Page 112 of Blindsided

“What about you?” I ask when she remains silent. “What’s waiting for you back in Toronto besides bad memories?”

She looks down at our joined hands, her thumb tracing circles on my wrist. “Nothing, really. I don’t have a job. My friends... well, most of them were Mark’s friends too,” she lifted a shoulder, “I don’t even have a house.”

“So, stay,” I urge softly. “Not forever, if you don’t want to. Just for a while.”

“And what would I do here?” she challenges, though I can see her resistance weakening. “Play ranch wife while you learn to herd cattle?”

I grin at the image. “I was thinking more along the lines of partner in figuring out what the hellI’m supposed to do with five thousand acres and a family I barely know.”

She laughs then, the sound light and genuine. “When you put it that way, how can I refuse?”

Hope blooms in my chest. “Is that a yes?”

“It’s a ‘let’s see where this goes,’” she clarifies, but she’s smiling now, her eyes warm in the fading light. “One step at a time.”

“One step at a time,” I agree, pulling her closer until our foreheads touch. “Starting with this one.”

I kiss her then, soft and sweet, a promise rather than a demand. Her arms slide around my neck as she kisses me back, and for a moment, the world shrinks to just us—to the warmth of her body against mine, the taste of her lips, the feeling of rightness that settles over me.

When we part, she rests her head against my chest, her arms still looped around my waist. I hold her close, breathing in the scent of her hair, marveling at how someone who was a stranger less than a month ago now feels like home.

“We should go in,” she murmurs eventually. “They’ll be waiting for us.”

“Let them wait,” I say, not ready to share her just yet. “We’ve earned a moment of peace before the next MacGallan drama unfolds.”

She chuckles against my chest. “You know, for someone who claims to hate the family name,you’ve adapted to the MacGallan flair for dramatics pretty quickly.”

“Apparently it’s genetic,” I concede with a wry smile. “Along with questionable decision-making and a talent for complicating simple situations.”

“And charm,” she adds, looking up at me with a teasing glint in her eye. “Don’t forget the charm.”

“How could I?” I press a quick kiss to her nose. “It’s the only reason you agreed to stay.”

“That, and I’m curious to see you on a horse,” she quips, stepping back but keeping hold of my hand. “I bet you look ridiculous in a cowboy hat.”

“Challenge accepted,” I laugh, letting her tug me toward the door. “I’ll have you know I can rock any headwear.”

As we step back into the warmth of the lodge, I’m struck by the scene before us. My siblings—people I’ve known as cousins, and some that I barely know but who share my blood—are scattered around the living room in casual conversation. Ella is showing Connor something on her phone while Nora sits cross-legged on the floor, drawing intently with Lana beside her. Declan and Rory appear deep in debate near the fireplace, while Kat and Wren inspect the bookshelves lining one wall.

It’s so normal, so domestic, that it makes my chest ache with a longing I didn’t know I carried—for family, for belonging, for connection.

Kori squeezes my hand, as if sensing my thoughts. “You okay?”

I consider the question seriously. Am I okay? My entire world has been turned upside down. I’ve gained two brothers, two sisters, a niece, a ranch I never asked for, and the responsibility that comes with it. I’m a long way from okay.

But for the first time in years, I feel something like hope. Not just for myself, but for all of us—this strange, fractured family that Tomas created and then abandoned.

“I will be,” I tell her, and for once, I actually believe it.

The end