Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 95273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
“Daddy!” Daisy jumps up and runs to me, launching herself into my arms. “You’re finally home.”
“Yeah, I am.” I kiss her sweet cheek. God, I love her. Since that day a month ago, Daisy has called me Daddy.
And I’ll never tell her to call me anything else.
“Hey,” Abbi says with a sweet grin as she stands to greet me. “I’m sorry we didn’t wait for you.”
“I’m just happy you were still here.” I set Daisy down, kick off my boots, and join them on the blanket. Abbi pours me some juice and passes me half of her bagel, and then the three of us chew while looking out at the mountains. At the land. The cows and the red barn off in the distance. I plan to see this exact view, every day, for the rest of my life, with Abbi by my side.
I glance her way and find her smiling at me.
“What?”
“You look so good out here. Such a cowboy, right at home on his ranch.”
“I look good here because you’re with me. Both of you. You’re my home.”
Daisy smiles and reaches over to pat my arm.
“When can we sleep here?” she asks me.
“Not for a long time. Probably next spring. But we can come out here whenever we want to.”
“Okay.” She shrugs a shoulder and eats her last bite of bagel. “Where will we put my cows?”
“One cow,” Abbi says, but I just chuckle.
This girl can have all the damn cows she wants.
“We’ll build a small barn with a fenced-in pasture over there.” I point to the south. “They’ll live there.”
“That’s right by our house!” Daisy is obviously happy with this plan. “Can I have chickens?”
“Sure.”
“Brady.”
I look up at Abbi. “What? She can have whatever she wants. Do you want a cow?”
“No.” She frowns. “But maybe…”
“Maybe what?”
“Maybe a horse of my own.”
I tug her to me and nuzzle her ear. “Anything you want, baby. You can have anything you want.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
ABBI
Five Months Later…
“God, I’m so nervous.” My hands are wringing in my lap, my knuckles white. The whole family, and I do mean the whole family, including Amy, Sierra, and Hugh all the way from North Carolina, are here with us. We even have two little babies here. Polly and Ryan’s three-month-old daughter, Charlotte, and tiny August, Summer and Chase’s one-month-old, are here to cheer on their Uncle Brady.
We’re at the world championships in Vegas, and my man is riding tonight. Of course, none of us are allowed to be in the stands watching. We can’t go out there until he’s finished.
“He’s going to be great,” Amy assures me, squeezing my hand.
Amy and I have become good friends over the course of this year. No one understands the life of a bull rider’s woman like another bull rider’s woman, and she’s been invaluable for my mental health.
In addition to the concussion and separated shoulder earlier this season, Brady suffered broken ribs and a pulled groin, which really pissed him off.
No sex for a month was not easy on my cowboy.
But despite all the injuries, he came into this championship at the top of the standings, and he’s favored to win tonight.
There was no way that his family would stay away for this. I made it very clear that wild horses couldn’t keep me away.
So, this is the compromise we made.
“There’s not even a TV in here so we can watch,” Jake grumbles.
“That’s the point, son,” Ryan reminds him with a laugh.
“He’s about to start.” Hugh, the only one allowed to have video in here, is watching his phone. “It won’t be long now.”
I close my eyes and hang my head. Please let him be okay.
“My daddy is gonna win,” Daisy announces. “He’s gonna win.”
She’s been calling him daddy for months, and it’s so adorable. Brady melts every single time, and Daisy knows it.
My very not innocent daughter has been getting away with murder. She even managed to talk Brady into not one, not two, but three mini Highland cows.
Because, as he said, why shouldn’t he make all her dreams come true?
“He’s done,” Hugh announces. “And he’s running out of the arena.”
“Thank God,” Joy whispers, and looks over at me with tears in her eyes.
That’s it. Brady’s bull-riding career is over. He’s officially retiring.
We jump up and run out of this stuffy room, headed for the arena. He was the last rider, and it’s been announced that he’s the official world champion, and I can’t see him.
“Over there,” Chase shouts, pointing, and then I see my cowboy. “He’s already giving interviews.”
I make my way through the crowd, with Daisy’s hand firmly in mine, and before we can reach Brady, I see that motherfreaking Jen sidle up next to him. Brady scowls, and I can’t hear him, but I can read his lips when he says Fuck off.
That’s right, bitch, you can fuck all the way off.