Page 34 of Wrangled Love

Jensen brought Caleb to Bluebell to ease him into his new life and provide him with a stable environment. The last thing he needs is to live under the same roof as a woman whose brain short-circuits when she sees a hint of denim or hears his drawl. Yes, there’s mutual chemistry there, but I can’t risk doing anything to mess up Caleb’s stay at Silver Saddle Ranch. His happiness comes first.

Which means one thing is for certain: Jensen Harding is strictly off-limits.

“You ready to go downstairs for breakfast?” I ask Caleb.

He nods and sets aside the magnetic tiles Julie gave him for making it through his second week of summer camp. Hard to believe it’s already mid-June.

Between his twice-a-week therapy appointments and summer camp, he’s doing much better than I could have anticipated. Just yesterday, he made space at his table during snack time for one of the other kids at camp and even shared the crayons without being asked. It may seem minor, but considering he used to avoid interacting with anyone, it’s a big step.

There’s no question Briar has played a big role in the shift. Caleb always comes back from their afternoons together smiling and more engaged. She shows him around the ranch, introduces him to the animals, works with him in Julie’s garden, and even takes him on adventures in town. Thankfully, today is Saturday which means she should be here and not out doing roundsat the cabins.

As Caleb and I enter the kitchen, we’re greeted by the sweet scent of pancakes. Briar stands at the stove, spatula in hand, dancing along to a country song on the radio. It’s impossible not to watch her hips sway to the beat, her jeans clinging to her every curve. Her hair’s pulled into a messy bun, the same as it was the night of the plumbing disaster last week.

Watching her fix that pipe was damn sexy. With grease on her chin and wisps of hair framing her face, I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

I’ve replayed the moment countless times. The way her breath hitched as my thumb grazed her chin, her body flush with mine, wrapped in the sweet scent of apples and worn leather. Her doe eyes were soft and brimming with longing, making the urge to kiss her burn in my chest and difficult to resist. If she hadn’t pulled away, I may not have had the sense to stop, which would make our situation more complicated.

Caleb’s face brightens when he sees her and races over to wrap his arms around her legs. I watch, my chest tightening with gratitude for how she shows up for him.

Briar sets the spatula down and smiles, ruffling his hair. “Good morning, little man. You hungry?”

He tips his head, giving her a thumbs-up.

“Great. You boys better be ready to dig in, because I made pancakes. A whole lot of them. It’s my one specialty, so I had to go all out.”

Briar’s normally gone before I wake up, so I stick to easy options like eggs, toast, cereal, or oatmeal. Caleb usually eats whatever I put in front of him, but he’s never been enthusiastic about breakfast. Not like he is now, as he takes in the massive stacks of pancakes on the kitchen table.

Before joining him, I step behind Briar, brushing a hand against the small of her back as I lean in to whisper in her ear. “Morning, sugar. Those pancakes smell amazing.”

We both blink at the unexpected nickname. It’s totally fitting, though, since everything about her is sweet and leaves me craving more.

Before this summer, I was never big on affection—physical or verbal—but the way Briar is with Caleb, always hugging and praising him, must be rubbing off on me.

Maybe a little too much.

I’ve been on my best behavior this past week, but seeing her barefoot and at ease in her kitchen makes me want things I shouldn’t—like pressing her against the counter and kissing her senseless. I pull back before I do anything reckless, relieved when she resumes flipping pancakes, pretending I didn’t come close to crossing a line I shouldn’t. I subtly adjust myself, wanting to hide how being close to her affects me.

I sit next to Caleb at the kitchen table, reminding myself that we came to Bluebell for him, and everything else comes second, including my inexplicable desire to be around Briar. She’s a novelty. Someone forbidden who plagues my thoughts, but eventually the attraction will fade. Or at least I hope it will.

Caleb is eyeing the platefuls of pancakes. Next to each stack is a slip of paper with the flavor.

I lean forward, reading off the options. “We’ve got classic buttermilk, blueberry, chocolate chip, banana, and apple cinnamon. Want to pick one to start with?” I ask Caleb.

He gestures toward the bear-shaped chocolate chip pancakes with a grin.

“Great choice.”

I slide a pancake onto his plate, top it with banana slices and a drizzle of syrup, then set it in front of him. He immediately digs in and takes a big bite, humming his approval.

I chuckle. “That good, huh?”

He quickly nods, already scooping the next bite into his mouth.

“I still can’t believe you finished fixing the pipe without me,” I say to Briar as I add a stack of blueberry pancakes to my plate.

The morning after the plumbing incident, I headed to the kitchen after my workout ready to help with the permanent repair—only to find Briar had already cut out the damaged joint and installed a new section, all before sunrise.

“If I hadn’t,someonemight’ve tried using a non-adjustable wrench again, or worse—duct tape,” she teases, shaking her head.

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