Chapter 28
“It’s so beautiful out here.” Maisie’s breath puffed out in clouds.
She was tucked in front of me on Pippin’s back, Nora clutched in her arms. Cody was riding with Colt, and Paisley was riding with Carter, each on their own horses.
Whiskey, Tango, and Foxtrot were farther up the trail, darting among the trees and sniffing everything they could get their noses near.
The morning was frosty, clinging to the trees and grasslands, but we had yet to receive a dump of snow. It was getting a little late in the year for no snow, but hopefully later in the season we would get enough to stave off the drought conditions in the spring.
“Bryan is freaking out,” she said quietly, looking up at me.
I spun around, looking at Bryan riding one of our Clydesdales, Leon. The horse was as docile as they came and followed happily, but Bryan hadn’t had nearly enough time on horseback to be totally comfortable. “You doing okay back there, Bry?”
He grimaced. “Super.”
“Tell him he looks cute on horseback.”
I laughed and relayed Maisie’s statement.
She giggled in my lap. “I’m getting better about picking out the different emotions in the bond. We got a mix of pride and embarrassment with that one.”
I shared a bond connection with Carter, but I was still a little envious over the one Bryan shared with Maisie.
I wanted both of my omegas close. Not that Maisie had made the choice to become mine yet.
She had chosen Carter, though, so on top of fate’s decree, she was mine with one degree of separation.
Whether or not she wanted to be with me, I would still protect her.
Maisie snuggled harder into my arms. Nora was darling in her little snowsuit, head swiveling to take in the world around her.
“Are you too cold?”
“I’m fine. I like being right here.”
The quiet confession warmed me through. I knew Maisie felt comfortable with me, but with everything going on, her leaning so hard on Carter and then accidentally bonding Bryan, we hadn’t had much opportunity to spend time together. Today, I hoped to change that.
It was a decent trek down to the river, but one the horses were very familiar with. I didn’t even have to lead Pippin, he just marched along on the well-worn trail.
Some of the bison noticed us, wandering over to the fence to investigate.
They knew who we were, having grown used to our presence and deciding we weren’t a threat.
I loved seeing them. They had been part of this land for thousands of years, perfectly suited to the harsh conditions, carrying the history of the world in their bones.
“They’re so…is beautiful the right term?” Maisie asked.
“Majestic?” I suggested. They weren’t the prettiest of animals, but there was still a certain beauty about them.
“Yes, that’s it exactly. They look so at home. Do you think they’ll bother us down at the river?”
“Probably not. It’s always possible, but we haven’t personally run into any issues. If they show up, we give them space and stay with the horses. Worst case, we move into the trees. They prefer the open plain over trying to wiggle between all the little trees and underbrush.”
“As long as there’s a plan.”
“We always try to account for safety. If I thought it was dangerous, we wouldn’t take the kids down.”
Maisie nodded. “I trust you about that, but it’s still a mother’s duty to ask.”
I heard the river before I saw it, and when we came over the sloping hill, it stretched out like a diamond-dusted serpent, sparkling in the sun. The banks had the start of ice, but the water still ran freely. In the summer we would go out in waders, but with the kids we would stay on the shore.
I pulled to a stop next to the bench we had put in shortly after moving here.
Slipping down first, I collected Nora and set her on the bench, then helped Maisie down.
While she held Nora’s hands to walk around, I switched Pippin from bridle to halter so he could graze if he wanted to.
A few of the bison were perched on top of one of the hills, watching us, but thankfully far enough away we didn’t have to call off our fishing expedition.
Bryan arrived next, and I helped him off Leon, switching out that bridle as well.
With his feet on the ground, Bryan looked much steadier.
He went directly to Maisie, following the demands of their new bond.
I waited for the others, helping the kids down as they arrived.
The dogs drank from the river, a lineup of lapping tongues, at least until they took notice of the children finally on the ground, racing over to their respective favorites.
Carter and Colt dealt with their own horses, and then Colt sought out Cody, getting them set up for his birthday fishing.
I quite liked seeing him be paternal. We all wanted to be parents, though that was made a little more difficult considering Carter had zero desire to ever be pregnant.
We had considered fostering, or one day adopting, but that was on hold since Maisie came with a family in tow.
Maybe down the road we could add a few more to our family, but for now our focus was on these children.
“Could I interest you in a walk while the others watch the kids?” I asked Maisie when I caught back up to her.
“Sure, if the others don’t mind.”
“Go ahead.” Bryan was already taking Nora’s mittened hands, letting her lead him around. “We’ve got this.”
I pulled a double-mitten out of my pocket, a gift I had purchased the first winter I knew Carter. “Want to hold hands while we walk?”
Her bright smile was answer enough. I slipped it on my hand, and offered her the option to join me. She tucked her glove into her pocket, her fingers lacing with mine inside the couples mitten.
“This is so cute. I didn’t know they made mittens for people to hold hands.”
“I saw it in town one day and couldn’t help myself.”
Maisie walked close, holding on to my arm with her other hand while we navigated the trail along the riverside.
“How are you feeling after talking to the cops?”
“I wish I could say I felt better.” She sighed. “If he had told me I’d given him enough they could go in there tomorrow and save everyone it would be different, but there’s no guarantee. I mean, it’s good that they’re not going to press charges, but I’d really hoped for more than that.”
“I understand that. I know they’ve been building a case for a few years now. We got updates through the grapevine with Cash getting updates from Cooper’s sister and telling us.”
“We were always taught not to trust the police,” Maisie confessed.
“A fair lesson, honestly,” I replied. “I don’t know anyone who’s actually had a positive experience with them, maybe neutral at best. Unfortunately, there’s a few things where they have to be relied upon.”
“I wanted to thank you for how patient you’ve been during all of this chaos.”
“Did you think I wouldn’t be?”
She lapsed into silence as we walked along the riverside, stepping onto the sand and gravel on the shoreline, just watching the water rush past. “I hoped that you would be as sweet as you appeared. I wasn’t very good at trusting that it would be true.”
Her fingers twitched in mine.
“This all seems like a fever dream,” she continued. “I can’t tell you how many times I imagined a life with you. It feels like I’m squandering it.”
“How could you possibly be doing that?”
“Because I haven’t done this yet.” She lifted on her toes, tugging me down until she could reach my mouth.
Peach blossom sweetness rocked me down to my toes. Maisie pulled her hand from the shared mitten, cupping my cheek as she set about devouring me. The first brush of her lips sent my quiet craving for her galloping through me until I had to fight the urge to lay her down in the grass.
It took me a few seconds to regain my ability to think, but that was immediately blitzed away when she sighed against my mouth, a moan following immediately after as she leaned even closer.
When she pulled away, it was only to step up on the ledge of the shore, bringing her closer to my height.
From there, she locked her arms behind my neck and claimed my lips again.
My purr rumbled, sporadic and broken between gasping breaths and pitiful moans. I’d been hoping for connection when she came for a walk with me, but hadn’t expected her to take the opportunity for this. If I’d known she wanted to take that step, I’d have made myself more available.
My hands itched to actually touch her skin.
Unzipping her coat or sliding my fingers under it would only expose her to the cold air.
Instead, I tugged down her scarf enough I could kiss the column of her throat, and Maisie shivered.
A needy whine filled my ear as I slowly explored the narrow expanse of skin.
She was sweet on my tongue and squirmy in my arms, getting on her toes again so she could press even closer.
“Wyatt,” she whimpered my name.
Was she burning as hotly for me as I was for her? At least she had started the suppressants now, so there was no risk of her slipping into a flare. If we bonded, I wanted her to choose it, not have it be a beautiful accident.
The crisp air was a clash of winter and spring, ice and peach blossom. I loved that her scent was twinned with Carter’s, the same essence, just different phases, but carrying the same craving.
Maisie and I had spent more time together on her first day on the ranch than we had in all the years before.
I’ve been drawn to her from the first moment.
Now she was finally right where she belonged.
Even if the past hung heavy on her shoulders, we would do everything we could to lighten her load as we navigated our way into the future together.
I kissed her again, soft and smooth, cradling her cheeks in my hands.
“Stay with me tonight,” she whispered when I pulled away.
“Are you inviting me into your nest?”
Maisie nodded. “You belonged there the whole time, I figure it’s high time I let you in.”
Whether she meant physically or metaphorically didn’t matter, because I was grateful for every chance, every way she opened herself to me, and I certainly wasn’t about to miss out on this opportunity.