Page 30 of Let Her Buck

I take in a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking maybe I should slow down…stop riding for a while. Maybe I should stay here in Sweetheart Bend. With you.”

“Why?” she asks quietly, her eyes searching my face.

“I don’t want to mess this up, Laney. This thing between us. I don’t want to hurt you.”

She tilts her head, her eyes boring steadily into mine. “What if I don’t want you to slow down or stop?”

That throws me. I blink at her. “What?”

“I’ve been scared for too long, West…” she says, her lips tilting at the side in a self-deprecating smile. “Scared to leave Sweetheart Bend, to abandon this life that I’ve always known…but I’ve always wanted…I want an adventure. I want to see the world. With you.”

My heart skips a beat at her words. “Are you sure?”

She nods. “Yes.”

For a moment, we both fall silent, the air between us crackling with a fragile tension. It feels like we’re standing on a cliff edge with nothing but trust holding us up.

“You know…I could leave the circuit,” I say suddenly, the thought rushing out before I’ve had time to weigh it. “I’ve been thinkin’…Beans always wants the wind in his hair anyway. We could still travel, but without any of the bull riding business. I could show you the road, the rodeos, the small towns. The whole damn world if you like.”

She stares at me, something flickering in her eyes, and then she breaks a smile, shaking her head at me. “You don’t have to give any part of it up. Not when it’s what makes you feel alive.”

“It used to be,” I admit. “I used to ride because I thought I couldn’t have anything better. Now, all I want is you.Youmake me feel alive, Delaney Dawson.”

Her expression softens, her lips curving into a soft smile. “You don’t have to quit. Just…promise me you’ll be careful. And maybe don’t go getting distracted again when you’re riding.”

“Distracted?” I tease, grinning through the ache in my ribs. “Sweetheart, you were right there in the crowd, looking at me like it was the last time I’d see you. Of course I’d get distracted.”

She laughs, blushing slightly. “Maybe Iwasplanning to run away, but not anymore. You’re stuck with me now.”

“Oh, darlin’, I don’t mind,” I say, returning her smile.

She laughs again, then leans over to kiss me on the lips. I try to pull her closer to deepen the kiss, then wince when a sharp pain shoots through my ribs. She pulls back quickly, a guilty blush spreading across her cheeks.

“Okay…maybe we should wait till you get better before getting all freaky.”

“Deal,” I say, pulling her closer despite the pain. “But fair warning…I plan to get very freaky.”

She snorts, then cuddles into me, careful not to press too hard against the bruises.

And just like that, with her heartbeat next to mine and the promise of a road ahead, I know I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.

Epilogue

Laney

Two years later…

I’m sitting on the roof of our little farmhouse with my husband, a spread of wine, strawberries, and peach cobbler between us, and a blanket tucked under our bare feet.

My husband.Even after two years, the words still give me butterflies.

I let out a soft sigh, soaking in the beauty of the Montana evening sun, a huge orange globe half-buried in the graying skies.

These quiet nights with him are precious, especially after the busyness of the county fair last week. This year, I sang on that stage again, but not just as an opening act—I was the main event. I could have sworn I felt Nana looking down on me, smiling, and I think the crowd felt it too.

West leans back on his elbows, that familiar unconscious smile playing on his lips as he watches me watch the sunset. He does that a lot—watch me. It’s like I’m the center of his attention, his world…

“This is the best idea I ever had,” I murmur, stretching my legs across his lap.

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