Epilogue
There was nothing quite like the smell of a rodeo to get her blood pumping and her heart racing.
Horses, bulls, popcorn, dust, mud, and the stomping feet and cheers of the Sunday crowd all swirled into a kaleidoscope of anticipation that chewed on the edges of her nerves, ramping up the adrenaline for what was to come.
I get it now.
Jeez, how did Momma and Daddy do this for years?
Parenting a horse-mad child was not for the faint of heart, Enya decided.
She leaned against the arena fence, her booted foot hooked on the bottom rail.
Six years had melted away like wax under a flame when she watched her father lead his granddaughter, perched atop Rain’s broad back into the alleyway.
Oaklynn’s tiny gloved hands gripped the reins with a confidence that made Enya’s chest tighten.
She was all wild curls and missing front teeth, and she sat in the saddle like she’d been born to it.
Which, in a way, considering who she had as parents, she had been.
She watched Oaklynn’s grin stretch wider than the Kentucky sky and tramped down the urge to pull her off Rain’s back and order a roll of bubble wrap overnight from . “You’re gonna rock it, baby,” Enya called, her voice rough as her instincts warred between pride and fear.
Oaklynn twisted in the saddle, her pink helmet askew. “Watch me, Momma. I’m gonna beat your time!”
Enya laughed. She’d run an eighteen earlier today and finished in the top three. There was little chance of Oaklynn and Rain hitting that time, especially as it would be Rain’s second run of the day around the barrels.
“Oh yeah? You remember what I told you about that first barrel?”
“Kiss it, don’t kick it!” Oaklynn shouted, pulling lightly on Rain’s reins as he pranced and tugged against the lead rope. Their best boy flicked an ear back, listening to their voices. His run earlier in the day had done little to tire him out.
Keep our baby girl safe, Rain.
Rowan appeared beside her, his shoulder brushing hers.
He didn’t say anything. His presence was a warm weight, steady as the earth beneath her boots.
Enya exhaled, letting herself lean into him just for a second.
Six years of this—of them—and she still wasn’t used to the way he fit against her, like the missing piece of a puzzle she hadn’t even known was incomplete.
“She’s got your stubbornness,” he murmured, his breath warm against her temple.
“And your mouth,” Enya shot back, but there was no heat in it.
Just the quiet thrill of knowing he was right.
Oaklynn was all them. The perfect blend of their best and worst parts, tangled together like God had decided to issue them the child guaranteed to keep them on their toes for the rest of their days.
Across the arena, her mom stood with Gael and Joel, their faces a mix of nervous excitement. Her family had changed over the years; the sharp edges of the trauma of her ordeal had been worn smooth by time and the sheer force of Oaklynn’s personality and zest for life.
Her dad caught her eye and gave a small nod. You did good, kid.
The announcer’s voice crackled over the speakers.
“Up next in our Pee-Wee Barrels, we’ve got Oaklynn Salieri on Rain, aka SHR Chasing Rainbows.
Yes, that Rain, folks. You saw him take a top-three finish earlier today with this little girl’s mom on board, so give ’em a big hand, folks, and let’s see if Enya Moore’s daughter is a chip off the old block! ”
Enya’s stomach twisted as the crowd erupted in cheers.
She’d spent years loving the noise, the eyes, the way the world seemed to hold its breath when a rider shot out of the alley.
It both thrilled and terrified her that Oaklynn thrived on the same adrenaline rush.
Pride swamped her as her little girl waved like a queen on parade, her grin so bright it could’ve outshone the stadium lights.
As the buzzer sounded, Rowan’s hand found hers, his fingers threading through hers, and Rain lunged forward, his muscles bunching beneath Oaklynn’s tiny frame. Enya’s breath hitched.
Too fast. She’s going too fast.
But then Oaklynn leaned in, her body moving with the horse like they shared a heartbeat, and Enya realized their fearless five-year-old wasn’t just riding, she was racing.
“Holy shit,” Rowan breathed, “our kid is gonna give me gray hair.”
“Hate to break it to you, baby.” Enya kept her eyes on the arena.
“You’ve already got gray hair.” She could only watch as her horse carried her daughter on his back and flew around the first barrel, so close Enya could’ve sworn she saw Rain’s nostril brush the metal.
Oaklynn’s high and wild laughter rang out as they rounded the second, her small hands sure on the reins.
“Jeez, she’s going too fast,” Enya whispered. “She’s gotta slow down or she’ll—”
“She’s got this,” Rowan cut in, his grip tightening around her fingers.
Enya knew she did, but God, her heart was in her mouth as Oaklynn pulled Rain up just shy of the third barrel, her timing impeccable, then urged him forward again. The crowd roared. Enya’s vision blurred as they crossed the line, and the clock stopped at seventeen ninety-eight.
Yes!
Oaklynn threw her arms up, her scream of triumph loud enough to shake the rafters. Rain pranced in place, his ears flicking back like he was laughing.
Enya’s knees nearly gave out, and Rowan’s arm wrapped around her waist, holding her up. “She did it.”
“Told you she’d kill it.”
She turned into him; her face buried against his shoulder. His shirt was damp with her tears before she even realized she was crying. “She’s five,” Enya choked out. “She’s five, and she just ran a seventeen on her first try—”
“I know,” Rowan said, his voice rough. He pressed his lips to her temple.
“I know. Fuck, baby, I’d rather be fixin’ to face fifty Taliban with only a couple of blades to my name than go through that again.
” He held out his hand to show her his fingers trembled as much as hers.
“This parenting thing is not for the faint of heart when you’re raising the reincarnation of Annie Oakley. ”
Down in the holding pen, Oaklynn slid off Rain’s back, her helmet askew as she threw her arms around Camden’s legs. He scooped her up, spinning her around, and whooped. Enya was crying. Her mom was crying. Everyone, from her dad to her badass, hardcore warrior husband, had a tear in their eye.
Enya wiped her face with the back of her hand. “We’re never gonna live this down.”
Rowan barked out a laugh. “Nope. She’s gonna be insufferable.”
“Good.” She took a shaky breath. “She should be.”
They made their way to the holding arena, where Oaklynn was hugging Rain’s face. She spotted them and ran toward them at full speed. Enya barely had time to brace before fifty pounds of pure chaos collided with her legs.
“Mama! Daddy! Did you see?! Rain was so fast, and I told him where to go and—”
“We saw, Sugar,” Rowan said, ruffling her curls. “We saw.”
Oaklynn wriggled free and grabbed Enya’s hand, dragging her toward Rain. The horse stood patiently, his sides heaving but his eyes bright. Enya pressed her forehead to his, her breath hitching. “Thank you for looking after my baby girl,” she murmured.
Rain blew out a breath, his muzzle warm against her skin.
Oaklynn tugged on her sleeve. “Can we get ice cream now? Grampa Camden said if I kept all the barrels up, we could get the big cone!”
Enya laughed, “Yeah, Oakie-Dokie. First, we take care of Rain, and then we’ll get the biggest cone they’ve got.”
“Okay, Momma. We do it now.”
“You know how I said if we ever had a daughter, she’d be feared by weak men?” Rowan said softly as they watched her chase after Camden as they headed toward the stalls to take care of Rain.
“I remember.”
“I didn’t count myself among the weak.” He scuffed the toe of his boot on the ground. “Until today.”
“Well, I hope you’re ready to do that all over again, babe. Because we’re only getting started.”
“You mean she’s only getting started, darlin’, right?”
“Nope.” Enya fished into her purse and pulled out the envelope she’d stashed in there two weeks ago.
There just hadn’t been time to have this conversation, and somehow, when he was all gooey soft over their first child’s achievements, it seemed like a good time to tell him not to rest on his laurels, as there would be another coming along shortly to up the ante.
She watched as he opened the envelope and pulled out the picture. “Rowe?”
“Is this…?”
She nodded, “Mini Salieri number two will be joining our Spitfire daughter in early September.”
“Whoop!” Rowan picked her up and spun her around before kissing her soundly. “I love you so fucking much.”
“I love you, too.”
Before she’d met Rowan, she hadn’t known that life as a Stronghold Wife was what she’d been born to be.
Hand in hand, they followed in the wake of their Spitfire and her grandfather.
They had so much to celebrate. She knew she would never stop loving this life, this family they’d created, and this man who walked at her side.
Stronghold Wife… I’m gonna make t-shirts.
“Babe?
He tugged her under his arm and pressed a kiss to the side of her head as they reached Rain’s stall. “Yep.”
She snuggled against his chest, “Our world is pretty freaking epic right now, right?”
“Damn straight, darlin’ damn straight.”
Happily Ever After was theirs. They’d fought for it, claimed it, and now owned it. It was theirs. Forever.