“Don’t say it.” She closed her eyes and let out a breath. “God, Brodie, I’m trying so hard.”

That’s the problem. “It shouldn’t be this much work.”

“No, it shouldn’t.” When she opened her eyes, she gave him a sad smile. “I like you so much…well, I think I like the idea of you. I would love to be part of your family. I see you guys at the Tavern or the diner, your brothers with their girlfriends, and you guys just do everything so hard. You play hard, and you love hard. And…I really want you to love me like that.”

“I don’t know about the love hard part for me. I don’t think I’m like my brothers that way.” Except for Rosie, but she didn’t count because he couldn’t have her.

“I think you are. One day, you’re going to turn all that intensity on a woman, and she’s going to be the luckiest girl in the world.” She gazed out the windshield. “But it’s not going to be me.”

Brodie drove fast, the forest a blur of green and brown on either side of him. He made it back to Calamity in three and a half hours and dropped Vanessa at her condo. Only as he drove through town did he slow down. Was Rosie somewhere here on her date?

He thought about parking, storming into every bar, the Tavern, the diner, the ice cream parlor. He wanted to see her, knock the cowboy on his ass. He wanted to bring her home, so it was just the two of them. Just how he liked it best.

But he wasn’t an asshole. She was loving her freedom here, and she wanted to date.

Besides, what exactly did he want from her? He might be racing home to be with her, but nothing had changed. Unless he wanted to be her hot cowboy hookup.

He wanted more than that, but there wasn’t much more he could have. Maybe just to be with her until she left. Would she go for that? If he promised her it wouldn’t compromise their long-term working relationship?

Images assaulted him—his lips on her soft, sweet-scented skin, her hands grabbing his ass and squeezing. Excitement tore across him. Fuck, he wanted that woman.

Maybe he could bring it up. Come up with a contract that made sure both parties got what they wanted, and no one got hurt.

It was pretty much impossible to get hurt, since they both knew ahead of time there was an end-date.

He turned onto the ranch driveway, and as he waited for the gate to open, he nabbed his phone out of the cup holder. Scrolled through a bunch of messages that could wait till tomorrow. Nothing from Rosie. Damn.