Bonus Scene
THREE YEARS LATER
The late afternoon sun still blazes on the distant mountains, and a hot, dry breeze rolls through the valley in soft waves. It’s a little too hot for my liking, but when the boys want to ride, I never say no, especially now that we can ride my way.
One of the best days I ever experienced was coming full circle on Owen’s adoption and not having to only let him ride old Hector—the poor thing deserves retirement—but he’s the only horse at Monarch Hills his caseworker ever approved.
So if O wants to ride, O gets to ride. He’s nearly a man now, and he’s becoming a fine young gentleman, too. Not that you’d know it when he’s on a horse. Lucky thing my boys are up for taking care of the beasts because with my brothers all starting their own families, work getting in the way and my dad not wanting to deal with overly strong horses anymore, we need the next generation coming up in the Mendez family.
Owen keeps Fuego in check around the barrels we set up, and Theo? He’s more cautious than Owen at a pace, but also a lot better at using a rope. I have two homegrown cowboys coming up the ranks, and the satisfaction that gives me shores me up, which is probably why I don’t immediately lose my patience when my wife interrupts for the fifth time.
“His heels, Santi,” Kat calls out from where she’s inside the ring, leaning on the fence. She bounces our two-year-old on her hip and calls out like she’s leading a damn seminar. “Tell him to drop them, or he’s going to lose his stirrups. Not to mention…”
“…balance,” I finish her sentence and exhale slowly, gripping the reins of Owen’s horse while I give my wife a look. “You know, technically, I’m the cowboy here.”
Kat shrugs, completely unfazed. “And technically, I’m still right.”
Theo stifles a laugh. Owen smirks, smug as hell. Even my toddler in Kat’s arms claps her sticky little hands like her momma just won a blue ribbon for nagging.
I sigh, turning back to the boys. “All right, drop your heels.”
Owen adjusts slightly, and Theo—because he is my child in every way but blood—grins at me and does it even more dramatically, the sass in his blue eyes inherited from his mom. Not that I haven’t modeled it, too. The kid is going to make one hell of a roping champion.
Or a smart-ass lawyer. Could go either way.
I roll my eyes, but my chest tightens. Even now, I don’t take moments like these for granted.
Behind me, my baby girl squeals, wiggling wildly in Kat’s arms, her sweet voice shrieking, “Me… horsey!”
Kat laughs, holding her tighter while she dodges tiny grabby hands. “Oh no, Liliana Mendez. Not yet.”
I turn in my saddle. “You heard her, Mama. She wants a pony.”
Kat glares. “She’s two.”
“Exactly. Prime time to start.”
“She can’t even put her boots on the right feet, Santi.”
I hitch my thumb behind me. “Neither can Owen half the time, and he’s doing just fine.”
“Hey!” Owen protests.
Theo snickers. “He’s not wrong.”
Kat rolls her eyes dramatically. She sets our daughter down in the grass and tries to hide her smile like she always does when we bicker like this. Like it’s foreplay.
I nudge my horse forward, stopping just in front of her, my gaze dropping to the little one at her feet. God help me, she has her mama’s eyes. Big and blue and full of mischief.
“You want to ride, mija?” I ask, my voice softer now.
She claps furiously, bouncing on her chubby legs. “Ride! Ride, ride, ride!”
I glance over at Kat, who looks resigned. When I reach down, she lifts our daughter into my arms without hesitation.
The second she’s settled against my chest, Lili’s tiny hands grip my shirt, and I swear, anything bad that might have happened that day, anything that might have disjointed me? Her touch clicks it all back into place.
One, two, three kids, fourth on the way. A wife who drives me insane in the best damn way. A life I never saw coming—but one I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.
Kat watches us, her hands resting on her hips, her entire face full of something fierce and beautiful, and for a moment, I’m weightless staring at this woman.
“You’re thinking too hard,” she murmurs.
I smirk, reaching out to snag her arm, pulling her close until she’s right against my knee. “Just wondering how I got so lucky.”
She snorts. “By sheer accident.”
“Nah,” I say, dropping my voice just for her. “That tree was no accident.”
She softens but she’s still full of humor. “What are you saying? Were you following me?”
I smirk. “I don’t follow. I hunt. And I caught you, didn’t I?” I kiss my fingertips and place them on my heart where my mom’s tattoo is. “With the help of my guardian angel.”
At that, my wife surrenders. “I love you.”
“Love you better.”
She crosses her arms and shakes her head, the feistiness back. “Love to wind me up.”
I wink. “You can tell me off later.”
At that, I click to set Titan off in a circle and give Lili a ride.
And in the golden light of the evening, with our daughter giggling against my chest, with Theo and Owen bickering in the background, with Kat watching the scene before her like it’s her whole damn world, I swear I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.
When we make it full circle around the arena, Kat is there waiting for me to hand Lili back over.
“So, what do you say, Michi?” I ask, shifting my daughter higher in my arms. “We getting this one a pony or what?”
“We already have one pony.”
“But it’s not her pony,” I protest.
Kat groans, but she’s smiling.
And I know right then and there—our girl’s getting her damn pony.