Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 77936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77936 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“I saw what you did to the house.” Colt gestured over at the family room, where I’d added more splashes of color. “Pretty remarkable.”
“I want to fill the place with joy. Fresh starts. Good energy.” My voice rose as I warmed to my topic. “I want to do it for Hannah, but also for me. I want to show that the ranch and I are both more than our pasts.” I’d made my share of mistakes, and here, making over the ranch, I’d finally found a path to forgiving myself and moving beyond missteps. “We’re the present and the future too. And I’m on a mission to prove it doesn’t have to be bleak.”
“Good.” Colt smiled, eyes staying solemn. “I believe in you.”
“That easy?” Shaking my head, I met his gaze.
“That easy.” He shrugged before pulling me to him, holding me close. “Believing in you is the easy part. Trusting the future to work out in my favor, that’s the hard part.”
“Believe in us.” I pressed a quick kiss to his mouth. “None of us know what the future will bring. I saw that really clearly last night. I’m optimistic, but I’m not unrealistic. We’ll have hard times. Good years. Bad years. Low cattle prices. Ruined crops. Kid drama. Sheriff stress for you. But I want to have all the times together.”
“I want that too.” Colt’s eyes were needy. He returned my kiss with a barely restrained hunger that stole my breath, but he released me before it could turn into something sexier. “We always did make a good team.”
“We’re a great team.” I went hunting for another kiss. “I love you.”
“I love you.” Hands on my shoulders, Colt spun me away from him with a gentle pressure. “And because I love you, I’m ordering you to go sleep. We can talk more after you crash.”
“You’ll be here when I wake up?”
“I’ll do my best.” He pressed a kiss to the side of my neck. I liked that he wasn’t making an absolute promise. Doing our best was all either of us could promise right now, and that was more than okay.
Chapter 35
Colt
“Are you sure there’s no news?” Hannah asked like she hadn’t just watched me check my phone and Maverick’s before starting dinner. I’d insisted on babysitting Maverick’s phone while he napped, but it had been an easy assignment, unlike my own stack of messages.
“I’m sure.” I stirred the ground beef I was browning in a large skillet. “Do you think you and Willow could make garlic bread while I work on the spaghetti here?”
I was working with what I’d found in the freezer and pantry here at the ranch—ground beef, tomato sauce, pasta, and frozen bread, which I’d earmarked for turning into garlic bread.
“Okay.” Hannah retrieved butter and parmesan cheese from the fridge, but she didn’t look particularly enthusiastic about the task. “I’m not sure I’m hungry.”
“You need to eat.” I sounded like my mother or Aunt Georgia, but it was true. “We’re all going to need a lot of strength for the days ahead. Helping your mom get better is like running a long race, not a quick sprint.”
“Yeah.” Hannah slapped the stick of butter on the counter. “I hate this.” She immediately winced, picking the butter back up, cheeks going bright pink. “Sorry—”
“Don’t be sorry.” I kept to my gentlest voice. “It absolutely does suck, and for you most of all.”
“It’s okay to be mad.” Willow wandered over from the TV. “That’s what Dad tells me. You don’t have to pretend everything is okay when it’s not.”
“Good advice.” A freshly showered Maverick in a T-shirt and shorts appeared at the far side of the kitchen, near the hallway that led to the downstairs guest suite where he’d been sleeping.
“Uncle Maverick!” Hannah set down the butter again in favor of giving Maverick a hug. “You’re awake.”
“Finally.” He yawned big. “Any news?”
After hugging Hannah, he wandered over to where I had both our phones lined up on the island.
“She’s stable last I checked, but feel free to call before dinner is ready.”
“I’ll do that.” Maverick pocketed his phone before coming up beside me at the stove. “Smells great.”
“You can tell Adler that the food is almost ready.” I gestured toward the stairs. “He came down once for a drink of water but went right back upstairs to sleep.”
“He’s a champion sleeper.” Maverick gave a tired laugh. I knew that feeling well, the sort of exhaustion that even a long nap couldn’t cure. “I’ll go call the hospital and then check on Adler.”
“The hospital says I can hopefully bring Hannah in tomorrow for a short visit,” Maverick said as he returned a short time later, followed by Adler.
“That’s great news.” Hannah seemed brightened by Maverick’s presence as much as by the positive report.
The good mood carried through dinner in the newly transformed dining room. The whole downstairs seemed to have a lively, welcoming energy it had previously lacked. The five of us made fast work of clean up. Before the girls could head back to the TV, I gathered up my phone and keys.