Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77730 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77730 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
My head dropped against his chest as we fought to steady our breaths.
“Did you turn off the pans?” I asked.
He chuckled. “I did.”
I ran my finger lazily over his chest. “Every time we’re together, I swear it gets better and better. And that was just plain hot as hell.”
He kissed along my jawline. “I thought so too.”
I lifted my head and looked into his eyes. “Maverick?”
Pushing a piece of hair behind my ear, he smiled and asked, “Lily?”
I let out a small laugh. “How about we just eat a couple of protein bars and go take a shower before we go riding?”
He raised his brows. “A shower together? What about my bacon I slaved over and the veggies you cut up?”
“I promise I’ll make up for them in the shower.”
“Is that so? And exactly how do you plan on making up for them?”
Crawling off his lap, I stood. Pulling his T-shirt over my head, I dropped it to the floor. “You still haven’t let me make you come with my mouth, and I really want to do that.”
His eyes turned dark gray as he stood. “What bacon?”
When he grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder, I let out a shriek of delight. With a slap on my ass, he headed to the shower, where I made good on my promise.
Chapter Sixteen
LILY
Maverick and I rode in comfortable silence as we took the trail that led to one of my favorite places on the property. It was a spot where you could look over the entire ranch, and a special place to so many of my family members.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this way, and I thought I’d ridden all these trails,” Maverick said from behind me.
We were closer to my grandparents’ house and Uncle Brock and Aunt Lincoln’s place. The trail led up into the foothills, and at the very top was the highest point on Shaw Ranch.
Slipping off my horse, I said, “We can get off here and walk the rest of the way up.”
Maverick and I let Juniper and Firefly graze as we walked the rest of the trail. Once we got to the top, I drew in a long, deep breath.
“Wow, this is beautiful,” Maverick said as he looked around. “You can see so much of the Bitterroot Mountain range up here.”
Smiling, I replied, “I know. It’s even more beautiful in the fall and at the beginning of winter. It’s one of my favorite places to come.”
“I see why.”
I looked out over the green pastures dotted with cattle. Off in the distance, I could see some of the ranch horses grazing.
“The lake that butts up against the mountains is beautiful. The reflection of the clouds and mountain is stunning.”
“Rose and Aunt Kaylee came up here once and painted it. We never have game night at Ty and Kaylee’s place because it’s the smallest. They live in the original ranch house, but someday, I’ll take you over there to see the painting Kaylee did. It’s beautiful.”
Maverick reached for my hand and held it while we took in the view. “There’s a copy of a painting that your parents have in their house. I was looking at it once, and Timberlynn told me it was a print of a painting Kaylee had done.”
“The four brothers?”
“Yeah. I recognized Brock, Ty Jr., and Tanner. Who’s the fourth son?”
“It’s Uncle Beck. He was in the Marine Corps, and he only had a few weeks left before he was due to get out and come back home. But then he was killed.”
“Damn, I’m so sorry.”
“I am too. Of course, I didn’t know him, none of us did except for Blayze, and I’m not even sure how much he remembers of him. Grams took it really hard. My mother told me the family never really talked about Beck until Aunt Lincoln moved here. Then Grams and my uncles started to talk about him more and more. I can still see the sadness on my grandparents’ faces when someone mentions his name, though.”
“He wasn’t married or had kids?”
Drawing in a breath, I let it out slowly. “No, never married and didn’t have kids. It’s sad because all that’s left of him is memories. It breaks my heart for my grams and gramps.”
Maverick looked out over the ranch, looking deep in thought.
“Do you ever wonder about your mom or dad?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. I figured if they didn’t care about me and gave me up, why would I want to care about who they were?”
“Have you ever thought about doing the Ancestry thing? Maybe you have siblings out there.”
Maverick turned and cupped my face in his hands. “Where is this coming from, Lil?”
Shrugging, I said, “I don’t know. I was curious if you ever wish you had…” My words trailed off.
“A family? I used to when I was younger. When I kept getting disappointed, I stopped wishing for it and realized it would only ever be me looking out for myself. I stopped letting myself believe in a family.”