Chapter One – Bradly
brADLY
Present Day (Four Years Later) – Hamilton, Montana
Christmas.
It had always been my favorite time of year and this year was no different. After months of being out on the road touring with the Pbr, I always looked forward to heading home, and looking around the room, I realized our family has been growing more and more in my absence.
I let out a soft laugh. In truth, the only family in the room—blood family, that is—was my sister Avery and my mother and father. The rest of the group was the Shaw family. Brock Shaw was my father’s best friend from childhood. They grew up together. Rode bulls together, and competed against one another as professionals. Brock had three brothers, including Tanner and Ty Jr.
Beck was the youngest of the Shaw brothers, and sadly, he’d died only days before being discharged from the Marine Corps. The family still grieved the loss of Beck.
Avery and I grew up calling the Shaw brothers our uncles. Their kids were just like our brothers and sisters. We were all one big family, blood related or not. We loved each other fiercely and protected one another even more. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for any of the people in this room.
Stella and Ty Sr. were the head of the Shaw family. They were also like my grandparents. They treated me and Avery no differently than they treated their blood grandkids, Blayze, Tanner, Morgan, Lily, Rose, Josh, and Nathan. We were loved just as much.
My eyes scanned the room and came to rest on Hunter, leaning over and talking to his wife’s belly. Kipton was due in January, and I knew they were both excited. Hunter was going to make a great father. Just like his older brother Blayze, who was an incredible father. He and his wife, Georgiana, had twin boys. Rhett and Ryder were a year-and-a-half old. And Hunter and Blayze’s sister, Morgan, had a little girl, Blakley, who was about the same age as the twins, just a few weeks younger. It seemed like all of my cousins were either married now and having kids, or about to be married. At least the ones who were old enough, anyway.
I sighed before I took a drink of the ice water I had in my hand. The happiness and love that filled the room was something I missed when I was out on the road. But once I got home and spent enough time around my family, I was reminded how…lonely my own life seemed.
I wasn’t sure what I was feeling, if I was being honest with myself. The only thing I have ever wanted to do was ride in the Pbr. It was my dream. It was my primary goal, and I had achieved it…and now I just felt…empty. I wasn’t sure if I was tired of being on the road, or maybe the time of year was making me feel a bit sentimental, or if it was something else.
My eyes went to Rose, who was smiling up at her husband, Bryson. Moving on, I saw Lily snuggled up with Maverick. They both looked so in love.
Jealousy. Envy. Longing. That was exactly what I was feeling.
What in the hell is wrong with me?
I have an amazing career. I had more money in my bank account than I knew what to do with at nearly twenty-four years old, and if I wanted to spend the night with a woman, there were plenty of them waiting at my hotel each night.
A squeal of laughter came from Blakley as my sister spun her around in a circle, while Blakley’s parents, Morgan and Ryan, looked on with wide smiles on their faces.
I glanced over at my mother, who was observing them, and noticed the look of longing on her face. She had never once pressured me about settling down. She knew how much my career meant to me and supported me a hundred-and-ten percent. As did my father. I knew he was proud of me and bragged often about how good I was—but still not as good as him. He’d never give up those particular bragging rights, I figured.
Smiling, I looked for Dad. He wasn’t far from where my mother stood, which didn’t surprise me. Where my mother was, my father would always be close by. If I ever did manage to fall in love someday, I wanted a love like theirs. Hell, I wanted a love like everyone in this room had. There had to be something in the water here, that was for damn sure.
Dad had his head bent down as he listened to something Brock was saying. The look on his face was serious, so I imagined they were talking business. The Shaws owned a cattle ranch not far from our spread. A short twenty-minute drive or so. It was larger than my father’s. Each of the Shaw brothers lived on the ranch, and all of them had a hand in the cattle business, but Ty Jr. also raised bulls for bull riding, and was one of the top stock contractors of the Pbr.
Tanner ran a horse rescue with his wife, Timberlynn, as well as a horse-training business. His daughter Lily was making her own name as a trainer for barrel riding, and her future husband, Maverick, was rumored to be a horse whisperer. If there was a horse with an emotional problem, Maverick somehow knew how to help them.
My father’s cattle ranch was smaller, but still one of the bigger ranches in Montana. My mother grew up on a farm right next to Dad’s family’s ranch, where her parents had a pick-your-own farm. Spring, summer, and fall, you could visit the farm and pick fresh fruits and vegetables. Strawberries and blueberries were the most popular when my mother was growing up. Ever since she and my uncle Michael took it over, it had grown to become one of the best pick-your-own farms in the state. People came from all over to visit.
When I was younger, I loved helping my mother plant things. The older I got, though, the more I wanted to be with my father. Simply because I wanted to be my father. In all ways. No one was surprised when I showed an interest in bull riding. Nor was anyone surprised when I started competing at an early age.
I knew my mother secretly hated it, but she loved her kids and supported us. Just like she supported Avery when she decided that, at fifteen, she wanted to move to Paris to model. Mom was heartbroken, but she never showed how much it hurt her to have both of her children gone from home as much as we were. The sorrow on my mother’s face and the sadness in my father’s eyes when neither thought I was looking was the main reason I was seriously thinking of walking away from the Pbr. For good.
That aching feeling in my chest was back, and I found myself rubbing it with my hand. I thought back to the other day, when I’d sat my mother and father down to talk to them about my future in professional bull riding. I still loved it, but these changes inside of me had been brewing for the last year. My heart wasn’t fully in it any longer, and I was going to take this time at home to decide if I was going to stay in the Pbr, or walk away and work on the ranch.
“Everything okay?”
I jumped at the sound of my cousin Joshua’s voice.
“Wow, you must’ve been deep in thought,” he said with a laugh.
“No,” I replied, “I’m just not used to hearing your voice in a lower pitch.”
Joshua rolled his eyes but smiled.
“Hard to believe you’re a senior in high school, Josh.”
His smile grew into a full-on grin. “And I am counting down the days.”
“Rose told me about your decision on college. Said Uncle Ty and Aunt Kaylee weren’t too happy.”
Joshua exhaled a long breath. “Yeah, that’s putting it lightly.”
“Want to talk about it?” I asked.
Joshua looked around the room, most likely looking for his parents.
“Let’s go to my father’s office,” I suggested. “He won’t mind us using it.”
The look of relief on his face nearly made me laugh. It was clear he needed someone to talk to. “If you don’t mind.”
I motioned with my head for him to follow me. Once he walked in, I shut the door. “Want a drink?” I asked as I headed over toward Dad’s bar.
His eyes went wide before he said, “Um, what are you having?”
“I’m going with scotch.”
“I’ll have that too.” I lifted a brow but decided not to say anything. “Ice?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never had whiskey before.”
That surprised me. “Hell, I was younger than you when I had my first taste of whiskey. Right here in this room. Hunter and I were looking at a bottle of scotch that I always saw my father drinking from. He walked in and caught us. Told us to step aside, then proceeded to show us the proper way to make and drink a good scotch.”
Joshua smiled. “What did he show you?”
I poured us both a drink as Joshua watched. “Pour one finger, and never add ice.”
Joshua took the drink as I motioned for him to sit on the sofa.
“This is between us. I don’t want Uncle Ty or Aunt Kaylee hunting me down for giving you alcohol.”
He laughed. “Do I down it?”
I sat on the chair opposite him. “You could, but I recommend taking your time so you can enjoy it.”
He took a small sip and nodded. “That’s…interesting.”
I grinned. “So, tell me what’s going on.”
He exhaled and ran his hand down his face. “I don’t want to go to college, Bradly. And I don’t want to work on the ranch. I don’t want to raise bulls.”
My eyes flew wide open.
“I love the ranch, don’t get me wrong. It’s in my blood. And I love helping my father with the bulls. I just don’t want to do that for a living.”
“What do you want to do?”
He took a few moments before he answered. “I want to be a firefighter.”
I nearly choked on the scotch. “What? A firefighter? What in the world brought that on?”
He shrugged. “I’ve wanted to do that for as long as I can remember.”
“I remember when we were younger, you mentioned it once. I didn’t realize you still wanted to pursue it as a career.”
He nodded and massaged the back of his neck. “I want to make a difference. I want to help people. Do I love the thrill I get when I’m on the back of a bull? Yeah, I love it. But I feel that same adrenaline thinking about being a firefighter. The only difference is, I’m doing something to help someone, to help a community. No offense to your job.”
I held up my hand. “None taken.”
Joshua sighed. “I know my dad is trying to be understanding about it, but I think he always dreamed of me following in his footsteps. I feel like I might be a huge disappointment to him.”
Leaning forward, I placed my drink down on the coffee table. “Josh, you’re not a disappointment to him. Or to your mother.”
“Then why are they both so pissed at me?”
I paused for a moment, trying to think of the best way to word what I was about to say. “I also don’t think they’re pissed at you. Shocked, even worried, maybe?”
“Worried? Hell, you know how dangerous it is to ride bulls. I don’t see Uncle Dirk or Aunt Merit forbidding you to do what you do. And when you left school to ride professionally, they weren’t mad at you.”
I gave a half-shoulder shrug. “I don’t think they were happy, and my end game was always to come back to the ranch, helping Dad run it. But that still doesn’t mean they like it. I know for a fact my mother hates that I ride bulls. I know I worry her. I know she worries about Avery in France. Hell, she’s still growing up, and our parents aren’t part of her life, but they let her do it because it’s something she truly wants. I think if you sat down with your mom and dad and talked to them about it, they’d understand how important it is for you.”
He slowly nodded and set his own glass down on the table. “I don’t think I like scotch.”
Laughing, I stood, and he followed.
“Talk to them, Josh. I promise you, they’re going to support you in this. I know they will.”
For the first time since he’d walked up to me earlier, the worry in his eyes turned to hope. “Thanks for talking it out with me, Bradly. Damn, I wish you were home more often.”
The ache was back, and I had to fight my instinct to rub my chest. “I do too. We better get back before they call for a search party.”
By the time Josh and I returned to the living room, it was clear Christmas game night was about to happen.
“You should have stayed hidden,” Avery said as she walked up to me and Josh.
With a groan, he asked, “What game did they decide on?”
Avery rolled her eyes. “Dominoes.”
“No!” Josh and I said at the same time.
Arguing started as Rose and Morgan tried to suggest we should skip game night and just do presents, since the snow was starting to come down harder and the night might have to end early. I wasn’t entirely sure who in the hell had come up with the idea of doing a game night before we opened Christmas presents, but it was one tradition that the kids in the family were not fond of.
Grams wasn’t buying into Rose and Morgan’s argument and insisted we play one game. Game night was a serious thing in the Shaw family.
Maverick appeared from down the hall and announced he and Lily needed to leave, because she was feeling sick. I could see half the room glaring at both of them. Kipton and Hunter looked especially mad, as if Lily and Maverick had used the same excuse they were going to throw out in order to leave early.
“Bradly, could you give us a ride back to my place?” Maverick asked.
Before I had a chance to reply, Tanner jumped up and yelled, “I can!”
Grams huffed. “Nonsense. You’ll get home and say you’re tired and not come back. Go on and take them home, Bradly—and come straight back.”
Feeling like I dodged a bullet, I smiled and replied, “Will do.” I followed Maverick and Lily down the hall to where we’d left our jackets. “What about your gifts?” I asked.
Lily smiled. “Mom said she’d bring them home for us.”
With a wide grin, Maverick slapped my back. “Thanks for taking us back.”
“No worries at all. The last thing I wanted to do was play dominoes.”
Lily chuckled as we made our way out to my truck. Snow had been predicted for tonight, with heavier stuff not expected until tomorrow. By the look of what was falling, Rose and Morgan had been right. It was coming sooner rather than later.
“Look, it’s starting to snow earlier than they predicted,” Maverick stated, reading my mind.
“Oh, I love that it’s snowing!”
Maverick laughed. “It’s been snowing for weeks, Lil.”
“I know, but there’s something so romantic about snow falling on Christmas.”
Rolling my eyes, I started the truck. “If you say so.”
The drive back to the Shaw ranch was a bit slower with the snow coming down like it was. To take our minds off of the worsening conditions, Maverick asked me questions about the Pbr. How I liked doing all the sponsorship commercials and ads.
“They’re not my favorite part,” I said, silently trying to figure a way to change the subject. I loved bull riding. I hated doing the sponsorship stuff, though, and my agent knew not to overload me, but still. For one, my schedule hardly allowed it, and two, I really hated being the center of attention. But, being pretty popular on the circuit, I was offered too much money to turn them down.
“What made you take a few weeks off? I mean, I know you don’t have to do the smaller events, but Brock said a lot of guys do anyway, to keep up in the standings and stay on top of things,” Maverick said.
“This last year was insane. I was short of winning the championship, and I know it was because my head wasn’t totally where it needed to be.”
“I could see where that would impact your riding for sure. You still enjoy it though, right?” Lily asked.
How could I explain that I still loved riding, but a part of me felt like maybe my love of the professional sport was slipping away? Riding was something I’d always wanted to do…but suddenly I felt like I no longer wanted to do it.
I decided to go with an easier answer. “I’m just tired and my body needs a break.”
She returned my smile with one of her own, but I could see the concern in her eyes, and I loved her for that.
“Do you want to come in for a bit?” Lily asked when we got to Maverick’s place.
I was positive the last thing they wanted was for me to come in. I grinned at my cousin and replied, “No. You two enjoy the rest of the evening. I’m going to head on back. By the time I get there, I’m hoping the game is over.”
Lily paused. “Bradly…is everything okay? You don’t seem like yourself today.”
I reached for her hand. “Everything is great, Lily. I’m just tired and still feeling a bit bruised from this past season.”
“Okay. But if there was something wrong, you know you can talk to us, right?”
I gave her hand a light squeeze. “I know. Love you.”
Lily leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “I love you too.”
Maverick reached up and helped Lily out of the truck, then said, “Thanks again, Bradly. Be careful driving back to your folks’ house.”
“Will do!”
The snow had started to come down faster and harder, and on the way home, I passed a few familiar cars heading back to Shaw Ranch. Looked like the family finally conceded to the weather and decided to call it a night. In a way, I was glad. I wasn’t sure I was entirely in the mood to mingle with everyone, which wasn’t like me. I loved my family. Loved being home and seeing everyone. But today had worn me down for reasons I wasn’t entirely sure of. My body was battered and bruised, that was no lie, but being surrounded by family made me realize that my life wasn’t what I expected it to be at my age.
It was crazy to think that way. Hell, I was only twenty-three, almost twenty-four. I had plenty of time.
Frowning, I rubbed at the still-aching rib I had bruised months ago.
By the time I pulled up to the house, it was clear everyone had left. I put the truck in park and was about to turn it off before I noticed a light on in the barn across the pasture. On that side of the ranch was the pick-your-own farm. The barn had been remodeled years ago, and Mom and Uncle Michael had added an apartment above it, where Uncle Michael lived. When Grandma Eden had gotten remarried, living in the house on the farm with her new husband, Uncle Michael had wanted his own private place.
“Who in the hell would be in the barn on Christmas night?” I asked myself, putting the truck back into gear and heading that way. I pulled my phone out and called my father.
“Hey, are you back yet? Brock said it was really coming down out there, and now they’re calling for blizzard-like conditions. Everyone headed on home before it got too bad.”
“Yeah, I’m back. Dad, someone’s in the barn on the farm side of the ranch.”
“Really? That’s strange. I guess it might be Mackenzie.”
“Who?”
“Mackenzie Reeves. Have you not met her yet?” Dad asked, sounding surprised.
“I don’t really go to the farm much, or at least I haven’t since I’ve been home. I figured it was staffed lightly during the winter months.”
“It is, but they have the greenhouse now, so your mother and Michael keep someone on full time, who lives on the farm to help out Lou.”
Lou was third-in-command after my mother and uncle. She knew everything there was to know about growing shit.
Frowning, I asked, “What greenhouse?”
“Jesus, Bradly, do you not ever go to the farm? Your uncle and mom had the greenhouse built a few years ago.”
Guilt slammed my chest. I’d just never been interested in that part of our ranch. Not since I was basically a toddler. Growing up, if I wasn’t following my dad around or working on the cattle ranch, I’d spent most of my spare time at Uncle Ty’s, learning everything I could about bulls and bull riding. I had chores to do on the Littlewood Ranch, but Avery had always helped on the farm side, and I helped on the cattle side.
I knew it bothered my mother that I’d never shown any interest in farming, and now I was regretting that I’d ignored that entire side of our family business.
“I didn’t know about it. I’m sorry, Dad.”
He sighed but didn’t reply.
“I’m going to drive over and make sure everything’s okay.”
“Your uncle should be there at the house. Maybe it’s him.”
“He went on a cruise with Lori, the new girlfriend. Remember?”
Dad was silent for a moment, then said, “That’s right. Well, in that case, I’m sure it’s just Mackenzie, but if you want to check it out, go ahead.”
“I’ll text you on my way back.”
“Sounds good.”
Hitting End, I drove slowly on the snow-covered road and parked in front of the barn. I got out and jogged over to the door, entering quietly. The sounds of Christmas music filled the space, and I couldn’t help but smile. A few horses popped their heads up to see who the newcomer to the party was. One of the horses—Barkley—was my mother’s. She was a beautiful paint.
I could hear someone singing along with Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” so I made my way toward the sound. As I rounded a corner, I came to a stop at the sight before me.
A woman with light brown hair, or maybe it was dark blonde, pulled up in a ponytail with a huge red bow on top of her head, was holding a broom and singing into the handle as she bent down toward a black and white cat that was sitting on a hay bale, seemingly enjoying the impromptu show.
Leaning against the nearest stall, I reached up and gave a beautiful paint horse a rub on the neck while he or she also watched. The horse must have been new, because I’d never seen it before.
The woman’s voice was damn good. I was captivated instantly. When she spun around, her ponytail did a little swish that immediately drew my attention. I had to bite down on my cheek to keep from laughing when a goat suddenly jumped up and stood next to the cat.
“What in the hell?” I whispered, as I noticed the goat was wearing Christmas pajamas that matched the ones the singer was wearing. He joined in on the song and dance, while the cat, totally not impressed with the goat, started to clean himself.
Turning to the horse, I asked, “Does this happen every night?”
He bobbed his head, and I let out a laugh.
A small shriek came from the direction of the dancing woman, and I whipped my head around to see her now standing there with the broom pointed at me like a weapon.
“Who are you?” she shouted.
I held up my hands and slowly walked over to the small blue Bose speaker that was sitting on a stall door. I hit the power button and stared back at her.
My breath caught in my throat as I took in the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen—and trust me, I’d seen plenty of attractive women. Something I’d never felt before rushed through my entire body as I studied her.
She was standing too far away for me to see the color of her eyes, but what I could see of her made my body take notice. A voluptuous figure, a round doll face with the cutest button nose I’d ever seen, and from what I could tell, light-colored eyes that demanded I get a closer look.
“Mackenzie Reeves?”
Frowning, she gave me a once-over. “And who are you, pretty boy, and how do you know my name?”
My brows shot up. “Pretty boy?”
With a hand on her hip and the other still gripping the broom, she said, “If you think you can try anything, let me give you a fair warning, if I have to, I’ll kick your ass.”
“A warning…?”
“Yes. I will stick this broom into parts of your body that will prohibit you from walking correctly for the rest of your life.”
I was pretty sure my mouth had dropped damn near to the barn floor.
She flashed me a smug grin. “That’s right,” she stated as she motioned in a circle with her finger. “So, if you value that pretty face of yours, and the tool between your legs, you’ll walk away right now.”
A bark of laughter slipped free. “The tool between my legs?”
She let out a small growl. “Do you have to keep repeating everything I say? If you don’t leave in the next thirty seconds, I’ll call the police to report someone trespassing on private property.”
“And until they get here, you’ll use the broom to injure me?” I asked, trying not to sound too amused, but knowing I was being a complete ass by not introducing myself.
“Yes! I will. Now get out of this barn and off this farm. You’re trespassing.”
I walked closer, and she held up the broom. The cat had taken interest once more. The goat had fallen asleep. Understandable, since he was wearing his pajamas. “I’m not leaving.”
A look of fear swept over her face, but it was gone as fast as it came. She took out her phone and said, “All I have to do is call one person, and a dozen ranch hands will show up and kick your ass.”
Stopping before I got too close, and still out of range of the broom, I motioned toward her phone. “Go ahead. Call. But I think you’ll find no one will be kicking my ass or asking me to leave.”
She lifted her chin. “And why is that?”
I folded my arms over my chest, and I watched as her gaze swept my body, then met my own directly.
“Green,” I said softly.
“Green? What does that mean? Is it your last name?”
I grinned. “Your eyes. They’re green.”
She frowned, but only for half a second. “And yours are…” She took a step back. “Wow. Dark.”
“Some people say they’re black. My mother calls them onyx, like my father’s.”
Mackenzie dropped the broom and took a few more steps back until she ran into the haybale. The goat woke up, the cat let out a plaintive meow and jumped down, and Mackenzie dropped to her ass on the bale and let out an oof.
“You okay?” I asked as I took a few steps toward her.
She quickly stood. “Who are you?”
Reaching my hand out to shake hers, I said, “Bradly Littlewood.”
She closed her eyes and appeared to curse under her breath. I was pretty sure she mumbled motherfucker.
“And you are Mackenzie, correct?”
The fierce look was back when she opened her eyes and stared at my outstretched hand without taking it. “Mackenzie Reeves.”
I dropped my hand and let out a soft laugh. “What brings you out here to the barn on Christmas night, during a snowstorm, to sing to the animals?”
She glanced around the barn. “I didn’t want them to feel alone tonight.”
“You didn’t want them to feel alone?”
Rolling her eyes, she said, “For goodness’ sake, stop repeating me! What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be up at the house? It’s Christmas.”
“I saw the lights on in the barn from across the pasture and wanted to make sure everything was okay.”
She folded her arms over her chest. “Really? I didn’t think you cared much about the farm side of the ranch.”
My slight smile faded. “I’m not home much.”
She nodded. “That’s right. The cowboy who rides bulls. It is bulls, right?”
Something told me she knew damn well it was bulls. “Do you have something against cowboys? Or those who ride bulls?”
She exhaled in frustration. “I don’t know you, Bradly, so I have little reason to have anything against you. Besides the fact that I think it hurts your mom’s feelings that you don’t take an interest in the farm.”
I raised my brows in surprise. She certainly was direct.
Closing her eyes again, she opened them and said, “I’m sorry. I have no right to pass judgment against you. Nor do I have a right to argue with you in your own barn.” She swallowed hard and looked around before focusing back on me. “I’ll get everything put away and head on out.”
She started to walk away, and I took a step forward. “Wait. Don’t leave.”
Mackenzie gave me a cautious look.
“First, it’s not my barn. It’s my parents’ and uncle’s barn.”
The corner of her mouth twitched.
“Second, you have every right to be here. Maybe not to come after me like you hate me…”
Her eyes widened. “I don’t hate you. I don’t even know you.”
“You certainly don’t like cowboys, so I’m guessing one of them either hurt you or did something bad to you.”
Her arms came around her body in a protective manner, and for some reason, I wished I could take those words back. Holding up my hands in surrender, I said, “I’m going to go. Please, keep serenading the animals. They all seemed to enjoy it.”
The goat took that moment to bounce up to Mackenzie and nuzzle against her.
“When did we get goats?”
Mackenzie looked down and grinned. It was the first true smile I’d seen from her since she’d turned around and seen me in the barn. “Oh, he’s mine. His name is Pickles.”
One brow rose. “You have a goat named Pickles?”
She shrugged. “He’s like my support goat.”
“Right,” I replied with a chuckle. “I, um…I’ll let you get back to whatever it was you were doing. It’s really coming down out there, so you might want to think about leaving soon to head home, if you have a good drive from here.”
“I live in the apartment above the barn.”
I wanted to grin, knowing that she was close by. “Then you’re fine. Good thing. It’s snowing hard.”
She glanced over to one of the barn windows and smiled again. “It’s my first white Christmas.”
“Really?”
As if deciding she’d said too much, she pressed her lips tightly together, and the wall was back up.
“Well, I’ll let you be. Merry Christmas, Mackenzie.”
She looked unsure of whether to respond or not.
Grinning, I said, “This is where you wish me a Merry Christmas as well.”
She laughed softly, and I decided it was one of the best sounds I’d ever heard. “Merry Christmas, Bradly. Please tell your mother and father that I wish them a Merry Christmas too.”
I started to take a few steps backward, and I could see her body visibly relax. “Will do. Good night.”
She lifted a hand and waved. “’Night.”
Turning, I started out of the barn. Right before I turned the corner toward the door, I took one last look and found Mackenzie sitting on the barn floor with the goat and the cat, both half in her lap. I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face.
As I headed back to my truck, I laughed. How my body reacted to the mysterious woman surprised and thrilled me all at once. No girl had ever made me feel this way. It was something I didn’t even recognize, actually, and whatever it was, it seemed to make my steps feel lighter.
Slipping into my truck, I shut the door and stared back at the barn. “I can’t wait to get to know you a bit better, Mackenzie Reeves.”