Page 65 of Saddle and Bound

And that’s how we end up naked, making love under the stars.

How could I ever want to go back to my old life?!

Chapter 38

Rosie

The pickup truck shudders to a halt in front of the ranch, the engine's rumble fading into silence. I sit frozen, hands pressed against my knees, struggling to process the finality of this moment. The absence of Alex's off-key country singing and our playful banter leaves an emptiness that seems to echo through the cab.

The camping trip is over. The thought crashes into me with physical force, stealing my breath. It's over. This magical, wild, life-changing adventure has run its course.

I hear Alex's door creak open, followed by the soft crunch of his boots hitting gravel, but I remain still. While my body sits anchored in his pickup, my mind wanders back to our campsite – to pine-scented air, diamond-scattered skies, and the hypnotic dance of flames that witnessed our whispered confessions.

"Rosie?" Alex's voice, gentle with concern, pulls me back. "You alright, darlin'?" I manage a mechanical nod and finally force myself to move. As my feet touch the familiar ranch soil, something feels shifted, altered. Or perhaps I'm the one who's changed.

While Alex busies himself with our bags, I stand rooted, taking in the scene. The ranch sprawls before me, exactly as we left it mere days ago, yet it seems transformed – or maybe it's my perspective that's been irreversibly altered.

Emotions surge through me in relentless waves: the ache of endings, the sweet pull of nostalgia, the electric thrill of fresh memories, and the trembling uncertainty of what comes next. And underneath it all, something else stirs – something I can't quite name.

"Hey," Alex murmurs, suddenly close. "Talk to me." I meet his gaze and attempt a smile, knowing it doesn't reach my eyes. "I'm just... I don't even know how to describe what I'm feeling."

Alex nods, understanding etched in the soft lines around his eyes. "Been some pretty intense days," he says, then hesitates, as if wrestling with unspoken words. Something flickers across his face – worry? Fear? – before he catches himself.

Intense. Yes. Intense. Overwhelming. Soul-shaking.

Somehow, in the span of a few short days, I've lived what feels like a lifetime. I've unearthed parts of myself I thought were lost to time, dusted off dreams I'd carefully packed away. And I've discovered Alex – the real Alex – in ways I never imagined possible.

But now what? Now that we're back in the "real world," what becomes of us? Do promises whispered under starlight survive in harsh daylight?

"Ready to head inside?" Alex gestures toward the house. I hesitate. Crossing that threshold feels like officially closing a chapter I'm not ready to end. Like facing questions I've been carefully avoiding.

"Could we... maybe stay out here a little longer?" My voice wavers slightly. His smile is tender as he laces his fingers through mine. "We've got all the time in the world, princess."

We stand in companionable silence, letting the ranch's familiar landscape embrace us. The setting sun paints the sky in a masterpiece of amber and rose, bleeding into deep purple at the edges. I've watched this same sunset countless times since arriving here, but tonight it feels weighted with meaning, as if nature itself is marking this moment of transition.

"Walk with me?" Alex's question breaks gently through my reverie. I nod, grateful for the suggestion. Movement has always helped clear my head, and right now my thoughts are a tangled mess needing to be sorted.

We amble along the well-worn path beside the paddocks, our footsteps falling into an easy rhythm. The horses raise their heads as we pass, some offering soft whickers of recognition. The air is rich with the earthy perfume of hay and soil, stirring memories of my first anxious days here. That feels like another lifetime now, another version of myself – before Alex, before everything changed.

"Share those thoughts with me?" His voice is soft, patient. I release a shaky breath, trying to organize the chaos in my mind. "Everything," I admit. "These past days, how different I feel, how different everything feels. I'm thinking about..." I swallow hard. "What comes next."

Alex stops walking, turning to face me. In the fading light, his eyes search mine, filled with a depth of understanding that makes my heart ache. "Rosie," he says, my name like a prayer on his lips, "what happened out there – what's happening between us – it's real. You know that, right?"

His words wrap around my heart like a warm blanket, but they also unleash the fears I've been trying to contain. "But what if..." My voice cracks slightly. "What if all those things I said under the stars were just... temporary insanity? What if I go back to Los Angeles and realize I can't just abandon my whole life there?"

Alex's hands find mine in the growing darkness, his calloused fingers intertwining with my own. His touch is gentle but grounding, like an anchor in a storm. "Then we'll figure it out together," he says, his voice steady and sure. "I'm not asking you to blow up your whole life tonight, Rosie. I'm just asking you to give yourself permission to want what you want. To dream what you dream. Without letting fear make the choice for you."

Something releases in my chest at his words, like a knot slowly unraveling. He's right – I don't have to have all the answers right now. I can take time to explore these new feelings, these reawakened dreams, this version of myself I'm just beginning to know.

We resume our walk, the silence between us now comfortable, filled with possibility rather than dread. As darkness settles over the ranch like a soft blanket, the first stars begin to peek through the purple twilight. A strange peace washes over me, not erasing my uncertainty but making it feel more manageable somehow.

The ranch spreads out around us, solid and unchanging, yet somehow different through my new eyes. Maybe that's what transformation feels like – not a sudden shift, but a gradual awakening to new possibilities in familiar places. And maybe, just maybe, that's exactly what I need right now: not answers, but the courage to keep asking questions.

In the growing darkness, Alex's hand remains steady in mine, a silent promise that whatever comes next, I don't have to face it alone.

Chapter 39

Alex

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