Chapter 46
Kacey
The Ranch
“Well, they made it longer than I thought they would,” Knox says next to me as we walk down the road to my dad’s house for family dinner.
Trey and Jessie walk ahead of us, bickering about god knows what. They behaved so well at the hospital, it was almost like they were friends. Now they’re back to fighting like cats and dogs. It even seems like they’re arguing when they go silent and glare at each other, like right now.
“I’ve never known people who could argue while saying nothing at all . . . it’s unnerving.”
It’s been two weeks since the wreck when we almost lost him. It’s amazing how far he’s come in his recovery. His chest is his main source of pain, but the surgery incision, concussion, and liver are healing quickly.
This will be Knox’s first time out since getting home, but everyone has been over to our place to see him.
That’s how I think of it now: our place.
His accident changed us both. Now we refuse to waste a single moment we have with each other.
He plans to recover here this fall, only going back to Oklahoma to see his family and get some things he needs for the finals.
When he asked me to go with him to the finals in Las Vegas, it was an immediate yes.
I thought my fear of losing my loved ones might pull us apart, but it’s proven to do the opposite.
It’s made me stronger and brought us closer together.
I’ve been seeing a therapist, and it’s helped more than I expected.
I wish I would’ve done it years ago. My dad and I were able to have a conversation about the day of the accident, and while sharing my experience with him was hard, it was also healing for both of us.
I know watching Knox climb on the back of another bull will be scary, but this is what he loves.
Riding bulls is a part of who Knox is, and it always will be—even after he’s retired someday.
I could no sooner ask him to stop riding bulls than he could ask me to sell my horses. It’s a part of who we are.
We all cut across my dad’s yard and make our way up the porch steps. Dad, Carson, and Chet are on the porch with the grill going.
“Hey, girl. How are you today? Have you been a good girl?” Dad coos at Rein.
I scoff. “Not even a hello for us? You two are ridiculous.”
“No, what’s ridiculous is the trick he taught her,” Chet grumbles from the railing he’s leaning against.
“What kind of trick?” Jessie asks as she heads for the Adirondack chairs, flicking Carson on the ear on her way by, just to irritate him.
“Ha, I’m glad you asked. I can’t wait to see your faces,” Chet says, wearing an ornery smirk.
“Do you want to show them, Rein?” my dad asks. Rein sits in front of him, looking up, waiting for the next command. “Okay, fetch.”
Rein takes off like a bullet and runs in the dog door.
Wait—a dog door?
“You installed a dog door? Really?” I roll my eyes.
“No, I installed the dog door,” Carson corrects me. “He was too busy teaching her useless tricks.”
“It is not useless,” Dad argues.
“Fetch? That’s it? What’s she fetching?” Knox asks right as Rein comes blasting back outside, carrying a can of beer in her mouth.
My jaw hits the floor. Knox is trying his best not to laugh and hurt his chest. Trey and Jessie burst out laughing as my dad takes the beer from my dog and feeds her a piece of steak fat. He’s grinning ear to ear, way too proud of himself.
“You have got to be kidding me. How did she open the fridge?”
“I tied a towel to it. She just pulls it open and grabs one off the bottom shelf. It’s not hard.” Dad furrows his brows at me, like I’m the crazy one.
“The other day, we were down at the bunkhouse, and she ran all the way up here, got one and brought it to him.” Chet shakes his head.
I look down at Rein. “Are you even my dog anymore?”
“No,” everyone says simultaneously.
Rude.
As we all make our way inside, Chet stops me. “Hey, Kacey, can we talk for a sec?” He looks uncomfortable. His brow is furrowed and his hand rubs at the back of his neck.
“Uh, yeah. Sure.”
“I wanted to get your opinion on something. You know that sixty acres with the lake on the southwest side of the ranch?” he asks.
“Yeah, I know it.”
“What do you think about putting cabins on it? Maybe five or six and a barn with runs for a few horses. That ground isn’t used for anything, and renting out those cabins would generate more revenue for the ranch.”
He’s asking me this? I try to read his expression to see if he’s joking. It’s not a bad idea; it’s actually really good.
“I think that’s a great idea. It’d be an extensive project and ongoing work for someone to maintain, but I bet the return on the investment would be good. And we could keep the older, retired horses there. What does my dad think?”
“I don’t know, I haven’t talked to him about it yet. I wanted to get your opinion first. I’m going to put some numbers together and run it past him.”
I don’t think I’ve ever heard Chet sound so excited. And he wanted my opinion. I think I’ve misjudged him and taken out my own insecurities on him this entire time. All he did was accept a position, and he’s done a damn good job at it. He clearly only wants to do what’s best for the ranch.
“Okay, let me know if I can help with anything. This is a good idea, Chet.” I offer him a genuine smile and head inside.
I breathe a little easier, realizing we aren’t enemies. Maybe these cabins can be a fresh start for Chet and me.
Later that night, as we sit on the loveseat on my porch, Knox leans in and kisses my temple. “I don’t think I ever thanked you.”
“Thanked me? For what?”
“For loving me. I didn’t know it was possible to feel so loved and supported until you.
When I was riding great, horrible, or wrecked out in the hospital, you never wavered.
And I know it’s hard—the rodeo lifestyle is the highest of highs and the lowest of lows—from the injuries, to months on the road, it never gets easier.
But all season long you stuck by my side; I couldn’t have done this without you. I love you so much.”
I gently wrap my arms around him, careful of his chest. “You’re easy to love, Knox Ward.
Thank you for never making me question my worth, for loving me for who I am.
From the first day you showed up on this ranch, you showed me how much I mean to you.
Even when I was stubborn and didn’t want to see it, you never gave up on me. ”
He kisses the top of my head, and we stay like that, holding each other until the stars shine bright in the night sky, and my feet grow cold. And for the next two months, Knox and I start to build a life together, waiting on his chance at a world title.