Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 113934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
Her cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. “Thank you for all of this. I know you paid my parents for half of everything.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She narrowed her eyes at me and slowly shook her head while tsking. “Now, you aren’t going to start our marriage on a lie, are you?”
I wrapped my arms around her waist. “Fine. I did pay for half of everything, but I felt like it was only fair.”
“And you wouldn’t take any help from your parents, I hear.”
Glancing over to my mother and father, I smiled. “Did they happen to tell you they insisted on gifting us the land?”
Her smile dropped. “Wait. The land? Do you mean…”
“Yes. All of it. They’ve been doing it over the last three years. Each year, gifting more acres. The last of it is our wedding present.”
A tear slowly made a trail down her cheek. Reaching up, I gently wiped it away.
“That’s so much money. I could maybe see a few acres for the house, but all of it?” she asked with a hiccuped sob.
“If we want to, we can expand the ranch in the future.”
She nodded and buried her face in my neck while she softly cried. Holding Skylar in my arms, I silently thanked God for the blessings in our life.
“It’s a lot of money,” she mumbled.
Slowly rubbing my hand up and down her arm, I replied, “They wouldn’t have done it if they hadn’t had the means. It’s like my mother said; that land was an unknown blessing when they stumbled on it. Just think of the things we’re going to do.”
Skylar pulled back and looked into my eyes.
She smiled, and we both said, “Sky’s the limit.”
EPILOGUE
* * *
Skylar
Five Years Later
STEPPING OUT OF the barn, I smiled when I saw Wyatt walking alongside a horse with Candace, a sixteen-year-old girl who had been date-raped five months ago. Her trust level with men was zero, so to see her laughing at something Wyatt had said—not to mention, seeing her conquer her fear of horses—made my heart swell.
As they got closer, I called out, “Hey, look at you! You graduated from brushing Mo to riding him!”
Her smile grew from ear to ear. “He’s so sweet! It’s like he is so happy I’m riding him.”
I laughed. “He is, trust me. Mo loves to be ridden. It’s his favorite thing, next to eating oats.”
Candace giggled as she brought the horse to a stop.
Wyatt took a step back and looked up. “Would you like help getting down?”
She shook her head. “I’ve got this.”
With a nod, Wyatt reminded her, “Swing your right leg all the way over his back, and step down. Then, your left foot will slip right on out.”
Candace took a deep breath and did exactly what Wyatt had said. When both feet hit the ground, she beamed with pride. Turning to me, she exclaimed, “I did it. I did it, Skylar! I did it!” She rushed over to me and threw her arms around me.
Hugging her back, I said, “I knew you could.”
My heart ached. For something so simple to make her feel so happy saddened me. Her story was not new to me. As a matter of fact, it almost mimicked my own. Date-raped by a friend, shunned by the community, and bullied at school. Her parents had all but given up until Candace’s counselor gave them our information. In the two short months Candace had been coming to the ranch, I’d seen a huge improvement in her. Earlier today, she’d opened up more than she ever had. She’d even told me about the crush she had on a boy in her class.
Spinning on her heels, she faced Wyatt. “Wyatt, will you help me bathe and brush him?”
I could see the happiness in Wyatt’s eyes. Candace had kept her distance from both Wyatt and Mitch when she first got here. Hearing her asking for Wyatt’s help was a huge stepping-stone, and I was so happy to see it.
“Of course I will. Why don’t you bring Mo into the barn and get him latched up? I’ll be right in.”
She nodded enthusiastically. “Okay!”
She took the reins from Wyatt, and I watched her walk into the barn.
“Come on, Mo, let’s get you all cleaned up. I bet there might even be a few oats in it for you.”
I shook my head as she walked away.
Sky’s the Limit had been open for five years, and we had grown so much. We had twenty-two employees, not including myself, Wyatt, Mitch, and Michelle. Four therapists, myself included, worked tirelessly to help these kids heal. It was the best job ever, especially when I saw something like this.
With my mouth dropped open, I looked at Wyatt. “What happened?”
He laughed. “I don’t know! We were walking him, and she asked if she could try to ride. Luckily, Michelle had told me to bring a helmet, just in case. I think she figured Candace was going to break any day now.”