Page 75 of Cowboy Dragon's Rose

I used to think it was the air. The quiet. The wildness of it.

But now I’m starting to think it’s not the land at all.

It’s them.

These women.

These men.

This found family that doesn’t just let you in—they pull you in.

And once you’re in, you’re one of them.

Looking at the four women in front of me, each of them so different, but so perfect for this place and each other. Somehow, this is exactly what I need.

And I realize something else.

I came here to hide. To get away. To escape from my past.

That’s all true.

But I think I found something else instead.

I think I found home.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE-ZEKE

Two days.

Well, technically, forty-nine hours and twenty-three minutes since Avery told me Casey left for town.

Not that I’m counting like some lovesick teenager or anything.

Okay, fine. I’m completely fucking counting.

Because the second she walked out of my life, my world turned gray.

My Dragon—usually a fierce, dominant force of supernature—curled up inside my chest like a dying ember, mourning her absence with every beat of my heart.

He’s quiet now, but watchful. Hopeful.

Because she texted.

And that has to mean something, right?

At first, I lost my damn mind.

Punched a tree so hard it split.

Torched half a cornfield.

Took Max using his Alpha voice to drag me out of the spiral.

Even then, it was Dante sitting on my chest in full Bear form that finally made me yield.

Furry Grizzly fucker.

“She needs time, Zeke. You owe her that!” Max had barked, glaring at me like I was some rabid mutt.

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