Epilogue
A YEAR LATER
M y hip aches. The night air is thick and hot. The universe, vast and starlit, stretches above us like the most beautiful, mind-boggling wonder there is.
Wyatt and I lie flat on our backs on the rooftop deck of our camper, taking in the skies. I see the bob of an ember as Wyatt takes a drag on the joint.
“Where are we tomorrow?” I ask.
My husband reaches down, blindly links my fingers through his. “Gotta be in Lubbock tomorrow.”
For the last year, we’ve been consistently on the road traveling from rodeo to rodeo. Wyatt riding broncs, me barrel racing. From events that last a few days to month-long marathons, we’ve been seeing the world one city at a time.
Vagabonds in this strange trip on Earth, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Wyatt and I. Ride or die until the end.
“There,” Wyatt says. “See it?”
Squinting, I follow his finger, the streak of light arcing across the night sky.
“Beautiful,” I murmur.
Chuffs come from our horses who graze in the small patch of grass. We travel with Lawless, Lovely, and Wyatt’s blue roan, Pepita.
Somehow, we’ve made this crazy life on the road work. I drive my beat-up Chevy and haul the trailer, Wyatt’s truck pulls our camper.
Ping.
Wyatt sits up, the light from his cell phone illuminating his face. “It says no service,” he grouses, “and yet, somehow Davis’s text gets through.”
I smile up at the stars. “That big brother energy.”
Ever since we left, our older siblings have been harassing us as much as they can via text and phone call. We keep in touch, see them at least twice a year.
Wyatt chuckles. “They saw the article.”
I sit up, reading over his shoulder. “Oh Lord.”
Yesterday an article ran in Rodeo Weekly , proclaiming me and Wyatt, “Rodeo’s Power Couple.”
And it’s not wrong.
In a strange twist of fate, what started as pinching pennies to live a life on the road has turned into a full-blown career.
One day in Amarillo, a man approached us when we were on a weeks-long stint and asked to hire us to train his daughter.
Since then, we’ve started stopping at ranches and training kids to ride.
Right now, it’s a side gig, but we have plans in the future to open our own rodeo school. Right on Runaway Ranch.
Wyatt grins. “Gonna let the fame go to your head, aren’t you?”
I elbow him then lean in and kiss him. “Always.”
A coyote howls. Across the horizon, the silhouettes of cacti stand out in the darkening dusk. As I shift, I suck in a breath.
My husband shoots me a knowing look. “How’s your hip?”
I smirk. “You worry too much.”
My hip has good days and bad days. PT is behind me, but my hip will never work as it should. But that’s okay. I cherish the reminder of how close I came. And when I have a bad day and want to scream and cry at the world, Wyatt’s always there to keep me steady.
“That ain’t an answer,” Wyatt drawls, slapping my thigh and giving it a squeeze. “How ’bout we call it a night, and you let me give you a massage.” He wiggles his brows. “A naked massage.”
“You think about getting me naked a lot,” I murmur. My heart hammers, wanting nothing more than my hot-as-hell husband to take me inside our camper and rail me senseless.
“What can I say?” He kisses my lips. “I have a very rich imagination.”
Ping .
I arch an eyebrow. “Another brother?”
“Charlie.” He thumbs through his phone. I watch his handsome face break out into a bright beam of a smile. “Fuck.”
I arch a brow. “Good news?”
“Reese is pregnant.”
I toss my head back and laugh. “Fuck yes.”
Finally, Ruby and Charlie are going to have their baby. They deserve everything good and happy.
I cast a smile at Wyatt. “Sounds like we need a trip home.”
He grins back. “Sounds like it.”
Sighing, I scoot closer and he pulls me into his arms. “Life feels good,” I say, snuggling into the warm cotton of his shirt.
“It is good.” His velvet drawl slips over me, and I close my eyes. “Long as I got you.”
Wyatt has kept my wild heart and given me every wild dream. A home on the road, on the range. Some days I could kill him, but most days I’d rather die first. He truly is my best friend, my partner, my soul. With Wyatt, I never feel tied down. I feel free.
Finally.
The thunder of hooves startles us.
I open my eyes and smile. “There they are.”
Wyatt lowers his mouth to my ear. “They’re amazin’.”
I stare, awestruck. Those wild horses from Arizona. They’re all still here, including Black Betty. Moonlight casts a pale shadow across the range. Dust clouds bloom in the dim light. Wyatt strokes my hair as we watch the horses sip water from the stream.
I twist into him, meeting those silver-blue eyes. “I love you,” I tell him.
“I love you, Trouble.” He cups my face. The love in his eyes has a warm sun rising in my chest. “So fuckin’ much.”
Our lips meet. I breathe him in as he wraps me in his strong arms. Wyatt’s heart syncs with mine. That beautiful beat that always reminds me I have one life to live and I’m going to do it all with Wyatt. The best piece of my life.
“Thank you,” I whisper when we pull apart.
“Baby, for what?”
Tears pool in my eyes and I smile. “For giving me the wildest ride I could have ever imagined.”
Wyatt laughs softly, his eyes glistening. “For you, Trouble,” he says, his voice low and smoky. “Anything. Forever.”