Chapter 25
Twenty-Five
River
“Stop it, you mean little shit!” I yell.
That fucking asshole rooster runs at my feet for the fifth time, his wings spreading out and flapping against my legs. I hold out my hand trying to talk him down.
“Richard! I swear to God, I’ll never let you out of that coop again if you don’t fucking quit it.”
Carter laughs, startling me. “You named your rooster Richard?”
“Yeah. Cause he’s a dick!” I say, keeping my eye on the rooster.
He runs at me again. I put my boot out trying to stop him, but he flies up and pecks my thigh.
Ouch. Fuck!
“Why don’t you just run?” Carter asks.
“Because, when you run, it encourages them to attack.”
I stand still, holding out my hand again as Richard prepares to attack, but before he can, I drop and pin his neck to the ground, then hold down his wings.
“Shhh.” I soothe the bird. “I’m not trying to get in your hen house. It’s okay.”
Carter watches as I calm Richard down. I hold him down for a few more minutes, and begin to stroke his back, making sure he’s relaxed, then let him up. It’s like nothing even happened as he runs off toward the coop. I push to stand.
Woah.
Too fast. I stood up way too fast. Everything spins around me. I close my eyes and breathe through it. I feel Carter’s hand grab ahold of my elbow.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Just dizzy.”
I open my eyes and take him in. Hot damn. Carter in camo is a sight to be seen.
“You and Dad just get back?”
He grins the biggest grin, showing off his dimples.
“Yep. Didn’t kill a buck, but I bonded with your dad, and he didn’t shoot me this time, so that’s a win.”
I chuckle and begin walking toward the stables. “Wanna go with me to meet the horses?”
“Actually,” my dad’s voice comes from behind us. “Carter, can you give us about fifteen minutes? I need to talk to River.”
Peering over my shoulder, I catch sight of my dad adjusting his cowboy hat. Carter lifts my chin and kisses my lips. “I’ll go check on your mom and come back out in a few.”
I watch him walk back toward the house as Dad comes up beside me.
“He’s a good man, River. You did good this time.”
Tears fill my eyes at Dad’s approval, and I nod. “He's the greatest man I’ve ever known. Better than I deserve.”
I knew Dad would grow to like Carter. He’s one of those people you can’t help but fall in love with. We begin walking in silence, the sound of our boots crunching on the dead grass under our feet.
“What’s going on with you and Mom? Are you two back together?” I ask, sliding open the stable doors with a grunt.
“Yeah, we are.”
I shake my head, and Dad sighs. “Now look, bug, I know what you’re thinking.”
“Ha. Doubt that.”
He tosses an arm across one of the stall doors, studying me with his ankles crossed. Ricochet leans his head over the door two stalls down, and I walk over to him and rub his head.
“I missed you so much, baby,” I coo, rubbing the spot between his eyes, ignoring Dad. My horse got me through some of the worst days of my life, and if I had someplace to take him to in New York, I’d bring him home with me.
“You don’t want us together, I get that—”
“You’re right. I don’t. It’s a terrible idea.
You two messed me up, Daddy. All your fighting.
And if I’m being honest, you weren’t the nicest man to Mom.
You set a poor example of how a man should treat me,” I say, patting my chest as I turn to look at him.
“I didn’t know what a healthy marriage was supposed to look like until I met Ethan and Laura.
When I saw how Carter’s parents flirted, how kind they are to each other, and even after decades of being together, how much they love one another, I thought it was weird.
I mean, maybe that’s the wrong word; it’s sweet, but .
. . I don’t know . . . not normal for me to witness.
Carter shows me every day how a marriage is supposed to be and the way a husband should love his wife.
I wish I could say the same about you. I wish I grew up in a home with a mom and dad who loved each other and didn’t use me as a pawn in their fights. ”
Dad stares at the ground, his cowboy hat blocking the view of his face. I lean against the wall with my arms folded across my chest, waiting for him to say something. As he lifts his head, tears stream down his face.
“People grow up, bug. We mature and realize what’s important.
Your mom and I almost lost you. In fact, in the aftermath of everything you went through, we lost pieces of you.
That’s when we started to grow closer, leaning on one another, trying our best to help you in whatever way we could.
We had to hold each other together. It’s gut-wrenching to watch your baby suffer and not be able to do a damn thing.
Seeing you in that hospital broke me. It fucking broke me. It changed me.”
Dad chokes back a sob. “It took that to realize I was the problem in our home. I know that now. I know that I didn’t do right by you or your mom.
I blame myself every day for what happened to you.
You’re right. I didn’t set an example of how you should be treated, and I’m sorry. I am so damn sorry.”
His shoulders shake as the damn breaks, and my chest tightens. I’ve never seen my daddy cry. I swipe the tears from under my eyes and walk over to him, wrapping my arms around his waist. He takes his hat off and lays his cheek on top of my head, holding me for a while before speaking.
“When you left for New York, we missed you so damn much. You never called, and it was like we lost you all over again. Your mom and I started seeing more of each other over the last year. Harold over at the feed store told me that she needed help out here on the farm, so I started helping. It didn’t start off easy.
You know how independent she is, and taking help from a man, much less from me of all people, wasn’t something she was thrilled about.
But I kept coming home, and over time, she came around.
We formed a new friendship, and that friendship grew into something more.
We’re different now. Just like you’re different now. ”
Looking up, I study his face and think back to Cal and Aspen’s wedding. “But when we were in Vegas, you two didn’t act like . . . you both—”
“What?” He raises an eyebrow. “Joked? Teased each other? Tried like hell to keep our hands to ourselves?”
“That’s . . . eww . . . but sweet, I guess.” I laugh through the tears.
“I love your mom, and I promise this time around, I’ll treat her right.”
I nod into his chest, knowing his words are sincere. The one thing my dad has never done is lie to me.
“Love you, bug.”
“I love you too, Daddy.”
Carter walks into the stable, and Dad releases me, wiping his eyes and placing his cowboy hat back on his head.
He approaches Carter and holds out his hand for a handshake, then pulls him in for a hug.
They slap each other on the back, and as Dad walks out, Carter steps in front of me, wrapping his arms around me.
“Good talk?”
Nodding, I look up at him. “Yeah. Really good talk.”
Pushing to my toes, I bring his head down to kiss me. When Ricochet whinnies, Carter pulls back and looks over my shoulder, and his eyes dance with mischief as one side of his mouth lifts into a devious smirk.
“Go shut the stable door, Kitten.”
My boots click along the concrete floor.
Doing as he instructs; I pull the door closed.
His bare, tattooed back is facing me when I turn around.
A riding crop rests in one hand, and he reaches up, pulling reins off a hook with the other.
He turns around, his camo pants hanging low on his hips and his piercing eyes locked on mine.
“Strip,” he commands.
I look around nervously, scared someone might barge in.
“Don’t make me repeat myself, Kitten.”
Holy shit. The authority his voice holds causes a throb between my legs. Doing as he says, I take off my clothes, starting with my shirt and bra. The cold air hits my nipples and causes them to harden. Carter adjusts himself and walks towards the middle of the stable.
“You know someone could come out here.”
“Does this look like the face of a man who cares? I was well-behaved last night, but right now, I need my wife.”
I kick off my boots and pull off my socks. The cement feels like ice beneath my feet, but I keep moving forward, anticipation building in my core as I saunter over to Carter until I’m standing right in front of him.
“Jeans off. Now.”
I strip off my jeans, leaving my panties in place.
“Oh, now you’re just being a brat.”
He reaches to one side, ripping the lace, then does the same with the other side.
As my panties hit the ground, his mouth finds my nipple.
He swirls his tongue around the peak, and his teeth nip and tug.
The sting shocks me. I jerk back, but he pulls me in closer.
He licks the valley in between my breasts, then moves to the other nipple.
As he raises to his full height, I see nothing but heat in his eyes.
Grabbing my wrist, he leads me to an empty stall and opens the door.
The leather strap rounds my wrist, and he secures it with the clip.
Carter tosses the strap over the bar that crosses the top of the stall doorway and pulls, hoisting my right arm, leaving it suspended in the air.
After placing a kiss to my left wrist, he then secures the leather strap around it.
My arms are pulled tight above my head, and the clips dig into my wrists as I stand there, facing the wall, naked and waiting, my body trembling.
Not from fear. I know Carter won't hurt me or go too far, and I need this from him. Anticipation has me trembling.
He leans down and speaks low into my ear. “I may be a nice guy, Kitten. But there’s nothing nice about the things I want to do to you right now.”
The riding crop comes down on my ass. The sting spreads right over my tattoo where I branded his name.
“Mmm,” I moan, as my core throbs.