Chapter One
Lena
The rain pounded against the windshield as I gripped the steering wheel, cursing the flooded bridge ahead. This delivery run for my family was supposed to be quick, but now I was stranded on the outskirts of Pine Hollow, the wipers barely keeping up with the deluge. My heart raced—not just from the storm, but from the thought of facing Rhett, the gruff cowboy who owned this sprawling ranch. He was all sharp edges, a beard shadowing his jaw, and a stare that could melt steel. I’d seen him from a distance, hauling hay with those strong arms, and it had fueled more than a few restless nights.
I adjusted my damp blouse, the fabric clinging to my curves, and took a shaky breath. The storm had other plans, forcing me to knock on his door. When it swung open, there he stood—shirt unbuttoned, revealing a chest carved from years of hard work, his dark eyes narrowing as they raked over me. Water dripped from my hair, and I felt exposed, vulnerable, yet oddly alive under his gaze.
“Get inside,” he growled, his voice a low rumble that sent a shiver down my spine. He stepped aside, and I hesitated, my city-girl instincts warring with the pull I felt toward this rugged man. The air between us crackled as I brushed past, my arm grazing his, igniting a heat that had no business starting in a storm like this.
He shut the door, locking out the tempest, but not the tension. “You shouldn’t be out in this,” he muttered, his tone rough but laced with concern. I opened my mouth to argue, but his eyes—deep and stormy—held me captive. For a moment, I forgot the rain, the bridge, everything except the way he looked at me, like he wanted to claim every inch of me right there.
My pulse quickened. I’d always thought a man like Rhett—grumpy, commanding, too handsome for his own good—would never notice a curvy mess like me. But as he stepped closer, the scent of leather and rain filling the space, I wondered if this storm might change everything. Would he see past my insecurities to the woman aching for his touch? Or would morning light reveal a rejection I couldn’t bear?
