EPILOGUE
Jack
Six Months Later…
“Ouch!” I grunted, stumbling over something and trying to right myself.
“Oops, sorry!” Kat sang as she pulled me along. I was blindfolded and my life was in her hands. Normally, I would completely trust her but right now, I was having second thoughts.
“Where are we going?” I grumbled, annoyed that I wasn’t home with her naked and moving under me. I was impatient. I hadn’t been able to get my hands on her properly for days and I was getting cranky about it.
The construction was beginning on the guest ranch. We’d had another anonymous influx of cash which enabled us to get started on some of the basics. There were plans under way to raise more money to build the rest. Between Daisy’s proposals and Kat’s business acumen, money was starting to roll in.
Events were being held and one of the pastures rented out for various occasions. There were even talks of a movie being shot on the property, apparently it was the perfect location with the Tetons in the background. August’s horse-riding lessons were going well and she was so caring with the kids, it was wonderful to watch.
Me and Tilly went for a ride every Sunday morning and I enjoyed being someone for her to look up to and I’d given her advice on her future, and she actually listened. She was planning on going to college in the next couple of years and was looking at what to do to apply for scholarships.
I was working with my hands and experimenting with my craft and learning more skills. I loved losing myself in creating and building something lasting at the ranch.
Me, Leo, Max and even Tate had been hanging out more, and it was amazing to have friendships where you ribbed the shit out of each other but still supported one another.
My therapy was going well, some sessions were tough, and some were more healing than others. There was a lot of guilt to work through and some days I wanted to give up, but I kept going. Rome wasn’t built in a day and it would take a long time to heal, but with Kat, the guys, and the Cartwright sisters by my side, I would get there.
Life was damn near perfect right now.
“You’ll see,” Kat teased.
I could tell we were outside but I didn’t know where. I could hear traffic and noise, and then she let me go. “Wait here.”
“Oh yeah, I’m really gonna run off right now,” I grumbled.
She leaned up, pressing her body against me, stirring my blood. “I love it when you’re cranky like this,” she murmured before swiping her tongue across my lips.
I groaned when she pulled away, desperate for her to put her tongue right back where it was.
“If you’re good for the next two hours, I promise to drive you wild later, how does that sound?”
“Like fucking perfection,” I growled, my cock already hardening in my jeans.
She tapped her hand against it. “You might wanna get rid of that.”
“I can think of a few ways,” I replied and she tsked. I snorted, trying to think of things to get my blood cooling. When it eventually worked, she praised me and it almost got me going again.
“Okay, we’re ready,” she said, grabbing my hands and pulling me forward.
“Who’s we?” I darted my head side-to-side, desperate to work out what was going on but I couldn’t. Then the blindfold was pulled from my eyes and I blinked, trying to focus.
“SURPRISE!”
I was stunned to see we were at The Lonely Bison. The bar was decorated with balloons and streamers and party poppers were being let off. I glanced around, seeing the Cartwrights, Leo, Max, Gertie and Tate with little party hats on and tears damn near filled my eyes.
“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” Kat murmured, pressing a kiss to my lips before slipping a hat on my head.
“I…” didn’t know what to say. Emotion overwhelmed me. Obviously you don’t celebrate your birthday in prison and I hadn’t wanted to after what happened on my ei ghteenth birthday. It wasn’t a day to celebrate anymore, it was a day to remember when I made a shitty choice and Sherry lost her life. The pain didn’t hurt as much as usual though, and I could thank my therapist for that, for all the work we’d done and continued to do.
“It’s fine, we’re all fine,” Kat added, and I looked over her shoulder meeting Maddy, Daisy, August and Tilly’s stares but they all just smiled brightly at me. The love flowing from them broke me and a tear leaked out. I brushed it away and they raced forward and hugged me.
I would never be more grateful to have people in my life than right at this moment. I’d lost my family but I’d found a new one, and this family was the best damn one I could ever be blessed with.
When they pulled away, I was smiling and I searched for those blue eyes I was so enamored with. Kat was standing off to the side, letting me have my moment, and I stormed towards her, dragged her against me and dipped her back, slamming my lips into hers.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” I whispered when we pulled apart, male satisfaction roaring through me at the glazed look in her eyes.
“You’re welcome. Now let’s celebrate,” she said, handing me a root beer. I glanced around and saw that we had the place to ourselves, I could relax and just enjoy the company. I chatted with Max, challenged Maddy to an arm wrestle, beat Daisy at pool, and danced with August.
I slipped away, pressing a kiss to Kat’s hair while she chatted with Leo and Gertie, and went over to the bar. As I approached, I spotted Tilly talking to Max and he was gesturing like he was agitated.
“You need to move on, Princess,” Max said, and Tilly looked at him like he’d just told her Santa wasn’t real.
“Everything okay here?” I said, eyeing them both.
“Sure thing. Someone just needs to get it into her thick skull that she’s a child and get over this pathetic little crush of hers,” Max snarled. Tilly gasped, then promptly burst into tears and ran off.
“Give me a reason not to deck you right here for that,” I warned Max.
He spun and faced me, his eyes narrowed. “You think I wanted to do that? She’s been hanging around for months and it’s got to stop. I was cruel because being nice hasn’t worked. It’s your birthday, I don’t wanna fight with you. I didn’t wanna be a dick but she needed it. Now she can hate me and move on and stop staring at me with hearts in her goddamn eyes!” Max shouted, slamming the dish towel down on the bar and storming off.
I shook my head, deciding to deal with this drama another day. Max had a point but I just hated seeing little Tills hurting after everything she’d been through.
I went over to Kat and Leo who were now joined by Daisy. “I think someone needs to check on Tilly,” I said.
“I’ll go,” Leo volunteered. “This one is too drunk,” he pointed to Daisy. “And this one needs a night off from parenting,” he pointed to Kat.
“Appreciate you,” Daisy called after him.
“Damn, you are drunk,” he teased.
“Hush up, Rodeo Clown!”
“Now that your inhibitions are lowered, are you going to reveal to me who cleared the debt and gave us some money to start our plans?” Kat asked, staring intently at Daisy.
Daisy nibbled her lip before she sighed. “It’s Raleigh.”
“Duke? No!” Kat gasped.
“Yeah, and?” Daisy grew defensive. “You went to him for help too!”
“Yeah, but not for money! Oh Daze, what have you done? You know there’s no such thing as a gift with him!”
“It wasn’t a gift,” Daisy hedged.
“What did you agree to?” I asked, wondering how nervous I should be about what Daisy had gotten herself into.
“Do we owe him back? With interest? Does he get a say in what happens to the ranch?” Kat was panicking and I put a hand on her lower back, rubbing it gently to soothe her.
“No, nothing like that. We don’t owe him anything.” Daisy picked at the label on her bottle.
“Daze, what did you agree to?”
“Nothing that I can’t handle okay, let’s drop it. It’s this big lug’s birthday so let’s celebrate. Race you to the bull!” she shouted and charged down to the mechanical bull, knocking Gertie aside to get to it.
I looked at Kat whose face said it all. “Stop worrying,’ I told her. ‘She’s not an idiot. If she says she can handle it, she can handle it. They’re grown adults, you need to stop mothering them at some point.”
She stomped her foot like a teenager. “I don’t want to!”
“Well you need to. Focus on me instead,” I teased.
I pulled her over to the bull and watched as Gertie and Daisy took turns trying to stay on the longest, with neither of them doing very well. Leo reappeared and said he was going to take Tilly home.
Then it was finally time for us all to leave and Kat drove us back in the truck. I sat in the front, closing my eyes and enjoying the drive. Every now and then she took me out in the truck, knowing how much I loved it. She offered to let me drive around the ranch, but I didn’t want to. My ban was for life, and it would stay that way.
“I’m just gonna make sure everyone is put to bed, then I’ll come down,” Kat said, herding the girls into the house.
“Be quick, please. I want my birthday present,” I said against her mouth. She groaned and shoved me off before shouting at the girls to get their butts upstairs.
I headed to the cabin, fending off an excited Teddy as he greeted me. I fussed over him before putting him in his new, hand-crafted doggie bed.
I was tidying up the kitchenette when I felt that telltale prickle. I looked up, through the window and towards the house.
Smirking, I stalked over to the window and crooked my finger, knowing she was watching me. She mostly stayed with me in the cabin but sometimes when she had lots of work, she would stay at the main house. But she’d watch me. Every so often I put on a show for her but not tonight, tonight I needed her here.
My phone buzzed and I pulled it out.
Kat: Coming now.
Typing out my reply and sending it, I looked up at the house and saw the light shine in the window. Satisfaction flared inside knowing she was there watching me.
She met me at the door and I carried her into the bedroom. Before I could rid her of her clothes, she stopped me. “Your present,” she declared, holding out a little box.
I glanced down at it, sealed with blue ribbons, touched. “You didn’t have to get me anything, you’re more than enough.”
“Well I didn’t get you something, I made it.”
I tore the box open and on a bed of blue tissue paper, was a little wooden heart with our initials etched into it. The wood had a few dings in it, like she had caught it while carving the heart, and seeing she’d done this herself, touched me more than words could say.
“You made this?” I asked, staring at it in awe. She nodded. “No one’s ever done anything like this for me.”
“I know,” she smiled. “But now they have.”
I tackled her to the mattress, raining kisses over her until she was breathless and begging, and then I made love to her again and again until we were both finally sated.
“Love me forever?” she mumbled, her voice drowsy with sleep, one arm slung over my chest.
I smiled against her hair, trailing my fingers lazily up and down her bare back. “I’ll do anything you ask me to, sweetheart.”
“Good,” she snuffled.
That night, I couldn’t sleep. Not from nightmares or bad thoughts, just my mind playing over the last few hours. The love, the joy, the family I’d found.
“Thank you, Charlie,” I whispered, not wanting to wake Kat. I thanked him for showing me the way, forever grateful to him for showing up for me, for giving me a family, and getting me to consider my future.
And forever grateful that I made my way to Redemption Ranch…
The End.