Contents
Chapter 3
Overview
Rosalie settles Skylar into West’s bare-bones bunkhouse and offers low-pressure friendship, highlighting Skylar’s desire for normalcy. At the barn, Skylar and West reveal their earlier bear encounter, sparking chemistry and friction. West agrees to host Skylar, setting up close proximity and personal stakes for her secret recording plans.
Summary
Skylar tours Rosalie’s “not fancy” bunkhouse—tiny, stark, and equipped with minimal appliances and no freezer. Rosalie mentions her secret pet mouse and promises bedding and a pink label sweatsuit. Sensing Skylar’s overwhelm, Rosalie invites her for a pressure-free night out, offering genuine friendship Skylar rarely experiences.
Trying to ignore a painful tabloid alert about her ex, Skylar follows Rosalie toward the farmhouse and then the barn, absorbing the warmth of the lived-in property. The smell of horses announces Rosalie’s brother’s training business as they head to inform him about Skylar staying in the bunkhouse.
They find West shirtless, cooling a horse. He recognizes Skylar as the woman from the roadside bear incident and teases her, prompting Rosalie’s alarm when she learns it was a grizzly. Skylar’s irritation at being mocked shifts West’s tone to more serious attention.
Rosalie pushes for permission for Skylar to stay; West agrees without fuss, joking that Rosie’s threats don’t scare him. Rosalie reminds West to respect Skylar’s privacy and deputizes him to grab bedding while she retrieves his kids, Emmy and Oliver.
As Rosalie departs, Skylar insists the bunkhouse is perfect while privately struggling with the lie. When Skylar meets West’s gaze, she feels exposed, signaling mutual awareness and tension as she commits to staying despite discomfort.
Who Appears
- Skylar StoneSinger arriving incognito; tours the spartan bunkhouse, accepts Rosie’s invite, bristles at West’s teasing, agrees to stay while hiding discomfort.
- Rosalie (Rosie) GrantWarm host; shows Skylar the bunkhouse, reveals pet mouse, offers friendship, and arranges with West to house Skylar.
- Weston (West) BelmontHorse trainer and single dad; recalls rescuing Skylar from a grizzly, teases then agrees to host her, sparking chemistry and tension.