Page 40 of Rancher's Strength

“Making fools of ourselves, apparently,” Lydia chimed in flatly, and I rolled my eyes.

“What are we starting with?”

“I’ve got it.” Ryder started picking the strings on his guitar, and I shook my head. “Come on, sweetheart, sing it.” He grinned, and I looked at my sister as the rest of the guys took their places.

Walking to the microphone, I took a deep breath, and as if someone else had taken over, the first notes of “Girls Night Out” flowed from my mouth. Lydia and I had always started with The Judds because we could make our vocals sound close to theirs. The guys fell into sync with us, and by the end of the song, the jitters were gone and we were L&L backed by the Diamond 5 again.

The guys seemed to remember our set better than I did because they rolled right into another song. I pulled the mic off the stand and belted out “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses” like I’d sung it yesterday. Turning, I looked at Ryder and winked at him as he played. Effortlessly, his hands played chords andpicked like he’d practiced every day. I couldn’t even pretend I was hating this.

The song ended, and the crowd erupted with applause. “How about a slow song? Pair up y'all.” The dance floor filled, and I looked over at Lydia, who nodded. Turning to Ryder, I mouthed the words “Meet Me in Montana,” and he took his spot beside me so we could use the same mic. We belted out the love song, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him as he sang. The way his eyes lingered on my mouth, the way I leaned into him, would surely make the crowd talk when they left here, but I didn’t really care. It’s what we wanted if anyone were to ask about our relationship.

I caught the eye of a blonde woman at the bar, who looked like she wanted to eat Ryder but kill me when her stare shifted my way. Before I could second-guess myself, as the last of the chords were played, I grabbed Ryder’s shirt and pulled him to me. His guitar was stuck between us, so he slung it back out of the way, and I pressed up against him. Reaching up, I grabbed the back of his neck and dragged him to me. Our mouths crashed together, and his free arm wrapped around my waist, lifting me off the floor.

His tongue slipped between my lips, and I melted against him. The hot spotlight didn’t matter. It was just him and me in this moment. Even the crowd cheering barely registered as I took in the softness of his lips, the passion of his kiss, and his secure grip on me. Public displays of affection weren’t my style, but nobody was going to take my man from me. My man—the thought sent electrical shockwaves through me. I realized that no matter what, he was mine, and I never wanted to let him go. This entire county needed to know I was back.

When our kiss ended, I slid down Ryder’s body, and the catcalls and hoots from the crowd made me bury my head in his chest.

“Well, Lex, I think you made a statement,” he said softly in my ear.

“All right, let’s get back to the regularly scheduled band. I’m not paying them to drink all the beer,” Lydia said, and we all walked off the stage.

The blonde at the bar stood, and I stopped in front of her. “There a problem?”

“He’s mine.”

“No honey, he’s mine. Always has been.” I winked and caught up with Ryder and the guys, but I slipped my hand into my man’s back pocket just to be clear.

Chapter Twenty

RYDER

Getting ready for winter always meant long days and taking advantage of every moment of sunlight we had. There were fences to fix, bales to stack, barns to prepare, and, on top of the work needed for the riding arena and stables, it was exhausting.

It had been almost a week since I had supper with my family, so I decided it was time to call it a day. We had all taken turns getting down a little earlier so we could be there for our kids, but I was missing Ruby and Sawyer fiercely. I longed to hear about their day, their laughter at the table, and honestly, their fighting.

Me: I’m heading out.

Linc: Say hi to the kiddos for me.

Griff: Have a good night. I’ll come out and help you finish that fence tomorrow.

Nash: See ya.

Kipp: Yep

I was going to have it out with that asshole again if he didn’t pull his head out of his ass, I fumed as I got into my truck and slammed the door.

Making the short drive home wasn’t enough time to brush off the anger I felt regarding Kipp, but everything melted away when I saw Ruby sitting on the porch steps, her head tucked into her arms and resting on her knees.

“Hey, what’s this all about?” I questioned as I sat beside Ruby, quickly realizing she was crying. Nudging her leg with my knee, she finally looked up at me.

“I got scared.” She shrugged and lowered her head back into her crossed arms.

“How come?” I gently rubbed her back and waited for her to talk. If there was one thing I’d learned in therapy, and something the kids’ therapist also encouraged, it was the importance of not pushing for answers. They would come when the person was ready.

Ruby was quiet for a moment and then turned her head in my direction. “You’ve been gone so much, and I haven’t seen you. Auntie Lexie said I didn’t need to worry, but I couldn’t stop thinking.” She managed to get out through her sobs.

“Tell me what you were thinking, Ruby.” Was that an open-ended question? No, that wasn’t even a question; it was more of a demand. I hoped I wasn’t messing this up. “Only if you’re comfortable,” I added quickly.

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