Mollie is mortified about letting Maria escape. Cash receives word that Goody located Maria but had to leave; there is no one available to retrieve Cash and Mollie. He announces they must ride back together on his horse, Kix. He helps her mount, and they end up pressed intimately together in the saddle, her body cradled against his.

As they ride, Mollie asks about Cash’s relationship with her father. He reveals that after his parents died when he was nineteen, he had to drop out of college to raise his four younger brothers. Garrett gave them jobs and a home, becoming a father figure. Cash explains his dream has always been to use money from Lucky Ranch to restore his family’s property, Rivers Ranch. He also tells Mollie that her father loved her and regretted not having a closer relationship with her.

When Cash accuses Mollie of resenting him for being closer to Garrett, she breaks down. She admits she does resent him and confesses her pain that her father treated the Rivers brothers better than he treated her. Cash apologizes, but Mollie curtly ends the conversation and demands he take her home.

Three days later, Cash lies awake, consumed by guilt for upsetting Mollie during their ride. He has not seen her since the day they toured the ranch. As he thinks about her, his thoughts drift from admiring her intelligence and work ethic to fantasizing about her face and body. He masturbates while fantasizing about Mollie. Afterwards, he resolves to apologize and establish a working relationship with Mollie for the coming year.

Cash heads to the New House (where meals are served to the ranch staff) and is surprised to find Mollie already awake, helping Patsy cook breakfast. He overhears her discussing dietary restrictions related to her chronic stomachaches. Cash and Mollie begin a tentative conversation. He apologizes for his behavior during the ride and invites her to see a new foal and baby goats when Ella’s preschool class visits the ranch. Mollie is interested but unsure, since she is busy with work. Patsy invites Mollie to see her and Sally’s band, Frisky Whiskey, perform at the Rattler the following night. Mollie agrees to attend on the condition that Cash does not. To ensure her attendance, Cash agrees to stay away, though he finds himself amused by her defiant terms.

Cash rushes to prepare for Ella’s preschool visit. He is surprised when Mollie offers to help. Watching Mollie interact with the young children, especially his niece, Cash feels a deep, wistful longing for a family of his own—a dream his responsibilities have made impossible. When Mollie looks up and their eyes meet, Cash sees a spark of joy in her face that he recognizes from Garrett’s old photographs of a young, happy Mollie on the ranch.

Mollie is intensely attracted to Cash as she watches him gently bottle-feed a foal. Mollie contrasts his gentleness toward the foal with his harshness toward her, concluding he has a softer side he deliberately hides when she is around. She speculates he is exhausted and scared, which makes her want to help him despite their conflicts. Eventually, Mollie leaves to tour the ranch with Wyatt. Later, she calls her friend Jen and confesses her conflicted feelings about the ranch and her evolving perception of Cash. Jen advises her that Cash might simply be scared and encourages Mollie to give him a chance and explore her new situation to see what feels right.

On Friday night, Mollie arrives at the Rattler, a beloved dive bar, with Wyatt, Duke, and Ryder. She immediately loves the atmosphere and has a vague memory of her parents bringing her here for line-dancing lessons as a child. At the bar, she meets Tallulah Smith, Goody’s wife and the bar owner, who warmly welcomes her. Cash unexpectedly arrives at the bar and Mollie wrestles with the reality that she finds him physically desirable. Impulsively, when the band begins to play, she takes his arm and pulls him toward the dance floor.

Cash enjoys dancing with Mollie; he is also concerned about making sure she does not get unwanted overtures from other men. When a local man asks Mollie to dance, Cash insists that she continue dancing with him instead. As they move through a variety of dances together, Cash feels growing admiration and desire for Mollie. However, he is conflicted because he knows he should avoid any sexual or romantic entanglements with her.