Chapter Forty-Seven
Marina
Blaze is gone.
On his way back to Francey with a promise to Ryder that he’ll call and visit more often.
I’m not holding my breath.
I’ve heard promises from Blaze before, and I know better than to build my expectations around them. But at least he doesn’t sound like he’s gearing up for a fight. No threats. No accusations. No more questions about where we are living.
As far as I’m concerned, that’s a win.
I teach my morning class, then spend the early afternoon getting ready for a late afternoon one-on-one in the indoor arena.
I’m checking the tack on one of the lesson horses when I hear footsteps coming across the dirt.
I glance over my shoulder.
Royce is walking toward me with that easy, confident stride of his, hat pulled low and his hands shoved into his pockets.
“What are you doing here?”
“Come sit with me.”
I glance toward the stands. “Are you here to beg me to have dinner with you again?”
“Yes.”
I laugh.
He climbs the steps, and I follow him, settling beside him on the bottom row.
“In fact, I’d like you to be my dinner date for the rest of your life.”
I stop breathing.
Actually stop.
My smile disappears.
“Royce …” I swallow. “You’re not …”
“No,” he says, and he grins. “Not yet.” He reaches for my hand. “But I do love you. And I’ve got a different kind of proposal I’d like you to consider.”
I blink at him. “Wait.”
He pauses.
“Repeat that last part.”
His eyebrows lift. “I’ve got a different kind of proposal?”
“No.” I shake my head, my heart hammering. “The, um … the love part?”
Royce stands and pulls me into his arms. His hands settle around my waist, pulling me against the hard length of his body.
“Marina Kincade,” he says quietly, looking straight into my eyes, “I am one hundred percent, head over boots, madly in love with you.”
A tear slips down my cheek. “I love you too, cowboy.”
His mouth crashes onto mine.
I grab his shirt and kiss him back, pouring every ounce of everything I’ve been too scared to say into it.
His arms tighten around me.
The kiss turns long and deep and hungry until—
“Ahem.”
We break apart, and I am in a haze. I blink up at Royce. Then we both turn toward the arena entrance.
Bryce stands there with two gentlemen in suits.
“Perfect timing,” Royce calls.
I wipe beneath my eyes, trying to compose myself as the three men walk toward us.
Royce gestures toward the first man. “Rina, this is Shawn Norris. He’s Bryce and Axle’s agent. Mine too.”
Shawn offers me his hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”
I shake it, still trying to figure out what the hell is happening.
“And this is Jack Wells,” Royce says. “CEO of Buck’n Diesel Energy.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say, taking his hand next.
“You too, Marina.”
I look between the three men. “Okay …”
Royce grins. “She’s confused.”
Bryce chuckles. “Then I suppose we should explain.”
They do.
And within minutes, my confusion turns into complete disbelief.
They have a plan. Not some vague pipe-dream plan. A real plan for me to return to the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association.
To compete again. To go after the championships I walked away from.
Shawn offers me representation.
Bryce tells me Dry Canyon Distilling Company and Bull Rope Whiskey want to sponsor me.
Jack tells me Buck’n Diesel wants in too.
I stare at all three of them.
My mind can’t keep up.
It’s too much.
Too fast.
Too impossible.
And then my eyes find Royce.
He’s sitting back, watching me.
“Can you guys give us a few minutes?” he asks the men.
Bryce nods. “We’ll meet you back in the office.”
The three men head out.
I wait until they’re gone before turning toward Royce. “What is happening?”
He takes my hand. “I’m leaving the circuit.”
My breath catches. “What?”
“I’m going to take care of my shoulder. Get the surgery. Do the recovery right. And when I’m done, I’m going to work for Bryce full-time.”
I stare at him. “Royce …”
“It’s your time, Rina.” His thumb brushes across my knuckles. “You’ve spent years putting everybody else first.” He smiles softly. “You’ve still got a world champion in you. You have buckles to win and records to break.”
My eyes fill again.
“I’ll be right here,” he continues. “Holding down the home front for you and Ryder. When I said I love you, I meant I love you both. You go chase it. Me and little man will make sure you’ve got somewhere to come home to.”
I shake my head. “I can’t believe you’d be willing to do that for me … for us.”
He shrugs like he’s telling me he’ll take out the trash. “Bryce is coughing up a pretty penny to have me as his right-hand man at the academy.”
“What about Axle?”
Royce looks genuinely confused. “What about him?”
“You two have been doing this rodeo thing together since you were boys.”
“I know.”
He leans back against the bench. “But Axle was always going to surpass me.”
There’s no bitterness in his voice.
Only pride.
“I loved all those years on the road with my brother. We were just two dumbass kids chasing rodeos across the country. Overnight road trips in busted-up trucks. Sleeping in shitty motels. Eating whatever we could afford.”
I laugh. “And charming questionable women,” I remind him.
His grin turns wicked. “Thank God we both got that out of our systems.” Then his expression softens. “But he isn’t going to be doing that anymore.”
He looks toward the arena doors. “His life is going to be flying first class. Photo shoots. Commercials. Five-star hotels. All the shit that comes with being where he belongs.”
I watch him quietly.
“I wouldn’t trade those years with him for anything,” he says. “But we aren’t eighteen anymore.”
He turns back to me. “And in case you haven’t figured it out yet”—he reaches for my hand again—“I’m willing to do damn near anything for you, Rina.”
My heart squeezes. “Why?”
His smile is slow and devastating. “Because I love you. And I want to build a life with you.”
He pulls me against him again.
“A family?”
It’s all I’ve ever wanted.
His eyes spark with heat. “Sure thing.” His hands slide to my ass. “We can start right now if you want.”
I push his chest. “Oh, no, cowboy. I have a few buckles to win before we do that.”
“Okay,” he says, pulling me into his lap. “But you know, I’ve heard that practice makes perfect, so what do you say we get in all the practice rounds we can before then?”
He kisses my neck.
We can definitely do that.