Two days pass; with Kayce and his pregnant girlfriend, Chyannah, now both in the house, Colt and Layla must conceal their relationship and can’t spend any time alone together. Colt is furious to have been robbed of precious time with Layla. Kayce mentions that Layla’s birthday is coming up soon and suggests taking her into town for a night out at the spring festival to celebrate. Colt is resentful but worries that perhaps Layla has been feeling isolated after weeks alone with him on the ranch. 

Colt finds Layla in the barn, where she has clearly been crying. He relays Kayce’s plan, and Layla agrees, knowing a refusal would be suspicious. Before leaving, Colt quietly tells Layla that the situation is killing him and asks her to sleep in his bed, but she refuses, saying it is too risky. He then tells her to wear something that makes her feel pretty for the night out.

The following night, Layla, Colt, Kayce, and Chy go to a crowded bar called The Loaded Hog. The evening is tense; Chy flirts openly with Colt while Kayce drinks heavily. Kayce eventually pulls Layla away to join him and a group of friends at the bar, and she starts taking shots to cope with her unease. While dancing, Layla is accosted by Henrik and Alton Pierson. They give a drink to the girl beside Layla, who swallows it before Layla can stop her; when they try to force a drink on Layla, she slaps it away. The Piersons try to separate the women, and one grabs Layla, attempting to force her out of the bar. A commotion breaks out as Sheriff Hayes and an off-duty officer intervene and arrest the Piersons. Amid the chaos, Colt appears and orders Layla to meet him in the bathroom immediately.

Colt and Layla lock themselves in the bar’s bathroom. He reassures her that Sheriff Hayes arrested the Piersons and that the other girl is safe. Overwhelmed by finally being alone together, Colt and Layla have sex in the bathroom. When Kayce starts banging on the door, looking for them, Layla merely tells him that she will be out soon. As they continue having sex, Colt is on the verge of telling her he loves her but stops himself, deciding it is the wrong time and place.

Afterwards, Colt tells her about the intensity of his feelings. He instructs her to wait a few minutes before leaving, then exits the bathroom alone.

The next day, Layla hides in the barn to avoid the others. She knows she’ll be expected to leave soon (her car is repaired, and her contract will soon be up). She is tempted to look for a new work placement nearby but accepts that this would likely only exacerbate the pain of being close but unable to see Colt. She wonders if returning to her hometown and finding a placement there would be a better option. 

Chy comes into the barn and confronts her, making insinuating comments about Layla’s time alone with Colt. Chy also reveals that she and Kayce were sleeping together while he was dating Layla. When Layla doesn’t react to Chy’s baiting, the latter reveals that Colt’s grandfather sexually assaulted a young woman and that this is the root of the feud between the Wilder and Pierson families. Chy speculates about seeing the Piersons target Layla at the bar, implying that she knows something is going on between Layla and Colt. The confrontation is interrupted when Kayce enters the barn.

Colt comes to find Layla in the barn. She reveals what Chy has said about his grandfather and brushes off his attempts at reassurance. In the middle of the night, Layla runs into Chy while getting a drink in the kitchen. Chy reveals more decisively that she knows about Layla and Colt’s relationship. She threatens to tell Kayce and to make him believe that Layla and Colt were sleeping together while he was still dating Layla. In exchange for keeping the secret, Chy (who perceives Layla as a threat) wants Layla to leave the ranch immediately. 

At dawn, Layla packs her belongings and prepares to leave, leaving a note attributing her sudden departure to an emergency involving her aunt Evaline. She plans to take Kayce’s truck and drive into town. As she is about to drive away, Colt confronts her. Layla confesses that Chy saw them and threatened to expose their relationship unless she left. Colt’s quiet nod of acceptance devastates her. Colt gives her a heartfelt, encouraging speech, telling her to aim for her goals and that he believes in her. He then turns and walks back to the house, leaving Layla heartbroken.

Five months later, Layla is excelling in her final veterinary placement. She is a week away from graduation, but remains heartbroken over Colt. She texts with Sage, who is flying in for the ceremony. Unable to resist, Layla checks the Devil’s Peak Ranch Instagram page and sees photos of a group of beautiful young women on a trail ride with Colt, including a picture of them in the hot spring. After closing the app, she strokes Colt’s hat on her nightstand, which triggers the memory of the morning she left the ranch and discovered Colt had already paid for her car repairs. Overwhelmed with grief, she cries herself to sleep.

Just before graduation, Layla is working at a regional rodeo. She is shocked to run into Kayce, who is competing. He appears more mature and apologizes sincerely for taking out a loan in her name, explaining that Colt made him work to repay the debt. When Layla asks about his baby, Kayce explains that he was not the father and makes a joke that Chy’s baby was actually Colt’s. Layla’s panicked response confirms Kayce’s guess and he calmly states that he has no problem with her being involved with his father. Kayce admits he was a bad boyfriend and that Colt is a better match for her.

Kayce explains about Chy’s pregnancy: At his father’s encouragement, Kayce requested paternity test, which proved he was not the father. Chy, a relative of the Piersons, had conspired with them to trick Kayce, hoping to use the baby to claim the ranch. Kayce also explains that Colt spent years offering the Piersons shares and partnership in the ranch to atone for his great-grandfather’s crime, but they demanded the whole ranch and threatened Colt when he refused to hand it over. Before leaving, Kayce urges a stunned Layla to call his father.

On graduation day, Layla has the uncanny feeling of being watched. She scans the crowd for Colt but is disappointed when she doesn’t see him. After the ceremony, she spots Colt standing under an oak tree, holding a bouquet of wildflowers. Overcome with emotion, she crosses the grass to him, and they embrace as she cries with relief. Colt explains that he saw a photo she had posted online and drove all night to get there; the full story of how Kayce spent two days teaching Colt to use a smartphone and encouraged him to go to her emerges later. Colt pours his heart out, telling her the past five months have been hell and that he is deeply in love with her. Sage tactfully interrupts, introduces herself to Colt, and invites him to join their celebration dinner. After she slips away, Colt and Layla continue to affirm their love.

The following day, Colt and Layla drive back toward Crimson Ridge in his truck. Layla teases Colt about Kayce spending two days teaching him to use a smartphone and Instagram just to track her down. He grumbles that he plans to get rid of the phone, but she playfully suggests he keep it so she can send him explicit photos. The ensuing tension leads them to pull over in a remote area, where they have passionate sex in the backseat. Afterward, wrapped in each other’s arms, they affirm their commitment. As they resume their journey, Layla asks Colt to take her home.

Sometime in the future, Colt and Layla are vacationing in Malta. While walking along the waterfront, a friendly dog runs up to them. As Layla and the dog’s owner chat about animals, the latter remarks on what a good “dad” Colt is to the dog. After they part ways, Layla wistfully suggests they get a dog for the ranch. Moved by this shared vision of their future, Colt kisses her and agrees.