We were on top of a ridge which gave us fantastic views of the moonlit desert beneath. Laid out on the half circle shaped cliff edge was a large dark blanket. Edging the soft fabric were dozens of candles, their flames burning bright and strong, highlighting the treat in the middle. A wicker picnic basket sat open, wrapped food spilling from its mouth. A dark green bottle of wine twinkled next to it with two glasses.

"Brady..." I put my hands to my mouth to muffle the strangled sob threatening to escape. "This is just..." A single tear jumped for freedom, opening the path for the rest. "Thank you."

He gave me a hug, chuckling lightly. "I didn't think it was that good."

I giggled, steadily regaining my composure. "I've never had anything like this before."

Pulling back, he took my hand and gave me a gentle tug to sit down with him on the blanket. "Hasn't your lovely fella back home ever done anything like this for you?"

I shook my head. "No...our first date was at a roller skating disco."

He burst out laughing. "Nice touch. What about when he proposed?"

"Um, no..." Memories of that night sprang forwards, unfortunately. "He came home from his work Christmas party absolutely steaming drunk, threw up all over me and the bed, and then got down on one knee with a Haribo ring."

He said nothing for a good few seconds, his face remaining impassive. "Are you being serious?"

I nodded. "I only said yes to shut him up. He kept going on about it, harassed me for nearly an hour. I was so mad about the chunks of sick everywhere..." I shuddered, remembering the disgusting mess I'd had to clean up. "I didn't think he'd remember in the morning...unlucky for me he did."

"Well, at least he made it memorable."

I smiled but said nothing. Talking about Ben made me feel uncomfortable to say the least.

"Have you heard from him since the other night?"

"No. I can't quite work out if that's a good thing or not."

"From what I heard through the door, I would say it's a good thing."

I bit my lip and took my hand back. "I'm sorry, but would you mind if we didn't talk about him? I just...I don't want to think about him."

"Don't feel awkward because of me. I'm curious. I want to understand. I wouldn't ask if I wasn't interested." He grabbed both of my hands. "Sophie, if you were living your happily ever after, we wouldn't even be here. Heck, you wouldn't even be in this country. From what I understand, you're about as committed to each other as a stud dog is to a bitch."

I laughed. What a comparison.

"I love your laugh."

My heart thudded against my ribs as soon as I heard 'I love'. This handsome, irresistible cowboy was causing such a turmoil of emotions inside me, I didn't know which way to turn or what to think.

I turned my attention to Cody, changing the subject. "Is he ok?"

"Yeah. He's ground tied. He'll nod off anyway."

"Ground tied? Seriously, lingo."

He chuckled. "It means he's trained to stay put so long as the reins are on the ground."

Sighing, I turned back to Brady. "I love it out here."

"So do I. I couldn't imagine being anywhere else."

The thought of going home haunted me. Even though I still had another two and a half weeks out here, the pressing reality of home was always in the back of my mind. Just the thought of it filled me with dread and distaste.

Before tears started flowing again, I turned my attention to the fantastic meal Brady had prepared for us. He passed me a package wrapped in silver foil. The heat from it warmed my hands as the fantastic aroma of chicken and spices drifted over me. I ripped the foil off, my stomach growling.

"I love these. How did you know?"

He grinned. "Everyone loves fajitas."

I bit into it, the delicious flavours flooding my tongue. "This is really good."

"Here," he said, offering me a glass of red wine. "Try some of this with it."

Taking a small sip, I was surprised at the pleasantness of the fruity liquid. I wasn't really a wine fan, but this was lovely. The bubbly tang it left on my tongue sent my taste buds into overdrive. It was like nothing I'd ever tasted before.

"It's my home brew," he said, giving me a cheeky wink.

"You make your own wine?"

He chuckled. "Is that a problem?"

"Not at all. I just didn't have you down as that sort."

"Oh, really? So what type did you have me down for?"

I giggled, thinking back to my initial thoughts of him. "Do you really want to go down this road?"

"Perhaps not."

A snarling growl stifled our conversation. My heart stopped dead. The silence around us suddenly filled with tension.

"What the hell was that?" I whispered.

Brady laughed. "It's only a bobcat. It won't come near us. Don't worry."

"A bobcat?"

He nodded. "You know, a lynx."

I gave him a withering look. "I know what a bobcat is. I'm British, not an idiot."

He laughed. "Well, some people don't know."

"Well I do." I grinned as I downed the rest of the wine, holding my glass out for more. "So, how come I'm allowed back on a horse before my seven-day sentence is up?"

Laughing, he replied, "Well, with me sitting behind you, you can't really do a lot, can you? Especially when I have the reins."

"What happened to trust exactly?" I stuck my tongue out for extra effect.

"Well, where it concerns you and that horse, I think it's safe to say you don't have a good track record there." He leaned back on his elbows, gazing out over the glorious view we had. "It never fails to fascinate me—this place. It's so beautiful yet at the same time can be so deadly." He smirked. "Much like a woman."

I gave his shoulder a playful shove. "With comments like that, yes, you're right." I mirrored his position, gazing out over the desert myself. "Such a long way from home." A painful stab shot through my chest, settling with a dawning realisation. "I don't want to go home."

Silence settled over us for a few seconds before he turned to me. "So don't."

"It's not that easy."

"Why isn't it?"

"My whole life is there. I don't know anything else."

"Just because you know nothing else doesn't mean you should stay in a life you don't enjoy."

"I know that but it's hardly a decision like choosing which shoes to wear."

"Why? It's your life, Sophie. You need to take control of it and decide what happens in it. If you don't, you're going to end up living a life someone else wants."

I couldn't argue his point because it was a valid one. "Who made you so wise?"

He chuckled. "I may only be thirty, but I've had my own rough dealings through life. It wasn't until I took control of what I actually wanted that I felt truly liberated."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Makes sense I suppose."

He reached across, cupping my cheek with a gentle touch. "You have so much to give. You're worth so much more than what you think you are. Don't let anyone dampen your hunger for what you want."

A ball of warmth burst inside me at his words. "I don't know what I want...I don't even feel like me anymore. I think that's the problem."

He moved a hand to my chin and ran his thumb over my lips. I met his eye contact only to be captivated by his twinkling eyes. "So, take it one step at a time. Don't think of the future, your douchebag fella, or anything else. Just think of the here and now." He lowered his voice and inched closer to me. "What do you want right now? Right this second? More wine? Food?"

I blushed, biting my lip as I shook my head.

"So, what do you want?" he whispered.

The words caught in my throat, my mind screaming at me to spit them out. My heart pounded against my ribs and my palms grew sweaty. Heated lust ravished every last cell within me, taking control and making me say and think things I never would have dreamed of before now.

"I want..." I paused to take a deep breath. Ben had always made the moves and I just went along with it. Having to tell this insanely hot guy I wanted him was a strange moment for me. "I want you to kiss me."

He smiled, moving those delicious lips closer to mine. "I can definitely give you that."

He moved his hands to roam through my hair slowly. The focus shining from his eyes made me feel like I was the only person in the world. He seated a delicate kiss on my lips, and a moan caught in my throat at the feather light tenderness. I parted my lips, wanting him to blend us into that blissful world he now had me yearning for.

He dropped a hand to my back, pulling me in closer as he deepened our kiss. I was so adrift in my ocean of ecstasy, I had no idea he was lowering me onto the blanket until my back met the solid ground.