We pulled up to the ranch house with the directions Laura had given me. It was a charming white home with a wrap around porch, a pale blue door and shutters to match. The stables on the property could have been its own house with its massive size, and the way it matched the house in front of me. The acreage was massive, and I could see cows grazing in a pasture off in the distance. It was such a gorgeous view.

As soon as I stepped out of our car, Mrs. Walker came onto the porch, dressed in an adorable checkered apron, and waved to me with the rag that was still in her hand. I smiled and walked up to the porch to greet her. I gripped the white railing as I made my way up, quickly glancing behind me to see Mark rounding the car.

"Your home is very beautiful Mrs. Walker, thank you so much for inviting us."

"It's Emily, dear. No need for those pleasantries. We're all family here." She smiled and pulled me in for a tight hug. When she let go, she looked toward Mark. "It's nice to see you again Mark without all the nervous haste surrounding us."

I looked over to Mark, slightly confused. He noticed my questioning glance.

"We met when you were lost, and I was trying to find you." He explained, wrapping his hand around my waist.

Of course they did. It made sense they had already met, I wasn't sure why I had been surprised. I was just glad we now had the chance to know each other in a better situation.

"Come inside, you two. Dinner is about ready."

We followed Emily inside, making sure to wipe our shoes on the entryway rug. Stepping out of the foyer and into the living room, I was immediately in awe of her modern country decor. It felt as if I stepped into an interior design magazine.

The white ceiling was vaulted with wooden beams running across. The tall windows seemed to stretch down from it, letting in a beautiful amount of light that cascaded across the living room. Subtle touches made it feel so homey like the plush, red plaid blanket thrown over her cream colored couch, what looked like children's artwork on the mantle above the gray stone fireplace, and the canvased family pictures that hung on the walls. I smiled at a picture of a toothy grinned Colt tightly hugging what looked like a yearling.

"Colt was only seven there. That's his horse, Pretty Girl. She was about two in that picture. They were inseparable. Still are as a matter of fact." Emily appeared by my side and smiled fondly at the picture I had been caught staring at.

"I love this picture. It reminds me of one from when I was little of me and my horse Sunshine."

"You had a horse?" Mark's voice interrupted my reminiscing. For a moment, I had forgotten he was there.

"Yes. I've mentioned it before, but I guess not often enough." I answered with irritation. "It's not something I talk about anymore, I suppose."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Emily's quizzical stare bore into the two of us, but she kept whatever she was thinking to herself. Instead, she cleared her throat and began walking again.

"The kitchen is this way. I hope you both brought your appetite."

We followed her into the massive kitchen that the chef in me instantly swooned over, and the delicious smells immediately surrounded me. I breathed in and could make out light notes of garlic and butter.

"It smells absolutely delicious in here. What are you making?"

"We are having chicken, and I am trying my hand at parmesan risotto. I hope it's alright. I heard you love it."

I tilted my head in surprise. "I do, but how did you--" A memory of Colt and I in the cave abruptly flashed through my mind as I recalled one of my cravings for parmesan risotto.

Those electric blue eyes I had peered into that night suddenly appeared right in front of me.

"Colt." I breathed.

"Grace."

A current shot in the air between us, and I almost lost balance because of it. It was so powerful, I was sure everyone in the room had to have felt it. But as I looked around, no one seemed phased. Except Colt. He held my stare, and I wasn't sure how long we had stood in silence before Mark cleared his throat next to me and extended his hand.

"You must be Cole. I'm Mark, Grace's fiancée."

My eyes widened as I turned my head to glance at Mark. He never once addressed himself as my fiancée, considering we weren't engaged despite being together long enough.

Colt's strong jaw ticked as he narrowed his eyes, but he took Mark's hand and shook it. "It's Colt, actually. Nice to meet you."

The two men held on to each other's hand longer than I felt was necessary, locked in some type of male bravado, before they finally let go.

"You're the guy who helped me at the front desk, right?

"That's right. I booked the spa package...for Grace." Colt turned his attention to me and I replayed our heated argument in the mountains. My cheeks flushed with the memory of his intense words, his intense stare, and my intense disappointment when he reached out to touch me, but dropped his hand instead.

Footsteps sounded from the hallway breaking my moment with Colt, and I turned to see an older version of him. His short hair was a light brown with peppered gray, his jawline was sharp, and his smile was just as charming as Colt's was. I recognized him from when we were rescued in the mountains, but I hadn't gotten a good look at him. Colt definitely took after him. But I found that he had his mom's captivating blue eyes that I had gotten lost in a time or two.

"Smells amazing in here hun!" He pressed a light kiss to his wife's lips before turning and looking at me.

"Grace. It's good to see you in a less hazardous situation. I'm Scott, Colt's dad. I didn't get a chance to properly introduce myself when we first met." He extended his strong hand, and I took it before he reached for Mark's and exchanged a greeting.

"It's nice to officially meet you. Thank you so much for your hand in the rescue. I'm so sorry to have worried everybody."

"I am just glad you two are okay. We're not sure what we would have done if something worse had happened." He gripped Colt's shoulder and gave it a squeeze before clearing his voice. "Well the food smells amazing so what are we all waiting for? Let's eat." He smiled and we all took a seat around the table with Mark beside me, Colt's parents at each end and Colt on the other side across from me.

"So, tell us about yourself dear. What do you do for a living?" Emily asked as she passed the bowl of risotto around. I happily scooped a portion of the rice on my plate before placing a piece of chicken on top.

"Well, I'm actually a chef back home in Chicago."

"Really? Now I am extra nervous about this risotto." She chuckled. "Don't judge too harshly hun."

I looked up with the fork still in my mouth from the bite I already took, completely forgetting my manners. I caught a glimpse of Colt with his lips pressed together as if trying not to laugh; a hint of amusement sparkled in his eyes. I quickly swallowed, almost choking in the process.

"I'm so sorry, I just haven't had a home cooked meal in what feels like forever." I apologized, feeling my cheeks heat up.

Emily laughed, shaking her head. "Don't apologize, I love a good appetite!"

"Well this is truly amazing. Best risotto I have had in awhile."

Emily's eyes lit up and a smile stretched across her beautiful face.

"Well that means a lot coming from a professional. Thank you. What is your specialty at your restaurant?"

"Well I happen to make a mean Steak au Poivre. It's one of the most popular dishes."

"A steak oh...what now?"

I couldn't stop the laugh that escaped me as the rest of the table joined in on the quiet laughter.

"On honey, excuse me. The fanciest we get with steak around here are some steak and eggs."

I grinned, completely enamored with her already. "Don't worry, I'm not fancy at heart. To be honest, one of my favorite things to make is a good bowl of spaghetti and meatballs." I looked over at Colt. "It was my dad's favorite dish."

Colt stared at me like it was just the two of us in those mountains again. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips and his eyes bore into me with a look so fierce, it caused me to squeeze my thighs together.

"Well now that's somethin' I can pronounce. I would actually love a good meatball recipe."

I cleared my throat and looked toward her. "Well then you can have mine."

"That would be wonderful, thank you dear."

"It's no problem at all." I smiled and scooped another bite onto my fork.

"So, what about you Mark? What do you do?" Scott had us turn our attention to Mark, who looked oddly uncomfortable.

"I work at an advertising company with Grace's father."

"Frank."

I thought it had slipped out of my mouth due to my annoyance of him always giving Frank that title, but the sound was foreign. When I noticed Mark staring at Colt instead of myself, I realized why. I looked to Colt who didn't seem phased by Mark's hard glare, offering one back himself.

Suddenly, Mark's arm slipped around my chair and he moved closer to me on his seat, the movement so slight, I'm not sure anyone else noticed.

"Frank's right under the VP of the company. I actually just finished a proposal that should have me promoted, taking over his old spot. Then, my beautiful fiancée here and I can finally start planning our wedding."

Fiancée. There was that word again. I narrowed my eyes and held Mark's stare, his smile not showing any deception. Had I also been concussed along with dehydration? I was starting to worry about my mental state, either that, or Mark's.

While I had been ready for marriage, he had always made excuses about focusing on work and getting promoted first. So, perhaps he was that confident he would be and was finally ready. Or maybe my absence really had affected him. I smiled back hoping it was the latter, and decided it was not the time to question him about it in front of everyone.

But as my smile remained confident and sure, my mind and heart were racing with uncertainty. Maybe I wasn't going to question his sudden readiness for marriage, but I was suddenly questioning my mine.