Chapter Twenty #2
“Are you okay?” I ask, fear creeping in, wondering if she’s having doubts now that we’ve made it out of the bedroom.
She glances at me, offering a soft, genuine smile. “I’m perfect. It’s just that being here has a sense of nostalgia—it feels like I’ve walked back into one of my favorite memories. I missed it.”
I know what she means. Indy didn’t spend much time here—only a few days—but having her here again feels like she’s come back home.
Which is funny, because this place isn’t my home—but it still means the world to me.
“The ranch is special.” I don’t elaborate, confident she knows what I mean.
We reach the gate, then turn to walk back up the driveway. “It’s not just the ranch. It’s being here. With you.” She squeezes my hand, and then it’s like the fog lifts, her mood instantly lifting as her gaze zeroes across the field. “Can we go to the stables?”
Indy’s pulling me across the dead grass before I can even answer, Whimsey barking and jumping at her feet.
“You want to ride?” I ask, laughing.
“Of course!” She lets me go, hightailing it to the horse stalls.
As soon as her boots hit the wood flooring, a gray and white mare sticks her head over with curiosity.
“Hey pretty girl,” Indy coos as I catch up. She rubs the horse on her nose, swishing the flies away from her eyes.
“Is this—”
“Pixie,” I finish for her. “Old girl’s still here.”
Coming up beside her, I undo Pixie’s fly mask, and she neighs at me, almost like she appreciated the gesture.
Indy pets her, stroking her hair and scratching her ears like she’s a dog—not a horse. But Pixie eats it up, loving the attention she’s getting from the woman showering her in it.
“Want to let her roam?” I ask, already unhitching the stall door. Pixie whinnies, and we step back to give her some room to go out.
Indy gives a little dance of excitement, beaming from ear to ear. We follow Pixie out into the small arena with Whimsey on our heels, and for a second, everything feels right.
We stand in the middle of the arena while Pixie walks around. I offered to saddle her, but Indy decided she’d rather just enjoy the moment.
So that’s exactly what we do. Indy watches the animals, and I watch her, finally feeling at peace.
I’ve spent so long wishing for this, and to finally have it here in front of me feels otherworldly.
I feel like the luckiest bastard alive—like nothing can stand in my way of loving Indy for the rest of my life.
Not even her brother.
After a while, Indy makes her way to the patch of lush grass in the middle of the arena and sinks down onto it, crossing her legs. Whimsey immediately drops down next to her, rolling onto her back to be pet, which Indy happily obliges.
Then something phenomenal happens—Pixie bends her long legs and shifts herself onto the ground with them, laying her head on Indy’s leg.
Indy looks at me from over her shoulder, the most beautiful, vibrant grin on her face. She laughs, the sound drifting like a melody over to me. “Are you seeing this?”
“I’ve never seen her lay down before. She loves you.”
Indy’s eyes glisten with unshed tears as she leans into the horse, using one hand to stroke the top of her head while the other pets Whimsey.
I become their personal paparazzi, taking pictures of the three of them at different angles, capturing this moment to save for a lifetime.
When I’ve taken at least a hundred, I join them on the grass.
Indy smiles when our knees brush. “I can’t tell you how many times over the years I almost texted you to ask if I could come out here and spend some time in the stables.”
“To be with the horses?”
She stops petting Pixie to look at me. A shade of rose flushes her cheeks, and for a second, I see a younger version of her—the girl I fell in love with when I was just a boy. “The horses,” she says softly. “Whimsey. The quiet.”
I shift closer to her, resting my hand against her cheek. “Why didn’t you? You’re welcome here anytime.”
My heart beats faster when she leans into my touch.
She’s perfect, so damn perfect.
“It didn’t feel right to ask. Seemed ridiculous to still be dreaming about visiting a place I’d only visited once.”
Something possessive and carnal sparks inside of me. Drifting my fingers down her arm, I thread my fingers through hers, then stand, tugging her up with me.
I want to look into her eyes when I say this—feel her against me.
I shift until our bodies are flush. “Let me make something crystal clear for you right now. You are it for me—what’s mine is yours. That goes for what belongs to my family because one day you will legally be their family too.”
Her breath hitches, that blush on her cheeks deepening further.
I drag my lips across her skin, drifting until I reach her ear. “That’s right, Trouble. Someday soon, my ring will be around your finger. I told you, if you showed up to my game, I’d spend these next three weeks showing you exactly how you deserve to be loved. I intend to keep that promise.”
“By proposing?” she breathes, stunned. I pull back to look at her—her eyes wide, lips slightly parted. She’s trying to figure out if what I just said was real.
I smirk. “Not yet. But someday. I can promise you that.”
“You’re crazy.”
“Crazy about you, Trouble. Always have been.” I nuzzle against her before placing a firm kiss on her cheek.
I pepper more against her until I reach her mouth, immediately thrusting my tongue inside.
“Tell me to stop,” I murmur through another kiss, heat pulsating through me again.
Her hands slide up the front of my shirt, gripping the fabric like she needs something to anchor her, and shakes her head. I don’t hesitate, pressing back into a kiss that starts slow. Indy tastes like sunshine and sweet promises of the future. I feel our kiss everywhere.
Beyond this little bubble we’ve just created, the trees rustle from the wind and birds chirp. But all I hear is the pounding of my heart.
Closer, Whimsey barks, reminding us she’s still below us. Indy laughs against my lips.
“Did you guys ever remodel that extra guest house?” she asks breathlessly and intertwines our fingers. For a second I have to think about what she’s just said.
I quirk a brow. “About six years ago. Why?”
Anticipation stirs, excitement thundering through me like a flash bomb.
My grip on her hand tightens as she leads me out of the arena, careful to lock the hitch behind her.
“Where are we going?” I ask, already knowing—I just want to hear her say it.
She flashes me a mischievous smile.
“I never got a tour.”