I buried my fear of loss beneath the work of the ranch until Fiona stepped into the corral with her brother's future on her shoulders. Her curves and her fire make me ache to correct what no one else can touch.
She yields when I give an order yet fights the trust that would keep us both safe. The orphaned boy needs a guardian. Fiona needs the certainty only my hand can deliver across her bare skin.
My palm settles at the small of her back in the lantern light of the hayloft, skirts ready to lift, and I wonder if she will let me claim her or if this will cost me the family I have finally found.
