So there was nothing to do except for Jed to strip me of his t-shirt and take me back to bed. Eat lasagna he’d pulled from the freezer. Play fetch with the dogs. Make me come—without me touching myself—until I passed out in his arms.

I trusted Jed. It seemed ridiculous, but I set the true proof of that onto the fact that I gave myself over to him. Let go completely. Knew he’d catch me if I fell. He brought me to orgasm.

Just as he’d planned since he’d laid eyes on me at the wake.

The next morning Paul landed the helicopter in the field in front of the cabin, the blades whipping the tops of the pines and sending some of the wildflowers into the air. Every bit of tension Jed had lost from our day of isolation and sex was back. I was in my dress and heels from the day before, at least until we were on the ranch and I could change. Jed had taken my panties and wouldn’t give them back, so I was commando.

He had a gun tucked into the back of his jeans.

Now that I knew all of his truths, so much more made sense. His constant vigilance. His need for control. His protectiveness. If he had his way, I’d be handcuffed to the bed once again. Safe.

I loved being in bed with Jed, but I wanted to get to know him. If he liked crunchy or smooth peanut butter. Hell, if he was allergic to the stuff. I knew he was my man. Even after only a few days, I knew he was the guy for me. I wanted to be with him without any secrets. Without the past looming over us. I only wanted to look to the future. With him. However that would look.

If someone had told me my life would be like this a week ago, I’d have laughed. No way would I trust a man. Let one do the things Jed did. Tell me what to do. No, I’d have laughed not because of that, but because it made me hot.

And, of course, no way would I have even imagined Macon being dead. Maybe it was the one thing Macon did for me that was good.

Dying.

East hopped from the helicopter, bent at the waist to duck the low rotors, and came over to us. Jed tossed him his keys as East would drive Jed’s truck with the dogs back to the ranch.

The thing everyone agreed on was that I wasn’t going anywhere by car.