Page 89 of A Rancher's Vow
“We’re here,” Suz assured her. “I’m sitting on your sister to make sure she doesn’t grab the car keys to come sniff out your vandal like a bloodhound.”
“If she could, I’d have her here in a second. But I didn’t call until now because there was nothing more that could be done last night. And today my friends have taken over, so there’s nothing to be done now, either.”
Chelsea sighed so loud the sound echoed over the line. “I could give you a hug.”
“I think Dustin’s got that part covered,” Suz teased.
“Dustin’s been amazing,” Charity offered quickly, ignoring the innuendo. “He left his dog to guard me, and I don’t know how he did that because she’s usually his shadow.”
“That’s sweet,” Suz said. “Cee, you going to be okay, darling?”
“I’m just worried about Tee. That’s all.” Her sister’s voice was soft and gentle. “Do you want us to come out?”
“Yes, but later, when you already planned to.” Charity shoved down her flash of concern about overextending her reach by inviting her family onto Silver Stone land. It was the right thing to do, she just knew it in her gut. “There’s more than enough room for you two here in the cottage. I’ll double-check that it’s okay with Dustin. We can horseback ride and all the rest. It’ll be safe and exactly the type of fun we need to forget about the ignorant hooligans in the world.”
Her sister laughed softly. “That’s exactly what Grandma would have said.”
“I know. I keep thinking about her and what she’d have done in this kind of situation. If she’d been in my shoes, she would be gracious, and accept the help. If she’d been on the other side, she’d have offered exactly the kind of help I’ve been given by the Stones and Fern. So really, she’s here. And I need to trust that this is where I need to be, too.”
Chelsea spoke quietly. “If you’re sure. You check with who you need to, and if it’s okay, we’ll be there in just over a week as planned. Send me details.”
“And if anything changes, you call us,” Suz interrupted. “Anytime. You’re not ever a bother. You’reours. Remember that.”
Charity blinked hard, moisture blurring the image of Kelli Stone leading Beach and another horse across the yard toward the cottage. Both horses were saddled and ready to roll. “My morning ride is on the way. I love you guys. I’ll message you soon.”
“Bye, Tee. Love you too,” echoed in stereo from the phone.
Charity stood, wiping the tears from her eyes as Kelli pulled to a stop and dropped the reins over the nearby hitching post.
The pixie of a woman examined her for a moment. “You good?”
“Really good,” Charity insisted.
Kelli dipped her chin. She glanced at Annie and whistled. “Well, damn. That boy is a miracle worker.”
“Thatman,” Charity corrected her gently.
The other woman grinned. “Got it. So, did you want to head out on a ride? I know someone—cough, Fern, cough—has organized your life for you today, but it really is up to you.”
“I’d love to go,” Charity said honestly. “Let me put my plate inside and get dressed.”
Dustin didn’t often getto have uninterrupted hours with any of his brothers these days. The morning spent with Luke was all the more special because of that.
They had just returned to the barn, and it felt necessary to say something. Dustin didn’t want this to just be a sometime thing.
“Maybe once things settled down around Silver Stone, we could get Tucker to do some finagling of the schedule.” Dustin met Luke’s questioning gaze as they slowly led their horses to their stalls. “You, Caleb, and Walker are all so busy with your wives and families. And yeah, I hope to get more involved with Charity. We have joint family gatherings, but I miss this. Time working one-on-one where we can shoot the breeze easier.”
Luke nodded slowly. “I know what you mean. We work together all the time, but there’s not a lot of conversation happening when one of us is up the back of a horse getting our teeth rattled loose.”
“I think Ashton called those conversationstrash talk.”
“We’re not that bad,” Luke complained.
“We can’t be. Never know when one of the kids will show up.”
His brother laughed. “True. I’d hate to face Tamara or Ivy after cursing you out in earshot of any of their babies.”
Amusing as hell, but Dustin raised a brow. “You obviously have not yet heard Sasha let loose when things don’t go well in the arena.”
