A Cowboy Billionaire Best Friend’s Secret

(Brookside Ranch Brothers)

Hanna Hart

Book I

Copyright ©2019 by Hanna Hart - All rights reserved.

In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Epilogue

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About the Author

Chapter One

Hunter

“Hunter, we have a slight, teeny-weeny problem,” said Addison.

Hunter turned his attention to his assistant and offered her a wry grin.

“No problem that starts with a high-pitched ‘teeny weeny’ ever ends up being a small problem,” he laughed. “What’s up?”

Hunter Brooks was only twenty-six years old, but already found himself a business owner with a billion dollars in the bank.

His parents had started a wildly successful luxury ranch brand under the moniker Brookside.

After several years of running their ranch in Houston, his parents decided to make Brookside Ranch a chain and give one location to each of their children—and in a family of seven kids, their business venture soon turned into a billion-dollar brand.

Even though owning his ranch moved Hunter from his beloved Texas to a bustling mountain town in Wyoming, he loved it.

The dude ranch had winter and summer activities, along with a working cattle ranch, on-site steakhouse restaurant, shooting sports, hiking and horseback trails, archery, and the expansive list went on and on.

There was never a shortage of things to do on the ranch, which also meant there was never a shortage of problems.

Hunter followed Addison into the five-star restaurant he’d built on the ranch, and he was irritated—not shocked—to see the tablecloths were all spattered with what looked like a tie-dye pattern.

Spatters of circular purples and blues washed through the expensive linens, making them look like a rainbow ripple in a pond.

“Again?” he scoffed. “Seriously?”

“We called the supplier,” Addison said as she rubbed her arm. “They just moved into a new warehouse and they—”

“This is the third time!” he said. “We’re supposed to be a luxury ranch, not a hippie convent.”

Addison couldn’t help but smile at the comment. She was tall with mocha skin and thick curves. Hunter knew he wasn’t supposed to have office romances, but he couldn’t get enough of spending time with the girl.

“I know,” she agreed. “They said they’ll give a discount on the next order.”

Hunter sighed and pulled one of the tablecloths off of the table. Looks like they would be going with rustic wood tabletops for this evening’s dinner rush.

“Well, you can tell them that I don’t want a discount,” he said. “I want my money back. And a discount makes no difference to me if we keep getting our linens back looking like this.”

Addison looked curiously at the linens. She almost seemed charmed by them as she held them thoughtfully in her hands. She turned her brown eyes in his direction.

“They are pretty hideous,” she admitted, though he suspected she was just agreeing with him for the sake of it.

“No, no. Don’t get me wrong. I like the tie-dye,” he corrected with a smile. “But make no mistake, the customers will hate it. And unhappy customers mean unhappy reviews, and unhappy reviews mean—”

“That you won’t get to take me out Saturday night?” she said, taking a step closer to him.

Hunter slid his hand along the curve of Addison’s waist and felt his body grow hot.

“In a long, roundabout way—yes,” he said in a husky, teasing voice.

“Are you in love with me yet, Hunter?” she said, biting her lip.

He pinched his fingers together. “This close,” he said, and she laughed.

She leaned in and pressed her lips against his, pulling him into a secret kiss.

“You’re bad,” she whispered. “And what happens if you do fall madly in love with me, Hunter Brooks? What will we tell all of the other employees?”

Naturally, the pair had been keeping their new romance under wraps. By his family’s design, employee relationships were frowned upon—and rightfully so. Getting involved with his assistant would only prove to complicate the work life of both he and his employees, especially if he and Addison broke up.

Plus, his mother would kill him.

Then again, his mother wasn’t what he wanted to be thinking about right now.

Hunter trailed his finger down to Addison’s navel, bumping against the buttons of her navy-blue dress.

“I guess we’ll just tell them that I can’t seem to keep my hands off of—” he began to whisper before being harshly interrupted.

“Hunter!” came the unimpressed tone of his secretary, Penelope Gaines.

Hunter backed away from Addison in shock, his heart pounding at the idea of being caught canoodling with his assistant.

“Yeah?” he asked, turning his attention to Penelope.

“Phone call for you,” she said.

Still trying to catch his breath, he asked, “Can you take a message?”

“It’s your sister,” Penelope said before spinning on her heel and walking out of the restaurant.

He scraped his bottom teeth down his top lip nervously. It was their first time getting caught at work and would surely come back to haunt him.

“I will see you tomorrow night,” he said, squeezing Addison’s hand before making the long trek back to his office.

For the life of him, he couldn’t think of what his youngest sibling wanted. Last he’d heard, Kennedy had either flunked out or dropped out of her first year of college and had spent the summer partying hard.

Hunter loved his sister. She was the only girl in their family, besides their mother, and his only sibling that he felt was cut from the same cloth that he was.

Both of them had a quick, dry sense of sarcastic humor. Both didn’t know when to stop talking, and both weren’t afraid of taking risks that the family might not like.

Even though he was only eight years older than her, when it came to their responsibilities, they might as well have been decades apart.

“Little sister,” he greeted as he picked up the phone. “Talk to me. What’s the big emergency?”

“What makes you think there’s an emergency?” Kennedy asked with a laugh on the other end of the line.

“You never call me unless you need something, obviously,” he snorted.

“I’m looking for mom, actually,” she said.

Hunter craned his neck back, rolling it from one should to the other until he heard a satisfying crack.

“And you called me?” he laughed. “The lowly child?”

He heard an amused breath leave Kennedy’s mouth before she said, “You’re still on that thing where you’re claiming to be mom’s least favorite?”

Hunter’s eyes went wide. “I am mom’s least favorite,” he corrected, emphasizing the word ‘am.’

He knew it, his father knew it, and all of his siblings knew it.

It wasn’t that Hunter didn’t get along with his mother. They got along fine, and of course he loved her—she was his mother. But of all her seven children, Shannon Brooks was least likely to intervene on Hunter’s behalf.

There was a disconnect there that he couldn’t put his finger on. He supposed he just wasn’t a mama’s boy like the rest of his brothers. His brothers Colt and Phoenix especially—they always seemed to be calling her or asking her for help.

“Well, you must share the title of disappointment-child with me then,” Kennedy chuckled, “because I’m not getting any love from her these days, either.”

“I’m sure dropping out of college has absolutely nothing to do with this monumental freeze-out you’re experiencing?” he quipped.

“It’s not a freeze-out, per se,” she said in a slow, mischievous tone. “I just can’t seem to find her.”

“Did you try calling her?” he asked.

“Doy!” she said sarcastically, “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Well, I don’t know!” he grinned. “Last I heard, she was in Texas with Colt.”

“Nah, she left a couple of months ago. She’s been going back and forth to Phoenix’s for a while.”

Hunter raised a brow.

Phoenix was just a year older than he was, making the two of them naturally close growing up. Not to mention, Phoenix was married to Hunter’s best friend. “Really?” he mused. “I hadn’t heard that. Dad go with her?”

“Nope,” Kennedy said, letting her lips make a popping sound.

“That’s weird,” he said. “Maybe she’s having a super-secret affair?”

Kennedy gave a high-pitched squeal and said, “And her decoy is going to visit Phoenix?”

Hunter made a verbal equivalent of a shrug.

It seemed like his mother was never at home. She seemed to be constantly touring across the United States to check up on her sons and their ranches. She had been with Colt off and on for roughly a year, helping him with his children after the passing of his wife. He couldn’t blame her for that, but the rest seemed unnecessary.

She rarely came to see Hunter, though. In fact, when it was his turn for a visit, she would often call him instead. She would ask about the ranch, talk business, and ask him if he was seeing anyone special. If there was nothing amiss in his life or at the ranch, she would skip his visit.

“I’m sure it’s all baby-related, anyway,” he said to his little sister.

Phoenix’s wife, Rachel, was four months pregnant. Shannon had been overjoyed and obsessed with her golden boy’s golden offspring.

She’d been visiting the couple often, especially because his brother happened to be a country music star—and living the life of a rich and famous musician didn’t leave him much time to be at home with pregnant Rachel. This is where Shannon stepped in.

Phoenix was grateful, Hunter had heard, but he knew the visits were driving Rachel crazy.

Shannon hadn’t precisely been Rachel’s biggest fan, especially not after she got pregnant. She was excited about having another grandchild, but she often harped on about the pair bringing a baby into the world without being married.

They had been engaged for the past four years, but that wasn’t good enough for Mama Brooks.

“Have you heard from Rachel or Phoenix or mom lately?” his sister asked.

“Actually, no,” he said curiously. “I called about a week ago, ranch-related, but didn’t hear back from them. I’ve heard from Rachel through text, but nothing monumental. And she didn’t send me a thousand eye-rolling emojis, so I’m guessing mom isn’t staying with them.”

“Weird,” Kennedy breathed.

“Did you ask dad where she is?” he asked.

“Dad doesn’t know,” she snorted, and he could imagine her waving her hand at him in dismissal.

“Mystery,” he said.

“Intrigue,” she said in the same, mystical tone.

“Dad didn’t say anything?” he asked.

“I mean…he said, ‘she’s with your brother.’”

Hunter rolled his eyes. “Do they not understand that their answering that way is like playing a game of twenty questions? Newsflash, you have seven kids. Which one is it?”

“They are incapable of using our names,” his sister agreed.

“Well,” he began in a summarizing tone, getting ready to hang up the phone. “I’ll call you if I get any updates about the disappearing family.”

“Maybe,” Kennedy said playfully. “Or maybe you’ll be next. Dun, dun, dunnn!”

“Bye,” he laughed.

“Bye,” she said.

The rest of the workday played out normally. Hunter signed contracts and did a run-through of the goings-on at the property that week. They were getting ready to prep for the winter festivities. There were always experiences happening at the ranch, no matter the season. There was fly fishing in the summer and sledding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and horseback riding in the winter.

When Hunter went home that night, he didn’t feel much like eating. He grabbed two pears out of the fridge and half a bag of chips from the pantry. His mother would be horrified at what he was calling dinner.

He spent three hours watching a movie and texting Addison before he made his way up his staircase to bed.

The day had felt especially long, yet when he finally hit his head against his pillow, he couldn’t sleep.

His thoughts swirled around his earlier conversation with Kennedy. He’d texted Rachel afterward to check-in since it had been a while since the two of them had spoken about anything real, but he didn’t get a response.

Hunter licked his lips and thought he’d try another avenue, if only to satisfy his curiosity, and dialed Phoenix’s number.

Phoenix was impossible to get a hold of these days. It seemed like the only way to get a message to him was to send him a text and wait five days for him to respond or to call his agent—which Hunter refused to do.

“Hey, Phoenix, it’s your little brother,” he spoke into his brother’s voicemail. “Your favorite brother calling. Again. I was wondering if you could get me in touch with your linen supplier? I suppose you’re wondering why a Wyoming ranch would need your help, especially for something like linens. But I am so fed up with my guy that I am literally willing to order from a different state. So, yep. That’s the life I lead now. Never thought I would be complaining about linens. Especially not to you. Geez, now I feel like mom. So, I guess I’ll end the message the way she would—stop ducking my calls! Hit me back when you get the chance. And yes, I’m aware mom would never say ‘hit me back.’ But, just call me, okay? Bye.”

Hunter continued to scroll through his phone as he laid in bed. He knew you weren’t supposed to do this. There was something about the light that strained your eyes, and the constant interactions through social media and watching videos would prevent him from falling asleep, but he couldn’t help himself.

He didn’t know when he finally fell asleep; all he remembered was the weight of his eyelids pulling him into a deep slumber.

Then suddenly, he was awake.

Hunter opened his eyes, feeling jolted awake somehow. His phone had fallen to his side.

Something woke him up, but he couldn’t pinpoint what.

The answer became clear when he heard his doorbell ring.

His phone was lit up on his bed, and he reached down to check it, but before he could, he heard the bell ring again.

He abandoned his phone and ran down his staircase in nothing but black cotton pajama bottoms.

Hunter set his jaw as he stared down the door. He could only think of two reasons why someone would be calling so late at night.

One, he was about to be robbed and possibly murdered, or two, there was some kind of family emergency.

With six siblings, there was always some drama happening.

Hunter pulled the door open and saw his best friend standing in front of him with a duffel bag at her side and a backpack slung over one arm.

“Rachel?” he said in surprise.

Even in the darkness, he could see there were tears in her eyes as she asked, “Can I stay here tonight?”

Chapter Two

Rachel

Rachel slept for a solid nine hours. She had been so exhausted that she’d slept until ten in the morning. She couldn’t remember the last time she had done that, but she assumed she must have been a teenager.

She was nervous to leave the room that morning, knowing that she would have questions to answer and likely a host of family drama to confront.

But then, she was forgetting who Hunter was. He was playful and teasing. He was easy and charming.

He was not like his brother.

Rachel got out of bed and threw on an oversized sweater and a pair of yellow jean shorts.

She stepped into the guest bathroom and straightened her long, dark hair before applying some mascara and brow gel.

She wouldn’t be winning any beauty pageants, but at least she looked somewhat presentable.

Rachel had been driving for eight hours to get to Wyoming—to get to Hunter. She knew showing up in the middle of the night seemed somewhat dramatic, but in truth, she wasn’t sure how to approach the subject of her staying with Hunter—which was insane because he was her best friend in the world.

She’d met him when she was only four years old. She didn’t remember the day as crisply as she used to, but she’d been told the story so many times by her mother that it was officially engraved in her brain.

Rachel had been on the playground on the monkey bars when two bullies tried to push her off. She nearly fell, but Phoenix grabbed her and pulled her back up.

He had been a year older, a year wiser, and just strong enough to lift her back up onto the octagon-shaped set of climbing bars.

Hunter had been right there next to his brother. She began bawling as soon as she was pulled up, and she distinctly remembered Hunter wrapping both arms around her and squeezing her in the tightest hug she’d ever received.

“Whoa! Are you okay?” Hunter shouted, his breath smelling like fruity, chalky vitamins.

“I-I think so,” she said, checking herself.

“Hey, I like your jacket,” Hunter said, gesturing toward the ironed-on patch of a popular cartoon character that was on the breast pocket of the coat.

“It’s pink,” she said, confused.

“So?” Hunter responded with a childish shrug.

“So, boys can’t like pink,” she said foolishly.

Hunter smiled at her, and it was the same charming smile she knew him to have to this very day.

He tilted his head up, a total ‘cool guy nod,’ and said, “Says who?”

From then on, they always played together. Eventually, their parents became friends, too, and they got to see each other even more.

Phoenix may have been the one who saved her that day, but Hunter was the one who she gave her loyalty and friendship.

She had no real interest in Phoenix. Not until she was a teenager.

Phoenix was quiet. He was soft and methodical—delicate in a way that some men can be. He was analytical and thought things through before acting on them.

At first, she found this entirely off-putting, since it was so different from her own personality. But eventually, his quiet nature made Rachel curious about him. He was a mystery, she thought. A writer. A musician—and so beautiful.

But he was hard to get to know.

Unlike his brother, Hunter was gregarious and funny. He was charming and easy to be around.

He was her best friend right from when they were kids.

Rachel stepped out into the hallway and closed the bedroom door quietly behind her. She figured Hunter was probably already awake, but she wanted to be quiet just in case.

Hunter’s house was very modest in comparison to the rest of the Brookside boys.

She and Phoenix had a luxury bungalow that used to be an old mill. They also had a historic New York City brownstone and a penthouse rental in Nashville, Tennessee. These properties were rarely used, considering they had a ranch to run in Utah, but they were handy to stay in while Phoenix was on tour with his band.

But Hunter preferred things a little different. His home was just that: a home. It wasn’t a mansion or part of the ranch.

It was simple, and she loved that. It reminded her of her house as a kid.

The walls were beige, the doorways were made from old railway ties, and the furniture was comfortable and practical. The only character in the home really came from the coffered ceilings in the open-concept living, dining room, and kitchen.

Rachel turned the curves of the hallway and traipsed the stairs with the familiarity of someone who had spent her fair share of nights as a guest in the home.

When she entered the kitchen, Hunter was sitting on the countertop next to the stove.

“Well, well, well,” he hummed, narrowing his eyes with a playful suspicion, “If it isn’t the midnight express.”

“Yeah,” she forced a laugh. “Thanks for letting me crash.”

“‘Course,” he said, raising his coffee cup to her.

Just the smell of the coffee made her mouth water. “May I?” she asked as a formality before stealing the black mug from his hands and taking a big gulp.

“That one was mine!” Hunter said, gesturing to the fresh pink cup on the kitchen island that she presumed he had made for her.

She swallowed down the creamy coffee and handed the cup back to him. “I know,” she grinned.

“Then I’ll take yours,” he said, hopping down off of the counter. “I’d offer you some breakfast, but something tells me you’ll be helping yourself with or without my consent.”

Rachel giggled at the comment and promptly began snatching various breakfast items off of the pans on the stove—scrambled eggs, French toast, and a heaping helping of bacon—and put them on a dark, square plate.

She could feel Hunter’s eyes burning into her as she squeezed an excessive amount of Canadian maple syrup over everything on her plate.

She maneuvered her way easily around his kitchen, grabbing a fork from the utensil drawer before taking a seat at the island.

Just as she was about to take her first mouth-watering bite, Hunter asked, “You okay?”

“I’m…” she said before stopping short. She wasn’t sure how to answer him. She wasn’t ready to get into everything that had happened, but she couldn’t lie to Hunter, either. “No,” she said. “Not really.”

“You want to talk?” he asked.

She shook her head and in the same tone, said, “Not really.”

“Let me guess,” Hunter began in his charming way. “My ma showed up and drove you out of the state.”

She blinked in surprise. “Is she in Utah?”

Hunter pulled a piece of bacon out of the pile in the pan and chewed on it. His brows shot up as he said, “That is an excellent question.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not sure, but Kennedy told me she’s been there on and off for the last couple of months,” Hunter said, more as a question than a statement.

“Oh,” she said.

“Which wouldn’t make sense, because Phoenix’s been on tour, right?”

Rachel bit her lip, looking down at her food.

“Or no?” he asked.

She wasn’t sure what to say without getting into it with Hunter. She sipped at her coffee, feeling suddenly embarrassed.

She hoped Hunter would drop the subject, but because it was Hunter, he couldn’t take the hint.

“Has he not been?” he asked.

She smiled at his insistence. “He was on tour, yes…”

Hunter leaned against the countertop, knee bent and foot resting on the cupboard at an awkward angle. He waited for her to continue, but she didn’t have the energy.

“And then…bears attacked him?” he asked playfully. “He got abducted by aliens? Fangirls finally had enough of him?”

She felt a pang of nerves erupt in her stomach, like butterflies with jagged wings. “Something like that,” she scoffed.

“I am sensing my best friend does not feel like talking,” he said, softer then.

“About bear attacks?” she asked, trying to keep the mood light.

“About Phoenix,” he said simply.

Rachel shook her head. “I’d rather talk about how I’m going to pay you back for letting me crash here.”

Hunter chomped on another piece of bacon. “And how long will you be crashing? Do I get to know that, at least?”

She wanted to say, “How does indefinitely sound?” but bit her tongue.

“That depends on you, I guess,” she said with a shrug before finally digging into her amazing breakfast.

“You’re always welcome here; you know that,” he said with a smile.

She knew this to be true first-hand.

Rachel didn’t like being alone. It creeped her out to be in their big house all alone or running the ranch by herself. Often, she would have Hunter come and stay with her in Utah or come to Wyoming to stay with Hunter while Phoenix was on tour.

“A few weeks?” she asked. “Is that okay?”

“Sure, no problem,” he said easily.

“But I don’t want to be a freeloader,” she smiled.

“Never!” he yelled over-emphatically. “Try as you might, and Lord knows you’ve tried, you could never annoy your way out of my life or my home.”

“I know that,” she said appreciatively, “But, I’m serious. I want to help out. Put me to work at the ranch.”

“What?” he laughed. “No way! You have your own ranch to run. Besides, you’re pregnant. I’m not going to turn you into a ranch hand and be responsible for anything happening to baby B.”

Her heart lilted, an overwhelming pain coursing through her whole body.

Her best friend didn’t know it yet, but she had lost her baby before she ever had the chance to meet the little life she had created. Three weeks ago, she had hemorrhaged blood in her bathroom while Phoenix was away on tour.

The thought of it made her stomach turn, and she promptly lost her appetite.

“I’m serious,” she repeated. “I want to help, Hunter. Let me help.”

Her best friend pursed his lips, thinking it over.

“Put me on as a receptionist or a server—”

“A server?” he interrupted. “No, no, no, no, no.”

“Come on, Hunter. Let me do something!”

He shrugged. “If you think you’re staying a while, you can head the yoga sessions.”

“Yoga?” she repeated.

“Yoga is fun! It’s girly. And I know you’re super into that stuff, anyway. Plus, isn’t that basically what you do at Brookside Utah?”

She shrugged. “Yeah, but I want to help coordinate the winter activities! Sledding, leading the snowmobiles, ice skating, horseback riding. Play tour guide. I’m up for it, Hunter.”

“Yeah,” he teased, “And you’re also pregnant. I’m not going to be the one to throw you on horseback. Phoenix would kill me! Besides, you don’t want to do any of that stuff.”

“Yes, I do,” she laughed.

“No, you don’t.”

“I do,” she repeated.

“You’re aware at times that means you’ll be out there…ice fishing.”

Rachel met his eyes. He and Phoenix were the only boys in the family with blue eyes, and they were so piercing, it almost hurt.

“That’s fine,” she said.

“Ice fishing, Rach,” he repeated with humor. “Where you sit around a snowy, chilly ice pit and wait for your line to tug. For hours. It’s incredibly boring.”

“If it’s so boring, then why do you offer it to your guests?” she snorted.

“Hey, I just give the people what they want!”

Rachel shook her head. “Sign me up for prepping the winter activities.”

Hunter gave her the once over as he continued eating his food straight from his cast iron pans. His eyes fixated on her stomach, which he could hardly see under her baggy sweater, and he said, “I’ll think about it.”

“Thank you!” she cheered.

“Yeah, yeah,” he smiled, waving her off. “I have to head into work this morning, but I’ll take off early, and we can grab some dinner or something, okay? Whatever you’re craving.”

She winced.

“And Rach?” he said.

“Yeah?”

“Sooner or later, I’m going to need some sort of explanation for your impromptu visit, got it?” he winked.

“Way to make a girl feel welcome.”

“You’re always welcome. You know that,” he smiled.

“Yeah, I know.”

She knew it all too well. It was only a matter of time before Hunter’s happy-go-lucky attitude about her staying with him turned into a barrage of questions. But she wasn’t ready to face the whole truth just yet.

Chapter Three

Hunter

The ranch was busier than ever.

Spring brought forth feelings of rejuvenation. All of the cowboys and cowgirls were dying to get back out on the trails. The weather was crisp, but the sun was strong and warm. The fields were filling with grass and flowers, the greenhouse was filling with new buds, and the horse’s hooves came back daily covered in mud from the wet ground.

Summer was a prime time for weddings and corporate events. Under normal circumstances, summer would be their busiest season, but Brookside was always busy.

By the time autumn came, the beautiful Wyoming forests were flooding the wilderness with crisp leaves and streams of yellows, reds, and burnt-oranges. It was Hunter’s favorite season. Somehow, the idea of cuddling up with someone special in a luxury lodge, in front of a stone-brick fireplace, kept the ranch humming with tourists.

And now, with winter just beginning, the ranch was readying itself for the snowy opportunities to put smiles on the faces of its visitors.

Like most of his brothers, Hunter was overly involved in the goings-on at the ranch. It kept him busy and, as his mother liked to say, it kept him out of trouble.

Except with Addison. He could always get into trouble with her.

But Addison was feeling the effects of Rachel’s stay, even after only four days of her being at Hunter’s house.

“Are we hanging out tonight?” she asked, marching her fingers up his chest as though they were a crawling spider.

“Ahh,” he groaned, “I can’t, I’m sorry. I’ve had something come up, and it’s going to be a little distracting for the next couple weeks.”

He hadn’t told Addison that Rachel was in town or that she was staying with him, but he did cancel two of their dates the past couple of days.

“Weeks?” Addison repeated with a sad frustration. “Oh, okay. Well, don’t forget about me, Mr. Bigshot.”

She said this as a joke, but something told Hunter he’d made her feel insecure.

He didn’t want to avoid Addison. Their romance was new, but it was important to him. She was the first girl he’d dated in a while, and he still had those tingles in his stomach whenever she was around.

But something was up with Rachel, and even though she didn’t want to tell him yet, he felt it was in his best interest to stick around the house as much as he could—just in case she felt like talking.

It wasn’t like Rachel to be so quiet, so whatever secrets she was keeping were big ones.

Hunter wandered around his luxury lodge. He didn’t live in a home as big as some of his brothers. He had a modest lodge built just off-site of the ranch. He wanted to be close to work, but he didn’t want to live there.

Unlike some of his brother’s mansions, Hunter built his home with only four bedrooms and three bathrooms. He kept the master bedroom for himself, used another bedroom as a home office, set up his workout gear in the next, and used the fourth as a guest bedroom for the odd time his mother would make the rounds to all the ranches.

Needless to say, it had remained unoccupied for a while.

“Hungry, Charlie?” he asked as the skinny red tabby cat walked across the kitchen counter. He poured some kibble into the cat’s bowl and poured some fish broth overtop.

As he set it on the floor, Charlie promptly hopped off the granite countertop.

Rachel was out for the evening, working late at the ranch. She seemed insistent on ‘helping out’ there, but he’d much sooner have her at the house keeping him company.

Just as he sat down on the couch with a reheated bowl roast and potatoes from the night before, his phone began to ring.

“Figures,” he exhaled as he leaned down to pick up his cell.

From the picture on the screen, he could see that it was his mother calling.

“Hey,” he said as a greeting. “Kennedy’s been looking for you.”

“I know,” his mother said with a soft, measured voice. “I talked to her. She told me she called you, and I didn’t want you to worry.”

“I wasn’t worried,” he said with some levity.

“Well, it’s nice to know I could be in a heap at the side of the road somewhere, and you wouldn’t be worried,” she teased.

Hunter turned on the television and muted it quickly, watching the football game play out on the big screen in front of him as his mother spoke.

“That’s not what I meant,” he laughed. “You’re like Superwoman or something. There is no jam you cannot get out of. Not peach jam, not blueberry jam, not—”

“Hunter, not now,” she interrupted impatiently.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a grin in his tone. “How may I direct your call?”

“Are you doing well, son?” she asked.

Hunter nearly sighed. It was crystal clear that she was getting the pleasantries out of the way with so she could say whatever she’d actually called to tell him.

It wasn’t that he and Shannon didn’t get along. He loved her, and he knew she loved him in return.

But his mother didn’t like him.

She had been a strong and respectful woman all of his life. But she was also wretchedly serious. She was all about babies and business.

Everything was always a crisis with her.

She didn’t understand his humor. She didn’t appreciate his sarcastic quips or the quick way he spoke. He could hear the aggravation in her voice whenever she spoke with him.

“Yep, I’m dandy,” Hunter said, moving the conversation along. “What’s going on? Where are you?”

“I’m with your brother,” she said.

He snorted, his eyes following his favorite quarterback on-screen. “Uh-huh,” he mumbled. She always did this. “Which one, ma?”

“Phoenix,” she confirmed.

Figured. She was always with him. The boy-wonder Rockstar had always been one of her favorites.

“He’s not on the road?” he asked, drawing his brows together. As far as he knew, Phoenix would be on the road until the beginning of January. He knew this, not because he religiously followed his brother’s musical career, but because that was when their family dinner was scheduled to happen.

“No, he’s taking a couple shows off,” his mother said.

“That sucks,” he said half-heartedly. “Everything okay?”

“No, I’m afraid not,” she said in a way that was a little too formal for Hunter’s liking. His trepidation grew as her voice dropped to a measured, hushed tone.

“Hunter,” she nearly whispered. “Have you heard from Rachel at all?”

Hunter didn’t know why, but his stomach did a flip at his mother’s question. There was an ambiance to the phone call that he didn’t like.

“Just a text here and there,” he said. He didn’t know why but lying to his mother seemed like the right decision. “Why?”

“Oh,” Shannon hummed, clearly disappointed with the answer. “What do the texts say?”

Hunter bit his lip and tried to recall the last set of texts she’d sent to him.

“She was just talking about the nursery for the baby and what her room looked like as a kid,” he said casually. “Something about a knitted blanket? I don’t remember, ma. Sorry. Nothing earth-shattering.”

Shannon stayed quiet for a moment too long, and Hunter could tell she was annoyed by his answer.

“She talks to you about things like that?”

“She talks to me about everything,” he said defensively.

“Apparently, she does not,” she said, enunciating each word.

Hunter flicked off the television, sitting up in his seat nervously. “What’s going on?” he asked. “Is Phoenix okay?”

Shannon didn’t respond right away.

Hunter could hear her shuffling on the other line, probably getting out of earshot of his brother. He guessed this only because her words suddenly dropped to an absolute whisper as she said, “Rachel left him.”

His heart sank. “What? Are you serious?”

“I’ve been here for a week with him. He’s absolutely devastated,” his mother said.

Hunter could feel his forehead creasing with unease. “I don’t understand,” he mumbled. “What happened?”

“She lost the baby,” she whispered.

Hunter felt his feet go numb. An unsettling disquiet washed over him as he processed what his mother had just told him.

She lost the baby?

He was such an idiot, always talking about her pregnancy and joking around with her.

He assumed Rachel and Phoenix had some sort of argument, of course, but they were always arguing. Never in a million years would he have guessed that she had a miscarriage. She had been so excited to be a mother.

“Are you still there?” Shannon asked.

“Yeah, I’m here,” he said.

There was more shuffling on the other line. Footsteps, fabric, muffling of the phone as it changed hands.

“Hunter?” came the voice of his brother.

Hunter swallowed hard. He didn’t know what to say. He was still processing the news.

“Hey man,” Hunter said with uncharacteristic softness. “I am so, so sorry. I didn’t know—”

“My life is a nightmare,” Phoenix said. He sounded wrecked.

“I-I can’t imagine,” Hunter stuttered.

“You haven’t talked to her?” Phoenix asked.

Hunter set his jaw. “No, man, I’m sorry,” he said, sticking with the lie. “Just a couple of texts.”

“She’s been having a really hard time and I…” Phoenix trailed off, trying to collect himself. “I mean, I guess I haven’t been there for her like I should have. It hit me hard, but I had to finish out the tour, you know?”

Even though his brother couldn’t see him, Hunter nodded.

“I canceled so many shows, but she needed me home ‘right now,’ you know?” Phoenix said with a scoff.

“Well, sure,” Hunter said, slightly defensive. “She was going through something.”

“We both were, Hunter,” Phoenix snapped.

“I didn’t mean to imply—”

Phoenix cut him off, still lost in his story as he said, “I told her to come to New York and see me. I sent her a ticket and everything, but she wouldn’t…” the line went quiet.

“Phoenix?” Hunter said.

He heard a muffled cry on the other line and felt his stomach tighten with nerves again. He hadn’t heard Phoenix cry since…

Well, ever.

He’d seen Phoenix in fights, he’d seen him get yelled at by their parents, he’d seen him after the first girl he ever loved broke up with him. He was there the day Phoenix proposed to Rachel—the day he found out his band had been signed to a major label. For better or worse, Hunter had never, ever, ever seen Phoenix cry.

“She tells you everything,” Phoenix’s voice cracked.

Hunter exhaled slowly. “She didn’t tell me this,” he said. It was the truth.

“Don’t lie to me, Hunter,” he said, knowing his brother all too well. “Please.”

“I swear. I didn’t know.”

“She left,” Phoenix added, taking a big, steadying breath.

“Mom told me,” Hunter said. “How long ago?”

“About a week and a half? Two weeks? She’s not answering my calls or texts. She removed the find my phone app I had for her, so that’s no use. Her social media is dead. I’m dying over here, man.”

“Any idea where she would go?” Hunter asked.

“She’d go see Nikki, but Nikki swears up and down she hasn’t heard from her,” his brother said of one of Rachel’s closest friends. “So, I can only assume she’s going to end up at your place.”

It was an eight-hour drive from Utah to Wyoming. That was a big journey for a girl who didn’t like driving to the local grocery store.

But Phoenix was right. She’d come right to him like a moth to a flame, seeking sanctuary. And that’s precisely what she got.

Hunter pressed his lips thin. He didn’t want to lie to Phoenix. He loved Phoenix, and he could tell he was hurting. But until Rachel told him exactly what was going on, he wouldn’t be giving up her secrets.

“I’ll keep an eye out,” Hunter said. “I’ll let you know if I heard anything from her, text or otherwise.”

“Right,” Phoenix said. He sounded defeated. “Okay. Thanks.”

“If you need anything…” Hunter trailed off.

“Thanks,” Phoenix repeated before hanging up the phone.

Hunter clenched his teeth together, guilty.

Rachel had a lot of explaining to do.

Chapter Four

Rachel

Rachel didn’t get her wish of becoming the winter activities director at Brookside Wyoming. Instead, she became the official yoga instructor for the lodge and spa section of the ranch.

Hunter generously put her in charge of the Yurt Overlook. The yurt was an eight-hundred-foot circular tent that was set on a cliffside overlook. The yurt was set against the beautiful mountainous Wyoming terrain and hugged a thousand-foot drop.

It was similar to what she did on the ranch back in Utah. She was in charge of all of the wellness classes, largely due to her athletic background. Rachel frequently participated in, and won, triathlons. She’d won first place in Houston, Utah, California, and Germany. Running, skiing, horseback riding, swimming, yoga—anything physical, she was in.

The class was going well, especially for her first day. But she felt her skin begin to crawl when one of the girls outside the yurt was playing music on her iPod.

“Is that Phoenix Brooks?” one of the girls asked, and Rachel’s stomach went sour.

The girl began playing his music, and Rachel heard his raspy voice singing melodically through the tinny speakers.

She couldn’t stand to hear his name, let alone his music.

Phoenix was named after the tale of the Arabian bird.

As the legend went, every five-hundred years, the phoenix would catch alight and burn itself to death.

Then the creature would emerge from the ashes as a new phoenix. Reborn and ready to start over.

Something must have tickled Shannon Brooks about this story because she had always said she knew one of her boys would be named Phoenix.

Fire of Phoenix was the band’s original name. It was cliché, chosen by a bunch of teenage boys. Later, Phoenix told her he hated it.

When the band was signed, the record label insisted they go by Phoenix’s real name.

As she heard his words coming out from the speakers, her heart began to tense and tighten, making her feel trapped in her own body.

“Take me to the river,” he sang, “Let’s start again.”

The girls cooed and fawned over his words, but only Rachel knew what they meant. She had been there when he wrote them, after all. Begging her to stay exactly two years ago.

She had always thought the song was so beautiful—so genuine. Now she knew the real Phoenix, and he was anything but genuine.

Of course, she hadn’t always felt that way.

The Brooks clan was massive. There were six boys and eventually, a little girl. Rachel got along with them all to some extent, but the older boys had little interest in hanging out with someone so many years younger than them. So, she and Hunter made friends with other kids at school.

Phoenix was only one year their senior, but his depth made him seem worlds away.

It wasn’t until she turned sixteen that she saw the magic of him.

They lived in Houston back then.

Rachel and Hunter just left the movie theater. It was mid-afternoon, and she saw Phoenix busking on the corner with one of his friends, Matt.

He played the guitar while Matt shook a maraca. They had a vintage guitar case on the ground, and it was filled with coins, ones, and even a couple of five-dollar bills.

When she heard Phoenix’s voice, she knew why.

He had an amazing tone. It was true country. He had the twang, the mystery, and the growl to his voice that showed off his raw emotion. She didn’t recognize the songs they were playing. Later, she would find out they were all originals, and she liked him even more for it.

Rachel and Hunter hung out after school nearly every other day of the week. Sometimes every day.

Since his house was crowded with the Brooks clan and their friends, they often stayed away from the opulent ranch house. But after that day, Rachel would look for reasons to hang around the house.

She suggested that they invite Phoenix out more often. She said he seemed like a loner.

No luck.

She shamelessly flirted with Matt at school, trying to make Phoenix jealous. Trying to get him to notice her.

Her draw to Phoenix continued to outlast a simple schoolgirl’s crush. He was in his head, while she and Hunter lived life out in the open. That secrecy—that depth of emotion that he felt and kept to himself—made Rachel want him even more.

But he barely noticed she was alive. He dated someone else steadily for a year and a half. He played his music. He walked by her when she sat on his living room couch like she was just one of Hunter’s little friends.

The day she turned seventeen, everything changed.

She’d gone to the Brooks’ house looking for Hunter, but he was out setting up a get together for her and all of her friends.

Phoenix answered the door, and her eyes were swept with tears.

She spun on her heel when she saw it was him at the white wooden door.

She wiped at her eyes and drew in a harsh breath. “Hi, is Hunter home?” she asked, not looking at him.

“No, he’s out,” Phoenix said, his voice a gravelly mess of beautiful tones.

“Okay,” she said, defeated. She hung her head, unable to care anymore whether he was watching or not. Without warning, her stomach tightened, and she let a cry out into the palms of her hands.

Phoenix pulled in a breath and stepped toward her. He put a hand on her shoulder and asked, “Are you okay?”

Phoenix was much taller than she was. She turned and tilted her head up to catch his dark blue eyes.

“My dad left today,” she said meekly. “I used to wish my dad would leave,” she mumbled, reflecting on all of her parents’ arguments she had been witness to in the past. “I can tell you the reality is nothing like the fantasy.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, rubbing her arm with his hand.

“Yeah,” she said with an unimpressed scoff. “He’s been having an affair some woman from his work,” she sniffed. “My mom told me when I came home today. He left, and he said he’d rather die than spend another second unhappy with her.” She looked up at him, her eyes going wide with the shock of it. “He was sick of us.”

Phoenix didn’t respond to that, and she couldn’t blame him. He didn’t know her well enough to correct her statement or offer any false comfort.

After a couple of minutes of silence, Phoenix said, “Hunter is planning a party for you.”

“Oh,” she said quietly. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I can’t just go and smile and act happy like nothing is wrong.”

“What do you want to do?” he asked.

“I just want to get out of here. I just,” she shook her head, suddenly embarrassed. She felt her face pinken, and she mumbled, “I’m going to go” as she wiggled out of his one-armed embrace.

Phoenix nodded. As he watched her walk away, he called out, “Rachel!”

She turned her profile to him. “Yeah?”

“Why don’t you let me take you somewhere?”

“Okay,” she said nervously.

Rachel wiped her under-eyes with her thumbs in an attempt to fix her face before slipping into Phoenix’s car.

It felt strange to be alone with him, especially because he didn’t say much.

Between she and Hunter, no one else could get a word in edge-wise.

But Phoenix was perfectly happy to stay silent.

He drove her to the Houston Police Officers' Memorial. It was a Greek cross monument with a stepped pyramid at the center. It was a sculpture in the center of a park made by Jesús Bautista Moroles.

The sculpture looked like four staircases made into a cross shape. It was one hundred and twenty feet in length and width and stood nearly thirteen feet tall.

Phoenix pulled her up to the top stair of the monument.

She imagined it was illegal to be sitting on the monument. She almost expected for an alarm to go off once her high-tops hit the stone.

He sat next to her, so close that their legs touched, and suddenly she forgot why she was upset.

They looked out over the park and watched as the Texas sunset swallowed up the sky with a beautiful bounty of oranges and pinks.

“Your dad is a jerk for ruining this day for you,” he said finally.

“My dad probably doesn’t even know it’s my birthday,” she scoffed, kicking her heel against the monument. “A real piece of work, don’t you think?”

“Hm,” was all he said.

Rachel looked around and spotted the extensive list of officer’s names who had fallen in the line of duty—the very officers whom this statue had been commissioned for.

“My dad was a police officer,” she said. “Did you know that?”

Phoenix nodded and ran a hand through his light brown hair. “That’s why I took you here.”

She squinted her eyes. “What?”

“I thought you might feel closer to him this way.”

Rachel set her jaw, finding it difficult not to be offended. “He’s an idiot who abandoned me, Phoenix. I don’t want to feel closer to him. I want to burn his clothes or key his car.”

“Yeah. He’s horrible. There’s no doubt about it,” he agreed.

She leaned forward, catching his gaze as she said, “Sounds like there’s a ‘but’ forthcoming?”

“But,” he smirked, showing just a hint of his perfect teeth. “He’s done a lot for the people of this city. He puts his life on the line every day.”

“So?”

Phoenix shrugged. “I’m sure getting shot at really makes you think.”

Rachel looked down at her feet, wishing she could ignore what he had just said.

Her father had just been involved in a very public shooting.

He was apprehending a murder suspect with his partner—the woman he was having the affair with—when they both ended up getting shot at.

He took a bullet to the shoulder and ended up in the hospital for over a week. The incident—dubbed heroic by the media—had been all over the news.

“When your life flashes before your eyes, I think every moment becomes precious,” Phoenix said. “You realize how fragile life is and you don’t want to waste another minute of it living unhappily.”

Rachel felt her eyes burn with tears. She couldn’t believe what her crush was saying to her.

“Then why does that mean he had to leave us?” she snapped. “Why couldn’t he fix what was broken between him and my mother and be happy that way?”

“I don’t know,” he said as he looked at her. “All I know is that what he did has nothing to do with you.”

“He left our family, Phoenix,” she said, her words clipped. “How could it not have to do with me?”

“Because that would be impossible,” he smiled.

Rachel swallowed nervously. “Why’s that?” she asked.

“Because you’re amazing,” he said. “I only know you from afar, and I already know that.”

“You…do?”

He laughed. “I do.”

“What do you…what do you mean?” she blushed.

“You’re resilient. You have been since I met you on that playground,” he said, swaying his leg so that it bumped against hers. “And Hunter seems to hold you in high regard. Plus, you’re a talented athlete.”

She smirked against her will. She tilted her head to the side, resting it on her hand as she flirted, “So you do know I exist?”

He raised his eyebrows pointedly and said, “So does Matty.”

“Right,” she nodded.

“I know you were just using him to get to me,” he said, and it almost sounded like he was flirting with her.

“And you ignored me anyway,” she snorted.

“I didn’t know how to talk to you,” he said shyly.

“Why?”

He shrugged. “Isn’t it obvious? You’re beautiful and smart and talented. Your only downside is that you seem to think Hunter is tolerable.”

The two of them laughed at this, and she felt an instant connection to him. It was the same spark she had always felt for him, only intensified somehow.

“But I’ve noticed,” he said. “Trust me, I’ve noticed.”

With that, Phoenix leaned in and set his thumb on her chin. He pulled her mouth up to his and pressed his thick, soft lips against hers in the perfect kiss.

There were so many things about Phoenix that she used to love. His music being one of the biggest things.

Now it just filled her with rage and hearing one of her guests listening to Phoenix’s hit song send a tremble through her whole body. It was sadness and anger and bittersweet memories all wrapped up into one.

And that’s when she lost her cool.

Chapter Five

Hunter

When Hunter came home, he could hear soul music playing in the kitchen. It was a smooth, jazzy type of music—a male artist he had never heard before.

He slipped his shoes off at the door and walked through the foyer into the open-concept kitchen.

Like a little girl, Rachel was singing into a wooden spoon, lost in the music.

“What can I do to get back into your heart?” the soul singer lamented.

The music sounded like it was from the fifties, but Hunter could tell it was probably modern. Someone with a unique voice who was trying to emulate that old R&B sound found in classic jazz.

Still, it was cute to see Rachel dancing around.

When the singer wasn’t singing, Rachel would take the spoon away from her mouth and stir it in a big pot of chili at the stove. He could smell it as soon as he came through the front door.

In an attempt not to scare her, Hunter turned on his phone’s flashlight and held it in the air to get her attention.

Rachel jumped anyway. She threw a hand over her heard and, barely audible over the loud music, yelled, “You scared me!”

Hunter winked at her and tapped his ear.

Rachel turned the music down, so low it was almost off.

“You like it?” she asked absent-mindedly as she continued to sway her thick hips to the music. “I met him once.”

“Him?” Hunter asked.

“Jeremy Kelson,” she said, tilting her head toward the speakers. “He was at this little bar I went to when Phoenix was playing in California. It was this really cool club. Like an old prohibition jazz bar. I don’t know what they were trying to do there, but it was cool.”

“Mm-hmm,” Hunter said with a nod.

For the last few days, he’d been nudging her to talk about Phoenix. All she did was act pained and distant. She would change the subject, and Hunter raised his hands in defeat. He would let her come to him with whatever was bothering her.

But now she brings Phoenix up, out of the blue? And not even to complain about him. No, she wanted to rave about being on the road with him.

“Right,” he said quickly, with some humor to his tone as he hoisted himself up on the kitchen countertop.

Rachel flipped her dark hair to one side and turned to him.

“Hey, so,” he said casually, “Did you banish a guest from the ranch today?”

Rachel averted her dark eyes from his, but he could see the harsh smirk fighting in the corner of her lips.

“Um. Maybe?” she said with a high pitch.

“Right. So, I'm not sure how you do things at the Utah Brookside Ranch,” he teased, “but here in Wyoming, we rely on our guests for repeat business and excellent word of mouth.”

“Hm,” she hummed, tapping her fingers against her rounded lips. “Sounds familiar.”

“Right,” he nodded, “And so we generally don't banish guests or scream at them publicly. Or privately, for that matter.”

It was mid-afternoon, and Hunter was at his desk when he got a call from his secretary that something happened at the yoga class.

Apparently, Rachel had lost her cool with a guest. The guest was playing Phoenix’s music, someone told him, and Rachel picked a fight with the girl.

It started with Rachel saying that girl couldn’t have the music on during the yoga class, then the girl responded that she was only listening outside, and that Rachel needed to relax.

Hunter would never claim to be an expert in the inner-workings of a woman’s mind. But one thing he had learned in all of his years' dating was that you never, ever, tell a woman to relax.

This snowballed into a screaming argument outside the yurt. Eventually, Rachel had banished the seventeen-year-old and her entire family from the ranch.

Hunter comped the family’s stay, offered to extend their trip at no charge, and gave them complimentary activity vouchers for horseback riding, free dinners, and ATV adventures.

The family was pleased with Hunter’s attention to them. All was well with the business.

But with Rachel? Hunter didn’t know.

She was dealing with something huge right now.

Nearly a year ago, Hunter’s older brother, Colt, lost his wife to a rare heart condition. That had been hard on the family. Everyone loved Amma.

He couldn’t imagine losing a loved one like that.

But to lose a child? Hunter had seen the close bond between parent and child and knew that it was an otherworldly love. It was a love he had yet to comprehend. To lose that connection must have been heartbreaking for her. No doubt she was shattered and angry with his brother.

As her friend, he understood that just fine.

But as a businessman, screaming at customers was completely unacceptable—even if you were having the worst day ever.

“Am I fired?” Rachel asked.

“No, but I think we have to have that talk you've been avoiding now.”

Rachel bit her lip. “Must we?” she asked.

“We must,” he said with a soft smile. “I think we can both agree I’ve been pretty patient. Personally, I like to know when I’m in the middle of a big mess, so I don’t stick my foot in my mouth when my mother calls.”

Rachel winced, and the dread on her face was evident.

“Shannon called you?” she asked.

“Mm-hmm,” he said. “Always my favorite kind of call.”

She rolled her eyes. “I bet.”

Rachel set the burner to warm instead of cook and put a lid on the chili. The action made Hunter’s stomach groan. They would not be eating for a while yet, it seemed.

The two of them walked into the living room and sat on the plush navy-blue couch. Rachel hugged a cushion to her stomach and sunk her chin into it.

“What did she say?” she asked, posing bright brown eyes at him.

“She said you left Phoenix,” he said, his eyes darting back and forth from hers, trying to get a read on her. “Then she asked me if I had talked to you.”

“What did you say?”

He laughed. “I said no.”

Rachel nodded in appreciation.

“So, what’s up?” he asked. “Did you and Phoenix get into a fight or did you leave him or…?”

“I left him,” she confirmed.

“Really left him? Or you’re just trying to teach him a lesson?” he asked.

Rachel inhaled a sharp breath. She rubbed her hand up and down the left side of her face in frustration.

“We lost the baby,” she said, and he could hear the pain in her voice.

He nodded. He could have told her that his mother already spilled the news or that he’d talked to Phoenix about it, but he didn’t want to shatter her moment.

He reached out and grabbed her hand, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. “Rachel, I’m so sorry.”

“It was the only thing keeping us together, Hunter.”

“What happened?” he asked.

“The doctor said there was a chromosomal abnormality. The baby just wasn’t developing anymore,” she said, sliding a hand over the pillow and gripping the thick covering between her fingers. Rachel let out a small sob, and Hunter immediately pulled her into his arms, scooping her up like a child. He stroked her dark hair and whispered his apologies to her.

“We were in the second trimester,” she said in a small voice.

“What does that mean?”

“It means we were supposed to be in the safe zone,” she explained. “The doctor said it was safe to tell people because the odds of having a miscarriage was so low.”

Rachel began to list off facts and figures. She told Hunter that miscarriage only affects roughly twenty percent of second-trimester pregnancies. Her doctor told her there was a ‘glitch’ in the sperm and embryo. That they hadn’t connected correctly and that embryo had stopped developing.

“I’m so sorry, Rach,” he said quietly, not knowing what else to say.

“After that, we just couldn’t take it anymore,” she shrugged. “We couldn’t get it back.”

Hunter watched as she rested her head on his shoulder. She seemed to settle there, her tears dying down and her breaths returning to a steady pace. He continued to stroke her hair as she explained, “That love we had...It’s been gone for a long time. This just solidified it.”

He knew Rachel and Phoenix weren’t getting along, but he had no idea the love was gone between them.

“What was the catalyst?” he asked. “What made you finally leave?”

“The catalyst?” she scoffed.

Rachel pushed herself off of Hunter and met his eyes. With a dark twinge of humor in her tone, she explained, “He was in New York. He had three shows left in the city, and he couldn’t be bothered to cancel them. Coming home to be with me didn’t even occur to him.”

Hunter nodded. Phoenix used to be a lot more attentive to Rachel. She used to be his world. Frankly, it was the bane of Hunter’s teenage years. But after getting signed, Phoenix was all business.

“So I flew out to see him,” Rachel said.

Hunter’s brows shot up at the news of this. As far as Phoenix had told him, Rachel never showed.

“You did?” he asked in surprise.

“And you know what I found?” she asked.

Hunter shook his head, and Rachel laughed bitterly. “A naked girl in our brownstone,” she said.

“What?” he asked harshly.

“He was cheating on me,” she said factually. “Probably for a while, I was just too stupid to see it.”

Hunter drew his brows together, causing a deep crease between them. “Are you sure, Rach?”

“Naked girl,” she enunciated, “In his bed.”

“I know, but,” he said with a wince, shaking his head. “It just doesn’t seem like Phoenix. He…loves you.”

Rachel’s eyes darkened. She looked at him like he had no idea what he was talking about.

“After he got signed, everything changed.”

“I know,” he said. “I guess I didn’t realize how much.”

The longer Rachel talked, the angrier Hunter felt. He wanted to yell at his brother or shake some sense into him. He wanted to banish his ego for good.

Phoenix had tried to play the victim on the phone, but he was the perpetrator.

Rachel told him about waiting for Phoenix to come home. She told him he had a lock on his phone and had changed his password.

One night, when she managed to get into the device, she found naked pictures Phoenix had received from the same girl, over and over again.

She told him about the days Phoenix would disappear, and how stupid she’d been to ignore all the signs for so long.

He couldn’t believe Phoenix would do that to Rachel.

It was Rachel, for goodness sakes. His fiancée. His partner. She was practically the perfect woman, and Phoenix had been pushing her to the side for years.

And once she was heartbroken over the loss of their child, he would run off to sleep with some random fan? Or worse, have a full-blown affair?

Any sympathy he felt for Phoenix began to dissipate. He was heartbroken over the loss of their child; Hunter knew at least that much was true. His brother wasn’t soulless. But he was selfish, and he wouldn’t have Hunter’s backing any longer.

Rachel meant the world to Hunter. She always had and likely always would. And he would do anything to protect her, even if it meant distancing himself from his flesh and blood.

“You can stay here as long as you want,” Hunter said when Rachel had finished talking.

She offered him a weak smile, wiping her tears away.

“Thank you, Hunter,” she said. “You don’t know what that means to me.”

Chapter Six

Rachel

Telling Hunter the truth was the best thing Rachel had done in a long time. It was right up there with finally leaving Phoenix.

She felt her conscience clear as she told her truths to him, but her reality became that much harsher. She felt vulnerable in a brand-new way, almost like she was someone else. She was no longer the persona of the domestic, pregnant wife. She was alone.

Her life was a complete mess. Her heart was shattered. But she knew that there was another life out there for her just waiting to be discovered, and she longed for the day when she felt good enough to chase after it.

“Hey, cowboy,” Rachel called from the couch as she heard Hunter come in after his shift.

It was nearly seven, and she was beyond starving.

“Hey,” he said as he walked through the living room to the kitchen island.

The island had a mini-fridge built into the side, and Hunter pulled a glass water bottle out.

Hunter’s face was so familiar to her. She knew each scar, knew that his lashes were longer and darker than her own, and had been at the cutting end of his classic close-shaved hairstyle many times in the past.

But coming to see her best friend this time around, she was surprised at how many new features she was noticing about him.

She watched the way his jaw curved, noted the stubble across his cheeks, and became enticed with his rugged beauty.

Ranching had not been a passion for Phoenix. He liked being clean and playing his music.

Hunter’s passion for the ranch was evident. He didn’t sit behind a desk all day and sign papers. He was out there with the rest of them wrangling cattle, riding horses, and personally hosted some of the experiences for the guests.

He was handsome and rugged: he was a cowboy through and through.

While Rachel was appreciative of the opportunity the Brooks family gave her and Phoenix to run the billion-dollar Utah branch, running a luxury ranch had not been something she was excited about. Quite the opposite.

But it didn’t take long before she fell in love with the country life. She loved being outdoors, she loved the horses, she loved the log-cabin-style staterooms.

And she loved that Hunter loved it, too.

“I was thinking,” she said, propping herself up to peek over the couch and talk to him. “Let me preface this by saying it’s not that I don't love the triple-A beef you're pumping out at the ranch, but how about we try something other than steak for dinner tonight? There’s this new chili place that just opened up?”

“Chili?” he repeated absent-mindedly.

“Chili!” she raved. “You know how they have those chicken wing places where there's like a million different kinds of wings? This is like that, only with chili. There's Mexican chili, turkey chili, buffalo chicken chili, vegan chili. Perfect for a cold night! Then afterward, we can go skating at the ranch.”

Hunter took a long drink until half of the water bottle was empty. He gulped in a breath after pulling his mouth off the bottle and teased, “Sounds like a digestion nightmare. And anyway, I thought you were working tonight?”

“Nah. No participants tonight,” she said with a shrug. “Too cold.”

“The yurt is heated,” he said.

“I know. I think guests are more interested in the winter wonderland you've created for them out there than stretching around with me until eight at night,” she snorted.

“Ah,” Hunter said, almost awkwardly. “And nobody needed your help around the spa?”

Rachel narrowed her eyes suspiciously, and a mischievous smirk pulled at the corners of her lips. “Hunter,” she said in a sing-song voice. “Why are you trying to get rid of me?”

“I'm not!”

“Uh-huh,” she said, unbelieving. “And so your answer for our chili kickoff and skating is...?”

Hunter bit his lip, and she knew for sure then that he was trying to blow her off.

“Well, the thing is,” he stammered, “I already made plans for skating.”

“Oh,” she said.

“I mean, it's nothing serious! I just, I would have invited you but—”

Rachel shook her head and slumped back down on the couch. “No, it's totally fine,” she said, trying to laugh it off. She waved a hand in the air and said, “Don’t worry about it!”

Hunter walked in front of the television to meet her gaze. “Why don't you come along?” he asked.

“Who are you going with?”

“Addison,” he said. “She's my assistant.”

Rachel raised a curious brow and burst into laughter. “Hunter, I'm not coming on your date with you!”

“It's not a date,” he said sheepishly. “Seriously, a bunch of us from work are going. I thought you were working. Otherwise I would have invited you, too.”

“Uh-huh,” she said with a playful roll of the eyes. “So, Addison, huh? Why didn't you tell me you had a little girlfriend?”

“She's not my girlfriend,” he said with a smile that said otherwise.

“Oh no?” she asked. “She's your...what then?”

“She's my friend, who happens to be a girl,” he mocked.

“Who you also happen to be kissing?” she asked with a smile.

Hunter’s cheeks pinkened and Rachel noted all too well the spark of jealousy she felt in the pit of her stomach. It hit her like a wave of nausea, turning and spinning the liquids in her stomach.

“Well, I won't be your annoying third wheel,” she chuckled. “Don't worry.”

“Why not?” he scoffed. “I certainly did it enough with you and Phoenix.

Rachel’s eyes went wide at the comment. Hunter had never acted jealous or angry about her relationship with his brother. And he never indicated that he felt like a third wheel.

“Oh snap,” she joked. “I've been zinged!”

“Seriously, Rach,” he insisted, “She'd be happy for you to come with us.”

As the words were coming out of Hunter’s mouth, the front doorbell rang. Addison, no doubt.

Rachel raised both brows and dared, “Is that right?”

“Yeah,” he said.

“Really?” she laughed.

“Yes!”

“Well,” she said, hopping up off the couch. “Why don't I go and ask her?”

Rachel bounded toward the door before Hunter had a chance to protest. She opened the door and caught sight of the girl who had won over Hunter’s affections.

Addison was unsurprisingly gorgeous. She was young with perfect skin and a thick, curvy body.

“You must be Addison,” Rachel greeted cheerfully, extending a hand out to the girl. “Nice to meet you!”

Addison bit her lip and took Rachel’s hand. “Yes,” she said nervously.

“I'm Rachel,” she said. “You must be looking for Hunter.”

“Oh!” Addison brightened. “Are you his sister? I've heard a lot about—”

Rachel snorted. “No, no. I’m not his sister. Just an old friend. I'm working at the ranch. Actually, I'm surprised we haven't bumped into each other yet.”

“Oh,” Addison said, still smiling, though her enthusiasm for Rachel had decidedly waned. “That's so exciting! Well, welcome to the family.”

The girl had a country twang in her voice when she spoke. It was the thickest southern accent Rachel had heard in a while.

Rachel looked the girl over once more and couldn’t fight what she was feeling. She didn’t want to be ‘that girl’—the overbearing female friend who didn’t think anyone was good enough for her best friend—but she couldn’t help herself.

“Hey,” Hunter said as he walked up to the doorway. He invited Addison into the entryway, and the girl stood on her tip-toes to greet him with a kiss.

Rachel watched their lips press together and immediately set her eyes skyward. It was always so weird to see a friend being romantic with someone.

“Hey,” Addison said.

“So,” Hunter began, jutting a thumb out toward Rachel. “I invited Rachel to come along with us. You don't mind, do you?”

Addison’s brows shot up in surprise, and she turned to Rachel with a smile. “No, of course not! The more, the merrier. We're actually meeting some friends there, so this is perfect! And it will give you a chance to meet some other people from the ranch.”

Hunter stuck his tongue out at Rachel and she rolled her eyes.

“That's so nice, thank you,” she said genuinely. “But I think I'm just going to hang out here tonight. I have some serious binge-watching to do, so...”

“Oh no! Don't do that. Please, join us,” Addison insisted, looping an arm through Rachel’s. “We're all going out for Thai after. The TV will still be there when you get back.”

“No, I—” Rachel began to protest, but Addison was having none of it.

Apparently, the girl had decided she was going to be Rachel’s new best friend as she announced playfully, “You're coming!”

Rachel exchanged a glance with Hunter and said, “I guess I'll grab my jacket.”

Addison stayed by the door, but Hunter followed her upstairs as she grabbed her jacket out of her duffel bag. “That was a heck of a kiss for someone who isn’t your girlfriend,” she teased.

“She's not my girlfriend,” he snorted.

Later, when the threesome was in the car driving toward the ranch, Rachel asked, “So, how long have you been boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“We—” Hunter started to say but was foiled as Addison excitedly replied, “About a month now.”

Rachel sat in the back seat and met Hunter’s eyes in the rear-view mirror with a smug ‘I told you so!’ quality in her eyes.

“Aw, that's so sweet! You're in that fun, puppy love phase,” she said with sugar.

“I mean, we've only been dating a short while, but I've known him for two years,” Addison said, reaching a hand over to touch Hunter’s shoulder. “I think he's amazing.”

Rachel smiled. “Well, you're right about that.”

“What about you?” Addison asked. She pulled her seatbelt forward so that she could turn in her seat as she asked, “How long have you known Hunter?”

“Since we were kids, actually,” Hunter said.

“That's so nice,” Addison said with childlike amazement. “I don't think I'm still friends with anyone from my childhood. I always thought in college, you know they say you make friends for life? Not so much with me. My best friends have all been from the ranch.”

“Well, we had sort of a unique circumstance growing up...” Rachel said quietly.

She couldn’t pinpoint why she was feeling so strange. Addison seemed like a perfectly nice girl, and Rachel had never been irritated with Hunter’s girlfriends in the past.

Rachel supposed she hadn’t been ready to share his attention, especially not with what she was going through. But at the same time, she had a sneaking suspicion that old feelings for Hunter were emerging quicker than she had expected them to.

The ranch wasn’t far from Hunter’s neighborhood, but they weren’t even out of the car yet before Addison once again spun in her seat. “Can I ask...? Is it okay if I ask you…” she stammered nervously.

Rachel felt a deep cringe pulse through her insides. She’d been on the receiving end of this sentence enough times to know Addison was about to ask about her country-star fiancé.

“You're married to Phoenix Brooks, aren't you?” Addison finally asked, her face bright with excitement.

Rachel followed the girl’s gaze down to her ring. She watched the way the passing streetlights caught on the pear-shaped diamond and felt a strange emptiness as she ran her thumb across it.

“Not married, but…” Rachel began awkwardly.

“Oh my word,” Addison said with her thick twang. “I thought so!”

Hunter cleared his throat and watched her in the mirror. She could feel his eyes on her, but she looked away immediately.

She wasn’t quite sure what to say. Rachel wanted to say she dumped him. She wanted Addison to spread the news all over social media. But she couldn’t do that.

Rachel would have to continue the ruse of being together to protect his career. He didn’t deserve this, she knew, but she also knew there was a proper PR process for handling their separation.

His management would no doubt try to spin it to be an amicable split. They would sit her down and probably try to get her to sign a nondisclosure agreement, maybe offer to pay her off.

Besides, telling people they had broken up didn’t just affect Rachel and Phoenix. It would affect the whole Brooks family, not to mention Hunter and his ranch.

She could practically see the headlines now:

IS BLOOD THICKER THAN WATER?

PHOENIX BROOKS EX HIDES OUT AT HIS OWN BROTHERS RANCH—COUNTRY STAR DEVASTATED!

“Now it all makes sense!” Addison said with a snap of her fingers. “I knew you looked familiar, and I just kept thinkin', I must have seen her around the ranch.” The girl giggled. “Nope! You're practically famous.”

“Not really,” Rachel said, shifting uncomfortably.

Addison seemed nice enough, but she never understood why people felt comfortable enough to approach her and ask personal questions about her life.

Soon they pulled into ranch parking, and the three of them began walking toward the massive ice rink.

Addison walked beside her and held her phone up to Rachel’s eye line. The girl had pulled up a black and white photo of Rachel and Phoenix in the reflection of an oversized, old-school vanity mirror. It took up most of the wall, and there were lightbulbs covering every inch of the mirror’s frame.

“You guys did a photoshoot for Country Star Magazine's couples edition!” Addison gushed.

Rachel glanced at Hunter and set her jaw. “Yep,” she said.

“Can I ask you,” Addison said, unable to help herself. “Do you get sick of hearing his music? I love his albums, but hearin' it around the house all the time...I don't know, does it drive you crazy when he's writing new songs?”

“Addison,” Hunter said with an annoyed tone.

“Oh, I am so sorry,” the girl breathed. “I must be embarrassing myself. I just love his music.”

“It's okay,” Rachel said as the three of them walked. She tried to choose her words very carefully as she answered, “I...did not hate hearing his music. I was very proud of him when I first heard one of his songs on the radio. And I was so used to him playing guitar all the time when we were dating that I just sort of got used to it.

“Lovers Dawn!” Addison said with a gasp. “Was that about you?”

Rachel’s stomach sank. This was his initial single off of his first record. “It was,” she said slowly. “In a roundabout way, yes.”

“A lover’s dawn, a burning night, the shape of you in the fireside light,” Addison swooned. “I love that song. What inspired him to write that?”

“Hey, let's put a moratorium on the Phoenix talk, alright?” Hunter said with a sigh. “The last thing a guy needs to hear is his girl rave about his brother all night.”

Addison giggled at this, and suddenly, as nice as the girl was, Rachel was deeply regretful that she had ever agreed to come with the pair. This regret doubled as they reached the rink and began putting on their skates.

Addison slapped her forehead dramatically and in a hushed voice said, “Now I know why you didn't want to come out with us.”

Rachel raised a brow.

“The baby!” Addison declared. “Ice skating while pregnant is probably the worst idea ever, isn't it? I am such an idiot!”

Great, Rachel thought. Another night where she had to pretend to still be pregnant.

“I’ll be careful,” she said with a forced smile, and Hunter came up behind her, rubbing her shoulders through her thick coat.

Rachel felt her body tighten. She ran a hand over her stomach and relived flashes of it all. The pregnancy test, she and Phoenix picking out names, the first doctor’s appointment, the heartbeat, Phoenix’s announcement to his fans, the blood, the flight, the end.

This was going to be a very, very long night.

Chapter Seven

Hunter

Hunter had always liked Rachel.

For as long as he could remember, she was always the girl of his dreams. She was smart, beautiful, fun, and understood him on a deeper level than anyone. The two of them merely had to exchange a glance to know exactly what the other one was thinking.

Once, when they were teenagers, they met a chatty drunk at their school bus stop.

The middle-aged man started off telling plucky tails of his divorce, his career selling goats, and how he longed to purposely visit dangerous countries. His stories were funny, at first, and gradually became aggressive and wildly racist.

When the man had asked them their names, both instinctively used pseudonyms.

“Marta,” and “Eric!” they had both said at the same time.

“And let me guess, you’re young lovers, ain'tcha?” the man asked.

Rachel nuzzled into Hunter’s arm, and with a wide grin, she said, “Yes. Yes, we are.”

“But we’re running late,” Hunter said quickly.

“Yeah, Eric here is late for…”

“An operation,” both said, again at the same time.

For some reason, the fact that both had thought to use fake names and both suggested an operation as their reason for escaping the madman solidified Hunter’s affection for Rachel. She was perfect.

After she moved to Utah, the two had always kept in touch. They texted daily and saw each other several times throughout the year, but she was with Phoenix. This didn’t quell Hunter’s feelings for her, but he respected Rachel and Phoenix’s relationship enough to cool it with the flirting.

But now she wasn’t with Phoenix, and Hunter’s feelings for her were confusing, yet stronger than ever.

That morning, Hunter drove Rachel to a snowy mountain range. The two walked with oversized hot chocolates in their hands and looked up in awe at the snow-capped mountain ranges.

Rachel’s hair was down in dark curls, and she had a woolly hat on with knitted kitten ears on the top that flopped backward. She looked adorable.

Snowflakes swept out of the sky as they walked. It was cold, but it was too stunning to turn back from.

He made a joke that made Rachel laugh, and Hunter was overcome with an immense desire to kiss her.

The moment he thought about making a move, he was overcome with a guilty pang in the pit of his stomach. She may not have been with Phoenix, but she was still wearing his ring.

Besides, the last thing she needed was another complication in her life right now.

Hunter watched as Rachel’s cheeks went rosy pink from the cold, and air left her mouth in a white plume as she laughed. She slipped her gloved hand into his and swayed their arms as they walked back to the car, and he couldn’t help but think, was there anything better than this?

“What's your favorite song title?” Rachel asked as the two of them slipped back into his warm car.

“You already know the answer,” he said.

“No, not a song. Song title,” she specified. “What's the best one you've ever heard or the one that resonates with you the most?”

“Tough call,” he said. He had to think about that one for a couple of minutes. Melody and lyrics were what he paid attention to in a song. He’d never given much thought to their titles.

Finally, he responded, “What Is and What Should Never Be.”

“Ah, Zeppelin,” Rachel gushed. “You're a Zeppelin boy.”

“And you're a country girl,” he teased.

“That's not true!”

“Oh, right, you’re a jazz girl now!” he said. “What's up with all the soul music?”

She shrugged cutely and said, “I like what I like.”

“Oh yeah? So, what's your favorite song title?” he asked, and Rachel went quiet.

Hunter put on his best valley girl voice and said, “I hope it isn't anything by that Phoenix Brooks character. He is so lame.”

“And how is your girlfriend doing these days?” she asked.

Hunter rolled his shoulders. "She's not my girlfriend anymore."

Rachel seemed to perk up at this. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," he said, trying to stay casual. "Sorry about all that. I didn't know she was a superfan. I didn't know she was a fan at all, to be honest. And it just wasn't working."

Hunter used to think Addison was amazing, but his growing feelings for Rachel were overwhelming.

He hadn't spent any time with Addison since Rachel arrived weeks ago, save for their night skating. Even then, he'd made sure to make it a group activity.

Her adoration for his older brother had put Hunter off even more.

He was relieved to have it over with, but work had been unsurprisingly awkward since breaking it off.

"Well, that's too bad," Rachel said.

Hunter waved his hand. "Oh, stop," he said. "You don't think that, and neither do I. Now come on, out with it! What's your favorite song title?"

Rachel laughed. She shook her head and said, “The Good Times are Killing Me.”

“Modest Mouse?” he confirmed with some surprise. “Now I know you don't like them!” he said with emphasis on the word ‘know.’

“I never said favorite artist or band,” she repeated, “I said song title!”

“You're a nut,” he said playfully.

“You're a nut,” she mocked.

“I think it's time we get you out of this funk,” he said.

Rachel turned to him in her seat, fussing with her seatbelt. “I'm not in a funk,” she said with a childlike indignance.

“I know when you're funky,” he said. “And this is you being funky. Why don't you let me take you somewhere?”

“To the moon, James,” she said in her best British accent.

“How about Paris? Winter in Paris. That's gotta be a song title somewhere,” he said, and Rachel shook her head. “Come on,” he whined. “I have all this money that I never spend. Let me spoil you with it.”

“Trust me, you spoil me enough,” she said.

Hunter reached across the center console to grab her hand but ended up touching her stomach instead. Rachel flinched against the touch, and he bit his lip.

“Sorry,” he said quickly.

He thought about her baby and what it must have been like to lose that life. He wondered if Rachel felt guilty or just sad.

Hunter remembered the day she told him she was pregnant. This is it, he thought. She’ll never be mine.

He took that one selfish moment to himself before he congratulated her. He was disappointed, knowing they could never be together then. But he was also excited. He was already an uncle, but none of his nieces or nephews could hold a candle to his best friend’s baby.

“It must be weird,” he said slowly, “to have that taken from you.”

Rachel had envisioned her life as a mother and a wife, Hunter thought, and Phoenix took all her possibilities away.

“It is,” she said, rubbing a protective hand over her stomach. “It sucks, Hunter. You think your life is going to turn out one way, and then you're...crashing at your best friend's place. I mean, I am technically homeless.”

“Technically?” he snorted. “On the contrary, I believe you have three homes. Four, if you include my place.”

Rachel shook her head. “Nope. I was never put on the mortgage for my place with Phoenix. The bank said because we weren't married my name wouldn't be on any of the properties, and I trusted him, so it didn't make a difference to me.”

“Wow,” he mused quietly. He couldn’t believe that.

“Well,” he said definitively, “you always have a home with me. Personally, I think that's how it always should have been. You and me, hanging out, kicking back after a hard day's work.”

“Making the big bucks,” she said, resuming their playful banter as she pantomimed a ‘raining dollar bills’ gesture, sliding her forefingers along her other hand.

“Buying private islands,” he added.

Rachel giggled. “Drinking Pina Coladas.”

“Each with our own pet dolphin,” he grinned.

The two laughed, and Rachel rolled her eyes playfully. He looked over at her as he pulled into his driveway and he was overcome with a warmth that came with falling in love.

He set his foot against the brake and put the car in park when he heard Phoenix’s voice coming through the satellite radio.

Hunter went to hit the automatic start to turn the vehicle off, but to his surprise, Rachel put her hand up.

“Wait,” she said, turning up the radio.

The clip was from a recent radio interview. Some twenty-second soundbite of Phoenix spouting off his artsy nonsense.

“Love is simple. We're the ones that make it complicated,” Phoenix said in a smooth, low voice.

The radio host continued to promote the interview. She said, “When asked about his lady love, Phoenix said…”

And then it was his brother’s voice again. “I love Rachel more than air,” he said. “Maybe I don’t say that enough, but I do love her.”

“That’s another teaser from our new interview from the massively famous Phoenix Brooks, and we’ll have the full interview in two—” the announcer continued to say, but Hunter turned the radio off.

He looked at Rachel and saw the devastated look in her eyes.

Hunter was overcome with indignant anger with his brother. He was allegedly so heartbroken over Rachel leaving, yet he was still doing radio interviews? Was this how low he was willing to sink to try to get a hold of Rachel?

Not five minutes after he walked in the door, Phoenix was calling for the third time that day.

He had been ducking phone calls from his family for weeks. Having Rachel with him was too enticing. He liked keeping her as a secret. Not only because it gave him more uninterrupted, drama-free time to spend with her, but because she needed it, too.

Some time ago, Phoenix had texted Hunter and asked if he’d heard from Rachel. At the time, he said yes, and that he was working on finding out what happened. It was the truth.

But now that Hunter knew what Phoenix had done to Rachel, he didn’t want anything to do with him. His brother’s phone calls and texts went unanswered—but not anymore.

He showed the screen, a photo of Phoenix and Rachel with his brother’s phone number displayed underneath. He hovered his thumb over the green talk icon, and Rachel said, “Don’t.”

He met her eyes, accepting her challenge, and she shook her head. “Don’t,” she repeated, “Hunter, don’t. You’re angry.”

“Yep,” he said and pulled against the screen, accepting the call.

“Hello?” he said, trying to be as calm as possible.

The sound of Phoenix’s voice made him sick to his stomach, and he couldn’t imagine how it would make Rachel feel.

“She's there, isn't she?” Phoenix said, and Hunter could hear a distinct slur in his voice.

Hunter exhaled a bemused laugh. “You drunk, bro?” he said sternly.

“Nope,” Phoenix said, a clear lie. “Just angry.”

“Uh-huh,” Hunter said. “Look—”

“She's there, isn't she, Hunter?” his brother interrupted.

Hunter looked at Rachel, and she met his eyes. She looked as serious as he’d ever seen her, and the hurt in her demeanor made him feel more protective and even angrier at what he’d done to her.

A deafening silence filled the air before Hunter licked his lips and carefully said, “She's here.”

Rachel pressed her eyes closed.

“I knew it,” his brother said triumphantly. “I knew she would run to you. I knew it.”

“Congratulations,” Hunter said.

“How is she?” he slurred. “How long has she been there?” His tone fell to bitter emotions as he asked, “Why didn't you call?”

Hunter kept his eyes fixed with Rachel’s. “She's...upset,” he said. “She's been here for a few days, and I didn't call because I really wasn't sure what to say to you, man.”

“What is that supposed to mean? What did she tell you?”

“She told me you were cheating on her in New York,” Hunter said factually.

The line went so silent that Hunter had to look down at his phone to see if the call had dropped.

Then, quietly, weakly, Phoenix asked, “Can I talk to her?”

Rachel began shaking her head wildly and it was only then that Hunter realized she could hear their whole conversation. His phone was notoriously loud.

“No, man,” he said firmly.

“Just ask her if she'll talk to me, please, Hunter,” Phoenix begged.

Rachel’s eyes widened as she stared down at her feet, both of them standing by the sliding doors of his living room.

Hunter raised a finger to Rachel and stepped out onto the back deck. It was freezing without his jacket, but he didn’t want her to have to hear any more of their conversation.

“Were you?” Hunter asked, sliding the door closed behind him.

“I need to talk to my wife,” Phoenix said stubbornly.

“Your fiancée doesn't want to talk to you, man,” he snapped back, highlighting the word fiancée.

“Hunter, I'm serious,” his brother said, and he could hear the desperation in his voice. “Put her on the phone right now.”

“If she wanted to talk to you, she would answer her phone.”

“Put her on the phone right! Now!” Phoenix screamed and proceeded to curse into the phone so loudly that his voice sounded muffled coming out the speaker.

Hunter could imagine his brother in his studio or his office at home, kicking something over in a blind fury. He wasn’t used to being out of control.

“No, man,” Hunter said calmly.

“Hunter,” Phoenix said furiously. “This is so beyond you right now, brother. This is so out of your league. I know you're her friend, and I'm glad she has you right now, okay?” His words sounded forced and pushed out as he tried to be calm. “But I need you, too. I am going through something here.”

“A bottle of whiskey, from the sounds of it,” Hunter laughed bitterly.

The line went silent, and part of him was proud to have infuriated his brother as much as Phoenix’s behavior had infuriated Hunter.

The other part of him felt horrible.

“Did you cheat on her?” he asked. “I want a real, man-to-man answer.”

As he was asking the question, Rachel stepped out onto the back porch and handed Hunter his jacket. He slipped it on, but Rachel didn’t leave. She stood with arms crossed as she listened to their conversation.

Hunter waved for her to go back inside the house, but she shook her head.

“Let me hear,” she mouthed, and Hunter shook his head.

“Please,” she whispered, and Hunter reluctantly set the phone on speaker.

“No, I didn't,” Phoenix said, still slurring, though only slightly.

“He’s drunk,” Rachel mouthed, and Hunted nodded his agreement.

“She says she found a girl in your room,” Hunter said, bringing the phone closer to his mouth.

“Yeeahh,” he slurred, forcing a hard H out. “Well, Rachel would say a lot of things.”

“I've been to your shows, man,” Hunter said, trying to reason with him. “A lot of pretty girls hanging around all the time. You're devastated after what happened with the pregnancy; you don't want to be alone...If you did this then I could under—”

Phoenix cut him off. “You know what? I'm getting pretty sick of Rachel's paranoia. Yeah, there are girls around, okay? I can't help that. They know I'm engaged; they know Rachel's pregnant.” He paused, then spat out, “Was pregnant. What else do you want me to say? I have literally done everything I was supposed to do.”

“Except say no,” Hunter said.

His almost comical tone didn’t sit well with Phoenix, who began screaming again, “I didn’t sleep with that girl!”

“What about the girls on your phone?” Hunter said, and Rachel watched him intensely. “Naked pictures? Explicit texts? Meetup locations? Taking off without telling Rach where you're going?”

“This is bull,” Phoenix laughed.

“Funny, that's exactly what I thought,” Hunter said.

“Those...those girls...” his brother began, but he trailed off. Hunter knew Phoenix to know the tone his voice took when he was lying, and he was definitely lying. “Look, man,” he tried to reason, “Rach and I have been together for ten years. What's the longest you've ever been with someone? A year, maybe two? You get bored, okay? Those texts didn't mean anything.”

“And the girl in the hotel room?”

Phoenix went quiet. “That girl was a mistake.”

Even though Hunter believed Rachel’s story, part of him was still shocked to hear the admission. He swallowed hard and watched as tears spilled from Rachel’s eyes. She held a hand over her mouth, and Hunter moved past her, walking back into the house.

He kicked off his shoes in a hurry and walked into the office downstairs, clicking the lock shut behind him. There was no reason why Rachel had to hear any more of this.

Hunter took the phone off of speaker and held it back up to his ear.

“Well,” he said, “That's not really my problem. That's on you, Phoenix.”

“I knew Rachel was with you, Hunter,” his brother said spitefully. “And you know what? I thought, good. He'll be there to protect her. He'll talk some sense into her. I thought this would be healthy for us. But you're taking her side. I can't believe you, man.”

“I can't believe you're cheating on your wife,” he snapped harshly. “She needed you! Her whole life is falling apart, and you've been chasing your tail since you got signed!”

“What's that mean?”

“It means you've changed,” Hunter said firmly. “Maybe nobody else is willing to tell you the truth, but I don't like the new Phoenix. I miss my brother, man. I miss the guy who could talk circles around everyone because all he did was dissect everything. The guy who gave the best advice. This new Phoenix? The one who always seems drunk or high, the one with this self-inflated ego who couldn't give two flicks about ma or me or Rachel or anything besides his next show—you know what? I'd be fine without him. And something tells me Rachel would, too.”

“I know you think you know Rachel,” Phoenix said, suddenly eerily calm. “I know you think you're her best friend, but you don't know her like I do, Hunter. Never have, never will. She’s manipulating you. She’ll say anything to get you on her side, even if it means painting me like a monster.”

“Is that right?” Hunter said, incredulous.

“You know what your problem is?” his brother asked rhetorically. “You're jealous of me.”

Hunter scoffed loudly.

“You always have been,” Phoenix continued. “Since we were kids, even.”

“Yeah, I'm just dying to have my picture on the cover of Teen Heartthrob,” Hunter mocked with a laugh. “I'm dying to treat everyone around me like dirt. That's the life I want; you caught me!”

The line went quiet again. He heard Phoenix let in a shaky breath.

“You're killing me, Hunter.”

Hunted grit his teeth and felt a tense pressure course through his jaw.

“I know Rachel was your best friend, but you were mine,” Phoenix said. “You're the only brother I like,” he said this part with a laugh, but it quickly turned into a tortured cry. “Don't do this, okay? Don't keep her from me. Don't believe the worst about me.”

“You can't even refute it!” Hunter snapped. “You just admitted it; you said you were bored!”

“I love her,” Phoenix said.

Hunter mused, “I don't know about that, man. I really don’t.”

His response was met with a long silence before Phoenix hung up the phone.

Hunter thought it would feel good to tell his brother off. He thought it would be cathartic on some level to protect Rachel and to let his brother know how disappointed he was in him.

But it didn’t feel good.

It felt horrible.

Chapter Eight

Rachel

Knights in shining armor did exist—in the unlikeliest of places.

Rachel stood outside Hunter's office as he continued his argument with Phoenix. She couldn't hear Phoenix's end of the conversation, but Hunter sounded fired up.

It seemed as though he was just as eager to get out his pent-up aggression as she was when she confronted Phoenix.

With that conversation and so many other actions, her feelings for Hunter began to grow stronger. She didn't know what it was—admiration, love, a childhood crush—but she couldn't get enough of him.

In the days that followed, Hunter's jokes didn't just make her laugh; they made her blush. She would look for excuses to touch him or to go out together, and when they did, she would pretend they were on a date.

It was silly, she knew. Childish and ridiculous, even. But she couldn't help herself. When she was around him, she felt loved, protected, and young.

Not that she was old, by any means. Twenty-six did not an old maid make. But she felt a youthful exuberance when she was with Hunter—that pure, unadulterated sense of adventure. That feeling of invincibility.

She found herself daydreaming about him at work and feeling anxious and excited to see him at night.

These feelings had always been locked away in her heart, but they'd never felt so alive before.

Except for one night.

Rachel and Phoenix had gotten into a huge argument when his parents told him it was time for him to take up residence at their new ranch in Utah.

She and Phoenix were not engaged. They hadn't even been dating that long. To tell him to move one thousand, three hundred and eighty-five miles away meant asking Rachel to make a big decision about their future. Would she stay in Houston with her friends and family or would choose love and follow a boy she'd only been seeing for a year?

His parents were immovable, saying that ranching was Phoenix's future, even when he insisted that he wanted to pursue his music instead.

She and Phoenix loved passionately. They fought passionately, too. They never broke up, but they were always unsteady and always disagreeing.

They had a massive fight about the ranch. She told him to stand up to his parents, namely his mother, and stay in Houston. Or at least move to Nashville where he could pursue his dreams.

"So, you're saying you don't want to come with me?" he asked simply.

"To run a ranch?" she snorted with laughter. "Does that sound like me, at all?"

"Well, I'm going," he said. "It’s a good opportunity, and I want you to come with me."

The conversation turned from her encouraging him to make his music a priority to him insisting that if she didn't come with him, it meant that she didn't really love him or see a future together.

She stormed off and found herself at the very place she didn't want to be - the Brookside Houston Ranch. His parents’ ranch.

It was late on a July evening, just as the sun was beginning to set. The ranch was hot, and her body was slick with sweat from the unforgiving heat.

She found herself in the stables where Hunter had been working since graduation a month earlier. He managed the horses, which was a shame, she thought, since he was such a people person. He was certainly charming enough to boost sales.

"Howdy," Hunter said with a thick southern accent. He tipped his cowboy hat and gave her a silly grin. "Whatchu doin' here, cowgirl?"

"Stop it," she laughed. "Stable boy."

"Eh-em," he said, clearing his throat. "If you'll excuse me, my official job title is 'groom,' thank you very much."

Rachel watched as her best friend brushed the mane of the elegant white mare beside him.

“What’s her name?” she asked.

“Maggie Madelyn,” he said, patting the horse on her side and eliciting a fond bray.

“That’s cute,” she smiled.

Rachel folded her hands behind her back and kicked a foot out awkwardly. Hunter took note of her antsy behavior and watched as she blew out a breath.

“You wanna get out of here?” he asked with a laugh. “I’m not even supposed to be here anymore, to be honest.”

“Hunter Brooks is working overtime on purpose?” she said with a mock gasp. “That’s so adult of you!”

“I know,” he said. “Gross, right?”

“Super gross.”

“You know what else Hunter Brooks has?” he asked, and she raised her brows thoughtfully. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a black and silver flask. “A fun flask!”

“A fun flask?” she repeated, bouncing toward him with a wide grin. “Hunter Brooks is my hero!” she cheered.

“Hunter Brooks would like to stop speaking in the third person now,” he chided and watched as she took a long pull from the flask.

She coughed as the sharp liquid burned against her throat. She could feel the heat of the alcohol slide down through her chest and set her stomach ablaze.

“Oh, yuck,” she continued to cough. “What is that?”

“I have no idea,” he laughed. “I mixed about five different liquors from my parents’ cabinet last night.”

“Naughty boy,” she laughed. “Here,” she handed him the flask. “Take a drink and suffer your creation.”

Hunter accepted her dare and took a long swig of the alcohol. His reaction was much the same as hers—a hard cough followed by a barrage of laughter. “Smooth,” he said, raising his brows.

After closing the stables for the night, Hunter brought Rachel up to one of the two-story barns. They climbed the wooden ladder to a loft with an open window that was roughly six feet by ten feet.

The pair sat with their feet dangling outside the window. It was high up. Thirty-two feet, maybe more, and being so close to plummeting to their deaths made Rachel’s hands sweat.

They passed the fun flask back and forth until Rachel felt a light buzz. This didn’t take but a few sips to accomplish.

She told Hunter all about her argument with Phoenix, and he listened patiently, as he always did, but this time, he didn’t seem to have any response to her story.

“So?” she asked, nudging him. “What are your thoughts?”

Hunted licked his lips. He held the flask in both hands, though he hadn’t raised it to his mouth for quite some time.

“I don’t know,” he said thoughtfully.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” she said playfully. “You always have an opinion. Don’t fail me now! What do you think?”

“I think I can’t really answer this question without being entirely selfish.”

She turned to face him and blinked curiously. “What do you mean?”

“I mean…” he sighed. “You want to stay together, right?”

“Right,” she nodded.

Hunter didn’t meet her eyes. “So, go be with him, I guess?”

“That wasn’t very convincing,” she laughed.

He shrugged, somewhat irritated. Rachel flicked him, but she still didn’t resume his normal, Hunter-like demeanor. She grabbed his hat and held it over the edge, threatening to toss it like a Frisbee.

Hunter’s eyes went wide, and he grinned at the action. He lurched forward, and Rachel yelped, afraid that he would fall right off the edge of the barn.

She tossed the hat beside her and then crossed her arms. “Has your sage advice dried up?” she teased.

“I mean, you’re basically asking for my permission to lose you,” he said, still staring out over the vista.

“Yeah, exactly," she said, tossing a hand out. "You're like my best friend ever. How am I supposed to just up and leave you? My whole life is in Houston."

"When I turn twenty, Mama Brooks will probably be sending me out to some ranch, anyhow, if that makes your decision easier," he said derisively.

She raised her brows thoughtfully. "So, what you're saying is it’s basically my destiny to follow at least one of the Brooks boys to a ranch somewhere."

"Basically, yes," he said.

Hunter's eyes flicked back and forth from hers, and there was an intensity there she wasn't used to. There was little light in the barn, but the moon was so bright, she could almost see the blue in his irises as his gaze pierced into her.

"Best pick the one you love and go with him," he said.

Rachel pressed her lips thin. She turned her profile to her best friend and looked out over the peaceful valley before them. She loved the way the ranch changed with the night. Firebugs lit up the forested corners of the ranch, and the crickets were so loud; it was as though they were putting on a song for the pair.

Looking back at Hunter, Rachel suddenly felt strange. A wash of unease cascaded through her body, and not just from Hunter's swamp-water booze.

What was he trying to say? “Pick the one you love and go with him?”

Was he being a loyal brother and telling her to go with Phoenix, or was Hunter asking Rachel to pick him?

As much as she wanted to continue her romance with his brother, part of her was hoping Hunter meant the latter. She wanted him to tell her not to go. She wanted him to say that losing her to another state would crush him. She wanted him to reach out and kiss her and complicate their whole lives all for the chance to feel her lips against his just once.

Rachel loved Hunter, and if he was asking her if she loved him more than Phoenix, the answer was undoubtedly yes. She supposed she would always love him more, on some level, even if only as a friend. He had a piece of her heart that no one else could get. It was a piece so special that if Hunter ever gave it back to her, she wouldn't know where to put it.

She always imagined that wherever he ended up, she would be right there beside him.

A warm breeze hushed by the barn, and it was only then that Rachel noticed Hunter was holding her hand. His fingers were freezing, despite the heat of the evening.

She swallowed nervously. Would he kiss her?

"Rach," he whispered, staring deep into her soul.

Rachel felt her whole body stiffen, her heart suddenly racing. "Yes?" she said, barely able to push the word out.

"Your hand is really sweaty," he said.

Her heart sank, and she stared down at their hands.

"It's gross," he teased, making an over-dramatic face as he wiggled his hand in hers.

Rachel wrenched her hand away from his, and the two of them burst into familiar laughter.

She shook her head. What was she thinking? She had been willing to throw her whole future away for a 'maybe' with someone who would never see her as more than a buddy.

In the end, Rachel chose to stay in Houston for another year while Phoenix moved to Utah. They remained together, long-distance, and saw each other once a month. She told herself that if they stayed together for another year, she would move out to the ranch and submit to the life of a cowgirl.

As it turned out, they lasted much, much longer than that.

While he was gone, Phoenix asked Hunter to look after Rachel. He knew they would be spending all of their time together anyway, and part of her thought he gave his permission so that it looked like he had arranged it. To protect his ego.

Rachel never thought much romantically of Hunter after the day in the loft, but looking back now, she knew what he'd meant when he told her to follow the boy she loved. He meant: pick me.

And now, eight years after that day, they finally had their chance to be together. Nothing was holding her back, Rachel thought excitedly. If she wanted to, she could kiss Hunter and see where things went with him.

Reflecting on the barn, she couldn't help but wonder if her new feelings for him were genuine or if she was just that same eighteen-year-old girl who was on the rebound, taking flattery and comfort from her best friend.

But no, her feelings were real. They were so real, it felt as though they were burning inside of her.

She risked their friendship if she made a move. She risked the love of the Brooks family. She risked Phoenix's fury. But this time around, she could see her choices clearly, and she knew exactly what she wanted.

Chapter Nine

Hunter

“Honey, I’m home!” Hunter yelled as he walked into the house.

Usually, he could smell dinner cooking from the kitchen or hear soft music playing as he walked in on Rachel doing yoga or meditation. But today, the house was empty.

He slipped his shoes off and walked in through the living room.

No Rachel.

He called up the stairs but got no response.

Finally, he heard a faint, “I’m out here!”

He walked to the sliding glass doors in the open-concept dining room and walked out onto the back patio.

While Hunter wasn’t as showy with his money as the rest of his brothers, he did ensure that a hot tub and sauna were readily available on the back deck.

Hunter had grown up in Texas. It was the personification of summer weather. He was used to that hot, dry heat. Even the winters were mild.

While Houston’s January weather was still in the comfortable sixties, January in Wyoming was thirty degrees. Plus, their proximity to the mountains and the elevation of the town of Queenston Bluffs meant the weather could sometimes be unpredictable. Rainy one minute with bright sunshine the next.

A hot tub was a must.

Hunter stepped out onto the back deck and saw it was lit up with string lights. The hot tub was bubbling.

Rachel sat in the left corner of the tub with what looked like a glass of champagne in her hand.

She grinned at him. “Wanna come in?” she dared.

The brunette had her dark hair pulled to the side in a thick braid, the bottom half dripping wet.

Her face was clear of makeup and looked just as beautiful as ever.

Hunter couldn’t help himself as his eyes traced the curves of her body. She wore a burgundy one-piece swimsuit. It had a diamond cut-out in the middle that almost made the suit look like a bikini.

His heart raced just looking at her.

“Sure,” he said, finally responding to her offer.

He ran upstairs and changed into a pair of swim trunks before stepping back out onto the deck.

The night air was cold against his skin. Stepping into the hot tub felt like getting under a warm blanket.

“Here,” Rachel said, handing him a glass of champagne.

“Thanks,” he said. He didn’t want to bring it up, be he couldn’t stop the words spilling out his mouth as he said, “Did you hear from him?”

Rachel shook her head. “Not a word.”

Hunter wasn’t surprised. Phoenix was stubborn.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Better,” she said with a smile. “Much better, actually. I think I forgot what it was like to be around someone willing to stick up for me.”

Hunter nodded. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about his conversation with his brother. It had plagued his mind for days. On some level, he wanted things to work out between Rachel and Phoenix. They’d been together so long, but how many of those years had they been happy together?

Phoenix did something so deplorable and so selfish. His brother didn’t know how to be there for Rachel anymore. All he knew how to do was cater to himself. And if he couldn’t pull himself together after the loss of their child, then he didn’t deserve her.

At least, that’s what Hunter kept telling himself.

As if she sensed this, Rachel said, “I’m sorry that happened, Hunter.” Then clarified, “Everything with Phoenix.”

“I’m not,” he said.

“I know,” she smiled. “I just don’t like the idea of being the girl to come between two brothers.”

He raised a curious brow and watched as Rachel’s face went red. “I mean, not like that. Not like I came between you in ‘that’ way. You know, I just meant…”

He laughed, waving her off. “I think we had a pretty good run of me not taking sides over the years,” he said. And the pair had certainly had enough explosive arguments during their years together, and Hunter had done his best to see things from both sides.

“It was bound to happen eventually,” he said with the verbal equivalent of a shrug.

Something in Rachel’s demeanor changed then. She set her champagne on the side of the tub, and her rounded lips pulled into a devious smile.

“I think you were always secretly on my side,” she said, inching closer to him and grazing her foot against his.

“Nope!” he said. “I was Swiss, baby.”

“No, you weren’t,” she said with a playful roll of her eyes.

Hunter grabbed his friend by her sides and began tickling her. “Yes, I was!”

Rachel let out a yelping laugh and continued into a fit of giggles, splashing the water around them as she giggle-yelled, “You were on my side!”

He pulled her close to his body, relishing the feel of her skin and the silky fabric of her swimsuit against his chest. He tickled her until he finally wiggled out of his grasp, exhausted with laughter.

She escaped to the far side of the hot tub, and he smirked and followed her, sitting leg to leg against her.

“Alright, alright,” he said, leaning into her ear. He whispered, “I was on your side. Just a little.”

Rachel turned to face him, the two of them a little too close, and she fixed a damp strand of hair behind her ear.

She looked down into the bubbling water as she said, “I know Phoenix has been your brother your whole life…”

“That is the nature of siblings, yes,” he teased.

Rachel smiled and bat him on the arm.

“But,” she emphasized, “part of me feels like I had you first, you know?”

He felt his stomach go sick with excitement. Her face was just inches away from his.

“Funny,” he said lowly, “I feel the same about you.”

She met his eyes, and the sexual chemistry between them heightened significantly. “What do you mean?” she asked nervously, setting two fingers on his cheeks and trailing the tips of them along his jawline.

“What do you think I mean?” he said with a soft laugh. “You were my best friend for basically my whole life, and Phoenix had his chance with you all that time. Then he plays one song, and suddenly I had to share you.”

“And you didn’t like that?” she said slowly.

He shook his head, slow and flirtatious as he held her gaze.

“What do you think?” he asked.

Rachel looked down at his lips and, without a doubt, she wanted him to kiss her. He could feel the electricity in the air. She leaned in, her almond-shaped eyes closing with passion as he moved toward her.

DING-DONG!

Rachel’s eyes snapped open, and she flinched away from Hunter like she was a teenager who was just caught doing something illicit.

Hunter raised a brow. His ears pricked back as he wondered who would be at his house so late at night. He set the champagne on the edge of the hot tub and raised a finger to Rachel.

“One sec,” he said.

Hunter grabbed one of the robes hanging on the hook of the outdoor sauna and walked in through the house to the front door.

His heart was pounding through his chest. He set his hand over it and could feel it thumping against his palm.

He’d nearly kissed his brother’s fiancée.

Hunter looked through the peephole of the door and groaned inwardly when he was that it was his mother.

He set his hand on the door handle and briefly considered ignoring the knocks. Then he remembered that his mother had a key. Insisted on having one, actually. So, he opened the front door and offered his mother a tentative smile.

“Ma,” he said unenthusiastically. “What a surprise.”

“How could I have guessed that it would be you in the center of this mess?” Shannon said pointedly as she looked him over. “How did I know?”

“You are blessed with intuition, Mother,” he said with a grin. Shannon took a step up into the doorway, but Hunter didn’t move his arm.

“She’s here, Hunter,” she said pointedly. “I saw her car outside.”

“And?”

She raised a daring brow and calmly explained, “And I want to talk to her.”

“Well,” he said, trying to sound soft, “she doesn’t want to talk. That’s what not answering your calls, texts, and skywriting means.”

“Rachel always comes running to you,” she scoffed, crossing her arms.

“And Phoenix always sends you to do his dirty work. Where is he, Ma?”

“He’s at home, heartbroken,” she enunciated.

Hunter scoffed. “I’m sure.”

“You’re sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong,” she said, taking a step back. “These kids have been together for ten years. Ten.”

“Ten years too long, looks like,” he said with a one-shouldered shrug.

Shannon raised a thin, arched brow. “She didn’t pick you,” she said with pointed sympathy. “She picked Phoenix, and they have a beautiful life together.”

“It doesn’t look that way from where I’m standing,” he laughed.

His mother gave a nod of acceptance. “They were happy,” she corrected. “She’s upset, but she’ll cool off.”

“He cheated on her, Ma,” he snapped. “She doesn’t want to see him.”

“I don’t believe that for a second,” she said with a roll of her brown eyes.

“No,” he snapped back, “of course you don’t.”

“Hunter,” she sighed. “I am not going to yell at her or lecture her. I just want to talk to my daughter-in-law.”

“That’s the thing,” he said, finally lowering his arm. “She’s not your daughter-in-law.”

Her eyes cut him sharply. “They are engaged,” she said.

“Not anymore,” he said with a shrug.

“You hurt your brother,” Shannon insisted. Again, she crossed her arms and looked over his plush robe and wet hair. “What were you doing just now?” she asked, her suspicion evident.

“Everything okay?” came Rachel’s call from the living room.

Hunter pressed his eyes shut, irritated, but also embarrassed at what their situation must have looked like.

He watched his mother’s gaze follow Rachel as she entered the foyer. He didn’t turn to look at her, but he could hear Rachel stop hard behind him.

“Sweetheart,” his mother said, and to her credit, she sounded warm and inviting as she extended her arms to her sides.

Shannon stepped past Hunter, walking into the house and pulling Rachel into a deep embrace.

"We need to have a little talk, you and I," his mother said.

Hunter closed the door behind him and watched Rachel take on a defensive demeanor.

"I can't right now, Shannon," she said, pulling her robe tighter. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to talk."

His mother looked genuinely hurt by this. Hunter wasn't sure what kind of relationship Shannon thought she had with Rachel, but it was evident that it was skewed.

"You'll talk to Hunter, but you won't talk to me?" his mother asked. She softened then, reaching down and grabbing Rachel's hand in hers. "I'm glad you have someone to talk to, dear. A woman in your condition..." she trailed off and Rachel gently removed her hand from his mother's.

She looked at Hunter, her eyes asking for help. She hated that his mother knew about the miscarriage. That much was evident.

"Mom," he said, trying not to sound aggressive or annoyed. "Why don't you head over to the ranch?" he suggested. "Take a room there for the night and come back in the morning."

Shannon raised a dismissive hand to her son but didn't look at him. "I had a miscarriage," his mother said, her words seeming so loud in the small, awkward entryway. "Did Phoenix ever tell you that?"

Rachel's eyes flicked; her attention caught. "No, he didn't."

"Two," his mother said. "One before my first son, and one right before Phoenix."

Hunter looked down at the floor. He didn't know that about his mother.

As sorry as that information made him feel for her, he simply couldn't imagine being in a family of nine children.

"It's hard," Shannon relayed. "It's really hard. It's something no one can truly understand unless they've been through it. They think you can't connect with that child just because they aren't born."

"No, they don't," Rachel agreed.

Shannon let out a breath and stared longingly at the bottom of the staircase. She walked to it and sat down on the third step, setting her bag in front of her. She looked up at Rachel and continued, "There is a bond there that is indescribable. They are a part of you, as much as if they had been in your arms. I know the pain, Rachel."

"Phoenix doesn't know it," Rachel responded, and Hunter felt himself growing wary, angry, and protective.

"Phoenix is, well," Shannon sighed. She splayed her fingers out on her beige trousers, running one along the crisp seam. "You know Phoenix," she said simply. "He has difficulty saying what's on his mind."

"He has no problem writing about it," Hunter snapped as he leaned against the front door.

His mother nodded. "He has always been better writing his feelings down than sharing them. He's...he's quiet. But he needs you, Rachel. And you need him. The only thing that can save you from this pit you're in is if you join together. Let this tragedy unite you, not tear you apart."

"We were already torn apart," Rachel corrected.

"Now that's not true," his mother said with a frown.

"He was with someone else, Shannon," Rachel said firmly. "I know you don't want to hear that, but it's true. I have evidence."

"Phoenix says that was a misunderstanding," she said. It was no surprise to Hunter, nor Rachel, he assumed, that his mother was blindly defending Phoenix. It wasn't unlike her to lie for him or to excuse his bad behavior.

"There was a girl in his bed!" Rachel shouted. "The night I came to him for comfort. For support. There was a naked girl in his bed, Shannon! Would you have made up with Roger if he did that to you?"

Shannon seemed irritated then. She didn't like people talking about her marriage—but she certainly loved meddling in other people's.

"Look," his mother said, her tone clipped, "I don't know what happened in New York. Lord knows, Phoenix has had a rough go of things since he's been on the road. But one slip does not ruin a marriage."

"Maybe not your marriage," Rachel shrugged, stubborn. "Maybe you're stronger or more forgiving or, hey, maybe you're just plain stupid."

These words elicited wide eyes from his mother.

"But I can't do it," Rachel said quickly. "Not for Phoenix. I refuse to fight for this relationship alone."

He could see emotion getting the better of his mother, though whether she was going to yell or cry, he couldn't tell.

"Phoenix will be right there with you," Shannon said firmly.

Hunter looked at Rachel. Her one hand clutched her robe shut. The other sat over her stomach like a shield, as though there were still something inside to protect.

Rachel's dark eyes narrowed. A dawning look of realization washed over her features as she said, "You don't know Phoenix."

"I know him better than you ever will, girl," his mother snapped back. "Just like I know what you need, and what you need right now is to be with family."

"Shannon," Rachel said firmly, pointing a finger toward Hunter. "I am with family. And I'm not going anywhere. So you can stay in Queenston Bluffs for as long as you like and you can lecture me every day about family loyalty. But I'm staying put. So, my advice to you is not to waste your time."

Rachel wrapped her right hand around her ring finger and pulled off the delicate diamond engagement ring. She stepped forward and pressed the ring into Shannon's palm and said, "And when you see Phoenix—and I know you will—you can give him this."

Chapter Ten

Rachel

Hunter was becoming something to Rachel, something more than a friend. She could feel it in the air around them.

She had always had feelings for Hunter. He was her best friend, but around thirteen years old, she began to feel new things for him. She got butterflies when he was around, and he had been her first ‘date’ to a school dance.

Hunter was her soulmate. Whether he was the romantic kind or not, she didn’t know, but their hearts were the same.

Even when she was madly in love with Phoenix, she knew he would never understand her the way his younger brother did.

She never knew if Hunter felt the same way about her, and she never wanted to jeopardize their friendship to find out.

But now, everything was different.

She had nearly kissed him the night before, and her mind was still reeling. It had been so long since she’d felt any romance with someone that it left her buzzing.

Rachel wondered if things would be awkward the next morning but figured Hunter would cover any discomfort with something silly.

She imagined walking into the kitchen and having Hunter look at her with vague recollection. He would squint his eyes at her, then snap his fingers and say, “Didn’t I almost kiss you in a hot tub once?”

But the next morning when she walked downstairs, Hunter wasn’t even home.

The workday was long, but Rachel loved staying active. People who had never tried yoga before would often scoff at its ability to stretch your body. After all, it wasn’t a high-intensity interval workout. It was just a bunch of stretches, they’d say. How could it possibly make you sweat?

But holding those poses trained your body and strengthened your muscles in surprisingly painful ways.

That day, she did an eight-hour session and then stuck around for another hour at the ranch to watch the couples leave on horse and buggies, cuddled up under a blanket as they glided along the snow.

When she came home, Hunter still wasn’t back.

As she lay in bed that night, Rachel traced a single stretchmark down her stomach. It was the only one she’d gotten from her pregnancy. She never got very big and couldn’t imagine what her skin would have looked like had she carried for the full nine months.

She hated the stretchmark. Not for the sake of vanity, but because it was the only visible reminder that she had almost been a mother.

Maybe she would love it one day, but not today.

A notice on her phone illuminated the bedroom. She reached over to the nightstand and pulled the device up to her eyes.

Phoenix was calling.

She watched the phone shine into the dark bedroom, not brave enough to answer but not cruel enough to hit ignore.

He called every night at the same time, and she never answered. If this had been months ago, that’s what she would have wanted him to do. Persist.

But his persistence didn’t matter anymore. Not now that they had lost their child, and certainly not now with whatever was happening between her and Hunter.

“Talk to me,” he said.

She wanted to respond. She wanted to say, “I can’t,” or tell him never to speak to her again. But there was a small, guilty part of her that also wanted to say, “Okay,” and close her eyes to his cheating and his ego and fall into his arms and pretend to be in love again.

You didn’t walk away from a ten-year relationship with a clean cut.

But she knew she couldn't do that. She'd been miserable with him for too long. They hadn't been partners or a unit. They had turned into roommates and nothing more. Their child was the only thing that could have saved them—that started to save them. Rachel being pregnant brought the sensitive side back to Phoenix. She seemed to be his priority once more, and, at least to her face, he acted like he was in love with her again.

Now they didn't even have that.

“Got your ring,” Phoenix texted. “I can’t sleep.”

The night she lost their baby, she knew it was over, even before she caught another woman in his bed.

Rachel got a redeye home from New York that night and to their expansive ranch home with its glass walls and stone fireplace and stables. She sat on her knees in their marble entryway and cried as she'd never cried before in her life. It was a heaping sob, a full-body shake that exhausted her.

By the morning, her eyes were so swollen from crying she could barely open them.

After not hearing a word from her for two days, Phoenix finally came home.

She had still been wearing the clothes she’d worn to the airport. Leggings and one of Hunter’s high-school band tees she’d stolen from him before she moved to Utah. Phoenix had only once expressed curiosity about why she wore his brother’s shirt, but whether it truly bothered him, she couldn’t say.

Phoenix scooped her up into his arms, and she was too weak, physically and mentally, to fight him. She accepted his sympathy that night. But only that night.

The next day, she walked around the house like a ghost. She was a shell of her old self and her old life. She was numb.

She spent a long time looking down at the teardrop-shaped diamond engagement ring Phoenix had bought for her four years earlier. He proposed on a spring day in the local botanical gardens. They had been having a hard time in their relationship, like always, and he wanted a fresh start.

Rachel had wanted to marry Phoenix so badly back then. Four years later with millions of dollars at his disposal and his child in her belly, he still hadn’t followed through.

Things were busy. Rachel was in school for gymnastics for years, Phoenix was learning how to run the ranch, and then he got signed to a record label. Then there was writing, recording, press interviews, and of course, the tour.

She knew he loved her, and so she could wait. At least, that’s what she always told herself.

But looking at the modest diamond, she realized that it wasn’t timing that kept them apart. Phoenix just…didn’t want to marry her.

He didn’t see a future with her.

After Phoenix came home, he seemed heartbroken over the loss of their child. He cried, he held her, he told her he wanted to make love. Not for the pleasure of it, but to reconnect with her, but Rachel couldn’t bring herself to do it.

They didn’t talk much. Phoenix was in his head, carrying the weight of the loss by himself. He didn’t speak, but he was overly affectionate and needy for her love, always pulling her into his arms or laying on her lap.

She wanted to confront him about the woman in their brownstone and about the texts she’d been able to find since being he came back home, but she couldn’t find her voice. His cheating seemed so small in comparison to losing their child.

They had scheduled an ultrasound for her twenty-two-week appointment because that was when Phoenix would have been back from his tour. They would have found out the gender, but they never made it to that appointment.

“Did you find out what it was?” Phoenix asked one night as they lay in bed in sheer silence.

Rachel frowned, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at him.

“No,” she snapped. “They didn’t, and I didn’t ask.”

“Why wouldn’t you want to know?” he asked, staring up at the ceiling thoughtfully. His voice was soft as he lamented, “I would have wanted to know.”

“Well, you weren’t there, were you?” she said with venom.

To Rachel’s surprise, there was no official procedure for registering a miscarriage before twenty-four weeks of pregnancy. The hospital didn’t even offer a certificate to mark what had happened.

To the rest of the world, it was like Rachel had never been pregnant. Like it didn’t happen.

Phoenix brought their doctor into their home to do a post-miscarriage consult. Dr. Coffer performed a checkup and told Rachel that she was perfectly healthy.

He explained more about the reasons she miscarried. She’d already heard them, but Phoenix wanted the run-down.

Rachel cried through the appointment. The doctor told her she was unlikely to have a repeat chromosomal error the next time she conceived. “Don’t assume the past will predict your future,” he said.

“We’ll try again,” Phoenix had said to her when the doctor left.

“It’s not a band-aid, Phoenix,” she snapped at him.

He narrowed his eyes at her, puzzled. “I thought we wanted this?”

“Did you want this?” she asked genuinely. They had never planned to get pregnant after all; it just happened. She had no reason to believe he ever wanted to be a father.

“I did,” he said with a soft insistence. “We both did.”

She pulled in a breath that made her eyes go wide. She sat up in their bed and tilted her head back, staring up at the white ceiling as the tears streamed down her cheeks.

Phoenix followed her lead and sat up, grabbing her hand in his.

She screamed at him then. Something came over her like a gust of wind that filled her entire body with rage.

“We’re not even partners,” she told him. “We’re just two people who are trapped!”

Phoenix pressed his eyes shut in a long blink. He looked up at her, stunned.

“Trapped?” he repeated just above a whisper, and his lips caught on his Ps.

She told him she couldn’t take it anymore. She told him she wanted out. When he refused to give up on them, when he begged her to stay, she told him she caught him with another woman.

Phoenix looked stunned.

She described the girl to him. She told him she had flown to New York. She told him about the photos she found on his phone, which she promptly threw at him.

He defended himself, of course, but he only talked in circles. It was a misunderstanding, he claimed. When she asked him to explain it, he couldn’t do it.

Phoenix acted hurt. He said she didn’t understand the pressure he was under. He said she was out of her mind. He then accused her of having an affair of her own.

His kind demeanor spiraled until they were yelling at each other from across the bedroom, letting out all of the resentments they had been keeping in since she’d gotten pregnant.

Rachel had to get out right then and there. She began frantically packing her bags. She didn’t even know what she took with her until she got to Hunter’s and unpacked.

“That’s it?” he said, following her down the hall. “That’s it; you’re leaving?”

She said nothing.

“Ten years?” he shouted. “Rachel, I need you!”

She didn’t intend on leaving him then. Not for good. But the longer she drove into the night, the better it felt. It was as though the distance filled her with new life.

Chapter Eleven

Hunter

“I don't want you to hurt your brother.”

These were the parting words from Hunter’s mother during her last night in Queenston Bluffs, Wyoming.

She stayed at the ranch, as per Hunter’s suggestion, and spent three out of her four nights in the city trying to convince Rachel to come back to Utah with her.

The conversations were painfully awkward. The situation was delicate, and his mother had little tact left in her by her last try.

“You hated your father for leaving,” Shannon had said to Rachel, drawing her hand up to her chin thoughtfully. “It just puzzles me that you would want to abandon your family the same way he did.”

Rachel stood her ground, but he knew the words cut her deep.

Hunter stood on his front porch with his mother, her bags already put away in her car service.

“Well, I don't want to hurt him either,” he said. “But it's impossible to talk to him. All he does is lie. He's self-serving and egotistical, and he always thinks that he's in the right—”

His mother had enough. She raised a hand to stop his words and said, “Alright, alright. I know that you care for Rachel. She's your friend, and you're feeling protective of her, but he's your bother.”

Hunter grimaced. His expression read: So? And his mother seemed distressed by his reaction.

Shannon set a hand on his wrist and gave him a gentle squeeze as she said, “Don't forget that. Blood is thicker than water.”

Hunter thinned his lips. “Is that right?” he dared.

“I would appreciate it if you could check in on Phoenix,” his mother began. “Not today. Not tomorrow. Not next week, even. Just,” she paused, giving him a pleading look as she finished, “Just…eventually. He has lost the baby, too. He's hurting, and he needs his brother.”

Hunter wanted to roll his eyes but figured that wouldn’t be taken well by his mother. He’d told her previously that he never wanted to speak to Phoenix again, and she’d nearly had a heart attack. She tried to convince him that he was speaking out of anger, but the truth was Phoenix was no longer the brother he remembered. He wasn’t loyal or fun or thoughtful. He was living life in the public eye and loving every inch of his success.

His mother descended the three steps down his porch. He walked behind her and helped her into the back of the private car she’d hired.

He was about to close her door, but she set her hand on the window to halt his progress.

“Hunter?” she asked.

“Yeah?”

Shannon’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she looked up at him and asked, “Do you have feelings for Rachel?

“What?” he said, trying to sound as steady as possible. “Of course not.”

She nodded, wanting to believe him. “What was that I saw the other night, with the robes?”

“Oh, ma,” he brushed her off with a laugh. “We were in the hot tub, nothing more, okay? Don't read into everything so much.”

He wondered if it looked like he was telling the truth or if his face was going red. Maybe she was using her built-in mom-lie-detector senses to see past his dismissal.

“The girl just lost her baby,” he said as he leaned down to get a better look at her. “Even if I wanted to, I would never do that to her or Phoenix. I'm not crazy about the guy right now, but the last thing I would want to do is add another complication into this mess.”

“And you don’t?” his mother asked. “Want to?” she clarified.

He shook his head. “No, I don’t want to.”

Shannon’s gaze bore into him. Then, seeming satisfied, she said, “I'm glad to hear it. Besides, you've been friends for so long, I suppose if anything were going to happen between you, it would have happened by now.”

After his mother left, he couldn’t get her words out of his head.

Was she right? Had he missed his opportunity to be with Rachel?

Rachel tried to kiss him in the hot tub. There was no denying it. If they weren't interrupted, he didn't know what would have happened. But he did know where he wished the night was going to go.

The possibility of what could be excited Hunter, but it also made him sick. He was so used to Rachel being someone else’s that the idea he could potentially be with her seemed wrong, no matter how right it felt.

He'd been trying to read his best friend for signs over the last two weeks since his mother had left, but there had been no close-calls, no almost-kisses, no flirtations outside of a harmless joke.

So, what had happened in the hot tub? Was it a champagne-fueled, lonely attempt at connecting with someone who cared about her? An ego-boost? Or was it something more and Rachel had simply lost her nerve after the lecture from Mama Brooks?

The workweek was a blur. The ranch had been planning new winter activities for the year, and Hunter was still finalizing some last-minute details. So far, the changes had resulted in rave reviews from their guests.

Rachel seemed busy as well. More classes were booked—guests using yoga as a form of exercise or to meditate at the peaceful, luxury ranch.

She had been pleasantly distracted from the drama in her life, which Hunter was glad about, but she was also distracted from spending any time with him. She stayed late at work, and when she was home, she seemed to carry an air of guilt around her.

Things at work had been productive, but also slightly awkward for Hunter. Working with Addison wasn’t as fun or illicit as it used to be.

His assistant seemed to be in a constant state of melancholy.

She had said little about their breakup. She hadn’t tried to get him back or slander his name. She was professional. For that much, he could be thankful.

At first, she said that she understood that he had a lot going on in his life. But today she seemed to have other ideas.

The two of them were going over his appointments for the week when Addison pulled in a breath and asked, “You like her, don’t you?”

“Hm?” he responded absent-mindedly.

“Rachel,” she clarified. “You like her.”

Hunter’s nose crinkled. Apparently, Mama Brooks wasn’t the only one questioning what was going on between the twenty-six-year-olds.

"No,” he said evenly, “Rachel is a friend of mine. Nothing more.”

"That’s not what it seemed like in the car,” she said.

Hunter closed the lid of his laptop and looked across the desk at her. "What are you talking about?” he asked.

Addison played with her hair—a nervous habit. She pulled the dark strands into a braid, then unbraided the hairs, then braiding them again.

"I know what it looks like when you’re infatuated with someone, Hunter,” she said quietly. “Don’t forget, you used to be infatuated with me not that long ago.”

Hunter ground his teeth from side to side, mulling over her words. He wasn’t exactly sure how to respond.

Of course, he did like Rachel, but he wasn’t about to shout it from the rooftops.

"I don’t think she’s with your brother anymore,” Addison said, and her words were rushed. He could sense her inner super-fan coming out, and it made him cringe. “I think she’s with you.”

"Well, you’d be wrong,” he said, opening his laptop back up and pointedly ignoring her gaze.

"Then why is she here?” she asked. “His tour’s been over for weeks, and I read online he’s taking time off to write his next album. Shouldn’t she be back home now?”

"My brother needs solitude when he writes,” he said.

Addison was undeterred. "Why is she working here instead of at the Brookside Utah ranch?” she asked.

Hunter let out a sigh.

"I think the baby she’s carrying is yours and not your brothers,” Addison said, her tone gaining conviction as she spoke.

"Well, that’s because you are insane,” he said with some levity. “I have never fathered a child, Rachel and I are not a couple, and you need to remember that you are my assistant, not my life coach.”

"I used to be your girlfriend,” she said.

"And you’re about to be out of a job if you keep this up.” He finally met her eyes and snapped, “Addison? Is this going to be a problem between us?”

She seemed to think about it before admitting, "I can’t work with you if you’re going to be with her. I don’t want to see it.”

"We are not together, but I can put you in for a transfer to a different department if you like,” he said.

Addison began to cry then, and it made Hunter feel both irritated and guilty. She hung her head and agreed that it would probably be a good idea for her to be moved.

Things were not turning out the way Hunter thought they would several months ago. He thought he would be with Addison. She was sweet enough, though he didn’t appreciate her fandom of his brother. But that happened a lot since Phoenix got famous.

Hunter thought Rachel was coming for a visit. He thought she was pregnant and that in five months, he would be an uncle—again.

He thought that being an adult meant you didn’t have to lie or hide your feelings or hurt people.

So far, he was keeping Rachel’s secrets—she was no longer with Phoenix; she was no longer pregnant.

And he was keeping his own secrets from the whole world—he was in love with Rachel.

He broached the subject with humor a couple of days later when he was at home with Rachel.

"The whole world seems to think we’re a couple,” he said as they sat together watching a movie.

Rachel’s eyes went wide, and she lifted a brow carefully. “The whole world?” she repeated nervously. “Like, the tabloids?”

"Sorry,” he slapped his forehead. “I forgot that was a reality in your life. No, not the tabloids. Just a figure of speech.”

Rachel nodded, her expression one of relief. "Then who, may I ask, does the ‘whole world’ consist of?”

"Basically my mother and Addison,” Hunter said.

"Your mother said something?” she repeated.

"Kind of. She just asked about the hot tub.”

"Ah,” she nodded.

"Answering the door in a robe and all,” he explained, carefully watching Rachel’s expression.

"Clearly your mother has forgotten that you do not dip into a hot tub in a full wet suit,” she said with a grin, and Hunter laughed. "Still…” she shrugged.

"Still, what?” he asked.

"Maybe we should talk about me going back,” she said, pausing the movie.

"What do you mean?”

"I mean, I can't stay here forever,” she laughed, but it wasn’t with humor. “At some point, I have to go back and figure things out.”

His heart sped up. "You haven't figured things out?” he asked nervously. “I thought you left Phoenix.”

"Yeah, I did. I just mean...I should probably get my stuff, wrap things up with the ranch, talk to a lawyer about my rights or something?”

"You can figure things out from here,” he offered. “Don't let my mom twist things around.”

"She's not,” she snapped, her brows drawn together in a deep frown.

"She is,” he said with a nod. “This is classic Shannon-mind-games. Guilt games! Patent-pending!”

This made Rachel laugh. “Hunter, I'm serious. Phoenix has been off his tour for weeks now, and I know there's going to be some speculation soon about where I am and why he's not being seen with me.”

He shrugged. "So?”

"So,” she repeated, “When they find out I'm here, you're going to have paparazzi at your ranch. We have paparazzi at our ranch, and trust me, it isn't fun.”

"Then we'll call the cops,” he said simply. "Our patrons don’t like country music, so you don’t have to worry about any of that.”

Rachel narrowed her eyes, teasing, "Is that so?”

"Yes,” he insisted. “Now, let’s change the subject. Instead of talking about you leaving, let’s talk about you celebrating.”

“Celebrating what?”

"Wait,” he said, sticking a finger into the air. “Do you feel that?” he asked in a whisper. “Suddenly, I can breathe again. The guilty weight of the past is gone.”

"Mama Brooks’ departure!” Rachel cheered.

"Mama Brooks’ departure!” he repeated. “Let’s celebrate. Anything you want. Want to climb a mountain? Fly to Hawaii? Go skiing?”

"Find the abominable snowman?” she teased.

"If you want to do it, we’ll throw it on the list.”

Rachel brought a finger up to her lips and tilted her head to the side. "Well, there was one thing I think would be kind of cool…”

Chapter Twelve

Rachel

Rachel knew Hunter was trying to set her up to go somewhere extravagant—France, Thailand, a spa somewhere or other. But the thing she wanted to see the most wasn’t in another country. It wasn’t even in another state. It was in Wyoming.

She had always wanted to see Old Faithful, a cone geyser in Yellowstone Nation Park. She knew it got its name in the eighteen hundreds or some such thing and was one of the most predictable geysers in the world, erupting ever forty-four minutes since she was just a kid.

She loved hiking and figured she and Hunter would take the next day to see the geyser. Little did she know, Hunter had something else in mind.

Early the following day, Hunter surprised her with a helicopter ride. She’d been in one before with her ex, but the views never ceased to amaze her.

Yellowstone Park was blanketed in snow and steam from the many geothermal features.

The two of them flew above the geyser, catching its eruption from the sky. They both cheered at the sight of it, and before long, they were landing in the park, where Hunter had arranged for them to snowmobile out to the geyser.

Hunter and Rachel were, unsurprisingly, the only people at the park. They had come to the park at sunrise and watched the pink and gold light cast against the snow-capped mountains in the distance.

Rachel shared a snowmobile with Hunter, wrapping her arms around him tightly as they rode to see the geyser in person.

As they rode toward the Upper Geyser Basin, they saw bison roaming the park, and the sight of them made Rachel squeal with delight.

When they finally reached the geyser, they dismounted the mobile and began walking around.

The park was stunning, though Rachel wasn’t sure what she had been expecting from the geyser. There was no grand tourist trap to be found—just a wooden post sign that read: Old Faithful Geyser.

The two of them walked around the valley. The steam from the many thermal features had created patches on the ground where there was no snow.

Rachel’s breath came out in a plume, and she watched as it faded into the evergreen trees in the distance.

“Ready to learn?” Hunter said in a silly voice, and Rachel grinned.

As they walked around, Rachel looped her arm through his. He had thought of everything. He had a thermos of hot chocolate in his jacket and had even looked up bullet points to teach her about the park.

In his best ‘snooty-professor’ voice, Hunter began to share tidbits with her about the park and geyser.

He told her how in eighteen eighty-two, people used to use Old Faithful as a laundry, placing their garments in the crater, resulting in many torn clothes.

Hunter also told her that where they were standing was more than seven thousand feet in elevation. He told her that the eruption would last anywhere from fifteen to twenty minutes and potentially reach one hundred and eighty feet.

His rendition of tour-guide made Rachel laugh so hard that sometimes he broke character and burst into a fit of giggles.

Rachel stared at the crater, excited to see it explode from the ground level this time.

“It’s so, so beautiful here,” she gushed.

Hunter smiled. "Not too shabby, is it?”

"I bet you do this with all the girls,” she said in a flirtatious, teasing tone.

"No,” he said, wrapping an arm firmly around her neck and pulling her closer. “Just you.”

"What’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done for a girl?” she asked.

Hunter shrugged. "I bought out a movie theatre once so we could have some privacy.”

Rachel scoffed out a laugh. She hadn’t been expecting that type of answer. “Seriously?” she snorted. “Isn’t that a little…I don’t know, like what a teenager would think was super romantic?”

"Well, excuse me!” he said, drawing out the word ‘excuse’ with humor. “What about you?” he laughed. “What’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done for someone else?”

"It’s not the same when a girl does it for a guy,” she explained. “You can’t sweep a guy off his feet.”

“What?” he said in a high-pitched protest. "Sure you can!”

“No, you can’t! Trust me. I mean, I’ve done sweet and thoughtful things. Given massages, lit the house full of candles, but guys don’t care about that stuff the same way girls do…”

Hunter nudged her as they walked around the site of the geyser. "But if you had to pick?”

"If I had to pick...I guess when Phoenix moved to Utah and we were still living apart, he was feeling discouraged about his music,” she explained, unsure if she should be relaying a story about her time with him. “He was working hard at the ranch and writing all this music that he thought was never going to be heard, so I wrote out all of his songs and had them bound in a leather book. Then I mailed it to him and said something like, ‘These songs will mean so much to so many people. I believe in you’ or something like that.”

Hunter went silent, his eyes fixed on the crater. Then, in a low breath, he exhaled, "Wow.”

Rachel shrugged, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

"I bet he loved that,” Hunter said, toneless.

"Doesn’t matter now, does it?” she said, and he raised his brows thoughtfully.

The air between them went silent, only interrupted when Hunter said, ‘Look, look!’ in an excited whisper and pointed out a lone wolf scampering off in the distance.

As the wolf disappeared into the forest, Hunter resumed their conversation. "Alright, alright,” he said with a laugh, “your story makes me look terrible. Let me try again. I’m going to say flowers and chocolates aside? One time I took a girlfriend of mine to the mountains once for a weekend getaway.”

“Wow,” she said. “That’s impressive. Where to?”

"Switzerland,” he said.

"Switzerland!” she repeated, impressed.

“Yeah,” he said, rolling his shoulders. “I surprised her with skiing, which she was super into. Me? Not so much. But I did the bunny hill with her. Then I had booked a spa experience, a chocolate foodie tour, and I had a trivia game made up of our relationship, and we played it in front of a huge fire.”

"You’re making this up,” she snorted.

"I swear!”

"That’s,” she paused, searching for the right words. “Pretty epic. So, you do know how to spend your money,” she teased.

"Hey, just because I’m careful with my finances doesn’t mean that I don’t splurge every once in a while.”

Rachel went quiet. The longer she thought about the story, the more it began to ring a vague bell in her memory—something about Hunter going overseas with a girl he’d started dating.

"You must have really loved her,” she said, though she hardly remembered him describing the ski trip as romantically to her back then as he did just now.

"I...just wanted to make her smile,” he said.

Rachel took a sip from the thermos before offering it to Hunter, who readily obliged.

"How do you know when you love someone?” she asked. “Is it when your mind is completely in control or when your heart's taking the wheel?”

"I think it's when both of those things start working together,” he grinned.

"Think you've ever been in love?”

"Yeah. I think so,” he said. “Why? You don't think you ever were with Phoenix?”

“Of course,” she nodded. “When I was younger. But not for a long time.” Rachel paused, suddenly feeling nervous. “Can I ask you something?”

"Sure,” he said.

"And you have to promise to be honest when you answer?” she said.

She watched as a smirk pulled at the corner of Hunter’s lips. He raised a hand to his heart and said, “Scouts honor.”

"Do you think I've become my father?” she asked.

"What?” he said with surprise. “Why would you say that?”

She shrugged. It had been something she couldn’t stop thinking about since Shannon had mentioned it. "He left my family to pursue selfish goals, I left Phoenix,” she said, as though that explained everything.

Hunter’s jaw tightened. He frowned at the thought and refuted, "Your father had a child and a wife. You have no connection to Phoenix. Not really.”

"We were engaged,” she offered.

"Exactly. You weren't married. Nothing was set in stone. You don't share anything. Not a bank account, not the ranch, not even your own house.”

"I guess you're right,” she said slowly, though she didn’t feel particularly convinced.

"Phoenix betrayed you, Rach. Not the other way around,” Hunter said softly. “See!” he snapped his fingers. “This is the Mama Brooks manipulation I was talking about!”

Rachel laughed. He was right, of course. Shannon knew exactly what to say to make Rachel feel horrible. And Hunter knew exactly what to say to make her feel better.

She’d drawn away from him for the last couple days, but her feelings for him were still very much alive.

"You know, your mother isn't always the sinister villain you make her out to be,” she said slowly. “Sometimes her motives are kind and caring.”

Hunter mumbled something under his breath.

Rachel turned to her best friend and touched his forearm, turning him to face her.

Her heart began to race, knowing what she was about to do.

"And she was right about one thing,” she said nervously.

Hunter raised a brow and said, "What's that?”

Rachel pressed her toes to the ground, lifting herself to reach his height. She set a hand against the side of his face and guided his lips toward hers.

His cold mouth quickly warmed against hers, and he did not object to the kiss.

Rachel could feel her heart racing and, though she couldn’t feel his heart through his winter jacket, she could tell Hunter was just as thick with lust and excitement and fear as she was.

Their lips pressed and parted against one another again and again.

"I think something is going on between us,” she whispered as her lips briefly left his.

"I think there has been for a long time,” he agreed in a whisper.

"So,” she began but got lost as Hunter set both of his hands on her cheeks and pulled her back into the kiss. When their mouths parted again, she finished, “She was right.”

Hunter laughed. "We can stop talking about my mother any time now,” he said in a hushed voice, kissing her again.

Their lips danced around one another, quickly finding a steady rhythm.

Rachel could hear a deep pressure, a fizzing in the distance, and she pulled away just in time to see the geyser explode.

It started as a small, steady stream of mist and water. As the pressure built, the stream became a steady eruption, streaking high into the sky and leaving a mountain of steam behind it.

Rachel couldn’t believe what she’d just done. She couldn’t believe how beautiful the geyser was as the water continued to pour out with no signs of stopping. She could feel the heat of the geothermal feature against her face and watched as the billions of water droplets seemed to hover next to the spray.

"This is crazy!” Hunter exclaimed.

"I know!” she agreed, though she didn’t know if he meant the kiss or the geyser.

The two of them watched the steady stream in awe, both unable to look away from the power of nature.

They watched in silence, with only the hiss of the water filling the air.

Hunter splayed his fingers through hers, pulling her hand into his as he asked, “What’s going on here?”

“Nothing that hasn’t been going on for years,” she said, neither of them looking at each other.

“Years?” he repeated in surprise.

Rachel let out a small laugh. Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she felt suddenly overwhelmed by the beauty before her.

“Years,” she confirmed. “Hunter, I think I’ve been in love with you since...since the summer I turned fifteen.”

“What?”

“Yeah,” she said slowly.

“But…” he finally turned to her, studying her features. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“Our friendship,” she said. It was the most obvious and most truthful answer she could give. “You were basically my best friend and my family. If anything happened between us and it didn’t work out, it would be like losing everything I ever cared about.”

“But now our friendship is mundane enough to throw caution to the wind?” he said with a wink.

She laughed. “No, of course not!”

“You liked me, but you dated Phoenix?” he said with some confusion.

“I liked Phoenix,” she said, her voice pitching. Then she shrugged and said, “I liked you. But Phoenix wasn’t so much about falling in love, at first. It was about…”

“Winning,” he said. He knew her too well.

“Not winning,” she smiled. “But, yeah, I wanted him to like me. I wanted to feel like I was good enough for someone as smart as him to like me back. Then we fell in love and, well, you know the rest.”

“I do,” he nodded.

“Now all these years later and these feelings for you are still there. They’ve always been there somewhere, I think. It’s impossible for them not to be.”

Hunter bit his lip thoughtfully. His eyes darted back and forth from hers, his face looking pale from the cold. He wasn’t saying anything, and it was starting to make her nervous.

She swallowed and stared right back at him. “I keep trying to picture what my future looks like,” she said. “And I just keep coming back to you.”

“Me?” he repeated, and Rachel nodded. “And you’re sure about that?” he asked, then gently nudged, “This isn’t a rebound situation?”

It was a fair question to ask. It was something she had been asking herself for weeks. But no, these feelings were real.

“I have never been so sure about anything in my whole life,” she insisted, grabbing his hand. “Running the ranch, here with you, makes me so happy I could cry. But then, that’s my dream, isn’t it? You haven’t told me yours. How you feel, what you’re thinking.”

Hunter gave a smirk, then a muffled laugh. “I’m...just...shocked, I think.” His eyes watched her, but they were glazed over.

Rachel thinned her lips. “Good shocked or bad shocked?”

“Rachel, come on,” he said with humor.

Her heart raced so hard that she had to set a hand over her chest to try to calm it down. “What?” she asked, hoping the panic didn’t show through her tone.

“You’ve loved me since we were teenagers?” he said, more as a statement than a question. Then his expression brightened as he said, “Well, I’ve loved you since we met on the playground.”

The geyser continued to explode into the sky, leaving tiny droplets and plumes of steam in its wake. Both flinched at the sudden propulsion coming from the crater and turned to give it their attention once more.

Hunter loved her.

Rachel could feel her whole body go warm at the very thought of it. She couldn’t stop the smile that pulled at the side of her lips. She squeezed his hand, and in a small voice, asked, “What do we do now?”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to kissing you again,” he said with a grin.

“You know what I mean!” she giggled. “Us being together is…”

He nodded. “Complicated.”

“Yes. There’s the ranch to think about, and of course, your family would be furious if they knew,” she said.

Hunter gave a mischievous grin and said, “Even more reason to do it if you ask me.”

“And then there’s…” she began but thought better of it. She didn’t even want to use Phoenix’s name.

“I refuse to feel sorry for him,” Hunter said stubbornly. “He had his chance with you, Rach.”

“I know,” she said softly. “But remember that he betrayed me. Not you.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“I mean,” she began, “you love him, and that’s okay.”

“I haven’t spoken to him in months,” he said with light defense. “I mean, yeah, I love the guy because we’re family, but we haven’t had a real connection in years.”

She snorted, “Welcome to the club.”

“I love you, Rachel, and I want to be with you no matter what.”

“Are you sure about that?” she dared, but like always, Hunter was up for the challenge.

“Absolutely,” he said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Chapter Thirteen

Hunter

Winter was in full bloom at Brookside Ranch, but that didn’t stop Hunter or the tourists from visiting.

Today, Hunter decided to pop in at one of the activities for children—horse riding in the snow—and Rachel accompanied him.

The two were, as his parents used to say, joined at the hip.

Part of Hunter knew that their affection for one another would come to a head eventually, but he hadn’t expected Rachel to be the one to make the first move.

But boy was he happy that she did.

It had been weeks since she had kissed him by the geyser, and they’d spent every day together ever since.

Talking to her had always felt special, and now kissing her felt like some strange blessing that he didn’t deserve.

The class they were attending was teaching children how to ride horses or ponies, depending on how old they were.

Melissa Davis was a seven-year-old girl who had been coming to the ranch every year with her parents.

Her mother, Bailey, was next to Hunter, watching as he held onto Melissa’s waist and set her up on the horse.

“What if I fall?” Melissa yelped. She was nervous, but she was still smiling, which Hunter took as a good sign.

“Ah, you won’t fall,” he said, waving a hand in dismissal.

Melissa looked at her mother, then to Hunter as she said, “But what if I do?”

“You won’t!” he said positively. “It’s impossible. Your mom’s right over there, and I’m right here to help you. And if you even get a hint of a wiggle on this horse, I will personally dive and catch you; deal?”

Melissa’s eyes went as round as saucers as she looked up at him. She thinned her lips, and her brows narrowed. She looked suddenly determined as she exclaimed, “Deal!”

“But I promise, you’re not going to fall,” he reassured her. “Plus, you’re padded up in your little snowsuit.”

“What if Belle gets scared of the snow?” Melissa asked, speaking of the pony she was on.

“What?” he exclaimed as though the very idea of it were impossible. “Belle loves the snow! She’s one of our best horses, and she’s all, summer, who? Winter is her game!”

Melissa blinked. “It is?”

“Oh, definitely,” he said. “In fact, I think if she had hands instead of hooves, she might even come to the snowman building contest later today.”

Melissa burst into a fit of giggles, and she looked over at her mother, then at Rachel as she said, “He’s silly!”

“The silliest,” Rachel agreed.

“So, what do you say?” he asked, keeping a steady hand on Melissa’s back. “Do you trust Belle here to give you the ride of your life?”

“Mm,” Melissa mumbled, mulling it over. “Maybe just a little trotting.”

“Trot away, my girl,” he said, removing his hand and watching as the horse carefully walked the girl along the circular pen.

This was not Melissa’s first time on a pony. She was a good rider, especially for such a young girl, but she needed a lot of encouragement.

“Thank you for being so patient with her,” Bailey said with a relieved smile. “Do you have children?”

“Me?” he asked. “No, not yet.”

“Oh, mark my words, you’ll be a good dad,” Bailey laughed. “It takes a special person to stay patient with kids. With Melissa, specifically.”

“Hey, she won me over straight away. She’s a cool kid,” he said.

“She’ll be glad you think so,” Bailey said, watching her daughter carefully. “You have a beautiful ranch here, Mr. Brooks.”

“Thank you for saying so,” he said appreciatively.

“I think it’s wonderful that you come out and talk to your guests.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said. “I can’t improve your experience if I don’t know what’s going on, right?”

“It’s what has kept me and my husband coming back for years and years,” Bailey said.

Hunter was pleased to hear it. “Is that right?” he asked. “Well, I’m honored!”

He and Rachel stayed out an hour longer, playing with the kids and making sure the rides were going smoothly.

He was glad Rachel was just as enthusiastic with the kids as he was, but he wondered if seeing them made her sad. Did she look at them and think about the loss of her own child, or did spending time with the little ones ease her pain?

“She’s right, you know,” Rachel said as they entered into the ranch restaurant to warm their hands.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“What Mrs. Davis said,” she clarified. “You’re something special. You care about the people here.”

“Some of these people I’ve been seeing every year,” he shared. “Sometimes multiple times a year, for the last five years.”

“I love that you love the ranch,” she said with affection.

“And I’m surprised you love it,” he responded with a tease.

“Yes, I know,” she said, rolling her eyes playfully. “I was little Mrs. I hate country life.”

“And then?”

She shrugged. “And then, I don’t know. I just fell in love with it. The ranch feels like home.”

“As it should,” he said, nudging her. “You fit right in here with me, with the guests with me.”

Work had always been a passion for Hunter. Not in a ‘boy, that guy is a workaholic’ kind of way, but he wanted things to be just right. He wanted people to have fun when they came to the ranch.

Yet, somehow, having Rachel around had made his time at the ranch even more enjoyable than normal. It felt like he was seeing everything—the stables, the snow-capped cottages, the Wyoming mountains—for the first time.

When he got home that night, Rachel was already in the living room. He laughed when he caught sight of what she’d been up to since coming home.

She’d made dinner. It was a baked chicken in a spicy sauce, wild rice, and beans.

This was not the surprising part. The surprising part was the intricate pillow and blanket fort she had built in the living room.

Rachel had gathered up as many pillows, blankets, and sheets she could find. She used chairs lined in a row to make an alleyway of sorts leading to the couch. Pillows were stacked in every direction, with a giant sheet hanging above to create an encampment.

Hunter began to laugh as he crawled down into the fort and made his way through the various tunnels she had created.

“Getting warmer!” she shouted in a giggle.

He followed the direction of her voice and marveled at the effort she’d put into the fort. Inside were battery-operated tealight candles lining the alleyways and rainbow string lights hung from the top of the fort, secured with clothespins and binder clips.

He found her at the end of the tunnel leading to the couch. She was laying up against a stack of pillows she’d stolen from the upstairs bedrooms. In her lap was a bowl of popcorn, a laptop, and various other candy-style snacks.

“You’re going to spoil your dinner,” he said.

“That’s it?” she laughed. “That’s all you have to say?”

He raised an eyebrow suggestively and looked around the inside of the fort. “Reminds me of the forts we used to make when we were kids,” he said.

Rachel grinned triumphantly and set her hand on the lid of her laptop. “Complete with all of our favorite movies from ages twelve to sixteen.”

“You thought of everything,” he said.

The two ate dinner inside the fort and talked. Eventually, the two of them opened up Rachel’s laptop and began watching movies and eating snacks. The nostalgia was almost palpable.

With the outside lights off, the inside of the fort looked like their secret hideaway, glowing from the string lights. It looked like magic.

Rachel was sitting next to him, both of their legs stretched out, with the laptop on her legs. Hunter leaned forward a little and tapped his fingers against the spacebar, pausing their movie.

“This reminds me of when we were kids,” he reiterated, and she seemed pleased with his reaction. “Only…”

“Only what?” she asked.

“Only this time we’re doing it right,” he said. “This time we’re fifteen, but you’re with me, and I’m with you.”

Rachel didn’t respond with words, instead pulling him into a deep, passionate kiss.

He couldn’t get enough of her. Kissing seemed to be the majority of what they did ever since discovering how amazing it was between them.

Hunter ran his fingers through her hair and slipped his tongue into her mouth, eliciting amusement on her part.

She pulled away, starting to giggle as she said, “This is so…”

“I know,” he smiled.

“Weird,” she said, her eyes going wide.

“Well, I was going to say amazing,” he teased. “But sure, let’s go with weird.”

“I just mean, I feel like I don't know you at all.”

Hunter blinked in surprise. “Rachel,” he snorted, “You know absolutely everything about me. Some might say scarily so.”

“I know,” she agreed. “It's crazy, right? But I just feel like there's this big part of you that’s just been opened up to me.”

“Having buyer’s remorse?” he asked.

Rachel shook her head and leaned in to kiss his cheek. “Never.”

“I will never be lost to you,” he said.

Her cheeks pinkened, and she nuzzled into him, embarrassed. “You are perfect.”

“You’re delusional,” he joked. “Somebody really does have rose-colored glasses on.”

“I’m serious,” she gushed. “I have never been this happy in my whole life.”

“If that’s true,” he began slowly, “then can I say something absolutely ridiculous?”

“Always,” she said.

“I’m serious!” he insisted. “This is the kind of thing that, well, once I say it, I can’t take it back.”

“Yes, tell me!” she said excitedly.

“Rachel, can you handle it?” he said, drawing it out with a dramatic, announcer’s voice. “Because I’m telling you, this is something you can only say at the beginning of a new relationship when you are so blissed out on love that you’re not thinking clearly.”

Rachel bat her hand against his chest and insisted, “Tell me, tell me!”

Hunter felt his face go red, and he pressed his eyes shut, unable to comprehend the amount of cheese that was about to leave his mouth.

“You complete me,” he said.

He thought Rachel might burst into hysterical laughter and mock him for the rest of eternity. Instead, she leaned back in and gave him a thoughtful, tender kiss.

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” she said. “Is that crazy?”

“Yes,” she said. “But then call me crazy, because it sounds perfect to me.”

Hunter nodded. “I want to do this right with you.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean,” he said.

Rachel’s eyes flicked toward their blanket-floor, and she pushed her lips to the side of her mouth in a child’s pout. “You think we should tell him?” she asked.

He pulled in a breath and offered a weak shrug. “I think if we’re serious about each other, then it’s the right thing to do.”

He’d been mulling it over for days and telling Phoenix kept coming back as the best thing to do. It was the mature thing to do.

Rachel didn’t seem as pleased with the idea, but he knew she would agree with him.

“It sounds silly,” she began in a small voice, “And I know I shouldn’t care—I know it should make me happy to break his heart…”

“But you don’t want to hurt him,” he finished.

“No,” she said. “I don’t.”

“Neither do I,” he agreed. “But the only way we can move on and be happy together is if we do this right.”

“I know,” she said, finally meeting his eyes again. He knew how she felt—he was feeling the same way. It was so easy to stay in their bubble of happiness, outside of everyone else’s opinions. It was easy to grow their love in private where there was no one else weighing in.

But that wasn’t real. They needed to put their love to the test. They needed to do things right.

“When do you think we should do it?” she asked.

“Soon,” he said.

Her eyes seemed suddenly far away as she said, “He’s going to hate us both.”

“Yeah,” Hunter nodded.

“What about the ranch? You share this brand. How is it going to look if you—?”

Hunter took her hand in his and brought her fingers to his mouth, kissing them softly. “We’ll figure it out,” he cooed. “Besides, if I can forgive him for stealing my best friend away for all those years, maybe one day he’ll forgive me.”

“Maybe,” she agreed.

Hunter shrugged. “Or maybe he’ll write a record exclusively devoted to his hatred for me. Either way.”

“Maybe that, too,” she said, humorless.

“That’s okay. I always wanted a song written about me,” he said with a wink in his tone.

Rachel didn’t smile. “It’s not funny, Hunter,” she said, and he nodded.

He’d been weighing this decision for days and days. He knew it would hurt Phoenix. It would hurt his mother and force his other siblings into taking sides.

The only one he imagined would be unaffected by his decision was his little sister Kennedy. If anything, she would probably think he was cooler when she found out that he was capable of stirring the family pot.

“I know it’s not funny,” he agreed. “It is the exact opposite of funny.”

Chapter Fourteen

Rachel

It was mid-March on the ranch and, after marketing a new 'yoga retreat' at the ranch, Rachel had been beyond busy with her classes at the yurt. Not only were groups of women booking vacations for bachelorette weekends and couples choosing the ranch as their 'babymoon' destination, but more and more corporate retreats were choosing the yurt as their top choice for a company outing—particularly with health and wellness brands.

Not only did this result in amazing success at the yurt, but it also led to two brand deals with the ranch, which Hunter couldn't have been more over the moon about.

Rachel was happy in her new life. She loved being with Hunter and getting to finally experience what life in his arms felt like.

There were still hard nights—nights where the nightmares of her lost child would haunt her, or the cold, numb loneliness swept over her as she remembered crying on her entryway floor after New York, knowing her relationship was over.

Rachel and Hunter talked about Phoenix less and less, both feeling as though there was something illicit about their relationship so long as he didn't know about it—and not the fun kind of illicit. The horrible, gut-wrenching kind.

Rachel didn't know she could feel so invigorated, miserable, happy, and guilty all at the same time.

She was just finishing up at the yurt, doing some final stretches alone when she noticed Hunter was leaning against the doorway, watching her move.

“Perv,” she snickered, throwing a hand towel at him.

He caught it deftly and smirked. “Hey, I’m just a business owner checking in on one of his ranch activities. I can’t be held accountable if you look amazing doing that.”

Things were good. It felt strange to say that. For the first time since she was sixteen years old, her life was still.

She wasn’t moving somewhere new, she wasn’t at recording studios, traveling in private jets, following someone on tour, or planning for the future of her family.

Rachel had learned how to live in the moment. She enjoyed the little things in life now, like having coffee in the morning with Hunter, the simplicity of sitting on the couch together or talking over a glass of wine. Looking up at the stars, seeing the sunrise over the mountains, seeing the smile on her guest's faces as they finished a class. These were the things she looked forward to in a day.

She always thought that such things would scare her—the idea that there was no surprise around the corner. But Rachel felt she’d had enough surprises to last a lifetime.

Until she was ready for her next adventure with Hunter, she was perfectly content to spend her nights laying in his arms.

“Looks dead here,” he said, pulling her out of her thoughts. “You want to go home for the night?”

“If the right offer comes along,” she teased with a wink.

Hunter walked up to her, looking smug, and pulled her close to his chest. He leaned in, brushing his lips against her with a tease before landing a kiss.

“That’s a pretty good offer,” she giggled as the kiss ended.

“I can’t get enough of you, Rachel. I keep expecting this all to crumble in my hands,” he said with soft surprise.

“Like bad pie dough,” she said.

Hunter’s face pulled into a wide grin as he said, “That wasn’t the epic metaphor I was looking for. But yes, like bad pie dough. I keep expecting you to disappear or for me to wake up and have the universe give me a cosmic, ‘Ha-ha!’”

“While it points and laughs?” she said with a smile.

He nodded. “Something like that, yeah.”

“Well, you have nothing to worry about,” she said. “I’m not going anywhere.”

She leaned in to kiss him again, desperately needing his lips back against hers, but their kiss was foiled by the loud footsteps she heard coming down the hall.

Hunter backed away from her quickly, like shrapnel jettisoning away from an explosion. The force with which he repelled away from her took her by surprise until she saw who was walking through the door.

“This is the yoga yurt, sir,” Ketia, one of her assistants, said as she led Phoenix Brooks into her yoga studio.

“Thank you so much for your help,” Phoenix said, dismissing the girl.

Hunter stiffened noticeably at his brother’s presence, and he and Rachel locked eyes with a shared disquiet.

“What are you doing here?” Rachel asked, pulling a sweater on over her workout gear.

“Can we talk?” Phoenix asked, pointedly ignoring Hunter’s presence.

“I…” she stammered. “I’m at work.”

Phoenix smirked at that. He looked around the empty yurt and crossed his arms playfully, saying, “And clearly, you’re swamped.”

“I don’t want to see you, Phoenix,” she said, staring down at the floor. She didn’t want to look at him.

“That’s not just your decision,” Phoenix pleaded. “I have to get a say in this, Rachel. I have to. This was my relationship, too.”

“Until you cheated on her,” Hunter interjected bitterly. “Then I think you gave up that right.”

Phoenix lurched forward, and Hunter stepped back quickly. She knew the look in her ex’s eyes and knew he wouldn’t back down from a fight.

“I don’t need any comments from you,” Phoenix said, his words clipped. “This is between my fiancée and me.”

“Hey, you’re on my ranch, man. Not the other way around,” Hunter snapped. “You’re lucky I don’t call the cops on your a—”

“Hunter!” Rachel lectured, rubbing her face. “Stop it.”

“You’re not welcome here,” Hunter enunciated, taking a step toward his brother.

“And I’ll be leaving promptly, once I talk with Rachel,” Phoenix said as though he were explaining something to a child.

Hunter was fuming; she could tell. “No, you’re going to leave right now,” he said.

“Guys, stop,” she said firmly. “Phoenix, I’ll meet you outside, okay? We’ll talk. Give me a minute.”

Phoenix stayed in the room, staring intensely at her. She crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side, her expression begging him to go.

Thankfully, he listened, and within a minute, it was just she and Hunter alone in the yurt.

“What are you going to do?” Hunter asked, and she could tell that he was jealous.

Rachel shrugged. “I’m going to go talk to him.”

He shook his head. “Why is he doing this?” he asked in a whisper, more confused than asking an actual question. “It’s going to kill him to see you in person and not be able to have you.”

“No, I don’t think so,” she said slowly.

He looked at her point-blank and said, “It killed me.”

She pressed her forehead against Hunter’s, and the two of them breathed together.

“This has to be a sign or something, right?” Hunter said, and she nodded in agreement.

“Yeah,” she said. “We have to tell him.”

“Then let me come with you,” he insisted.

“Not yet,” she said and noted the disturbed look on Hunter’s face. He didn’t object, but there was a protective quality in him that had just intensified.

“You have no reason to be nervous, Hunter. What do you think is going to happen?” she asked warily. “Do you think I’m going to get back together with him?”

“What?” he said, wrinkling his nose. “No!” he laughed. “I think he’s going to punch me!”

Rachel shook her head. “He’s not going to punch you.”

“I’d like that in writing, please.”

“Look,” she began with a light, humorless laugh. “I’ll bring him around your office in about a half-hour, forty minutes. Somewhere in between there?”

“You guys need to talk,” he specified. “Alone.”

She nodded. “Yes. I’ll have a walk around the ranch with him. Then we’ll come back here, and we can tell him.”

Hunter considered this, but she knew he wouldn’t object. “Okay.”

“I love you,” she said.

“Love you,” he said, kissing her on the cheek.

It had been months since she’d seen Phoenix in person and being alone with him felt foreign to her.

She had always imagined that seeing him in person might stir something up in her soul. She thought it would make her want to yell or fight or cry. She thought she would relive the miscarriage every time she closed her eyes, but instead, she felt a strange numbness toward him.

There was a time when seeing Phoenix at the ranch would have filled her with hope. She might even have forgiven him for being with someone else—or at least agreed to work it out. But he’d made no attempt to fix their relationship. He’d only reinforced the belief that when it came to Phoenix’s priorities, she was at the bottom of the list.

And so, she stopped loving him.

More than that, she’d stopped needing him enough that now she felt absolutely nothing toward him.

The two of them walked in bundled coats around the ranch grounds. Phoenix had only been to the Wyoming location two or three times in the past, and his only opinion of it was that he preferred their ranch in Utah.

They talked about absolutely nothing of note, trying desperately not to trigger one another.

“What do you think of the ranch?” she asked as they reached the expansive stables.

“It’s cold,” he said, rubbing his arms. “But it’s nice.”

“He’s done a good job here,” she said, not looking at him.

“Hm,” was all he said. Then, “Let’s talk, Rachel.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, watching one of the mare’s wander out from the stable and into the field.

“I mean, we’ve been politely talking to each other as though we are strangers. Small talk, work, weather,” he said, his tone irritated. “You’ve been the love of my life for the last ten years, and I want our conversation to reflect that.”

Rachel inhaled a long breath and somehow found the strength to look at Phoenix. Really look at him.

His face was worn. She could tell he wasn’t sleeping from the deep lines under his eyes. His hair was pushed back into a black beanie and much longer than she remembered it when she last saw him.

Still handsome, she thought. Nothing could take that away from him. Not age or stress.

“I’ve missed you,” he said, brushing his fingers against her cheek.

Rachel’s eyes went skyward to the overcast clouds.

“You haven’t missed me?” he asked, noting her lack of response.

“I’ve been hurt,” she said curtly. “I’ve been in mourning.”

“So have I,” he said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. “We should have been mourning together.”

“Yes,” she agreed. “We should have.”

“I guess I messed that up,” he said, surprising her with his admission. “I miss you so much, Rachel. Come home.”

“I’m…” she stammered uncomfortably, pulling her hand from his. “I’m not ready.”

Phoenix shifted his weight and crossed his arms, not to seem standoffish, she knew, but as a form of self-comfort.

“I know things have been, well, hard,” he said softly. “I want to make things better, Rach. I want to make things right with you.”

She licked her lips but remained silent. Months ago, she had needed to hear those words so badly. She needed him to fight for her.

“I’m accepting an award for my album. It went multi-platinum, and they’re putting it up at the music hall,” he said, and she felt an irritation burn up on her stomach. Of course, it had to be about music.

“Congratulations,” she said dryly.

“I know things between us are difficult right now,” he said, and she wanted to roll her eyes, “but I have been putting off going to this thing because I’m not sure what to say. I don’t want to go there without you.”

“I’m not comfortable with that,” she said evenly.

“People will ask questions, and I think it’s a good idea for us to be seen together—at least until we figure out what we’re doing,” he said, trying to sound rational. “This keeps the press from hounding me and from hounding you. You don’t want our private business to be broadcast across the world, do you?”

“You haven’t even come to see me, and now you want a favor from me?” she scoffed.

Phoenix looked at her with confusion. “You told me to give you some space, so that’s what I did.”

She raised and lowered her eyebrows dismissively.

“You don’t hate me, do you, Rachel?” he asked nervously, turning her to face him.

She set her jaw and said, “I don’t hate you.”

He gave a one-shouldered shrug as he said, “Then what’s the harm in coming? All it will look like is my fiancée coming to support my music.”

She wanted to say, “Exactly!” but refrained.

“I can’t do that, Phoenix,” she said simply.

“Please,” he said, urging her. “It will give us a chance to talk. You don’t have to hold my hand or kiss me. You don’t have to take your ring back or promise me forever.”

“I said no,” she repeated.

Phoenix tilted his head back and looked up at the sky. His eyes searched the clouds as though he were searching for guidance from heaven.

“Then,” he said with a breath, “then, I won’t go.”

“What?” She swallowed. “What about your ceremony?”

Phoenix didn’t seem at all phased as he said, “I’ll skip it.”

“Don’t do that,” she objected. “You earned that. You worked hard on that album and walking away from a ceremony seems ungrateful. You don’t want to come off that way.”

“I don’t want to be without you for another minute,” he said, pleading. “And if skipping this thing will show you how much you mean to me, then I’ll do it in a heartbeat.”

“Don’t do that,” she insisted, not wanting him to stay and strangely, not wanting him to throw away this opportunity, either. “Go to the ceremony. We can talk now.”

“I don’t know how many times I can repeat myself,” he said. “I want to make things right with you.”

“It’s been months, Phoenix,” she said with an irritated laugh.

“You told me to stay away,” he enunciated. “You said you needed space, so I’ve been giving you space.”

“So you keep saying,” she snapped.

“We have a lot to figure out, you and I.”

“About how to protect your career?” she said.

Phoenix looked hurt. “About us.”

Rachel shifted uncomfortably, feeling the weight of Phoenix’s eyes on her. “What?” she finally asked, turning to meet his gaze.

“I’m just nervous,” he said, sounding more genuine than he had in over a year. “I know you have a lot of things you want to say to me, and there’s a lot of misconceptions you have about our relationship and what happened in New York.”

As soon as his words came out, Rachel couldn’t help the tremendous eye roll that crossed her expression.

“And?” she asked.

“And you haven’t touched on any of these topics yet tonight.”

She smirked a little and curiously asked, “And that makes you nervous?”

Phoenix shrugged. “I’d rather have you yelling at me than giving me this silence.”

Rachel took a long inhale. She could smell the spring weather in the air and couldn’t believe that she’d already spent almost an entire winter in Wyoming.

“Phoenix,” she said exasperatedly, “You didn’t fight for me. You didn’t even try. I’m not a priority to you. Never was.”

“That’s not true,” he said defensively. “I’m here now, aren’t I?”

“Four months too late,” she said with a miserable laugh.

“Too late?” he repeated carefully.

She knew by his expression that his mind was going a mile a minute, dissecting her choice of words.

“You lied to me,” she explained, trying not to sound angry. “Over and over and over again. I was at home trying to start a family, and you were already picking up with someone else.”

“I was not picking up with someone else,” he said, his tone firm.

“Whatever,” she said.

“See? This is what I expect from you.”

Rachel tossed her hands into the air and exclaimed, “Which is exactly why we shouldn’t be together!”

“I am not ready to give up on us.” His resolve was firm, making what she had to tell him even harder.

“Oh, stop it, Phoenix. You already gave up on us. Years ago, in fact,” she snipped.

“That’s not true. When you got pregnant, it was the best thing that ever could have happened to us. Things got better. We were good together after that, weren’t we?”

She considered what he said. In a way, he was right. Things were better when she was pregnant. They knew their relationship wasn’t just about the two of them anymore. It was like God or the universe had forced them to be partners for once, for the sake of the baby, and everything was great—at first.

“I don’t know!” she shouted. “I don’t know anything anymore. I don’t know what was real between us and what was just routine. I don’t know how you felt about me. All I know is how I feel now.”

Phoenix swallowed nervously, and his eyes were burning holes through her as he asked, “And how’s that?”

“You already know,” she said. “I gave you your ring back.”

“But you didn’t mean it,” he said desperately.

“I did mean it.”

“We are never-ending,” he said, one of those poetic phrases that once had Rachel so attracted to him. Now they just bugged her. “You need time,” he continued. “But we can make this work. I know you feel something when we’re together.”

“I don’t,” she said truthfully. “Not anymore. All I feel around you is sick to my stomach.”

“That’s because things between us are strained right now.”

“No,” she said nervously. “It’s because…”

Phoenix’s ears perked up then. He studied her face with intrigue and then fear. “Because, what?”

Chapter Fifteen

Hunter

Hunter had been in his office for more than an hour, waiting for his brother and his girlfriend to return.

He sat behind his desk, twirling a pen back and forth between his index and pointer finger in bored anticipation.

He wasn't jealous, but he was nervous. He didn't know how Phoenix would react once they told him about their decision to be together. He didn't know how the entire family would react or what it meant for the ranch.

Luckily, he didn't have to wait long to find out.

"You’re in love with her?” Phoenix raged as Hunter’s office door swung open and smashed against the back wall with a loud clatter.

Rachel ran in behind him, and Hunter met her eyes. "Ah, so you told him!” he smiled, but his sarcastic quip was fleeting as he saw the fury in his brother’s expression.

"Are you kidding me?” Phoenix said incredulously. “I trusted you with her!” he shouted, whipping through the office. “You were supposed to have my back. You were supposed to be helping me get my life back together. Instead, you ripped it out from under my feet!”

"It sucks when someone betrays your trust, doesn’t it?” Hunter snipped.

"Hunter,” Rachel cautioned quickly, then she turned her attention to his brother and yelled, "Phoenix, don’t!”

The rage was evident on Phoenix’s face. His fist was clenched as he lurched forward to punch Hunter.

Hunter flinched back, narrowly dodging his brother’s fist. He leaned forward, pushing Phoenix back and sending him careening against the window.

He couldn't remember the last time the pair had been in a physical fight, but something told him it hadn't been since they were in middle school.

It felt strange to be the subject of his brother's rage. It felt surreal. Everything about this moment did.

"You should be happy that she told you at all!” Hunter shouted.

Rachel’s eyes were pleading. She steepled her fingers together and started saying, "We wanted—”

The rest of her words were lost as Phoenix exploded into a panic. "Don’t do that,” he said, and it sounded like his voice was shaking. “Don’t say ‘we’ like you think together. Don’t say ‘we’ like it’s not ripping my heart out.”

"You should be happy we are telling you at all,” Hunter reiterated. “It’s a lot more than you ever did for Rachel.”

"I didn’t betray Rachel,” Phoenix snapped. “Not like this. And you? You’re my brother. I knew you hated me, Hunter, but I guess I didn’t know how much.”

"We’re not doing this to hurt you, believe it or not,” Hunter said firmly. “We’re doing this because it’s the right thing to do.”

"I love you, Rachel,” Phoenix said, ignoring his brother.

A thoughtful look crossed Rachel’s face. It was something between exasperated and sympathetic. She set her hand on top of Phoenix’s and said, "I haven’t loved you in a long time, and I don’t think you’ve loved me, either. You don’t want to lose me,” she admitted, “but you don’t love me.”

Hunter knew she wasn’t saying these things to his brother to hurt him or to make him go away. She was saying them to lighten the blow.

It was over, it had been over for a long time, and there was nothing Phoenix could do to save things now.

This was a hit, of course. And there was more pain in this hit than a physical punch could ever manage.

But there was also peace in knowing that it was done. There was nothing left to fix. No crumbs to strive for. They could both let go.

"No,” Phoenix said, shaking his head hard enough to knock something loose. “You don’t love me,” he corrected, then emphasized, “but I do love you.”

From Rachel’s expression, it was clear that she did not believe him.

"We were supposed to be a family,” Phoenix said, turning to Hunter in disgust. “You would tear it apart?

"I didn’t set out to hurt you, man. Neither of us did. This was just…” Hunter trailed off.

"It’s just so typically you guys, is what it is,” Phoenix snapped. “My whole life, I have spent feeling like the third wheel between you.”

Rachel narrowed her brows. "What do you mean?”

"Inside jokes. Sneaking off to spend weekends together,” Phoenix said with a roll of his eyes. “I am such an idiot. How long has this been going on?”

"What?” Rachel paled. “No, Phoenix, it was never like that. This has only been the last couple of months.”

"Promise me,” he asked, and Rachel nodded.

"I promise,” she said.

Phoenix "Then what is it? What does he have that you’re not getting from me?

"Love,” she said softly.

"I love you,” he said desperately. “I have loved you for as long as I can remember.”

"I need a love that is pure. That is equal. Not a love that is one-sided, not one that looks for its own interests,” she said.

Phoenix looked pained. "You think I’m this horrible person,” he said with a sad realization.

"I don’t,” Rachel said quietly, meeting his eyes. “I really don’t. You’re just not my person.”

He could see the look of outrage on his brother’s face, hear it in his voice as he looked between Hunter and Rachel. "How can you be so calm about this?” he asked his ex-fiancée.

"Because,” Rachel said, sucking in a breath. “It’s over.”

"Rachel,” his brother began. His voice was soft at first but got angrier the more he spoke. “I provide you everything. I pay for your house; I employ you; I—”

Rachel looked at Hunter, and they exchanged an unspoken strength. She nodded and interrupted Phoenix, saying, "Hunter would do anything for me, and I would do anything for him.”

"I would do anything for you!” Phoenix shouted, tossing his hands into the air.

"I wouldn’t cheat on her,” Hunter said, raising a finger.

His brother did not appreciate his sarcastic tone, seeming to fume at the sound of Hunter’s voice.

Phoenix clenched his jaw. “Is that right?” he said slowly, then looked at Rachel and asked, “And this is what you think you deserve?” He narrowed his eyes in confusion. "A tag-along? You want someone who would betray his flesh and blood, yet you call me selfish?”

“I’m done,” Rachel said, raising a hand.

Hunter could see her chin was trembling as she tried to hold back her tears.

“I’m just done,” she repeated with a shake in her voice. “I hope that you can find some happiness. Find some peace,” she said to Phoenix. “And I hope one day you can be happy for me in return.”

Phoenix went to speak, but Rachel walked out of the office without another word.

Hunter wondered if his brother would chase after her, but he stayed firmly planted.

Phoenix turned his attention to Hunter then with just as much outrage and hurt as he could muster. “I would never do this to you,” he seethed, his voice dipping low.

"It was over, Phoenix,” Hunter said defensively. “If it weren’t over, I never would have pursued it.”

"It wasn’t over for me,” he said.

Hunter’s heart hurt at the statement. Phoenix was wrong, and that was all there was to it. There was no reason to feel sorry for him, and Hunter certainly wasn’t about to give up on Rachel just so she could pursue an unhappy reunion with his brother.

But Phoenix was right about one thing. They were flesh and blood. They had been so close for so many years, and seeing Phoenix in pain, even if it was self-inflicted, made Hunter’s stomach turn.

"Rachel is a fantasy to you,” Phoenix snapped. “That’s all she’s ever been. Call me when she becomes your reality.”

Hunter frowned. "What’s the supposed to mean?”

"It means that if she thinks I’m selfish, then I must have learned from the best,” his brother said, obviously speaking of Rachel. “My whole life with her has been one giant puzzle. I’ve been trying to balance my dreams with her wants for the last ten years. She doesn’t want to share me with anyone.”

Hunter cocked his head to the side and teased, "That’s usually frowned upon when you ask someone to marry you. Loyalty, and all.”

"My music, my fans, my ranch,” Phoenix continued, counting on his fingers as he spoke. “There was never any room for anything else with her.”

“She always supported you, man,” Hunter said.

“If you want her,” his brother continued, dismissing him. “If you really want her, just make sure that you don’t have any other aspirations besides being her boyfriend because she’d sooner leave you than support you.”

"That would never happen to us,” Hunter said firmly.

"Never say never. I did, and look what happened to me.”

"You were broken, Phoenix. If you can’t see that, then…” he trailed off into a shrug.

Phoenix bit his lip and then let out a bitter laugh. “You’re too much,” he said. “Both of you are. The liar and the betrayer.” He shook his head. “You know what? You deserve each other.”

With that, Phoenix spun on his heel, and his wet shoe caused a rubber squeak to echo through the office.

Hunter followed him out of the office door nervously and said, “Don’t do this, man. Don’t leave like this.”

"How am I supposed to leave?” he asked in frustration, spinning around to tower over his brother. “Are we supposed to shake hands? Should I tell you that I understand?” He got louder then. “That I approve? Should I give you my blessing to be with the only person who has ever remotely completed me? Say ‘see you at the next family dinner’ and call it a night?”

Hunter swallowed. He had nothing to say.

Phoenix’s face was overcome by a thoughtful expression, and he stayed quiet for a moment as the two brothers simply stared at one another. Then, he said, “Or maybe I should be thanking you for curing me of my ridiculous notion that I ever had a soulmate.”

Hunter knew his brother was upset. He knew there was no reasoning with him right now. Phoenix was too stubborn and too proud to admit he’d made a mistake.

A big mistake.

Chapter Sixteen

Rachel

For the first time in forever, Rachel felt free.

The revelation to Phoenix had been horrible, but she had been expecting that. But she felt good. Things were out in the open now, and they could finally live their lives the way they wanted.

Rachel had been expecting to feel guilty or nervous after the explosive confrontation, but she didn’t.

Hunter, on the other hand, seemed shaken by the experience.

“That did not go well,” she had said the night of the confrontation as both she and Hunter got into his car.

“Ya think?” he said.

“I do, indeed.”

Hunter blew out a breath as he turned the car on. Before taking the vehicle out of park, he slipped his arm around Rachel’s shoulders and said, “Well, you're very observant that way.”

She nodded. “Pie?”

“Of the pizza or sweet variety?” he asked.

Rachel shrugged. “Doesn't matter.”

“A pie buffet, coming right up,” Hunter said.

No matter what happened, Hunter always found a way to make her feel better.

A week went by, and things slowly evened out. The awkward air had passed, and the two of them were back to kissing and embracing their new romance.

But their love was not without backlash.

Clearly, Phoenix or one of his brothers had leaked that Rachel was at the ranch because two weeks after their argument with Phoenix, paparazzi showed up.

“Is it true that you stole your brother's wife?” one shouted as the two of them exited Hunter’s car, trying desperately to get into the main building.

Hunter had already called ranch security, as well as the police.

“Is it true that you have been having an affair with your brother's fiancée?” another shouted to Hunter. “Was the baby yours?”

“Hunter! Hunter! Is the baby yours?” another added, stretching a microphone in his direction.

“Has Phoenix said whether he will be pulling from his breakup for the next record?” a woman with blonde hair asked, and Rachel rolled her eyes.

Did they seriously think they would give a response to any of this drivel?

“Rachel! Rachel!” a dark-skinned man asked, flashing a camera in her face. “What's going to happen to Brookside Ranch in Utah?”

Eventually, security forced the paparazzi out, and Hunter and Rachel had found safety in his office with the blinds drawn.

“You seriously deal with this on a regular basis?” Hunter said, dumbfounded as he twirled in his office chair.

“Not really,” she shrugged. “In New York, nobody cares if you're famous, save for the occasional fan who might ask for a picture. At the Utah ranch, like, the locals are so used to us that they couldn't care less, either. But hey, scandal sells.”

“I don't want to have a scandal ranch,” Hunter said.

“I don't want that for you, either,” she said.

“Well, I'm not about to back down, that's for sure.”

Rachel rubbed her hand along her forehead and said, “I don't want to war with your brother.”

Hunter gave a loud laugh and gestured around the room as he asked, “What do you call this?”

“Trust me,” she cooed, “they'll find something new to obsess over. We'll be old news, I promise. Please, let's just...wait this out. I'll hang out at home for a while. Avoid being seen at the ranch.”

And she did just that. For weeks, she stayed out of sight, handing over her classes to Genevieve, another one of the yoga instructors, until further notice.

By the time she returned, there was nobody left who cared about the saga of Rachel and Phoenix.

Other troubles came, of course. Hunter and Rachel had been planning new retreats at the ranch, to which the Brooks boys had been unable to come to an agreement on—their house currently divided.

It wasn’t until they crossed the immense wooden Brookside Ranch sign coming into work one morning that Rachel finally knew she had to put a stop to all of the nonsense they were going through.

“Wait, wait, pull over,” she said to Hunter, and he promptly pulled the vehicle to the side of the entrance.

Rachel got out and walked in front of the massive sign with both hands on her hips, staring up at it as though she were accepting a challenge.

“What is it?” Hunter asked, exiting the car and hurrying beside her.

“Hold on,” Rachel said, staring up at the rustic logo.

“Rach?” he asked, and she snapped, “I'm thinking.”

Running the ranch was getting hard. The family was punishing Hunter when they should have been thanking her for running the Utah ranch—alone—for all those years while Phoenix was out on tour.

It was then, thinking of her time at the Utah ranch, that it finally came to her.

She spun on her heel and snapped her fingers at Hunter.

“How serious are you about this whole thing?” she asked. “You, me, the ranch?”

“Dead serious,” he said with a smile. “You're my whole world; you know that. Why?”

“Your family is making it their mission to make this a difficult transition. They're denying all of our idea submissions; your brothers can't agree on whether to help finance the new retreats we had planned. It's...insane,” she explained.

“No arguments here,” he said with a playful shrug.

“And we're always going to be under their thumb, Hunter. Always,” she insisted.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa there, cowgirl!” he laughed. “We're going to get through it. We always do.”

She bit her lip and looked back up at the sign thoughtfully. “But you're sure about us, Hunter? Really?”

He took her hand into his and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. “Trust me,” he said.

She kissed him on the cheek and smiled. “Good,” she said. “Then, I think I might have an idea of how to get ourselves out of this mess.”

Chapter Seventeen

Hunter

“You are such a rebel.”

These were the unironic words spouted off by Hunter’s sister as she gushed over his recent ‘triumph’ over their family norms.

“Stop,” he said with an exasperated laugh as he lay across his sofa, feeling the heat of the cell battery against his ear as he spoke to Kennedy.

“I vow my allegiance to thee, Hunter Brooks!” she said with a formal tease. “You are the black sheep. The anti-son. The betrayer. The—”

“It’s not funny,” he said, laughing.

“Who’s saying it’s funny? It’s awesome! There is nothing more romantic than that in the whole world than what you did with Rachel. I’m not kidding.”

Kennedy was just like that. She was a rebel without being rebellious. The biggest thing she’d done to give her family ‘what for’ was leave college after the first few months of attending.

That wasn’t a shining example of making the ‘ole parents proud, but it was hardly a hardcore description of a troubled child, either.

“All’s fair in love and war,” Kennedy recited into the receiver.

News of Hunter’s relationship with Rachel had trickled through the family, without some members taking obvious sides.

They didn’t know the whole story, Hunter reminded himself. As far as they were concerned, Phoenix never cheated on Rachel. He never treated her poorly. He never neglected her or their unborn child.

His two elder brothers, Colt and Bennett, had called or texted him expressing their anger at his ‘wife-stealing’ ways.

The eldest child, Jett, told Hunter he didn’t want to get involved, which was fairly typical of him.

His younger brother Jaxon and sister Kennedy were the only ones who lent their full support.

Kennedy had her own way of thinking about the world. It was for this reason that she thought it was amazing that Hunter stood up for love, despite what it was doing to their family.

And in some ways, she was right.

But then there was Phoenix.

He had cried his sob story to the whole family. Hunter hadn’t even spoken to his mother since word got out, save for a long, long, long phone lecture two days after Phoenix left the ranch.

Things had been hard, and even though he loved Rachel and knew their relationship had been broken long before he entered the picture, he couldn’t help but feel bad for the guy.

They had been friends once. They’d been close.

“What about Phoenix?” he asked.

“Psssh! Phoenix was a big cheater,” she scoffed. “He’s just throwing a temper tantrum, like always. I mean, it sucks an all, but what are you gonna do? Plus, you guys are like, perfect for each other.”

“Well, I’m glad you think so,” he emphasized. “The rest of our family certainly doesn’t share your opinions.”

“That’s not true,” she said excitedly.

He raised a brow and scoffed, “Oh, no?”

Hunter could hear rustling on the other end of the phone as his sister said, “Nope. Hang on.”

He could hear whispers on the other end of the line. It was clear that the phone had changed hands.

“Son?”

It was his father.

Roger Brooks was the only family member Hunter hadn’t heard from. Unlike his relationship with his mother, Hunter idolized his father.

Roger was fifty-three or fifty-four, Hunter couldn’t remember. He had warm brown hair, blue eyes, and a big bushy beard. He was the very definition of a cowboy with a heart of gold.

Hunter and Phoenix looked most like their father. Phoenix also picked up their dad’s propensity to stay quiet and thoughtful.

He was a good man who took care of all seven of his children, treated his—sometimes overbearing—wife like gold, and looked most at home when he was saddling up a horse.

Hunter didn’t seek parental approval. He hadn’t as a teenager, and he certainly didn’t now. But there was a part of him that was glad he hadn’t heard from his father yet. It meant he didn’t have to hear the disappointment in his father’s voice.

“I've had all the lectures I can take for one lifetime,” Hunter said with a sigh as he heard his father’s voice.

“Is that so?” his dad said with a husky laugh. “It might surprise you to know that I'm not about to lecture you.”

“Really?” Hunter asked.

“You love this girl,” his father said thoughtfully. “I know you do.”

Hunter’s heart lilted with surprise. “Yeah?” he said.

“You always have,” his father said, his Texas accent coming in thick. “Probably always will. I remember seeing you guys when you were, oh, I don't know, thirteen, fourteen? And you were thick as thieves.” His father laughed, and he could imagine him running a hand thoughtfully through his beard. “You wouldn't do a thing without her by your side. Trying a new food? Rachel had to be there. Go on your first date? Rachel had to be there. Go to your own graduation? Nope! Not unless Rachel was going.”

Hunter laughed. “I remember,” he said.

Rachel had been hesitant about graduation. She insisted that she did not want to go. Her parents were still in heated court proceedings in their ongoing divorce, and she didn’t want to deal with the family situation at the ceremony.

But Hunter insisted she come. He said that it was an accomplishment and that she would come to regret skipping out on.

So, she went.

Roger cleared his throat. He wasn’t one for giving emotional speeches, but he was doing a pretty good job as far as Hunter was concerned.

“I saw the way you looked at her when she started dating your brother,” his father continued. “I thought, geez, that's the same way I looked at your mother when we first met.”

Hunter winced. “Eww.”

“I'm serious, kid. I knew it then,” his father said, snapping his fingers. “Something was going to happen between the two of you. Granted, I always thought you might have an affair.”

“Gee, thanks, Dad.”

Roger gave a hearty laugh. “My point is, it was always the two of you. You were supposed to be together.”

Hunter stayed quiet, mulling over what his father had just said.

“You believe that?” he asked.

“I do,” Roger confirmed. “Maybe you both had a little life to live before you finally got together, but this was in the stars.”

“Yeah, but,” Hunter began, feeling uncharacteristically like a small child seeking out a parent to fix a mistake they’d made. “They were engaged,” he finished.

“I was engaged before,” his father said simply.

“You...were?”

“You bet I was,” Roger said with emphasis. “Nice young Texas girl. Her family and my family were the best friends in the world. And then I met your mother. I'm not saying it was fair to this other girl, but it’s what happened.”

Hunter thinned his lips, drawing quick lines against them with his tongue. “Did you ever think you were making a mistake?” he asked his mind going a million miles a minute. “Hurting everybody?”

“Not for one second. Was it hard? You bet it was. But was it worth it? You bet it was,” his father said firmly. “I thought I knew what love was. Then I met your mother, and suddenly everything I had ever thought about love and honor and commitment had been child's play. I needed her, and she needed me, and that's just the way it was.”

“I...” Hunter stammered. “I didn't know that.”

“None of you kids do. Your mother, as you can imagine, isn't crazy about that story.”

“No,” Hunter chuckled, imagining his mother as a fiancé-stealing teen. “She wouldn't be.”

“I can't imagine my life without her, and I bet you can't imagine your life without Rachel,” his father said. “Heck, you've never known life without her. Not since you were just a little toddler.”

“I love her, pops,” Hunter said.

Roger sucked in a breath and stayed quiet for a minute. Then, he said, “Then don't be ashamed of it. You're both adults. You've made your choice, and there isn't a thing anyone else can say or do about it. So, don't waste your time being unhappy.”

“What about Phoenix?”

“Your brother has a lot of love in his life,” his father said insightfully. “More than most people ever get. He's got me, your mother, your siblings; he has his fans, his friends. He's going to be okay.”

“What about us?” Hunter asked, feeling a choke of emotion welling up in his throat. “You sure you don't hate me, even just a little?”

“Never,” his father said quickly. It seemed like he wanted to say more, but instead, he let out a groaning, “Ah, you know I'm no good with these things.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Hunter laughed. “I love you, too, Pops.”

“Right back at ya,” Roger said. “That goes for Rachel, too.”

“Really?” Hunter asked in surprise.

“Rachel’s like one of my kids,” his father said, and Hunter interjected with a quick, “Gross,” as his father continued, “I looked out for her the way I would look out for my own daughter. I could never hate that girl. We’ve all been through a lot together, and we’re all going to be okay.”

Although Roger couldn’t see it, Hunter was nodding. These were the exact words he needed to hear.

“Thanks, Dad.”

Chapter Eighteen

Rachel

Lawyers, lawyers, everywhere.

After discussing her plan with Hunter, and after his surprisingly positive conversation with Roger Brooks, Hunter called a meeting of the ranch shareholders—the six brothers, along with Roger and Shannon.

They all met in a rented conference room in Texas. A neutral ground. All were in attendance, except for Colt, who was only able to join on video chat.

There were lawyers next to each brother, all of whom had received a document informing them of the reason why Hunter had called the meeting. He wanted to buy the Wyoming ranch. He wanted out from their power over his life.

Rachel had come to the meeting, though she wasn’t sure what right she had to be there. Still, Hunter insisted.

“We’re partners,” he said happily. “Where you go, I go. And vice versa.”

“Is that so?” she teased. “So, when you have an awkward family meeting, that means I have to tag along, hmm?”

“That’s right!” Hunter said in a sing-song tone.

He was less chipper now, in the cold, professional conference room with his brothers.

The brothers were not judgmental or cruel. In fact, they were surprisingly pleasant.

Then again, Rachel had to remind herself, the Brooks boys had always been kind and considerate people. With all of the drama they’d been through in the last couple of months, she’d forgotten that.

They’d all spoken briefly in the hallway before heading into the meeting room and had been warm and welcoming. They’d even exchanged a couple of lighthearted jokes, and it reminded Rachel of how things used to be.

There were only two who seemed reluctant, even irritated to be there. Bennett, the second eldest, and Shannon.

“As you know,” Hunter’s lawyer began, “Hunter has called this meeting because recent incidents have created dividing lines between the family. Not only do these lines affect personal relationships, but they affect the business, and that isn’t good for anybody.”

“Yeah, that happens when you betray your business partner,” Bennett snorted.

The eldest, Jett, rolled his eyes and shook his head impatiently. “Bennett, seriously,” he cautioned. “Don't be a child.”

“I don’t even know why we’re having this meeting,” Bennett responded. “Phoenix isn’t even here.”

“Can we get through one of these without you turning into a petulant five-year-old?” Jett sniped.

“Shh,” came Roger Brooks’ parental hush, and both boys snapped to attention.

The lawyer jargon went on and on, losing Rachel’s interest on more than one occasion.

“What I am asking is that you release me from the contract we have together,” Hunter pleaded, looking around the table.

Hunter didn't want to be a part of the Brookside Ranch family any longer, and for the most part, to Rachel’s great relief, none of the brothers seemed to blame him. Perhaps they all dreamed of branching off and never having to answer to one another any longer about business matters.

Most of the brothers had already signed off on the proposal. After all, if Hunter took himself out as a shareholder, they would lose the revenue from the Wyoming ranch, but he would also be buying all five brothers out. This meant more money for them. It also meant that he would no longer be a drain on the revenue from the other ranches since he would no longer be entitled to any of their shared earnings.

It was a win, win.

Of course, Bennett didn’t see it that way. “Phoenix isn't even here for this meeting,” he reiterated. “I'm not signing off on it unless he does.”

“You don't have to worry about that,” Roger said, raising a hand to the air.

Bennett leaned over and whispered something to his lawyer, then said, “Actually, I do. I want to know that he's agreed to this and I want to know why. Then I'll sign.”

“Well, that's going to be hard to do,” Hunter snapped, “considering he won't speak to me.”

“But his lawyer has a copy of our proposal, and we heard from him personally that it was a good deal,” Rachel piped in.

The youngest brother, Jaxon, piped up then and curiously asked, “How do you even have the money to do this, Hunter?”

“I'm careful,” Hunter said with a smile, tapping his nose. “You'd do well to follow my lead. In business, anyhow.”

The conversations continued to go around and around in one big circle. Jaxon had defended Hunter vehemently against Bennett and Colt, and they all continued to argue about the lack of Phoenix’s presence.

Rachel excused herself from the room then. She was likely only exasperating the brothers, anyway.

She took her phone out of her purse and walked outside, taking in the warm Texas air. It was a longshot, she thought as she stared down at the device, but she had to try.

She dialed Phoenix’s number and listened to the humming rings that buzzed in her ear.

“Hello?” Phoenix said, causing Rachel to exhale in surprise.

“Hi,” she said. “It's me.”

There was a painful, awkward silence on the other line. She thought Phoenix might hang up, so quickly added, “I need to talk to you.”

“I've got nothing to say to you,” he said tersely, “and last I recall, you don't have anything to say to me, either.”

“You didn't come to the meeting,” she said, trying to sound soft.

He grunted. “I don't want to see you. Either of you.”

Rachel closed her eyes and tried to think of the good in Phoenix. She tried to think of what they had shared together and how he must be hurting. She tried to think of a way to reach him, but all she came up with was, “I need to get out, Phoenix. I need out of this, please. You are making it so hard for me to get on with my life. All you are doing is hurting your brothers and your own family business.”

“He doesn't deserve to carry our name. Not if he's so willing to betray it,” he snapped.

“I know you're hurt,” she said and couldn’t help the tears the spilled from her eyes. “I'm hurt, too,” she cried. “I’m sorry. But please, don't punish your family. Don't punish me. You have to forgive me, and I have to forgive you. Please, Phoenix. Please, if you love me, if you ever did, please let this be over.”

Phoenix resumed his sullen silence, and Rachel continued to cry into the receiver. She wanted him to understand; she wanted him to remember all the times that she supported him. And maybe, just maybe, he had.

Phoenix pulled in a breath, and somehow, she knew then that the nightmare was over.

“What do you want from me, Rachel?” he asked.

“I want the ranch,” she said.

“No,” he responded quickly.

“Not the name,” she explained. “I want...I want to buy you all out.”

“You don't have the money to do that,” he said, but he must have realized that Hunter would be buying it for her.

“And I remind you that when we separated, I didn't take a penny from you. I didn't even try,” she said softly. “The life we built together, the home, the business—I left it all to you. Because I know you earned it. I know it's yours. Please, don't make me regret it.”

“You want to buy us out,” he repeated. “By which you mean you and Hunter want to buy us out?”

“Yes.”

Phoenix sighed, and she could hear the softness, though bitter, in his tone as he said, “It's going to cost you, Rach. You know that?”

She smiled. “I know.”

Phoenix agreed. He would sign the contract and sell the ranch. He would have his lawyer send over his admission of agreement, then the signed paperwork.

“Go,” Phoenix said. “Tell them.”

She was so elated when he spoke those words that she could hardly believe they were real.

“Take care, Phoenix,” she said before hanging up the phone.

Like a child, Rachel raced back to the board room. She stepped through the doors slowly and stood by them.

The family was deep in talks with their lawyers, discussing prices and benefits, but Rachel just stood. Hunter quickly caught her eyes. His brows perked up, realizing she had news to share.

Her lips pulled into a wide grin, and she nodded at him.

“It’s done?” he mouthed to her, and she continued to nod excitedly.

Without warning, Hunter got up and walked across the room, pulling her into a hug.

The deal was done. They finally had their freedom.

Epilogue

Hunter

Buying out the ranch was the best thing Hunter and Rachel ever could have done.

Hunter knew he wanted to rebrand the ranch as a play on Rachel’s last name, Piers.

With this in mind, Hunter started a construction project. He built a large pier that ran along the lake that was usually reserved for fishing-related activities.

The Pier went out into the middle of the lake like an oversized dock and looked out over the vast water, fresh balsam trees, and the pillars of mountain terrain in the distance.

Within seven months, the ranch became known as Pierside Luxury Ranch, and the pier on the water became one of the biggest tourist attractions for couples and families alike. The business was booming.

After a year of dating, Hunter was ready to take the next step with his girlfriend.

It was July, and Rachel took twenty or so of the ranch guests out for the day on a wellness retreat—one of the new packages they offered.

The day started at the spa and then moved to a limo service that took them right to a nearby private beach.

The beach was full of white sand and navy-blue water. Across the lake was a strip of green pine trees and endless sky.

They decorated the beach with lights, blankets, pillows, flowers, and one canopy archway. The archway was draped with white linens and orange and yellow wildflowers.

A wooden sign sat underneath the archway, propped up in the sand. The handwritten calligraphy read: ‘Forever me, Forever you.’

Rachel was told this archway was set up especially for a couple who had signed up for the wellness retreat, Miguel and Aurora.

Miguel was going to be doing a secret proposal after the class was over.

“Alright!” Rachel said in a bright, energetic voice. “We’re going to start with a vinyasa one beginner's flow. This is a super friendly flow that’s good for any skill level. Feel free to modify and take it a step up or a step down, depending on how brave you’re feeling. How about we start in a child’s pose?”

Hunter was waiting patiently in the parking lot at the beach. Rachel didn’t know he was there, but he was in contact with Miguel to see when the class would be wrapping up—because it wasn’t Miguel who was going to propose, it was Hunter.

Miguel was simply an actor Hunter had hired to pretend to propose to Aurora on the beach. This way, Rachel wouldn’t suspect anything when she saw the romantic setup in the sand.

Picking out the ring had been intense. Hunter knew he didn’t want to get her anything like her pear-shaped, dated ring she’d been given before.

Rachel was fun. She was smart and different, and he wanted her ring to reflect that. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was looking for; he only knew that he would know it when he saw it.

What he ended up with was a one and a quarter diamond engagement ring. It was a three-stone ring with a cushion diamond that had small marquise-shaped diamonds that rested against the shoulders of the center gem.

The ring was in his pocket, up against his sweating hand, and he had never felt so nervous or so sure of something in his whole entire life.

“It’s go time!” Miguel had texted Hunter, and he took this as a sign to get out of his car and start walking toward the beach.

When the yogis were in sight, Hunter watched as Rachel strategically placed Miguel and Aurora under the archway.

He listened as the yogis all gasped in delight as Miguel got on his knee and took Aurora’s hand into his.

Rachel looked awestruck. Even though she had been informed this was going to happen, she still threw a hand over her mouth in surprise, backing away to give the couple space.

Hunter grinned. He’d managed to get up to the beach without Rachel noticing.

“Aurora, we’ve been dating for two years now,” Miguel said, looking up at the love of his life with a sparkle in his eyes. “You are my best friend and my partner.”

There was a communal, “Aww!” from the tiny crowd behind them, and Hunter felt his pulse begin to race with excitement.

“But,” Miguel continued with a smile on his face, “I’m not actually proposing right now.”

His words hit the other yoga students and elicited several laughs.

“That guy is,” Miguel said, pointing to Hunter.

Rachel turned around, and her face lit up with surprise when she saw Hunter. Her mouth formed into a perfect ‘O’ as he got down on his knee in front of her and took the ring out of his pocket, presenting it to Rachel with both hands.

“Rachel,” he said shakily, and she had already begun to cry. “You are my best friend and my partner,” he said, mimicking the beginning of Miguel’s speech. “And I am proposing to you right now,” he said with emphasis.

The crowd laughed, and Hunter watched in awe as graceful tears spilled down Rachel’s perfect cheeks.

He took her shaking hand into his and had to swallow down his own emotions as he looked up at her.

“I wanted to tell you that I have a new favorite lyric, and I was wondering if you wanted to hear it?” he asked.

Rachel nodded, crying and laughing.

“At first, I thought it was infatuation,” he quoted. “But oh, how it’s lasted so long. Now I find myself wanting…”

“To marry you,” she finished, “and take you home.”

Hunter nodded and looked down at the ring briefly before meeting her eyes once more. “So, what do you say? Will you make me the happiest guy ever and be not only my best friend, but my wife?”

“Yes!” she exclaimed.

Hunter slid the ring onto her delicate finger and picked her up by the waist, spinning her around.

“Yes, yes, yes!” she said again, pulling him into a kiss.

Hunter felt happiness at that moment that he never knew existed. All of the pain they had been through together, all of the love they had shared, all of the memories they made together finally meant something.

It had been a long road for Rachel and Hunter. They’d gone from childhood friends to adolescent crushes, to best friends, to lovers in turmoil, to soon-to-be husband and wife—and Hunter wouldn’t have it any other way.

Want more Cowboy Billionaires? CLICK HERE for the next book in this series called “A Blind Date With Her Cowboy Billionaire Boss”!

The End

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About the Author

Hanna Hart is a passionate sweet clean contemporary romance author who has found the love for writing since the age of 6.

Hanna lives in the beautiful Santa Cruz California with her loving husband, two children and dog Milo. Other then dreaming up of extremely sweet & romantic stories, Hanna enjoys spending time with her family, going to the beach, cooking great food, traveling the world, and getting a lot of exercise.

Hanna’s purpose is to delivery very sweet romantic stories to her readers that will touch their hearts in a very meaningful taking them to another place that will positively impact their life.

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