Chapter 79

At the kitchen sink, Amy rinsed vegetables for tonight's stir-fry and gazed out the window at Nakos's yard while he showered upstairs. Wild and untamed, prairie grass glinted off the sun's rays and swayed with a breeze. Nothing but what seemed like miles of open land with the Laramie Mountains in the vast distance against a cobalt sky.

Since it was the weekend, he'd only been up at the ranch to check on things and tend to the horses. They had the rest of the day to themselves, and anticipation swirled in her belly. Nerves, too.

She recalled her conversation with Nate by the creek, had taken it to heart, and she'd been trying to let go of the past. He'd been right to call her out and lay an emotional gauntlet at her feet. At some point, she had to accept where fate was leading her. Little by little, she attempted to relax and go with the flow. See what happened. Open up. Nakos deserved that much. So hard, she wanted to believe she deserved a chance at happiness also.

Heat blasted her