Thanks again to Fran for her wonderful beta skills and 2browneyes for giving us her time and thoughts in pre-reading.

Sunday, I wake up first, and after admiring the adorable view of Damsel curled in Edward's hair, I decide to sneak down and make him breakfast. After finding some Aspirin, I head to the kitchen and scope out what ingredients are available. I settle on making French toast with fresh fruit and sausage.

I plan on bringing it up to him in bed, but he before I can, he makes his way into the kitchen. He's in sleep pants and bare feet with a pillow crease on his cheek, and he's absolutely delicious.

"Darlin', I could wake up every morning like this and be a happy man." Even though his words are meant to be sweet, the thought that I'm leaving in just twelve hours leaves an ache in my chest.

He comes over to where I'm assembling our plates and turns me to face him. "Why the sad face?"

My hands find his bare shoulders. "It kills me that I have to leave tonight and that I don't know what we can do to change our situation so that you can wake up every morning like this."

"Let's eat this fantastic breakfast you've prepared, and then we'll head to the lake, if that's okay?" His eyes show concern, but there's something else there. A hopeful gleam, maybe?

With a nod, I hand him his plate and follow him to the bar. Damsel comes and wraps her little body between the legs of our stools as she meows to her daddy. I watch as he gets up and fixes her a bowl of her own before returning to sit beside me.

"What?" he asks, tilting his head.

I shake off my adoring expression and say, "I just love to see my big, manly cowboy being so careful with this tiny kitten. Makes my insides all squiggly."

"Squiggly?" he asks on a chuckle.

"Yeah, you know. Like fluttery and stuff." I laugh, trying to get some of my dignity back.

He actually doesn't press me any further, but instead, finishes off his breakfast and stands to stretch. "I'm gonna go jump in the shower while you get dressed, okay? I'm ready to hit the lake."

I smile and stick my last strawberry in my mouth. "Sounds good."

Once we're both dressed, I meet Edward downstairs where he slings a backpack over his shoulder and takes my hand. "Are you okay with riding?"

I look at him like he's crazy. "Of course."

What he doesn't know is this was another of my flighty mother's fads. I actually rode competitively for a circuit. When we make it to the barn, he saddles both horses, and we lead them outside where I easily mount Eclipse, leaving Twilight to him.

He smirks at me and mounts in one swift stride, trotting up beside me. "We have a ways to ride. Let me know if ya need a break. Okay?"

"Sure thing." I give him a small, secretive smile.

Riding after so long feels exhilarating. I didn't realize how much I missed it until this moment. I push Eclipse and the look on Edward's face is priceless as we pass him by.

Edward's booming laugh follows as he works to catch up. We go that way for a while, me passing him and him passing me. It's the most fun I can remember having in a long while. Eventually, though, we slow to a trot, and I allow Edward to lead us to our destination.

Once we stop, Edward quickly helps me dismount. "So, Bella …"

"Yes, Edward?"

"I think you've been keeping secrets, darlin'."

I keep my eyes averted as I lead Eclipse down to the water to drink. "I have no idea what you're talking about," I say coyly.

Arms come around me and large, calloused hands tickle my sides. "You didn't tell me you could ride, ya naughty minx."

Giggling, I tie Eclipse to a post as Edward does the same to Twilight. "I do believe I said I needed to keep a bit of mystery. I don't want you getting bored."

Hands grip my hips, pulling me back to feel his hardness. "I don't think you could ever bore me. I have a feelin' life with you will always be exciting."

Arching back, I rub myself against him. "Mm. You definitely feel excited."

I spin around and attack his lips. I can't seem to help myself where this man is concerned. I worry I might be turning into a sex addict. Well, an Edward addict to be exact. And I can't find it within myself to care.

Our kisses quickly escalate, and clothes start dropping. "Wait, darlin'." Edward pulls away, but before I can complain, he reaches for the backpack and pulls out a blanket. After spreading it on the ground, he reaches for me, and we fall to the ground where we make love until we're both exhausted and spent.

A while later, I'm only wearing Edward's shirt and he's in his jeans, though they're left unbuttoned. We've demolished the food Edward prepared, and now we're cuddling together, talking.

The view is beautiful. It's a quiet day, so the water is still and reflects the clouds above and greenery that surrounds it. "Thank you for bringing me here. This place is so beautiful."

"It's okay I guess. It can't compare to you, darlin'."

"Sweet talker." Between the riding and the sex, I'm feeling a bit sore so instead of jumping him again like I want, I settle for a small kiss.

His fingers are running through my hair while mine busy themselves tracing any skin I can reach. "How come someone hasn't snatched you up, Mr. Cullen? I'm not sure if you know this or not, but you're a real catch." I'm trying to keep things light, but I really have been curious as to why this man isn't spoken for.

"I could ask you the same, ya know."

Leaning over, I nip his nipple. "Ow!"

I grin up at him. "Answer the question."

He nudges my head back onto his chest. "Okay. Okay. Ya don't play fair woman." His laughter vibrates against my cheek. "I don't really know. I've dated, and even had a couple of serious relationships when I was younger, but they just never felt quite right. It's hard to explain, really. Seeing how in love and happy my parents always were, I knew even when I was young, that I could never settle for less than what they had, and I never have. Now your turn."

"I've never felt the need to have a relationship. I dated of course and have had boyfriends, but my end goal has never been marriage and kids." I feel him stiffen slightly under me, but I push on. "My parents used to joke that I was born middle aged, and I suppose that's true in a way. I've always been focused. Focused on my grades so I could get a scholarship for a good college, graduating at the top of my class, learning as much as I could from my internships and then my job and finally building my own practice." I sit up and look at him. "There's never been a man that felt more important than the goals I set for myself … until now."

Edward sits up and grabs my hands as we face each other. As scared as I've been of what I'm feeling, at this moment, I can't find any nervousness or anxiety in opening up to him. "You came into my life when I wasn't looking for anything. I was content, focused on building my practice and making a name for myself. And those things are still important, but you came in with this cute little ball of fluff and changed my world."

He starts to speak, but I take my hand out of his and place my fingers over his lips. "Please let me finish." He nods for me to go on, but takes my hand back in his.

"I know things are complicated with us being so far apart, and I know it won't be easy, but I think we're worth it … what we have is worth it. We haven't actually known each other that long, but my life has been better since I met you, and I feel like I've known you forever. Plus, you know more about me than almost anyone and you haven't run screaming so I think that says something," I joke, laughing lightly.

"Is it my turn now?" Edward asks.

"Yes."

He pulls me closer so that our knees are touching and my hands are still in his. "Darlin', you've wrecked my world." I start to bristle, but he keeps going before I can speak. "I met you, and it was like I was hit by one of those trucks I saved Damsel from. I saw the love my parents have for each other but never really expected it for myself, and I was okay with that. But now I understand it completely."

My heart starts to slam against my ribs. Is he saying what I think he's saying? "It may be fast, but who the hell cares. All I know is that I look forward to hearing your voice every day. My thoughts revolve around you and when I can see you again. For the first time in as long as I can remember, my first and last thoughts of the day have nothing to do with my ranch and everything to do with you."

He untangles his fingers from mine and cups my cheeks. "Darlin', my heart was lost to you when we met, and you own more of me every day." He takes a breath while I hold mine. "I love you. I know it's not conventional, but it's true."

I drag in a shaky breath as tears spill down my face. "I love you too. So much. More than I ever thought I was capable of feeling for someone."

My hands cover his on my cheeks, and I lean in to kiss him. Fuck being sore, I need him right now. If I'm walking funny, I can blame it on the horseback riding.

As we lie spent, lazy and completely naked, the sound of Edward's cell ringing from his pocket causes us to come back down to earth. He jumps up, and I get the perfect view of his fine ass as he scrambles for his phone. After a quick look at the screen, Edward holds up his finger in my direction and walks away so he can take the call.

After a few minutes of pacing along the tree line, naked as the day he was born, he finally starts making his way back to my side. He wastes no time in sliding in behind me.

Once we're situated, my back to his chest, our fingers entwined, he speaks. "I should have already spoken to you about this, but I didn't want to say anything until a few more things were locked in place."

I turn my head to look at him questioningly, but he simply kisses my forehead and goes back to talking.

"You know that I've built this ranch up, and it took a while, but it's finally become a success. Well, what you don't know is that it's actually too successful."

"What do you mean?" I'm a bit lost in where he's going with this.

"The ranch has grown so much that I need more space. Do you know what I was doing the day I found Damsel?"

My heart is once again racing inside my chest, the feeling of hope slowly starting to bloom. "No. I have no idea what you were doing."

"I was looking for land."

I gasp and turn to face him. "Why were you looking for land and where?"

"Like I said, we've outgrown this place. I need more acreage. I thought now that our name was out there, I could look pretty much anywhere and still keep my contacts. I figured it was time for me to come closer to home, to my family, so I was looking near Forks."

"Did you … did you find anything?"

The grin on his face tells me I'm going to like what he has to say. "I did. I just got the call that my offer was accepted, and I can move forward."

"Oh my gosh! Are you serious? You better not be fucking with me."

"I like the sound of that dirty word coming from such sweet lips, and no, I'm not fucking with you."

I sit there, mouth once again gaping as his face becomes more serious. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I wanted to wait until I was sure I got the land. I also didn't want you to think I was some creepy stalker."

This snaps me out of my daze, and I launch myself at him, hugging him and sobbing in relief that things are going to work out for us.

We spend the next hour talking about the logistics and the timeline, along with teasing touches as we slowly dress, savoring our dwindling time. By the time we decide to head back to the ranch, I'm so happy that I pinch myself just to be sure I'm not dreaming.

Seeing this, Edward grabs my arm. "Now, darling', I happen to love this arm, so I'd appreciate you not hurting it." He kisses the now red spot.

"I can't believe this is real. I've been so worried and stressed about how we could make things work and now … now it feels like this can't be real."

"I assure you, it's all real."

Soon, we pack things up and head back home. Edward convinces me to ride back with him on Twilight as we lead Eclipse along beside us. Leaning against his chest, feeling the strong creature beneath us, I'm at a peace that I can't describe. It's nearly perfect. The only reason I can't totally bask in my happiness is the knowledge that I have to leave him after what we've shared, but at least now I know it's only going to be a short-term problem.

We walk hand in hand back to the house, both of us savoring the last few minutes we'll have together … for now. We're quiet, but the connection is deep and long lasting, it's obvious in our every interaction.

As we walk through the front door, I hear a meow. I look down to see Damsel. Scooping her up, I cuddle her close. "This is all thanks to you, little lady. All because you needed rescuing, we both ended up with a knight in shining armor."

*sniffs* We're kind of sad to wrap this one up, but it's time to say goodbye to Edward, Bella and Damsel. We truly hope they've brought a smile to your face as they did ours while writing them.

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