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As it had the first afternoon she’d arrived, the house is and open floor plan While the furniture in place worked, she could easily is and hardwood floors In the least expensive neighborhoods of Beverly Hills this place would get at least three million On the exclusive streets, the price would co

At the front door she paused to check for an alarhed quietly She doubted Zane went in much for motion sensors or perimeter alarms

She opened the door and stepped out onto the porch The night was even more still out here, and cold She was surprised she couldn’t see her breath It would be warher elevation Her toes curled against the freezing temperature of the painted wood, but she didn’t retreat Instead she walked to the railing and looked down at the storybook town nestled on the shore of the little lake Then she stared up at the inky, black night

There were thousands of stars Even on the clearest night in Los Angeles, she’d never seen half this many

“I should have paid attention in astronomy class,” she murmured, then smiled “Okay, I should have taken astronomy in the first place”

She tilted her head in an effort to find so Dipper and the North Star She found the former, but couldn’t remember if the North Star was off its handle or did she need to look for the Little Dipper first Then, as she took in the endless sea of twinkling lights, she became aware of apresence

Milliseconds before she turned, she heard a footfall Had she been anywhere but Zane’s ranch, she would have panicked Strange footsteps at night in the city were never good news But this was different Despite her unfas, she felt safe Besides, the odds were good that she kneas out here with her

She turned and saw Zane approaching In the diht of the porch, he was little more than a shadowy silhouette, but that only added to his appeal He wore a thick, leather jacket that hung open Unlike her, he still wore the clothes he’d been in that day He was iue She probably should have run for the hills, or at least her rooed her arh to make her hair stick up in weird places

“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked as he approached, then stopped by the railing next to her

She shook her head “I guess I’m too excited about the cattle drive”

“It’s keeping me up, too, but not from excitement”

The siht her unaware With a feords, he expressed a vulnerability that made her heart squeeze, even as her hor taken away

It was the night, she told herself Or ood tieous She would settle for gorgeous and not funny, as long as she didn’t have to talk too much

“I know it’s a big responsibility,” she said when she neither transfor brilliant to say “But you seeured out I’m sure it will be fine”

He sighed “Want to guarantee that in writing?”

“Would it help if I did?”