Chapter 35 #2
“Not technically in the stables,” I hedged. “More like…above them.”
“That’s my girl,” Savannah said with a grin as she high-fived me.
Hayes’s arms were warm around my waist. He craned around and pecked my lips as Mason, Levi, and Savannah delved into a conversation about a custom saddle she was working on.
“This feels right,” he said as he pulled me back against his chest.
“What does?” I asked.
“Them. Hallie and Zach. Us.”
I knew exactly what he meant. Between the two of us, we didn’t have any family left. If we did make it through a whole year of marriage, there would be no relatives to celebrate with us.
But we had them. And that was enough.
“How was work?” I asked.
“Mostly normal,” he said, and I could feel his satisfaction with the comfort of that. “I spent the afternoon meeting with the foundation’s legal team to sort out Lewis’s mess.”
“Have you heard anything from him?”
“Not directly. They’re considering him to be a flight risk, so he’s being held until his case goes to trial. Apparently, his ‘wife’ had tons of evidence against him and was more than happy to hand it over to the feds when she realized she wasn’t getting the payday Lewis had promised her.”
I let out a low whistle. “Who knew getting married on a whim was such a terrible idea?”
Hayes chuckled. “Not us. I’d say it worked out pretty damn well.”
I craned my neck to kiss him. “Love you.”
“Love you too,” he said with a smile that reached his eyes.
If forever meant growing old with Hayes Wilder, I couldn’t wait.
The windows began to rattle as the rumbling growl of a diesel engine grew near.
I looked up at Hayes as he looked down at me, wearing the same look of confusion. “Who’s here?” I asked. Everyone who was supposed to be on the estate at this time of day was already in the house.
Savannah looked at me, then at Mason and Levi. Everyone shared the same curious expression.
The engine cut off, and a door shut.
“Maybe it’s Grey coming to steal that cow back,” Levi said with a laugh.
A knock at the kitchen door eased some of the tension. If it was someone unfamiliar, they would have gone to the front entrance.
I followed Hayes as he eased out from behind me and stood to answer the door. We might as well present a united front. After all, I had ended my reign as Miss Virginia to be the reigning Mrs. Wilder. The ring on my finger was better than any crown.
Mason beat him to the door but stumbled back the moment he opened it. A man in a cowboy hat stood on the other side, wearing an ear-to-ear grin. His obnoxious belt buckle was almost as big as his head.
“Bishop!” The man came barreling through the door and pulled Mason into a backslapping hug. “Look at you, man!”
Mason’s smile was grim, but he tried to play it off by palming his silvering beard. “What the hell are you doing here?” It was probably meant to sound surprised, but he sounded irritated.
Hayes and I exchanged questioning looks with Levi and Savannah.
“Shoulda stayed in the circuit with me,” the man said as he patted Mason on the back. “What’d I always tell you? The rodeo keeps you young.”
Rodeo. Maybe he knew Mason back in his steer-wrestling days.
Mason didn’t look thrilled at the presence of the unexpected houseguest. The man, however, appeared none the wiser.
“I was working the Cinch booth at a little festival. Heard your name being tossed around and found out you were working out this way. I figured it was a long shot coming out here, but here you are.”
“Here I am,” Mason said as he subtly shifted to stand between the man and the stairs.
Hayes broke the tension by stepping forward. “Hayes Wilder.”
The guy shook his hand. “Wilder. Wilder Estate. Got it.”
Mason looked like he was halfway between wanting to hide under a rock and wanting to kick the guy out.
I cut my eyes at Savannah and mouthed, “What the hell?” But she just shrugged.
“How do you know Mason?” Hayes asked.
The man tossed his arm around Mason’s shoulders. “Mase and I were in the rodeo circuit for ages. Best bulldoggers around. Competed against each other a hell of a lotta times. Damn shame when he called it quits. We’ve been best friends for, what? Twenty years?”
Mason’s jaw ticked, and his eyes hardened. He cleared his throat and shifted his weight between his feet. “Somethin’ like that.”
“I’m sorry, I must have missed your name,” Hayes said as footsteps echoed overhead.
The guy grinned and extended his hand to Hayes. “Ricky Campbell.”
Savannah’s jaw dropped.
“Oh my god,” I gasped.
Zach thundered down the stairs but came to a skidding stop and froze. The only readable expression on his face was pure shock. “Dad?”
Hayes whipped around at the sound of Zach’s voice, but no one dared to speak.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs as Hallie hurried down, still wearing a giddy expression as she clutched the vase holding the flowers Mason had given her.
The smile quickly vanished as soon as she laid eyes on the newcomer.
Hallie froze. The vase slipped, shattering across the tile floor.
Savannah was the first to break the silence. “I’m gonna find a broom.”
“I’ll help,” Levi said, quick to join her and get out of dodge. “We could use a third to hunt down that broom. You coming, Mase?”
“No.” Mason couldn’t have been moved from where he stood between Hallie and her ex-husband if a bulldozer had been coming at him.
Hayes took my hand and tugged me away. Reluctantly, I followed. Really, I wanted to stay and find out what the hell was going on. While Levi and Savannah made themselves scarce and headed down the path to the stables, Hayes led me to the rose garden.