve got a pretty good idea of your kind of relationship. But you can bring her by regardless. Your father speaks highly of her and I’d like to meet her. I suspect she’ll be part of this community long after you two quit one another. Covie is her only family left now that her parents are dead, and I’d like her to know that she’s got more than her grandfather pulling for her to make Quincy home.”

“Hold up.” There was a lot there to appreciate. My mother’s warm and inviting heart. But my head was wrapped around something else. “Her parents are dead?”

“For a couple of years now, I think. They were killed in an accident in Bozeman.”

But I’d just seen their photo in her office last week. I’d met them years ago at Willie’s when they’d been here to visit Covie. How had I been sleeping with Winn and not known that her parents had been killed? “I didn’t know.”

“Covie didn’t talk much about it. He didn’t tell many people in town that they died.”

“Really? Why?”

“He lost his son and his daughter-in-law. I believe they were very close. We all handle our grief differently. I think Covie went through a period of denial. Pretending life was the same was his way of coping. And he spent a lot of time in Bozeman with Winslow. He mentioned to your dad once that she was having a hard time.”

What the actual fuck? I hated that my mother knew more about this than I did. Why hadn’t Winn told me? Maybe she’d suspected that I already knew. Still, not a hint that they were gone. In fact, she hadn’t spoken much about her parents other than to remind me that her father had grown up in Quincy.

I opened my mouth to ask Mom more about it, but the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it.” She disappeared down the hallway, and when the door opened, I recognized Jim’s voice.

“I think he was just grabbing a cup of coffee,” Mom said. “Griffin?”

“Coming.” I chugged the rest of my cup, then strode down the hallway and out the door, where my men were waiting.

After grabbing my favorite Stetson, I waved goodbye to Mom and headed for the barn. Everyone had saddled their horses, so while they visited, I made my way to Jupiter’s stall.

“Hey, fella.” I ran my hand over his buckskin cheek, letting him nuzzle me for a moment before I went through the motions I’d done a thousand times, combing him off before strapping on his saddle.

Jupiter had been my horse for the past decade. He was the best I’d ever had. Strong and confident with a tender heart. On days I needed to clear my head, he’d do it with me. We’d ride off through the valley or into the forest and I’d unload the burdens with the steady sway of his canter.

I led him from his stall, snagging my favorite pair of chaps from a hook on the wall, then together we walked into the sunshine. “Ready for a long day?”

Jupiter answered by nudging my shoulder.

I grinned, ruffling the black tuft of hair between his ears. “Me too.”

As promised, the day was long. We rode for miles, moving the cattle into their summer grazing home in the section of the mountains that we leased from the forest service. The animals would have more grass than they could consume, and with them there, they’d help alleviate the risk of a forest fire.

On the return trip, I broke apart from the guys. They headed to the stables at Mom and Dad’s place, where they all kept their horses. It was a benefit of working on our ranch—free boarding. While I continued on alone to my place.

Home was a happy sight.

So was the woman standing beside her Durango in my driveway.

I swung off Jupiter, my legs stiff as I walked to Winn. Wearing a pair of jeans and a simple sage-green blouse, she was breathtaking.

“When I show up here, I’m going to need you to be wearing that.” She pointed from my hat to my chaps to my boots. “Every time.”

I chuckled as she moved into my space. “I’ve been in the saddle all day.

I smell like a horse.”

“I don’t care.” She stood on her toes, going for my lips.

I bent, ready to take her mouth, when my horse shoved his nose between us. “Do you mind?”

Winn laughed. “Who’s this?” “Jupiter.”

“Jupiter. Interesting name for a horse.”

“Eloise named him. Dad bought eight horses ten years ago. She was into some science project for school about the solar system, so she named them all after planets.”

“I like it.” She reached up, hesitating for a second before touching his cheek. “Hey, Jupiter.”

He nuzzled her palm. My horse was as smart as they came. He knew quality attention when he got it.

“Let me get him put away. Head on in. Make yourself at home.” I took the kiss I needed, then winked and escorted Jupiter to the barn. After getting him settled, I returned to the house, finding her on the porch, rocking in one of the chairs.

She had a beer in her hand and another ready for me. What a sight she was.

Most days like this, I’d come home to an empty house and pray that no one showed up at my doorstep. I craved the time alone, the time to decompress. But I hadn’t had a night alone in a week. And at the moment, I didn’t want one.

“I figured you’d want one of these.” She motioned to the beer as I walked up the porch.

“Yeah.” I sat down, tipping the beer to my lips and quenching my thirst.

She took her own drink as her eyes raked over my legs. “You are sexy on that horse, cowboy.”

“What’s it going to earn me?”

“Take a shower and you’ll find out.”

I laughed, leaning over the arm of my chair and waving her closer. Then I fit my lips to the corner of her mouth before I left her on the porch and went inside to shower.

With a towel to my hair and wearing only a pair of jeans, I came out of the master bedroom and checked my phone.

I’d missed seven calls, and a dozen texts waited to be read. They were all from family members, and though I should find out what was happening, put out whatever fires had started today, I ignored it all and went in search of Winn.

I’d expected to find her inside, but through the glass windows in the living room, I saw her sitting in the same porch chair, rocking gently as her eyes stayed glued to the trees and the mountain peaks rising beyond.

She looked at peace. Maybe more at peace than she’d ever been, even in sleep.

My heart skipped. The towel fell from my hand. My hand came to my sternum.

She was perfect in that chair.

So beautiful I wanted this view every night.

F**k. We were supposed to burn out. We should have burned out already. I needed it to burn out. My focus had to stay on this ranch. On my family.

Yet it didn’t stop me from walking outside, picking her up out of that chair and carrying her to my bedroom.

We would burn out. Just not yet.