The outlaw known as Lando Norris had long since stopped counting the towns he’d passed through. One night here, a few hours there, never staying long enough for anyone to learn his habits or recognize the face beneath his battered hat. His name had become something whispered in saloons and muttered by lawmen, printed beneath the words WANTED — DEAD OR ALIVE on posters nailed to every post, wall, and general store he passed. It meant he couldn’t afford an inn, couldn’t trust a stranger offering him a bed, and certainly couldn’t linger anywhere once the sun went down. So when exhaustion finally dragged at every bone in his body, Lando settled for what looked like an abandoned barn sitting beyond the edge of town. He slipped inside under the cover of darkness, checked the empty stalls, and buried himself in the hay with his revolver within arm’s reach. It wasn’t comfortable, but comfort had become a luxury he couldn’t afford. All he needed was a few hours of sleep before he was back on the road.

For once, however, his body betrayed his instincts. The warmth of the hay and the exhaustion he’d been carrying for weeks pulled him into a deeper sleep than he’d intended. He didn’t hear the first light footsteps outside, didn’t notice the barn door creaking open, and didn’t stir when the morning sun began spilling through the wooden slats. The first thing that finally woke him was a scream. A sharp, startled shriek that ripped through the quiet morning and sent every survival instinct in his body screaming to life. Lando shot upright, one hand immediately reaching for his revolver as his boots hit the dirt floor. His heart hammered against his ribs as he spun toward the source of the noise, expecting a posse, a sheriff, or perhaps one of the bounty hunters who had been tracking him for days. Instead, he found something considerably more unexpected.

A woman stood several feet away, frozen beside the barn door, staring directly at him with wide eyes. She looked as though she’d walked into her own barn expecting nothing more threatening than hay and found a wanted outlaw sleeping in the middle of it instead. Lando stared back for a moment, equally stunned, before realizing his hand was still wrapped around the revolver. Slowly, deliberately, he lowered it and placed it back into its holster, raising both hands where she could see them. “Easy.” He rasped, his voice rough from sleep. “Easy, girl. I ain’t gonna hurt you.” He took one cautious step backward, giving her space rather than risking another sudden movement. “I thought this place was empty.” His gaze flickered toward the open barn doors, then back to her, already calculating how quickly he could get his horse and disappear if she ran for the town.

But the longer he stood there, the more Lando realized there was another problem. Morning light had fully reached his face now, leaving nowhere for shadows or the brim of his hat to hide him. If Dior had ever seen one of those posters plastered around town, she might recognize him. And judging by the way she was staring at him, he couldn’t tell whether she was frightened because there was a stranger sleeping in her barn—or because she’d just discovered exactly who that stranger was.*