Page 68 of Want You Back

“I don’t know. I like to think the county will look at my track record.” I shrugged. I wouldn’t say I was much better at not worrying these days, but I was trying. Other people’s reactions were out of my control, and if I’d learned anything from Aunt Georgia’s story, it was to not let speculation over those reactions stop me from living my life. “If not, I’ll try to get hired on as a deputy again. Or I’ll speak to your foreman about whether he needs a stable hand.”

I laughed, but Maverick turned unduly serious. “You’ll always have a place at the ranch. Always.”

“Thank you.” A little more privacy and I might have chanced a kiss, but as it was, I reached for his hand. No one was looking our way, yet from the way Maverick gasped, one would have thought I’d done it onstage.

“Colt Jennings is holding my hand in the school gym,” he whispered with a giddy smile and vulnerability rising in his eyes.

Huh. I’d focused so much on how he could hurt me by leaving again that sometimes I forgot he had a fragile heart too. If moments like this meant so much to Maverick, then I wanted to give him a lifetime’s worth of memories. I used our linked hands to pull him closer and put my arm around him. Let people talk. I’d earned the heart of Maverick Lovelorn, and I wasn’t going to hide.

“Colt Jennings is gonna kiss you goodnight later,” I playfully threatened.

“Good.” His cheeks were bright pink, but he looked as happy as I’d ever seen him. “You staying for the Friday night sleepover? They’ve picked a triple header of movies.”

“Wouldn’t miss it.” We’d fallen into a little routine of letting the girls talk their way into weekend sleepovers, which meant Maverick and I got a sleepover as well. Adler was back in California, preparing to move to the ranch and be Maverick’s assistant on the dude ranch project, but he’d left his cookie recipe collection behind. We’d fumbled our way through baking together and finding a new normal while Faith was off at treatment. She’d gone from the hospital to a physical rehabilitation facility to a well-known place for addiction recovery.

“Look at that picture.” Maverick pointed to a nearby pencil sketch of two boys sitting in front of a campfire. They weren’t touching, and there was nothing overtly romantic about the picture, but at the same time, so much of our past flashed before my eyes. I glanced back at Maverick, who had a soft, misty expression. My past and my present rolled up in one person.

My future too. I took a deep breath. If I really counted, I’d been all-in with Maverick Lovelorn since that first arcade game. How could I not believe in him now?

“I want you to stay forever,” I said softly, voicing my most private wish aloud for the first time, centering myself in a way I hadn’t before. My worries were always for Maverick, my family, for everyone else but me. But for a moment, I let what I wanted most matter. And what I wanted was the happy ending we’d deserved all along. “I want to be here together in this gym in five years when the girls graduate.”

“Don’t make me cry.” Maverick squeezed my hand. “I don’t want to think about them growing up.”

“I know. But we’ll be right here for their last Back to School Night, okay?”

“It’s a date.”

Chapter38

Maverick

A chilly windwhipped through the ranch, an unwelcome reminder that winter would soon be on the way. October was full of pumpkins and Halloween prep as the girls endlessly debated costume ideas. And each Friday brought Willow and Colt to the ranch, something I never took for granted. Tonight, Colt had arrived early in jeans and a thick flannel jacket, allowing enough time for me to walk him around the ranch, sharing the progress on my big plans.

“So the bunkhouse makeover will start in a few weeks.” The phrase “it takes money to make money” was never more true than when starting any hospitality project. A survey of the current bunkhouse situation had revealed plenty of room for upgrades to make the facilities more appealing to potential guests. Some might stay in one of the guest suites in the big house, but the idea was that we’d only take on a select few guests and house them in the actual bunkhouse for the complete ranch experience. Eventually, I wanted to turn a few of the outbuildings into little cabin rentals. I swung Colt’s hand as we walked. “The goal is to be up and running for guests by spring, once Adler finishes training.”

“Training?” Colt looked adorably confused, a rarity for him.

“While I’m managing the renovations, he’s going to be a hand for a few months, see what tasks are too hard to ask guests to do, which might get us into liability trouble, what might be fun or relaxing for folks. He’ll take a lot of notes.” Adler had come up with this plan himself, but I loved it because it gave us time to get our project up and running and would also give him some real-world experience to do what he did best and give guests a wonderful stay.

“Grayson’s gotta love that idea.” Colt shook his head.

“He already said yes.” I was putting a positive spin on Grayson’s reaction, which had included a fair bit of muttering about pony rides and craft projects, but in the end, he’d agreed to put Adler to work.

“Because he hates saying no to you,boss.” Colt shot me a pointed look.

“Hey, I didn’t strong-arm him into agreeing.” I offered my most innocent smile. “It will be fine.”

“Uh-huh.” Colt didn’t sound too sure, but he continued to follow me as I introduced him to two new rescue horses Kat had found, older mares perfect for inexperienced riders.

“Adler’s making cookies with the girls while we have our date night,” I shared as we returned to the house.

“Knew I loved that guy.” Colt chuckled as he followed me toward my new-to-me truck. I’d traded in my sports car for something more suited to ranch life. “And you’re not telling me where you’re taking me?”

“Nope.” I’d told Colt to dress warmly but had otherwise left our destination a surprise.

“Pretty nifty truck here.” Colt admired the logo adorning the doors and tailgate. “Second Chance Ranch logo looks mighty fine.”

“We paid a local designer for some branding.” More startup expenses, but it was worth it to have a true fresh start. “Turned out awesome.”

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