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)
I gasped, even as I tried to calm the horse I was on.
Nathan pointed to Ben, who was still on the ground. “He has more to offer her than you could ever dream of offering. Now get the fuck off our property before I call for backup.”
Ben slowly shook his head as he stood. He turned to me. “What the hell does he have to offer you?”
“The most important thing there is—love.”
Ben scoffed, and Nathan took a step toward him. He held up his arms and started toward his truck, not even bothering to look back.
Once he pulled away, Nathan said, “What a fucking asshole.”
“Mom would wash your mouth out if she heard you,” I said as I jumped off the horse.
Shutting the gate to the pasture, I walked with the mare and headed back to the barn with my brother by my side. The mare bobbed her head in excitement and let out a few nickers.
“See? Even she knows he’s a dick.”
“You want some hay, don’t you, girl?” I asked with a laugh.
As I approached the barn, my father stepped out. “Hey.”
Smiling, I replied, “Hey. How’s the rescue horse doing?”
Dad looked past me, then to Nathan, then back to me. “Doing good. Are you okay?”
Nathan winked at me and headed off in the other direction.
“I’m better than okay, Dad. If you saw Ben leaving, everything is fine. Well…Nathan did punch him, but all is good.”
His brows shot up. “What?”
“Yep,” I said with a pop of my p. “Turns out things didn’t work out between him and Abby, and he assumed he could simply show up and we’d be besties again.”
“I hope you told him to go fuck himself.”
I laughed. “Not in those words, but your son did.”
“Good. I’m glad to see I’m raising that boy right.”
He walked over and took me into his arms and held me for the longest time, before stepping back. “The moment Maverick showed up on this ranch, I knew there was something special about him. Not just his way with the horses, but about Mav himself. It didn’t take me long to see the way he looked at you.”
“Mom said you told her the same thing.”
Dad wrapped his arm around my shoulders and took the reins as we headed into the barn. “The first time he saw you, his eyes lit up. And when he used to see you with Ben…well, let’s just say if looks could kill, Ben would have been dead a long time ago.”
I giggled and leaned my head against him. “I wish I’d seen it.”
“Well, it takes some of us longer to see things. Your mother was the same way with me, if you can believe it.”
I gasped as if in total surprise. “You mean she didn’t fall head over heels in love with you at first sight?”
“Oh, she did,” Dad stated. “It just took me some time convincing her that she did.”
Laughing, I stopped walking and looked at him. “Thank you for being such amazing parents to me and Nathan, Dad. And thank you for loving Maverick like you do.”
“He was already like a son to me, you know that. Having it made official just makes it even better.”
“I want him to have the family he never had growing up.”
“He’ll get it for sure with this family.”
I nodded as we started to walk again.
“Are you going to tell him Ben stopped by?”
“Yes. I think it’s important for us to be honest about everything. It wouldn’t do either of us any good to keep it from him. Besides, I have nothing to hide. I felt nothing but sorry for him.”
“You go join Maverick and I’ll take care of the mare.”
Reaching up, I kissed my father. “Thank you. I love you, Daddy.”
His eyes sparkled, and I was pretty sure I saw some tears forming. “I love you too.”
Turning, I practically skipped to the indoor arena to see Maverick.
Chapter Twenty-One
MAVERICK
I felt her before I even saw her. Every hair on my body felt like it stood up, and my heart began to race a little bit faster.
That was what Lily did to me. What she would always do to me.
Glancing over my shoulder, I saw her approaching. She took her coat off and hung it over a chair. The indoor arena was huge, and if you yelled, it would echo. The last thing I wanted to do was spook the new gelding we’d brought in yesterday, so I lifted my hand and waved as Lily climbed over the railing. I held my breath until she was safely on the other side. It was going to be a long pregnancy of worrying on my side.
“You know,” I said as I walked toward her, the gelding following. “You’re not going to be able to do that when you’re farther along.”
“What?” she asked with a pretend confused look. “Climb over things?”