At the New House, Cash insists on walking Mollie to her door. On the porch, they marvel at the stars. Mollie admits she understands why her father loved the ranch and asks if Cash wants her to stay. He hints that he does. Mollie thanks him for listening and hugs him. They share a charged moment where a kiss seems imminent, but Mollie steps back and goes inside. Cash waits until he hears the lock before leaving, wishing she were coming home with him.

The next morning, Cash finds Mollie in the kitchen preparing breakfast for the ranch staff. She explains that she is going to accompany Cash and his brothers on their ranch tasks, but that she is still unsure whether she will remain on the ranch permanently. Cash is surprised to find himself disappointed. He tells Mollie that if she accompanies the cowboys she will have to keep up but secretly looks forward to spending time with her.

By sunrise, Mollie and Cash are both on horseback and ready to begin their day. The ranch hands arrive, and Mollie watches as the cowboys, led by Cash, work in coordinated choreography to carry out their tasks. Mollie spends hours riding, gaining confidence but feeling increasing physical strain. Wyatt and Cash check on her throughout the day, but Mollie insists that she is doing fine (although she is not accustomed to riding for long periods of time). After lunch, Mollie insists on continuing to work. By two, she’s exhausted and in immense pain but pushes herself to continue, determined to prove herself. When she eventually collapses due to a muscle cramp, Cash sweeps her into his arms and insists on taking her home.

Cash drives Mollie to his home: a small, lovingly restored log cabin—the “original log cabin [her] great-granddaddy built when he claimed this land” (204). He draws her a bath with Epsom salts and instructs her to soak in it.

Cash waits in his kitchen while Mollie bathes, distracted and aroused by the idea that she is naked in his home. Since he won’t be returning to Lucky Ranch, he calls Duke to give him instructions. Duke teases him about being with Mollie, saying they’d make a cute couple and joking about whether Cash has condoms. After the phone call, Cash hears Mollie crying through the bathroom door. He goes to the door and asks if she’s all right. She says no and admits she misses her father. Cash, leaning his forehead against the door, admits he misses Garrett terribly too. Mollie says being at the ranch makes her understand why her dad never wanted to leave.

Cash and Mollie speak to one another through the closed bathroom door. Cash shares memories of his happy childhood, and Mollie admits she wants more than one child if she has a family. Cash is surprised and admits he wants kids too but feels he’s already raising his four younger brothers and helping with his niece. Mollie points out his brothers are grown and he has a support system that allows him to take breaks. Cash feels jealous of Mollie’s freedom, while she envies his support system and conviction. She shares how her mother put her in the middle of the divorce, influencing her negative opinion of her father. Eventually, Mollie is ready to get out of the bath and asks Cash to borrow some clothes to wear.

Cash drives Mollie home; they share a tense, flirtatious moment before she gets out, and he tells her the clothes look good on her. The next morning, although Cash has instructed her to take the day off, Mollie wakes early and plans to join the cowboys again. She is surprised to find several bags of eucalyptus Epsom salts outside her bedroom door. In the kitchen, Mollie and Cash flirt while drinking their coffee. Realizing she’s falling for him, Mollie reasons that she might be better off if she has sex with another man to distract her from her desire for Cash. When she receives a text from Palmer, her casual hookup in Dallas, Mollie impulsively invites him to the ranch for the upcoming weekend.

Later in the week, during a phone call, Mollie confronts her mother about not inviting the ranch family to Garrett’s funeral. Aubrey is defensive but eventually apologizes. Mollie tells her she’s starting to like the ranch. Her mother is clearly unhappy about this. For the rest of the week, Mollie continues working on the ranch, feeling healthier and happier than ever, with her stomach pains completely gone. On Friday, she takes the day off to focus on Bellamy Brooks. She calls her business partner, Wheeler, who teases her about having a cowboy romance with Cash. Mollie deflects by saying she invited Palmer for the weekend. Wheeler is unimpressed and encourages Mollie to pursue Cash instead

On Friday evening, Palmer arrives. To Mollie’s surprise, Palmer is eager to tour the ranch and also wants to go to a dive bar, making Mollie nervous about running into Cash. However, she agrees to go along with Palmer’s wishes.

On Friday night, Cash is driving into town with his brothers when he sees Palmer’s expensive, unfamiliar truck and feels jealous, speculating it belongs to a man from Dallas who is now visiting Mollie. When the Rivers brothers get to the bar, Wyatt tries to coax Cash into talking about his feelings, noting Cash’s obvious attraction to Mollie. Wyatt also points out that an alliance between Cash and Mollie could be beneficial to the ranch and that “maybe it’s your time […] to settle down. Find your person. Be happy” (214).

Mollie arrives at the bar with Palmer and introduces Palmer to Cash. He watches with growing frustration as Palmer dances with Mollie, which turns to anger when Palmer flirts with other women, visibly upsetting Mollie. When Palmer approaches the bar to order a drink, the two men begin arguing. Cash rebukes Palmer for hurting Mollie’s feelings and Palmer punches him. Cash retaliates and Mollie and the Rivers brothers hurry to intervene. Cash lets Palmer go, telling him never to return to Hartsville.

Mollie confronts Cash and he retorts that he was sticking up for her. Overwhelmed, Mollie heads for the bathroom. Duke teases Cash about their first lovers’ quarrel. Ignoring everyone, Cash follows Mollie, determined to make things right.

Mollie is shaking in the bathroom, realizing Cash fought Palmer because he likely has feelings for her. Cash bursts in, tells another woman to leave, and locks the door. He demands to know if Mollie wants Palmer and if they hooked up. Mollie confirms that she and Palmer have a casual relationship but admits they didn’t have sex during Palmer’s visit. Cash praises Mollie, telling her that she can do better and have everything she wants. Mollie, overwhelmed, admits that while she used to hate him, she now can’t stand how much she wants him. Cash kisses Mollie passionately. The kissing escalates and Cash performs oral sex on her. After Mollie orgasms, Cash announces that he is taking her back to his home. Although she is embarrassed to be seen leaving the bathroom together, he reassures her.