Between the Pines (Black Springs Ranch, #1)

by Amber Palmer

His red flags were a mile long, flying high for all to see from the very beginning. But red was my favorite color, and I had a stubborn streak a mile long.

Overthinking was my middle name, and I’d damn well earned it.

“So, you’re obviously not from around here.” I waited a beat, wondering if he would follow up his observation with a question, but he said nothing more. “That obvious, huh?” The corners of his mouth lifted in a smirk. “I’d remember your face if I’d ever run into it before.”

Hehehe

“Maybe if you’re good, I’ll tell you my name.” “Oh yeah?” he asked, dropping his voice. “And what’s your definition of good, darlin’?” I shrugged, trying to keep control of my rapidly beating heart. “Keep me company and find out.”

AH

Each second I spent in her presence was fucking intoxicating. I didn’t even know her name; she’d still refused to tell me, and somehow, it became inconsequential when she looked at me like I hung the moon. Maybe, for her, I wanted to.

For some goddamn reason, this beautiful woman had no idea how sexy she was. Or, and this thought made me damn near homicidal, some dipshit had made her think otherwise.

I’d never held much stock in that lovey-dovey bullshit people clung to, talking about soulmates and destinies. It was just a way for folks to feel better about their lives. But this woman? Something told me she could make me a believer.

To hell with what I thought I wanted, the only thing that mattered was him

I nodded my head, unable to form words, while he stared down at me like I was his favorite meal when, in reality, I thought he was mine.

Would we exchange numbers like he’d suggested before he knew my name? Or would he want to keep whatever we shared limited to this moment right here? Lincoln turned to face me, the grey light of dawn casting shadows from under his baseball cap. “So…” he said, rocking back on his heels. “Your place or mine?”

Hehehehe

How was it possible we’d only known each other for a handful of days? I didn’t put much stock into things like fate, but I could’ve sworn there’d been some weird magnetic pull that led me to pull into that damn bar.

We were like two magnets, our force too strong to ignore.

“Girls, meet Lincoln Carter. Lincoln, meet two of my girls—Josie and Cleo.”

Omfg its happening

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do when this is over. I don’t know how to move on from something I dedicated my life to.” When his voice broke on the last word, he tried to cover it up with a cough, but it was too late.

I wanted to build on that five days until it became a lifetime.

He was so handsome—too handsome for my own good. Like the last piece of decadent chocolate cake you know you shouldn’t touch, or speeding down a deserted highway with the windows down and your favorite song on the radio.

It looked like he hadn’t shaved in a few days, but the dark shadow didn’t look messy. It looked lived in. Rugged.

I sipped my perfect coffee and passed the hour by trying to convince myself I wasn’t attracted to the hot cowboy back home. One who barely knew me, and yet knew exactly what I liked.

“Let me take that off your plate,” he said, gentling his tone. “I know you have so much going on with the clinics. Honestly, it’s a miracle you could get into town for this meeting.”

I feel like Ellis stole it

Tonight, I wanted a fraction of the peace I’d been searching for since Josie Hayes stumbled into my life.

But sometimes, when you know, you know. And I knew Josie was it for me, even if I wasn’t it for her.

I wanted to tell her I didn’t want to go back, that I’d give it up for her right here and now, but she didn’t need me to come in with that. She needed a friend—a shoulder to cry on—and I’d be whatever she needed me to be.

I wanted to erase every tear she’d ever shed with promises of a future worth living.

And then she walked away, leaving me kneeling in the dirt and wondering what the hell I was doing in Texas.

Because, yes, Lincoln was different in every way that mattered. He lit a fire in my soul, which I didn’t know had gone out.

No matter how much I tried to wrap my head around moving on, it was like running face-first into a brick wall that refused to budge.

From the moment I’d woken up that morning, something felt wrong. It’d felt like I’d lost something, and I’d been sick to my stomach wondering if I’d ever get it back.

My love for her had become part of who I was, stitched into the fabric of my soul. It ran as deep as the oceans, as pure as freshly fallen snow. It existed and was tangible and beautiful, just like her.

“I’m not gonna break her heart,” I mumbled, glancing back at the table. “But I’m afraid she’s gonna break mine.”

Lincoln held me like he had the night I’d broken down chopping wood, giving me a soft place to land. He was a shelter from the storm, keeping me safe in his arms.

But some part of me recognized that if I didn’t let go of his hand… I’d never need to face life alone.

But the moment it’d come from Lincoln’s lips as he poured my first shot of whiskey, it altered my brain chemistry.

And then he leaned in, our mouths colliding. He tasted of whiskey and sin and every promise he’d ever made.

Each time his lips brushed mine, I felt my walls crumble a little bit more, and for the first time in my life, I didn’t mind the destruction it left in its wake.

“That hat on your head means you’re mine, Josie. There are no takebacks, not as far as I’m concerned. So, don’t do that to me and then take it away. Don’t fucking tease me, baby. I can’t take it.”

This kiss was branding my soul in a way that could never be undone. He was right; there’d be no going back after this. From that moment on, I was his. Irrevocably and wholly his.

Or maybe it was knowing that from this moment on, we were endgame.

“You know, I used to think there wasn’t a soul alive who was good enough for my daughters, but I’ll say this, son…” His gaze shifted to Lincoln. “I’ve never been so happy to be wrong before.”

“You know, I used to think it only took me five days to fall in love with you, but honestly… I fell in love with you the moment you walked into this little bar tucked between the pines.”