by Sienna Parks
“The dress! Watch the dress.” My mom screams.
I ignore her, my attention firmly fixed on the girl in my arms. “You don’t need to call me doctor, sweetheart.”
“Can I call you Mommy?” My eyes fill with tears of joy.
“I would love that.” Her grin is as wide as a barn door.
“Okay, Mommy!” Lottie rushes to my side, blotting my cheeks with a tissue.
“No crying. I don’t have time to redo your makeup.”
“Rae, I was thinking, maybe you would like to walk down the aisle with me?” She squeals with delight. “Okay. Let’s go and marry Daddy.”
Lottie ushers everyone out of the marque where I’ve been getting dressed. It feels like a lifetime before we’re ready to go. We take a few quiet moments, just me, Rae, and my dad. When the guests are settled and the ceremony is about to begin, Lottie reappears in the doorway.
“Showtime!”
Rae grips my hand tight, her little fingers tracing circles on my skin. Fireflies dance in my chest, the reality of this moment sparking so much excitement I can barely contain it. The music begins, heralding my entrance, and the second I set foot inside the old barn, a wave of contentment washes over me as Maddox comes into view.
My nerves are gone. If I could sprint down the aisle in this dress, I would. I’ve waited so long to marry the man of my dreams, forever can’t come soon enough. As I walk toward my happily ever after, all I see is him. His eyes alight with nothing but love. It feels like an eternity by the time I reach his side, the scent of him intoxicating my senses.
“You look stunning.” His voice is a sensual caress, full of promise for the night to come.
“Daddy. Isn’t Mommy so pretty?” His gaze shifts to Rae, and he drops to one knee beside her.
“Mommy… looks beautiful. And, so do you, sunshine.” He leans in, as if sharing a secret with her, but speaks loud enough for everyone to hear. “I love the boots. They match your dress perfectly.” Rae turns to look at me, and I bring my finger to my lips.
“Shh.” I lift my dress a few inches to reveal the same boots. Her giggles echo through the barn. The guests playing along as if they never saw. She’s delighted, wrapping her arms around my legs, before being swept up into Mad’s arm.
“Let’s do this.”
With a kiss on my cheek, my father takes his seat, leaving Maddox, Rae, and me. The ceremony goes by in a heartbeat. A blur of tears and emotion. Even though he had no time to prepare vows, Maddox brings me, and everyone else, to tears. His love and devotion, as steadfast as the northern star.
“I now pronounce you, man and wife.”
The barn erupts with shouts of joy, the entire town cheering and clapping. Most of them have been on this journey with us since birth, and it reminds me that Bobby never got to see us find our way back to one another. I know Maddox will feel his absence today, but as I look in his eyes, he emanates happiness in its purest form.
We walk the aisle, Rae in the middle, holding our hands—taking the first steps of our life together. We’re officially a family, and all the pain and heartache that got us to this point, just fades away.
Life isn’t always simple, and it doesn’t turn out the way you thought it would. But, if there’s one thing I’ve learned along the way, it’s this—life is both a journey and a destination. We have the power to choose our own fate, but in the end, there’s one thing that cannot be pushed aside or ignored—love.
Maddox Hale is my past, my present, and my future. The love of my life, and the other half of my soul. No matter where life takes us, or what comes our way, we’ll figure it out together, here in the fields of Mustang Ranch.
Epilogue
MADDOX
Mustang spans before me, bathed in the pink hue of sunset—the promise of a beautiful tomorrow. Today was my dad’s birthday. I can’t believe it’s been five years since he passed away. This place is the same as it ever was, and yet there have been so many changes.
Rae, A.B., and our baby girl Ruby Jo, dance through the fields, their fingertips brushing the uncut hay. I never dreamed I would one day be able to look at this field with nothing but joy and love in my heart. Rae is growing up so fast. Her and A.B. are mother and daughter in every way except DNA, and I know better than most that genetics don’t make you a good momma. A.B. legally adopted Rae after our wedding, and a year later we adopted Ruby Jo. She was six weeks old when we got her, and it was love at first sight. She has caramel skin like A.B. and piercing green eyes that are such a striking contrast. Her hair is black with the tightest little curls you ever did see.
Rae is an amazing big sister. From the moment they met, they have been best friends. Ruby idolizes her big sissy, and Rae is a tiny mother in the making. She’s so caring and thoughtful and it warms my heart to watch them run hand in hand toward me. Their momma sashays slowly behind them, turning her face to the sky, drinking in the final rays of summer sun.
A.B. gets more beautiful with every passing day. She still takes my breath away, and our chemistry hasn’t dulled with time. If anything—I want her even more now. Love is a strange thing. I spent fourteen years of my life thinking I would never find it again, but the universe had other plans. I believed second chances were for the weak, but in reality, it takes overwhelming inner strength to open your heart to someone who once broke it.
Today, I remember the numerous chances my dad afforded me in his life. I was a constant reminder of his lost love, and I threw it back in his face more times than I can count. Over the years, as I’ve matured, I can say with confidence, he never begrudged the time and effort he put into raising me. I was to him what Rae and Ruby are to me—I was the reason that fueled everything he did, everything he achieved with this ranch.
As I look to the horizon, I know my dad would be proud of what I’ve accomplished in his absence. We started a new horse therapy school for disadvantaged kids, and it’s doing amazingly well. Jax is busy wrapping up the final camp of the summer, and we’re already booked out for next year. He and Savannah make a great team. This past year we’ve taken on some major refurbishments and built a new facility that is going to be used as a movie set in a few months’ time. The girls are beyond excited. Apparently, the male lead is some hotshot heartthrob I’ve never heard of.
Rae and Ruby come bounding up the stairs, shouting and squealing. “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy! We know a secret!” I scoop them up and into my arms—one on each side.
“You do? Maybe I need to tickle it out of you?”
“We promised momma we wouldn’t tell. It’s a surprise for granddaddy’s birthday!”
“Should we wait for her? Then you can tell me.” They turn to where their mom is strolling toward us.
“Momma! Hurry up! Hurry up!” They can’t contain their excitement, and a wide grin spreads across her face. A love in her eyes that only comes from a mother. I watch in awe as she gets closer, the sway of her hips—too delicious to ignore. Her face lights up as she climbs the steps to join us.
“Okay, girls. Time for the surprise! You ready? Just like we practiced…”
“Yes, Momma.” Rae takes hold of Ruby’s hand.
“On the count of three. One… two… three…” I’m captivated by my girls. Their love for each other shining through.
“Momma is making us a baby brother!” I obviously didn’t hear them properly. A.B. and I tried to have a baby for three years. We saw every specialist in the state and did two rounds of IVF. They assured us we would never conceive. I look to A.B. in disbelief.
“What are they talking about? Did you hear back from the adoption agency about a little boy?” I pull her into my arms. “This is so exciting. I want to know everything.”
“No, Daddy! Momma is making him, in her tummy.” A.B.’s eyes well with tears. “Tell him, Momma.”
“They’re right, Mad. I’m pregnant!”
“But… we can’t.”
“I didn’t want to say anything until I got through the first trimester. I went t
o my OB yesterday and she said I’m doing great. Baby is healthy, and I should be able to carry him to term.”
“Him?”
“It’s a boy, Mad. You’re going to have a son.” I have never felt such a rush of emotion in all my life. I drop to my knees in front of her, my hands resting gently on her stomach.
“We’re going to have a baby.” The girls jump on my back, wrapping their arms around my neck.
“We’re getting a baby brother!” I gaze at the imperceptible bump of my wife’s stomach.
“You’re not showing. How did you keep this a secret?”
“I was so scared I would lose him. I think I didn’t want to say it out loud in case it stopped being real.” My heart lurches into my throat, the realization this could be dangerous for her health filling me with fear.
“Are you okay? What about you? Your health? Is this safe? I can’t risk losing you, A.B.” She drops to her knees beside me, clasping my face in her hands. I can’t hold back the silent tears that spill over her fingers.
“I’m better than okay. Our daughters are going to have a brother.”
“Why are you crying, Daddy?” I pull Ruby Jo and Rae into the middle of our embrace, squeezing them tight.
“They’re happy tears. You have the most amazing momma in the world, and I feel like the luckiest man alive right now. I have two beautiful daughters, and our little family is getting bigger.”
“Momma has a name picked out and everything.”
“Lay it on me.” I don’t care what we call this baby, I’m just so thrilled that A.B. is getting to experience pregnancy. It’s the one dream of hers I’ve been unable to fulfil… until now. And let’s face it, my contribution was minimal. She’s the amazing one.
“Robert Clark Hale. Bobby for short.”
“You serious?” I look to her with love and adoration, her selfless heart more beautiful than ever.
“Of course. I can’t think of a better way to honor your dad.”
“No matter how well I think I know you, you always find ways to surprise me. I love you so much I can hardly breathe, Annabeth Hale.”
As the sun sets over Mustang, A.B. and I sit together on the porch, watching as our girls run wild and free in the fields that raised us. I take a moment to sit back and thank my lucky stars for this amazing life, my wife, and for the courage to take a second chance on love.
On January 2nd at 12:56 p.m., Robert Clark Hale was born weighing 8 lbs. 3 oz.—looking just like his granddaddy.
The End
Bonus Book 2
Page ahead to begin Bonus Book Two - Mustang Buck by Sienna Parks
MUSTANG BUCK
SIENNA PARKS
He didn’t know she was a virgin until…
COPYRIGHT 2017 PRISM HEART PRESS
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
COVER DESIGN: Louisa Maggio
EDITING: Booktique Editing
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For my SDS
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Description
Lying about her virginity is her smallest secret…
Savannah Adams came to town for one man and found herself drawn to another.
Jackson McKinney is all wrong for her, but she can’t seem to stay away. She knew about Jax and his bad-boy reputation long before she ever set eyes on him. Will he still want her when he finds out who she really is?
The day Savannah arrives in town, all bad-boy Jax can think about is taming this wild stranger. He didn’t want to settle down because he doesn’t want to admit he may never leave Kingsbury Falls. Jax has been labeled a player by everyone around him, but this wrangler has a heart of gold, and his sights are firmly set on Savannah. She’s beautiful, fierce, and he can’t get enough of her. Having opened his heart to the possibility of happily ever after, nothing can prepare him for the revelations that are about to rock his world.
How many lies can Savannah tell before she gets caught?
One thing’s for sure, Jax is in for the ride of his life.
Prologue
Three Months Ago
JAX
The unmistakable aroma of incense surrounds us in an attempt to eradicate the stench of death.
“It is with a heavy heart that we gather here today to remember the life of Robert M. Hale… father, son, and friend to all of us here in Kingsbury Falls.”
Today is the funeral of the only father figure I’ve ever known. Maddox Hale and I have been like brothers since birth. Our parents grew up together—our fathers were best friends—and when my dad skipped out on us, his dad, Bobby, became the closest thing I had to a father. His wife left him not long after, and he never recovered. He spent his life working Mustang Ranch, and I was lucky enough to be a part of that.
Rumors drive this town like a festering engine—spewing out toxic black smoke—but in the end, it keeps on moving. As far back as I can remember, there have been rumors that my dad and Maddox’s mom ran away together. I’ve never thought that was true because deep down where I don’t want to think about it, I refuse to believe it’s in my DNA to be capable of screwing Mad over like that.
I’m trying to hold it together today, but as Maddox stands to give the eulogy, a lump develops in my throat, and no matter how hard I attempt to gulp it down, I can’t shake it. Bobby Hale was the only man who ever believed in me, and now he’s gone…
I look around at so many familiar faces—people who think they know everything there is to know about me, but don’t know me at all—even my own mother. She’s pressured me since the day I graduated to take over the family business. I use the term loosely because McKinney Hardware is the jewel in the crown of my father’s family. My momma has cursed him up and down the Mississippi River since the day he left, but the founding families hold sway in this town. The McKinney’s were one of three families who turned a bunch of cornfields into Kingsbury Falls, and five generations later, we’re all still here. I don’t know if that’s something to be proud of or find deeply disturbing.
I’ve wanted to leave so many times, but when Bobby asked me to help him on the ranch, I couldn’t refuse. I needed the money, and anything was better than stacking shelves in the hardware store and pretending it’s a ‘management’ position. That was the night he told me—Don’t underestimate yourself, boy. You got more potential than you give yourself credit for. I think that was the first time I believed I could amount to more than a small-town manwhore.
One of the perils of living in the same place you grew up in is being labeled by your mistakes. Everyone sees me the same way—as some one-dimensional player with a pretty face and nothing going on behind it. I’m the first to admit I don�
�t have the best track record with women, but I have my reasons.
I’ve been in love before—lost my damn mind over a girl and would’ve done just about anything to make her happy. But, as the years went on, I realized loving a girl in this town is a death sentence. I’d have settled down, gotten married, and had a few kids right out of high school. Walking away from someone you love, because you want more from your life, is one of the hardest things you could ever do. Romantics will have you believe otherwise, but, in the end, you get over love.
Now I’ve been blackballed as a heartless player. I never lie to women or promise them the world. I want no-strings-attached fun, and I’m honest about it. If it starts getting serious, I end it. Plain and simple.
As Maddox thanks everyone for attending, that’s when I see her—sitting in the back row with tears streaming down her face from listening to Maddox’s heartfelt words—a woman I’ve never seen before. What would a visitor to town be doing at a funeral? She doesn’t see me staring, but I can imagine her gaze could ignite a blazing inferno. There’s something in her features, but I can’t put my finger on it.
She scans the room as if documenting every mourner, and when her eyes find mine, she proves me right. Something sparks inside me—a need—a desire I haven’t felt in a long time. She looks young, maybe twenty-five, but I would know her or at least know of her if she was from around here.