Epilogue
Three months later
Jameson helped carry the new sofa inside the farmhouse. “Hey, Bro, tell me again why you have all this money, and we’re carrying in this furniture.”
“It’s good for us,” Garrett said as he sat his end down. “It builds character.”
“Maybe for you,” Jameson grunted as he set down his end. “Did you get it?”
Garrett took out the engagement ring set and showed it to his buddy. “It’s stunning and fits her,” he said, smiling. “I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks, bro,” Garrett made a point of appreciating his friend.
“I hope someday to find this kind of happiness,” Jameson sat on the couch with his hands on his knees and his face hanging low.
“Don’t worry, we’ll find Caroline,” Garrett promised.
“The longer she’s out there, the less likely we’ll find her,” Jameson stated the facts. “It’s killing me. Tonight’s about you. When will you ask her?”
“I don’t know. She’s out in the field with Jay, teaching him how to wrangle cattle. She’s determined not to give up on him. I think he needs a job with the goats,” Garrett chuckled. “Did Tara’s horse arrive?”
“He’s in the barn,” Jameson informed him as they walked out of the house. “This is the last of it. I’ll pick Tara up from the bus stop while you shower. We’ll see you tonight.” He got into his truck and drove down the driveway.
Garrett watched Jameson go, feeling guilty about the joy he felt while his friend suffered. He glanced around at the farmhouse with two barns. This was all he and Riley needed for their new lives. The delivery men installed the walk-in fridge a few hours ago, and he couldn’t wait to show her.
Walking to the barn, he checked out Tara’s new horse, Riley’s only request. She needed one to ride with her best friend. He filled the feed bin and shut the door. A rope went over his head and wrapped around his body. He glanced up, seeing Riley, and smiled as she pulled him closer, wrangling him.
“Now you’ve got me, what do you plan to do with me?” he asked.
“Give me ten minutes and meet me in the bedroom,” she said, biting her lip. “I want to go for a ride before Tara gets home.”
He kissed her and whispered, “Hurry.”
Riley dropped the rope and ran into the house, making him laugh. Shaking his head, Garrett picked up the circle of trust where they spent hours hashing out old wounds and new arguments. The woman could’ve asked for a mansion and a flashy car. Instead, she asked for goats and a walk-in fridge.
He waited fifteen minutes, pulled out the engagement ring set from the box, and anticipated the moment he slid it on her finger. Making his way inside the house, he dropped the rings in his pocket. He climbed the stairs and stepped into their bedroom.
Riley stood in front of the window, glancing out at the fields. When she heard him, she turned and smiled. The lavender baby doll nightie twirled, showing all her assets. He doubted she realized the sunshine made the fabric see-through as she leaned against the window.
“You blow me away,” Garrett whispered, approaching her.
She fingered the lingerie and gazed up at him. “I hope so, because you won’t believe how much it costs, especially with how little material it has.”
“I think we can afford it,” he said, chuckling.
“Yeah, I can. Julio called while you waited in the barn. They offered me a job. Mac needs some time off to take care of his stump. I’m taking over the ranch operations. When he feels better, he’ll fill in between the two teams.”
“I guess it means I can retire and become a house cowboy.”
She hit his chest playfully, “Not if I can help it. We all pitch in to create the life we want.” Her hand roamed over his pocket. She peered at him questioningly.
Sighing, he pulled out the rings, forgetting to put them in the box. Riley distracted him with her invitation to the bedroom.
“I wanted to give this to you at the right time, and I bungled it. Riley, you’re everything I thought I wanted and more. If you’ll have me, I want to spend the rest of our lives together,” he said as he took off his hat and knelt. “Will you marry me?”
Riley’s hand went to her throat. She nodded and pulled him to his feet. “Yes, Garrett. You didn’t mess it up. You proposed to me in our new house.” She pulled the curtain back. “The only thing more important than all this is spending a lifetime sharing it with you.”
Garrett slid the engagement ring on her finger and kissed her gently. Showing her the wedding band, he said, “You gave Tara your mom’s necklace. I thought this might represent her. After all, I believe she led you to me.”
Riley beamed as she noticed the details. “I love it. Thank you.”
“Thank you for saying yes and giving me such a lovely view,” he whispered.
Riley licked her lips. “Before you go all caveman on me and tell me later, I want to touch you. Let me feel you.”
“I’m all yours,” he assured her. “You can do with me what you will.”
Riley’s forehead crinkled as she gazed at him and then the bed as if confused.
“What’s the matter?” he asked gently.
Her mouth twisted as she pulled him toward the bed. “I’m not sure where I want you. When we practiced, we did it on the coffee table.”
“Did what?” he choked.
Riley shrugged. “I’m new at this. Rachel, Rebecca, and Delaney showed me how to give a blow job,” she answered innocently.
Not wanting to hurt her feelings, Garrett glanced at the ceiling and held back his laughter.
She punched him in the gut. “Don’t laugh at me. I planned to do it the day they showed me, but we got into a fight. Now, I’m trying to recall everything. They said you might show me how you like it. They said nothing about you finding it funny,” she chastised.
Garrett laughed even harder. “I’m not sure I want to know what those three taught you. How about you tell me what you want to do, and we’ll figure it out together.”
She nodded slightly, still appearing hesitant.
“Do you have something else in mind? I don’t know how long I can restrain myself while you stand there in your sexy nightie,” Garrett encouraged her.
This time, Riley gazed into his eyes. “I asked Dr. Greene to put me on birth control pills. I wanted to make love with you without any barriers.”
Garrett’s chest puffed out as he struggled with his control. Riley seemed determined to push all his buttons. “I’m clean. The team requires a physical check-up, and they test for everything.”
“Oh. I guess you know I’m clean, too,” she said, unbuttoning his shirt. “I want my turn to taste you.”
He groaned out his frustration as he stepped back and removed his clothing. Riley’s fingers touched the edge of her nightie, and he shook his head. “Leave it on. I like it.”
She smiled as her hands roamed over his shoulder, biceps, and chest. They tickled their way down to his shaft, and her hand curled around it. She pumped it gently and fell to her knees.
“You’re killing me, Riley,” he groaned.
“Did I do something wrong?” she asked, her uneasiness mirrored in her eyes.
“No. You’ve done everything right,” he assured her.
She shot him an impish grin, before licking his length, and her hand cupped his balls and squeezed gently. Garrett sucked in his breath and twisted her hair in his fist. “That’s it,” he coached. “I love your tongue on me.”
Riley swiped the pearly tip and took him in her mouth. “Mmm,” she hummed, making Garrett suck in his breath. He watched as she moved up and down his cock, her luscious red lips around him nearly sent him over the edge.
She glanced at him, and he growled. “Don’t stop.” He helped her set a rhythm without choking her. He should’ve known better. His Riley didn’t wait for anything and enthusiastically took him deeper.
“Riley, Baby Girl, you need to stop,” he pleaded as she continued to take his length.
“But I want to taste you,” she said, licking her lips.
“Later,” he said, picking her up and tossing her gently on the bed.
“But you say that every time,” she protested.
“I want you, Riley. I want to feel your skin against me as you come,” he explained.
“Oh, I want to feel you, too,” she said excitedly. Garrett shook his head. Riley would be the death of him.
He kissed her thighs and brushed his beard against her, tickling her. Little giggles escaped her, and it turned him on even more. This was what he yearned for. A woman to laugh with and share a life together.
His tongue explored her center, and he slid two fingers into her slickness as he sucked on her tiny nub.
“I like this,” she purred. “Your tongue has many talents.”
He growled against her sensitive spot, making her clamp her legs against his head. “Ohhh,” she said, as her eyes got bigger.
Garrett placed tiny kisses on her stomach, while his hands kneaded her breasts and played with her nipples.
Riley raised her hips and reached down to squeeze his shaft. “I need you, Garrett.”
He took her nipple in his mouth and continued to play until she squirmed beneath him. Garrett entered her, loving the feel of her squeezing his cock. Relishing the feeling of her with no condom, he drove them mad with long, slow thrusts.
“Garrett, I want it harder,” she pleaded, lifting her hips to match his pace.
“I like it like this,” he said teasingly.
Riley’s eyes shot fire at him. “It’s my turn, and I want it harder,” she demanded.
He chuckled, giving her what she wanted.
“Yesss,” she said as she grew closer to her orgasm.
“Let me feel you, Baby Girl,” he panted as he raised and held her legs, thrusting harder. The smell of sex filled the room, and her juices coated him as their bodies clashed together. Like the thunderstorm from the first day they met, they came violently together.
Garett kissed her nose as they came down from the high together.
Riley smiled and used her finger, scribbling something else on his heart.
“What did you write this time?” he asked, gazing at her.
“I’m branding you. I wrote my name in huge letters so no other woman can claim you,” she confessed and held her engagement ring in the air, staring at it.
“It fits us. You’re the platinum, all steady and strong. I’m the turquoise with all the cracks in it showing how I withstood the wind and your truck,” she said as she kissed him.
Garrett laughed. “Thank goodness I didn’t run over you.”
“It’s a good thing. I know how to take the cattle brander to your ass,” she said, rolling from the bed. “We have guests arriving soon. Did you order the barbecue?”
“Yes, much to Delaney’s chagrin. I explained how we did it to keep a small business open, and she wholeheartedly approved as long as we let her bring a dish,” Garrett said, rising from the bed.
He watched Riley pin her hair up in the mirror, smile, and wink at him.
Growing up, Garrett never pictured a rich life as his grandfather worked him to the bone, and he survived his mother’s boyfriends. Excitement filled him, knowing he wrangled Riley forever, making him feel richer than any amount of money ever could.