15. Tripp
Chapter 15
Tripp
Dragging in a deep breath, I raised my hand and knocked on the front door of Penny’s parents’ home. You’d have thought they knew I was coming with how quickly it was swung open, revealing Caroline Atkins.
Instantly, her eyes lit up, and she rose on her toes to peek around my shoulder. When she saw I was alone, disappointment replaced hope in their green depths, and her lips turned down in a frown.
Taking my hat off and holding it over my heart, I ducked my head. “Afternoon, Caroline.”
“Where’s Penny?” She didn’t waste any time with pleasantries. Not that I could blame her. She hadn’t seen or heard from her daughter in over a month.
If my dad was pissed, I could only imagine the wrath that awaited me from the Atkinses. Penny was their baby girl, their only child. And I was the man who had stolen her away—quite literally.
“She’s here, on the ranch. Getting settled in.”
Caroline’s brows drew down. “Getting settled in where?”
“The cabin. ”
She inclined her chin. “Ah, I see.”
I shifted on my feet. “If it’s not too much to ask, I’d like to come in and explain myself.”
Eyes softening at the nervous tremble in my voice, she stepped away from the doorframe, granting me entry. “Of course. Are you hungry? For some reason, I can never quite adjust the portion size on my recipes when the team is on the road, and there are always leftovers from the bunkhouse.”
The entire Atkins family worked for my father. Wade had been his foreman since day one. When he married Caroline and they built this house, she began cooking for the ranch hands. Then, after completing her vet training, Penny was added to the payroll.
They’d given their life to this ranch and look at how I’d repaid them.
“No, ma’am. Thank you, though.” I removed my boots while she latched the door. “I’m sure Wade’s out on the range somewhere—“
“I’m right here.” Heavy footfalls sounded a split second before Wade rounded the corner, coming into view.
Shit. I thought I’d have a few more minutes to prepare my speech.
Not that it mattered. I’d had six weeks to think about what I would say when I came face-to-face with Penny’s parents, and I still didn’t know where to start.
Caroline placed a hand on my arm. “Why don’t we sit down in the kitchen?”
“Yeah.” My voice came out rough as I agreed to her suggestion.
Seated at the kitchen table with my fingers curled around a mug of coffee I hadn’t been allowed to refuse, I made sure to meet their eyes as I took accountability for my actions.
“I want to apologize for the scene I caused at the wedding. I’m not sorry that I did it, but I do regret that it may have put you in a tight spot. If you’ll let me, I would very much like to compensate you for any financial loss as a result.”
Wade’s eyes narrowed. “You only came here to offer us a check?”
I shook my head. “No, sir. I came to beg your forgiveness for marrying your daughter without doing you the courtesy of declaring my intentions first. I love your daughter. I always have. The thought of living one more day without making her mine made it difficult to breathe. My heart overruled my brain, and I can see how that was downright disrespectful to you. I take full responsibility for how I mishandled the situation.”
Pursing his lips, Penny’s father hummed. “You done?”
“Yes, sir.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
He folded his arms atop the table and glanced at his wife. “Son, you’ve been covering for that girl for as long as I can remember. You really going to sit here and tell us that runnin’ off and marrying her was your idea?”
Um . . .
Either I was more transparent than I realized, or they knew their daughter too well. My money was on the latter.
Doubling down, I gave a firm nod. “Yes, sir.”
Wade guffawed as Caroline failed to hide a smile. “I love that girl with my whole heart, but she’s as wild as the horses we raise. She can’t be tamed.”
“You’re telling me.” The words were said under my breath.
“It brought us comfort knowing that no matter what mess she found herself in, you’d always be there to shield her, protect her. Glad to see that hasn’t changed.”
I looked between the pair of them. “So, you’re not upset?” Of the two sets of parents, I’d expected the bigger reaction from hers.
Caroline reached across the table to grasp my hand. “Only thing we’re upset about is that you two didn’t figure this out years ago. “
“Bring our girl over for dinner once in a while, and we’ll call it even,” Wade added.
Surprised laughter flew past my lips, and the heaviness from earlier vanished. “I think we can manage that.”
He extended a hand to me, and we shook. Wade’s smile reached his eyes as he said, “Welcome to the family, son.”
Penny sat on the edge of the bed inside the cabin when I pushed through the door. Her head snapped up at my arrival, but the wringing of her hands didn’t stop.
Cautiously, she asked, “How did it go?”
I chuckled under my breath. “Went great for me.”
She stood, eyes searching mine. “What does that mean?”
“Means it didn’t matter what story I told them. They know you’re the bad influence, and I’m just along for the ride.”
Her plush lips parted, and a stunned exhale escaped. “They said that?”
Lifting a shoulder, I smirked. “More or less.”
“So, you’re what? Just completely off the hook?”
I cocked my head to the side before taunting, “Aw, did you want to see me squirm, darlin’?””No,” she spat the word in a petulant tone. “But after your dad’s reaction, I thought . . .” Penny shook her head. “Honestly, I’ve been sitting here for the past hour worried my dad pulled out his shotgun.”
“Little late for that, Lucky, seein’ as I already married ya.”
She rolled those pretty green eyes and huffed. “You know what I mean.”
“Your mama misses you. Hell, your daddy does too. ”
Her breathing hitched, and vulnerability leaked into her voice. “Really?”
“‘Course they do. You’re their girl. They love you.”
She burrowed her face into my chest, and I held her close, letting her silent tears soak through the fabric of my shirt. I knew a thing or two about the desperation to have your parents’ approval. I was glad at least one of us had that.
Hooking a finger beneath her chin, I tilted her face up. “How about this? We go over for dinner tomorrow night, and you can see for yourself that they’re not mad.”
Tears clung to her black lashes, and when she blinked, a few of them broke free, carving a path down her cheeks. “I’d really like that.”
“Consider it done. You want to eat over there every night, we can.”
That got a small smile out of her. “Okay, let’s not get carried away.”
I gestured to the kitchenette taking up one wall of the cabin. “Beats whatever we can rustle up in here.”
Penny hummed, eyeing the set-up that featured a fridge, a microwave, and a two-burner stovetop without an oven. “We’ll make do. It’s only for a few weeks, right?”
It had already been a rollercoaster of a day. I didn’t have the heart to point out to her that Mac and Aspen had spent years in these meager accommodations, as had my parents. If we wanted to stay on the ranch, this would be our living arrangement until we figured out a plan for more permanent lodging.
We’d cross that bridge when we got to it. Worrying about it now wouldn’t do us any good.
“How about we go for a ride, and then I take you out for dinner and dancing so all of Rust Canyon can see I finally got the girl?”
She looped her arms around my neck, rising on her toes to press a kiss to my lips. “You’re getting the hang of this date night thing. ”
I hauled her flush against me, voice dropping an octave. “You know me, eager and willing to learn how to please my wife.”
A shiver rolled through her body. “Careful, baby. You keep talking like that, and it won’t be the horse I’m riding.”
Nipping her earlobe, I rasped, “Don’t see why it can’t be both.”
With that, I spun us and tossed her on the bed, committing the sound of her squeals to memory as she bounced on the mattress.
This right here was happiness. And we were only getting started.
“Hello, my handsome boy,” Penny cooed, hands coming up to stroke down the neck of her gelding, Echo, as he nuzzled her face through the opening of his stall.
Leaning a shoulder against the wall, I shoved both hands in my pockets. “Tryin’ mighty hard not to be jealous of a horse.”
Her light laughter floated toward the high ceiling, and she flashed me the most brilliant smile. “Play your cards right, cowboy, and you might be able to take his top spot as my best boy.”
“You’re happy.” It was a statement, not a question.
A contented sigh slipped past her lips. “There’s nothing like coming home.”
I couldn’t argue with her there. Even if I was still carrying some of the tension from the altercation with my father earlier, this was where we belonged. And returning married to the girl I’d always wanted but never thought I could have made our homecoming even sweeter .
We got to work tacking up our respective horses, and before long, we were headed out on a late afternoon ride. The sun was still high in the sky on this hot summer’s day, the heat of it searing into my exposed skin and bringing sweat to the surface. Penny still wore the hat she’d stolen from me on our wedding day, which provided protection for the pale skin of her face, but every so often, I caught her lifting the curtain of hair off the back of her neck in an attempt to cool herself.
Without thinking, I pulled on the reins, steering my stallion, Tank, toward our secret spot.
Penny caught my change in direction and followed suit. Though her face was shaded, I could picture the curious expression that passed over her features at my deviation.
We rode in silence for a bit, and when finally, our destination came into view, my wife hummed. Set before us was the tree where our tire swing hung from one of the thick branches.
This place was our safe haven, where we found ourselves when something was weighing on our minds. Pushing her on that swing was therapeutic, the rhythmic motion soothing, and it had always held the power to center me. Also didn’t hurt that, at the same time, I verbally purged whatever was troubling me, letting my best friend act as my sounding board and, often, the voice of reason.
Only once had I ever left feeling worse than when I arrived—the day I learned Penny was set to marry another man.
Two months later, I now returned with her as my wife.
Funny how fast life could change when you finally pulled your head out of your ass and went after what you’d wanted for longer than you could remember.
“Fancy a swing?” I jerked my chin toward the oversized tire swinging gently in the breeze .
Penny hopped down from the saddle with cat-like agility. “If I ever say no to that question, you’ll know I’ve been body snatched by aliens.”
I shook my head, tilting my face toward the sky. This woman was something else, but she was all mine, and I would never take that for granted.
When she peeked back and caught me still sitting astride Tank, she purred, “You comin’?”
God, it was incredible how she could turn me on with just a look. I’d literally been buried inside her no less than an hour ago, and yet my dick stirred to life, pressing painfully against my fly.
Like she knew the effect she had on me, Penny gave a little shimmy of her ass in an effort to persuade me to get a move on.
By the time my boots landed in the dirt, she’d already looped her legs through the hole in the middle of the tire. Coming up behind her, I ran my fingers through the wind-tangled strands of her long blonde hair. Separating it into three sections, I began to weave it into a braid.
“What are you doing?” She craned her neck to see for herself, but I gently guided her head to face forward again.
“Eyes straight ahead, or it’ll end up crooked,” I chided.
Since I didn’t have anything to tie off the end, I twisted the silky tresses into a knot. It would come undone eventually, but I only needed it to last long enough for her to cool down before our ride back.
I pressed a kiss to the exposed nape of her neck to signal that I had completed my task. Then, I gripped the edges of the curved rubber and pulled back before letting her fly.
“Did you braid my hair?” Humor filled her voice.
“Mmm. I lost count of how many times you lifted it, tryin’ to catch some of the breeze.”
“Is there anything you don’t notice? ”
“About you? Nothing,” I replied honestly. I’d spent a lifetime learning all there was to know about this woman and was attuned to cataloging her every move.
“Most husbands don’t notice when their wife gets her hair done,” she teased.
“I’m not most husbands.”
“No,” she agreed. “You certainly are not.”
I pushed her in silence for a while, tracking the sun as it moved west, dipping toward the horizon. And, as always, when I spoke, the words came from a place deep inside my soul.
“The last time I was here, my heart was breaking.” The wind carried away my confession so quickly, I wondered if Penny had even heard it.
“Mine was, too.” Her voice wavered.
I knew I’d hurt her that day when I made it clear I wouldn’t be attending her wedding. It had killed me to watch her walk away, my brain screaming at me to take it back, to do anything it took to make her smile again. But my overruling need for self-preservation wouldn’t allow it.
“That day,” she began before letting out a heavy breath. “I was desperate for you to utter a single word of protest, to beg me not to do it.”
My eyebrows rose. “You were?”
“I was settling, Tripp. The one time I did tell you how I felt, I freaked out the next day. There wasn’t a chance in hell I was going to find the courage to do it a second time. And while I had a career I loved, I didn’t want to be alone forever. Being almost thirty, my options around town were pretty slim—with most everyone settling down young—so when the whole Jake thing happened, I figured it was my last shot.”
Mind racing, it took a minute to process Penny’s information dump.
“Wait. You’re telling me, after all this time, you remember what happened the night you turned twenty-one? ”
She groaned. “Believe me, there are parts of that night I wish I could forget.”
Huffing in disbelief, I said, “I spent years replaying what you said over and over in my head. Convinced myself it was only the alcohol speaking.”
She raised a hand. “Nope, that was all me. And look at all the trouble I caused by not owning up.” Penny’s voice broke as she added, “But I was scared. I didn’t want to lose you.”
Bringing the tire to a stop, I spun it around so I could see her face. She was on the brink of crying for the second time today. Couldn’t say I blamed her; the pendulum on my own emotions was swinging too fast to keep up with.
“Why do you think I kept everything buried deep down, Lucky? I was fucking terrified that if you didn’t feel the same way, it would kill our friendship. As much as I wished we could be more, I wasn’t willing to risk not having you in my life.”
A watery laugh sounded. “You were there the whole time. Loving me.”
Bending, I pressed my forehead to hers, my eyes sliding closed. “Couldn’t stop if I tried.”
“Thank you for saving me from making the biggest mistake of my life.” Shaky hands landed on the sides of my face.
“Thank you for making mine worth living.”
Penny pressed her lips to mine, and all the sadness that had brought us to this moment washed away.