Her voice turned quiet. “I should have come to see you at the jail. I almost did, a couple times. But I was so ashamed of myself. I never dreamed you . . . well, that you’d leave and not come back.”

She said it without blame, but he winced anyway. Him either. Another impulse he wished he could take back, at least sometimes.

“When I heard you were back, I hoped that maybe you had forgiven me,” Echo said softly. “That I could explain to you what happened. But I don’t . . . I don’t expect things to ever be fixed between us, Dodge. Not really. I tore your future from you. And sure, I used to think that maybe, someday, you’d come back . . . but nothing has changed. I’m still stuck, and from my vantage point, I’m not going anywhere.”

She gave him a smile, something sweet, yet sad.

And for the life of him, he didn’t know why he reached out and touched her hand, squeezed. “As it were, it looks like I’m not either. At least for a while.”

She stared at him.

“Don’t tell anyone,” he added, “but we have to have six months free of accidents or we’ll lose our FBO license. I can’t let that happen. So I’m going to need to take over Sky King Ranch, at least for a while.”

She leaned back. “Dodge. You’re finally getting to run the ranch. What you always wanted.”

Huh. He hadn’t quite realized that, not until it tumbled from her mouth.

Shoot. Suddenly feelings, or maybe dreams, ignited that hadn’t been alive for a very, very long time.

He might call it desire, but it was deeper than that.

Home, maybe.

But, most importantly, almost all of those dreams included Echo.

He met her gaze, unblinking.

Maybe they could start again, right here, right now. Tonight.

And tomorrow they’d figure out the rest. “Echo—”

“Look.” Her gaze went past him to the window. “The aurora borealis is out.” She put down her spork and got up, opening the door.

The cold swirled in around her, but he followed, stepping up behind her. So close he could put his hands on her shoulders, turn her around . . .

Remind them both of what they’d walked away from. He could almost taste her lips on his, an old memory that sometimes haunted him with how real it felt.

Tonight, it could be—

What? No. Stop, Dodge.

He took a breath and looked out. Indeed, the sky washed with waves of light—lavender and mint, magenta.

“I never get tired of it,” she said. “This, I know I would miss.”

Aw, who was he kidding? “Echo?” He put his hand on her shoulder, turning her.

She looked up at him, and his gaze roamed her face. “Can I—”