The town felt smaller than you remembered, with dusty roads and open fields that marked your childhood. Pulling into the ranch driveway, your heart fluttered. It had been years since you’d been back—since you were a gawky teenager with a not-so-subtle crush on Spencer Reid, your brother’s best friend and the ranch’s golden boy.

He’d been your first love, all starry-eyed and awkward. Back then, he was the lanky kid with too-big hands and a shy smile, as comfortable roping a steer as quoting Shakespeare, always more focused on horses or books than on the way you’d blush when he smiled.

But the man before you now was different. Broad shoulders filled out his flannel, his hair longer, his jawline sharper. He stepped out of the barn, wiping sweat from his brow.

“Is that you, darlin’?” His voice came, low and drawling, the same Southern accent you remembered but somehow richer now. He smiled as he walked toward you, the sway of his hips confident. He tipped his cowboy hat back slightly, revealing hazel eyes that studied you.

“Hi, Spence,” you smiled, stepping out of the car. You could feel his gaze sweep over you, taking all of you in. His brows lifted slightly, and for a split second, you swore you saw something new in his expression.

“Well, I’ll be,” he said, his voice softening as he stepped closer. “Look who's all grown up.”

“And you’ve… filled out,” you teased.

He laughed, a deep, warm sound. “Guess I have,” he said, leaning one hand on the doorframe of your car. “I almost didn’t recognize you. You’re… different now.” his stared, before he cleared his throat and straightened.

“Come on inside. Your brother’ll be back soon, but I reckon I can keep you company till then,” he said, his lips curving into a slow, crooked grin.

As he led the way, your eyes tracing the broad set of his shoulders and the way his boots crunched against the gravel. This was not the same Spencer you’d left behind, and judging by the way his gaze kept flicking back to you, he was thinking the same thing.