Chapter 21

TEXAS HILL COUNTRY, USA

This was crazy, right?

Hollyn fidgeted with the strap of her purse in the backseat of the town car that had picked her up from the airport just under an hour ago. It was cooler here in Texas than she'd anticipated, and she kind of wished she'd packed warmer clothing. Too late now, though. The jeans and T-shirt she was wearing would have to suffice. Even though she'd lived most of her life in the States, she'd never been to Texas before, and her brain had been telling her it never got under ninety degrees. Well, it did. But that realization was soon eclipsed by the sight of the A Breed Apart front gates.

Hollyn swallowed as the driver turned down the long driveway. It had only been a week since Davis had left for the States, but every day had felt like an eternity. She'd worked as quickly as she could to arrange coverage for the running of the lab and the rest of the business side of things that she was now in charge of. The second she'd been free to hop on a plane to Texas, she had.

What are you doing? Maybe this was a bad idea.

She swallowed down the doubts creeping up. She'd been in communication with Davis since he'd left, but his days were long and their conversations short. One truth remained unchanging, though: her feelings for Davis had only grown since he'd come back into her life, and—beyond the shadow of a doubt—she was in love. If he didn't feel the same way, then at least she was about to find out for sure.

Hollyn tucked her loose hair behind her ears. Smoothed a hand down the front of her maroon shirt. Maybe she should have grabbed one of the barf bags from first class on the flight over. Her stomach was in knots, and the queasy feeling rumbling around in there was escalating by the second.

As the town car driver came to a stop in the parking lot near a large building, a woman with white-blonde hair was heading down the front steps. Beside her, a reddish colored dog with a lean, muscular build eyed the car with ferocity. A slight motion of the woman's hand brought down the dog's intensity a few degrees, but it was still unnerving.

Hollyn thanked the driver and asked him to wait for a moment before she stepped outside. This place was much bigger than she'd pictured. From here she could see several large structures and at least two very large fenced fields. Some people were working with dogs in one, but Davis didn't seem to be one of them. Barking came from one of the buildings.

"Can I help you?" The woman and her dog stopped a few feet away.

"Uh, I hope so?" Hollyn stood a couple inches taller than the blonde but definitely didn't come close to the tough presence the woman naturally exuded. Oh yeah, she was out of her comfort zone here in Davis's world. "I'm . . . looking for Davis Ledger?"

The woman chuckled. "Is that a question or a statement?"

Hollyn laughed nervously and told herself to relax. "A statement. Definitely. I just—I need to speak with him. If he's available," she tagged on quickly.

The blonde scrutinized her for a moment, something that was heavily mirrored by her dog. They must have decided she wasn't a threat, because the woman nodded over her shoulder. "We were actually on our way near where he's working. We'll take you to him."

Relief washed over Hollyn. She turned and grabbed her backpack from the car. As it drove away, Hollyn chewed her lip, hands squeezing the straps of her bag.

"You coming?" the woman asked behind her.

Hollyn spun and hurried to catch up as she hooked her arms through the straps of her bag. "Yes, sorry."

"I'm Rio, by the way." The blonde gave Hollyn a smile. "And this"—she reached down and patted her dog's side as they walked—"is Chaos."

The dog panted happily, and Hollyn could almost swear she saw it smile.

"It's nice to meet you both. I'm Hollyn."

Rio's step faltered. "Hollyn?"

Uh-oh. Not the reaction she'd been expecting.

"Is that bad?"

"No, no," Rio said before a grin spread across her lips. "Just so . . . interesting. We've heard a lot about you."

In the span of a week? Curious. Davis wasn't exactly the chatty type. Maybe he was different with these people, though?

Hollyn swallowed, unsure what to say as she followed Rio behind one of the larger metal buildings. Barking from inside grew louder along with the voices of a couple men. Rio slid open a door and motioned Hollyn inside.

When she saw Davis, her heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't wipe the grin off her face. There he was. Dressed in black tactical pants and a long sleeve T-shirt that hugged his biceps and broad shoulders in a mind-scrambling way. His back was to her, and he was speaking to another guy who held a lead attached to Fury.

"All right, that was decent, but don't let him get away with giving you attitude. Run through it again."

"Ledger!" Rio called out.

Davis turned. Surprise flashed across his face when he spotted Hollyn. Surprise and . . . something else she couldn't put her finger on.

Oh man, she was so in love with him. She prayed desperately that this hadn't been a bad idea. That he'd say he felt the same way about her. Could she handle it if he didn't? Maybe she should have waited back in Abu Dhabi for him to make the first move. Or come at a different time. Or?—

"Hollyn." The way he spoke her name didn't give her any clues to if he was happy or disappointed to see her, and she tried not to let that get to her. More, he seemed like he was in shock that she was standing here.

Well, that made two of them. This was by far the riskiest thing she'd ever done.

He blinked like his brain had just short circuited and then turned to the guy working with Fury. "Keep going. I'll be right back."

"Sure thing," the guy replied.

Fury gave a few jerks of protest before complying with what he was being asked to do, and Davis jogged over to where Hollyn stood with Rio and Chaos.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, still clearly in disbelief. "I didn't know you were coming."

"Yeah, I, uh . . . surprise?" Hollyn opened her arms wide in an attempt at humor.

Oy. Could she be anymore awkward? So much for planning out exactly what she was going to say and how things were going to play out on the flight over. She'd chalk it up to exhaustion. Probably should have at least gone to the hotel to take a nap first. But no, she'd jumped right into the town car and asked to come straight here.

"I'll just get back to work." The grin on Rio's face was as unnerving as the surprise on Davis's. "It was nice to meet you, Hollyn."

"You too."

Standing here, alone, Hollyn suddenly didn't know what to do. Gaze locked with Davis's, her heart told her to say what she'd come to say, but her head told her this had been a stupid idea. Not a shocker—her head was winning. "I . . . um . . . hi."

Davis grinned. "Hey."

None of this was going the way she'd thought. She'd just go with the flow, though. "Can—" She glanced over his shoulder to where Fury and the handler were working somewhat haphazardly. Yeah, she probably should have waited till the end of the day to do this. "Actually, this can wait till later." She took a step backward. "I wasn't thinking, and now I'm interrupting your day and?—"

"Hol, breathe." Davis reached out and took her hand. Gave it an encouraging squeeze, which bolstered her confidence. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

She could do this. She needed to do this.

For once in your life, be bold.

Hollyn swallowed, gaze still locked with his. "Can we talk?" she forced herself to ask.

Put the ball in his proverbial court. Then she'd know how to continue.

"Of course." He didn't even hesitate to pause work for her.

The gesture warmed her from the inside out. Maybe there was a chance he still felt the same way he had when he'd kissed her. Or at least, what she'd been thinking he felt. She should probably think a little less, but then again, that wasn't who she was.

Davis turned and called out to the guy across the arena. The man unclipped Fury, who ran over to them. Hollyn's heart flew into her throat seeing the RMWD charge their way. But at the last second, he slid to a stop in the loose dirt. Glued to Davis's side, he stared up expectantly. Davis ruffled the shepherd's head.

"Good boy," Davis said before looking up. "Want to take a walk?" he asked her.

"That would be great."

But she'd need to get to the point of her trip soon, or she was going to lose her nerve.

Davis led her out of the building. A slight breeze had picked up, bringing with it a scent she could only describe as country. Fresh air mixed with recently cut grass and hard work . . . if hard work could be a scent.

Fury nudged her hand.

"Looks like someone else missed you."

Else? Meaning he had too?

Hope had her heart racing.

Tell him! Tell him now.

Goosebumps formed on her arms. It was chilly out here.

"So." He cleared his throat. "What brings you all the way here?" There was something in his tone that conveyed reservation. When he cast a look over at her, Hollyn noted a seriousness in his eyes that hadn't been there earlier.

They stopped at the fence line of the outdoor training field, and Davis pulled a toy for Fury from his pocket. Chucked it hard. The German shepherd cleared the fence and tore off after the KONG.

Hollyn swallowed. It was now or never. "There's something I have to tell you."

"Okay, sure." He nodded and faced her while Fury ran back their way. He skidded to a stop but didn't relinquish the toy. "Af," Davis commanded, glancing away for a second.

Fury lay down, panting around the slobbery toy in his mouth.

Having Davis's full attention was more than a little unnerving. Hollyn worked a loose sliver of the fence between her fingers. "So." She licked her lips. "There's something I've been wanting to say for a while now, but it never felt like the right time with . . . just everything. I mean, you know. You were there."

Rambling.

Davis just nodded, steady gaze pinning her.

Her heart was beating so fast, and her whole body felt flushed. "I don't really know the best way to say this"—a concerned look drew his eyebrows together—"so I'll just blurt it out. And don't feel like you need to say anything right now. Just hear me out and think it over."

Arms crossed, his broad shoulders rose in acknowledgment as he waited for her to continue.

"I love you." The words hung between them for a moment before she forced herself to press on. "I've known for a while now. I mean, I thought I knew back in high school, but these last few weeks . . . well, what I feel for you now is so much deeper. You feel like home to me, and I love who you are." She couldn't read his expression. That worried her. "And I get it. You might not feel the same way, and that's okay. You did leave, and maybe I'm projecting. Maybe you feel like we just got caught up in the chaos of the last couple of weeks and you need space. But I had to tell you how I feel, otherwise I'd always wonder what-if. I understand if this is just a one-sided thing but?—"

A small smirk spread across Davis's lips as he lifted his hands to the sides of her face. She went still under his touch. "Do I get a chance to reply?"

His thumb brushed back and forth against her cheek, and all she could manage was a nod.

Yes. Please, put me out of my misery.

Hollyn drew in a breath, afraid to move. She searched his brown eyes. His nearness and the way he was so carefully cradling her face infused her soul with hope that he might feel the same way about her that she did for him. But was that too much to wish for?

"I love you too."

The air whooshed from her lungs as she stood there, dumbfounded, afraid she might have misheard him. She tried to get her bearings. "You do?"

Was she dreaming this? She'd waited what felt like her whole life to hear him say exactly that, but it seemed too good to be true.

"I do."

"But . . . you left."

"Just to get Fury situated here," Davis defended gently. "We talked about that."

At the sound of his name, Hollyn saw Fury's head pop up in her peripheral vision.

"I didn't want to tell you I was in love with you and then get on a plane and leave you for weeks or maybe months." He lowered his hands to her arms and down to thread his fingers with hers. "No matter how many ways I played it out in my head, it seemed like I was abandoning you." Davis searched her eyes. "I'm sorry, Hol."

Hollyn's brain stalled around a few words of what he'd just said. "Say it again."

"I'm sorry."

"No." She grinned and wrapped her arms around his trim waist. "That you're in love with me."

Nothing else mattered to her in this moment except hearing him repeat that.

Chuckling, Davis gently slid a hand behind her head and tugged her closer. He leaned down to press his lips to hers. The kiss was warm and completely mind-scrambling. When he pulled back, he slid his arms around her as well. Happy hardly began to describe how she felt right now. "I'm in love with you, Hollyn."

Her eyes slid closed as she relished the words.

Thank You, Lord! Thank You for this incredible man!

Davis drew her closer, and Hollyn happily pressed her cheek against his chest. His heartbeat thundered almost as quickly as her own.

He loved her. He. Loved. Her.

A sound from the fence preceded Fury bumping her arm with his giant head. Hollyn dropped one hand from around Davis and held it out to the RMWD, who pressed his weight into her leg. He happily accepted the careful scratch of his head that Hollyn offered.

This, right here, was all she'd ever wanted. To be loved. To be part of a family. To be right where God wanted her to be. And she'd do her best to make the most of every moment they had together from here on out.