40. Forty
Forty
Cash
Three weeks later
The town of Alpine Ridge never looked so appealing than it did right now. Driving down this main road had a different feeling to it now. Even though for the past three months I had lived in the motel, the feeling of home was stronger.
I was home.
Home.
Putting the house up for sale in Bozeman went smoother than I thought it would. It hit the market yesterday, and my agent was keeping me up to date on everything. I was relieved I didn’t have to be present for a sale to go through, and I knew it already had several people looking at it. All my things were out and either in my truck or being shipped here. Abi’s parents, thankfully, told me I could move in right away even though I offered to rent a place in town. They wouldn’t have it. Leo told me he was relieved I was there to watch over his daughter and grandchild while he took Lottie traveling. I responded that Abi could very well take care of herself—but I was honored and grateful all the same. They accepted me as a part of the family.
Hartwell Hills came into view, and my body grew restless. The entire seven hours in the car had nothing on this feeling. My legs were itching to move, and my thumb kept tapping the wheel. She was too close; I could feel her. The constant phone calls, Facetimes and texts weren’t enough to curb the want I had for Abi, even if we had done more than I expected we’d ever do over the phone. But I was going to have her in my arms, and this time I was never going to let her go.
The main house came into view, but I turned my rig off to the stables, knowing that’s where Nova would be living for the rest of her life. Getting her settled was the second task on my to-do list. The first was kissing Abi.
I pulled the truck to a stop, my eyes landing on the family standing in front of the stables. Lachlan stood with his arms folded across his chest. Wyatt was next to him with his baseball cap on backwards, and Rhett gave me a wave. Abi was next to them, her hands on her hips when her head turned at the sound of my breaks. She didn’t even hesitate; she broke out in a run and was jumping into my arms the second I stepped out of the cab.
“You’re home,” she said as she buried her head in my neck, her legs wrapping around my waist.
“I’m home,” I whispered, breathing in her cinnamon scent.
She raised her chin, taking her mouth with mine in a deep kiss.
“I missed these lips.” I kissed her again.
She hummed against me. “I’ve missed all of you.”
“Okay, stop!” I heard someone bellow. Looking behind her, I saw Wyatt holding his arms out, a look of complete annoyance on his face. “I said I’d get used to you, but I don’t want to see that every day.”
“Shove it, Wyatt. I haven’t kissed him in three weeks.” Abi jumped from my arms, her hands sliding down to my fingers.
Wyatt rolled his eyes at his sister but gave me a nod. A nod of acceptance, possibly?
“So…what are we doing?” I asked as soon as we were in front of the stables. All of us men and Abi stood staring at the entrance, studying the brown wood that already looked weathered. I raised my eyebrows. Well, at least it had a new roof.
“Your girlfriend is demanding a sign for her stable.” Lachlan didn’t even look away from the blank space above the door, “and we’re trying to figure out how big to make it.”
“The bigger the better.” Abi smiled. I chuckled, pulling her closer to me, stepping behind her to wrap my arm around her shoulders.
“What’s it gonna say… Abi’s Stable ?” I asked, a light chuckle imagining a large, outlandish sign that didn’t fit Abi’s personality at all. But hey…she wanted it big.
“No…” Abi leaned over, looking over her shoulder at me, a pinch her brow, annoyance plastered all over her face. I pursed my lips and raised my eyebrows, ready for another brush to be thrown my way later. “I named it.”
“She sure did.” Rhett chuckled.
She spun in my arms. “I want to paint it. Light brown with a cream trim—as much as I enjoy the weathered look, it does need an upgrade. And since people are searching for it now, I want it to be official.”
“So…” I kissed her cheek. “What is it?”
“ The Nova Luna Stables and Indoor Arena .”
“We have a design.” Lachlan finally looked at me. “And we’re trying to figure out how big to make it fit above the entryway.”
“Nova Luna?” I let Abi go, taking a step towards the stables, visioning the name on the building with the wood freshly painted just like she described.
“The design has the name behind a crescent moon, the moon has little rays coming off it. I’ll show you…I love it.” She smiled, pulling out her phone to show me a design. I leaned over her shoulder. It was just as she described. The perfect logo for her stables.
“But I had to incorporate the two horses of the man that I loved and the man I love now, the two horses that—”
I interrupted her with a kiss, my hands cradling her face as our mouths moved together.
“I love you,” I murmured against her lips.
“I love you,” she repeated, her free hand grasping onto my wrist.
Looking to Lachlan, I gave him a stern glare. “You make that sign as big as you can get it.”
He saluted, begrudgingly, before grabbing Rhett by the elbow to usher him off. “Welcome home by the way,” he called, giving me a wave.
I chuckled, “When do we start painting?”
“That’s our project.” Wyatt slapped my shoulder. “Abi is certain it’s a way for us to”—he rolled his eyes and furrowed his brow before he gave me a once over—“bond.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Don’t look too excited about it.” I laughed, raising my arm over Abi’s shoulder.
“CASH!!”
The shrill of my name caused the three of us to turn, just in time to see Stetson barreling towards us. Abi stepped aside, knowing very well he was coming for me and me alone. The kid flew—literally flew—into my arms, almost knocking me to the ground.
“Hey, Stet,” I laughed, catching my balance.
“Did Mommy tell you we named the stable!? Do you have Nova!? Can we go riding!? Can I help paint the barn!? I promise I’ll do a really good job! Uncle Lachlan had me paint a few fences out in the field, and you can’t even tell where I painted and where he painted. Are you going to teach me how to ride a bucking horse? Mom even agreed I was old enough now! I’ll be eight soon!” Stetson was talking at rapid speed, so fast I could barely keep up.
I blinked and set him down. “Whoa Stet…one question at a time.” I ruffled his dark hair, “Did you really tell him I could teach him to ride a bucking horse?” I turned back to Abi, only to feel Stetson’s arms wrap around my leg. I held onto his back, enjoying him there.
Abi shrugged a shoulder. “He wants to take after the men in his life. Better he learns now.”
“Come on!” Stetson tugged at my legs. “Let’s get Nova and ride!”
“Dude, he just got home.” Abi laughed, reaching for her son to pull him away from me, but Stetson just whipped around, making sure he was on my opposite side, away from his mother.
“Yea, he’s home. ” Stetson shot a glare towards Abi. “So let’s go for a ride.”
I looked at the love of my life and shot her a smile. “I’m yours tonight, I promise. But…”
“Yeah, yeah.” She waved us off. “Go for a ride.”
“Um…Mom…” Stetson grabbed her hand. “You’re coming too.”
Abi beamed, reaching for my free hand as the three of us went to saddle up our horses. And there, hanging next to the door, were my sketches, all with a small silver name plaque that read Artwork by Cash Callahan underneath them.
Family dinner was hectic. I managed to catch Leo and Lottie on their final family dinner before leaving for Europe, and the topic of conversation was the gender of Rhett and Kyla’s baby. It was a fifty-fifty split between boy or girl, and even though Kyla knew, she wasn’t telling anyone. Life moved on as if I had been at the table for years, except now I could drape my arm around Abi’s chair, touch her hand or thigh, and give her small kisses whenever she smiled, and she was smiling a lot.
I tucked Stetson into bed, promising him I’d take him to school in the morning, before sneaking out with Abi to the stables, settling in Luna’s stall. We sat, our backs to the gate, our legs touching, her head resting on my shoulder. Much like the day after she walked a colicky horse for hours, except this time our hands were entwined, and I was still pressing small kisses against her temple every chance I got.
“Do you like it?” She hummed, lifting her head from my shoulder. “The name of the stable?”
“I love it.” I kissed her again, for the millionth time since I arrived. I would never stop kissing her. “Nova Luna—it fits.”
“Do you think Sylas would like it?”
I laughed, envisioning exactly what he would say. I love it, Mi Alma, but…Luna is a much better horse than Nova…
“He would be mad Luna’s name wasn’t first.”
She sighed, leaning into me. “He would. He’d even throw a nickname in there to get me to change my mind.”
“Funny. I was thinking the same thing.” I rested my cheek against the crown of her head, “Luna Nova?”
She grunted. “Nope. Nova Luna. It sounds better.”
Luna kicked at the ground next to Abi, moving the hay under her feet until she gently lowered herself to her side, resting her head on Abi’s lap. Abi scratched behind her ear and the horse let out a puff of air.
“Well…” Abi sighed. “We’re here for a while.”
“I don’t know about you, but I’m here forever.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“Forever?”
“Forever.”
Abi lifted her head, her lips meeting mine in a chaste kiss. “I love you Cash Callahan.”
I urged the kiss deeper, showing her exactly how much I loved her.