Leigh wakes believing the previous night was a dream. Before yoga, she finds Jackson waiting on her cabin porch. He had come to check on her after she left the Bonfire, and clarifies that he and Carly are not together. During yoga with Tibb, Leigh admits to having a sex dream and feels she is “waking up” to full life. During meditation, she has a vision of her parents turning away from her. Afterward, Carly confronts Leigh on her porch, condescendingly giving her hand-me-down clothes and warning her to stay away from Jackson. To placate her, Leigh says she is no threat and will be leaving once the expansion work is done.

The new year brings colder weather and a slower pace. With the ground resting for winter, they construct hoop houses, pour a foundation, and inspect stored dahlia tubers. Jackson spends evenings stressed over finances, funding the farm’s expansion through loans against the property.

Leigh’s healing continues through yoga and nightly walks with Jackson. She shares more of her past while withholding details about her imprisonment and fugitive status. She finds herself drawn to Jackson but wonders whether her feelings are love or simply gratitude.

One evening, Jackson gives her a Gee’s Bend quilt made by his grandmother, explaining that the quilts represent his community’s resilience. The people who endured hardship transformed it into something celebrated. He gives Leigh the quilt to remind her that curses can become blessings. When she asks which quilt is his favorite, he says it is the one he gave her. They are interrupted by Carly.

The next morning after yoga, Tibb takes Leigh to the Outlet, sensing she is emotionally blocked. As Leigh chops wood, faces from her past flash through her mind, ending with her own. She realizes she is angry with herself for being unable to save Lila.

Unable to sleep that night, Leigh finds Jackson on her porch. He admits he has been watching over her since the first Bonfire because she sleepwalks. He pushes her to confront her anger, and Leigh finally admits she is furious because she could not save her family. She tells him that they died in a house fire that she escaped. Jackson tells her repeatedly that it was not her fault and that he “sees” her. Leigh cries until her tears run dry. Jackson stays through the night, and when she wakes the next morning, he is still there. She tells him she feels free.

After Leigh’s emotional breakthrough, Jackson refuses to leave her alone at night. Their relationship deepens as he helps her understand that she will never return to who she was before—part of her died with her family—and that she must learn to become someone new. Their nights together are intimate but nonsexual.

At the next Bonfire, Leigh watches Jackson across the fire and feels heat building inside her. When he asks her to dance, he tells her to stop calling him Jackson and use Jack instead. They dance to a slow version of “Wild Horses,” and Leigh realizes she is in love with him. The recognition crashes over her, followed by fear. She pulls away and runs to the water’s edge as a storm approaches, forcing herself to face the chaos inside. She realizes her desire for Jackson goes beyond the physical: She wants every part of him. When he arrives calling for her, she turns and jumps into his arms. He kisses her back with unrestrained passion. When she says they “can’t,” he insists they can.

Jackson carries her through the rain to his truck, where they have passionate sex. Immediately afterward, overwhelmed by intensity, Leigh cries. Jackson holds her and tells her it’s okay.

The morning after, Leigh makes cinnamon rolls, wanting to act normally. Jackson enters the kitchen and kisses her neck from behind. Tibb interrupts, guesses what happened, and tells Leigh it is good: She is no longer just surviving. Luke jokes about the situation, then admits he is glad for them both.

That night, Jackson comes to Leigh’s cabin and kisses her, but Leigh steps back and says they should think about what they are doing, pointing out that he is her boss. Jackson insists he is not her boss and calls her out, saying she is scared. He admits he cannot stop thinking about her despite needing to focus on the expansion, and describes watching her grow stronger since the farmers market. He did not expect to fall for her, but he wants to run toward the feeling, not away from it. When Leigh stays silent, Jackson walks to the door and tells her he will be waiting when she is ready.

The next morning, Luke tells her Jackson visited the Outlet and did not look good. Leigh admits she is scared. Luke points out that maybe it is scary because it is what she is supposed to do. He takes her to Camden, where his sister Heather encourages her to try on a yellow floral dress. In the dressing room, seeing her full reflection for the first time in months, Leigh realizes she has transformed into good health.

Back at the farm, Leigh cooks a special dinner and puts on the dress, letting her curls flow freely. When Jackson arrives, Tibb leaves tactfully. Jackson compliments her transformation. Leigh walks toward Jackson under the moonlight and confesses he was right: She is scared because she has never felt this way before.

Jackson takes her hands and calls her beautiful. He tells her he is committed but needs her to feel the same, saying they can be scared together. When she asks what they will do, he says he does not know, but they will figure it out. He kisses her deeply, then lifts and spins her. She asks him to promise to remember this moment. He promises he will never forget, takes her hand, and leads her toward the cabin.