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Out here, Tate Carrigan was truly a sight to behold. Somehow bigger, stronger, more rugged, he commanded and controlled, a born leader. But while the sight of him was mesmerising—and it was—it was so much more than that. Almost her first impression of him had been that he was like the ironbark trees on the ridge of this property. She knew he was strong, but it was his vulnerability that really pulled at her. Knowing that he had turned to ironbark out of need. Out of a childhood that had left him with scars he still carried, and was determined not to let break him down.

It had been more than an hour of this.

From the moment he’d arrived at the house and suggested they go see the property, he’d been in command. This was his sandbox, and he was going to teach her how to play in it. Starting with what she wore. ‘Long sleeves, jeans. And this.’ He’d handed her a wide-brimmed hat, brand new, going by the way the felt sat. She’d taken it with a funny feeling looping inside her stomach, placing it on her head with a small smile that had grown wider as she’d caught her reflection in the mirror by the front door.

It was only a short walk to the stables, though Tate had informed her, as he’d saddled up two horses, that they had another, bigger stable down near the staff quarters.

She liked watching him handle the animals. It was a fascinating juxtaposition: his strength and command, contrasted with his gentleness and respect—the same qualities he’d shown her when he had let his guard slip. Then there was the way he came and helped her on her horse. She’d told him she didn’t need help—she’d ridden before—but then, she couldn’t remember the horses she’d been on in the past being anywhere quite so high off the ground. Reluctantly, she’d let him guide her. Only reluctance had very quickly turned to something else, as pleasure had fired in her veins, reminding her of the way they’d left things the night before.

A tacit agreement to let this thing play out. Sex was just sex; they could do this, without getting burned.

So she’d stopped trying to fight the wave of awareness, and instead allowed it to wash over her. Each delicious lick of flame like a heatwave that was building to an inexorable, perfect release. Later.

For now, it was like a form of foreplay, to be close and not touch. To watch the lines of his body as he rode like he was master of this entire landscape, towards the line of trees that she’d seen so often from the house. As they drew nearer, she realised how much taller and thicker they were—truly ancient and formidable parts of the landscape. The sun was setting low in the sky, but it didn’t matter. The temperature, beneath the trees, was still noticeably cooler.

She watched as Tate stepped down from his horse with easy athleticism, then walked over to her, holding the reins to stop the horse, then coming around to the side and holding his hand up. Something glinted in his eye and ignited a spark deep in her belly. She lifted one leg over the saddle, carefully, as he reached up and put both hands on her hips.

‘I’ve got you,’ he encouraged.

She pushed forward, sliding off the horse and into his arms. All the breath burst from her lungs as the contact she’d been craving all day suddenly came to bear. He held her pressed against him, gaze resting on hers, his expression thoughtful, and she simply stared back, unable to look away.

‘It’s beautiful out here,’ she said, without looking anywhere but at him.

‘It was one of my favourite places, when I first came to the station.’

She wanted to ask him more about that. She wanted to ask him why. But sensations and feelings were crowding her, making it impossible to think of anything else.

She kicked her brain reluctantly into gear. ‘How old were you?’

‘Four.’

‘And you came out here all on your own?’

‘Rex brought me,’ he admitted.

‘I thought you weren’t close, at first.’

‘We weren’t.’ His lips were grim. ‘First time he brought me here, he left me.’

She gasped. ‘What?’

The grim line turned into a smile, as he replayed the details. ‘He’s only a few years older than me. He was still a kid himself. He thought it’d be as simple as leaving me here, and I’d just disappear. He wanted me to go away more than just about anything.’

‘But…’ Now she did look around, taking in the barren isolation of this place. It was part of what made it so beautiful, but for a child, it would have been incredibly harrowing. ‘You must have been terrified.’

‘Curious, more so.’

She shuddered.

‘I’d lived in the city all my life. I didn’t know it was more dangerous out here than anywhere else. I didn’t know anything about snakes or dingoes, bull ants or redbacks. I didn’t know not to sit on random rocks or pick up stones. I sure as hell didn’t know not to go digging around holes in the ground.’ He grimaced, then glanced up at the tall, wide trees. ‘I just knew I felt like I was right where I was meant to be. These trees…there’s something about them, isn’t there?’

She nodded, but didn’t follow his gaze. His features were arranged in such a mask of admiration, of wonderment at the majesty of this land, that she couldn’t help but feel it wrap around her, too.

‘So what happened?’

‘Rex went home without me. Dad realised what he’d done and sent a team out to get me. Rex, meanwhile, paid for his crimes.’

Sympathy washed over her features. ‘Did he hit you guys?’