Worth the Ride

by Casey Peeler

  Looking up, Scarlett is calm and wandering toward us. Dad grabs her lead rope while we remove the saddle and head to the barn to put everything away.

  “I think I want to take this rider out for supper. That ‘aight with you?” Dad asks.

  “Sure,” I say, looking between Bryndle and Timber.

  “Paw, can’t we all go?”

  He looks between us for an answer, and Timber chimes in. “You know it. Everyone down for Brandy’s?”

  “Uh, no! That ride was worth the Border Cafe.” We all start to giggle and she’s right. It was totally worth it.

  Looking at the time, I know we all need to quickly clean up so we can beat the crowd. I send Bryndle in to get ready, Dad says he’s good to go but wants to check on something at his house quickly, and Timber wants to go home and freshen up.

  As she starts to leave, I grab her by the hand and pull her into the stall. Pinning her between the wooden boards and my body, I slide my hand behind her neck and bring her lips to mine. As her hands begin to wander underneath my shirt, I want to have her right now. Without thinking twice, my hands grab her shorts and slide them down her hips as she quickly does the same to mine. Within seconds, she is around my waist and I’m inside her. Timber’s body responds to mine and as a moan escapes those precious lips, I increase my pace until she comes undone and I follow behind her.

  Timber

  As Weston pulls away from my body my mind is spinning. I never saw that coming but I love a man that knows what he wants. He hands me my shorts and panties before he gets dressed.

  Once I have everything back in place, I pause and look at him. Damn, he’s sexy as hell. “What?” he questions.

  “Nothin’. Just admiring the view.”

  He takes a step toward me. “Remember you never have to window-shop with me.” He kisses my lips and leaves me wanting more. “Guess we better get moving for that celebration supper.”

  “Oh yeah.” My mind was scrambled with thoughts of Weston and I had momentarily forgotten we were supposed to be getting ready for supper.

  Tossing my leg over the four-wheeler, I glance at him as he takes a step onto the back porch and looks my way. I blow him a quick kiss, and haul ass to the house. Hurrying up the steps, I take the fastest shower ever recorded and get ready. Reaching into my closet, I grab my comfy black sleeveless dress and then toss on my turquoise boots and turquoise jewelry. As I look at my watch, I know I’ve got to get moving. I grab my truck keys and hurry back to Weston’s.

  As I haul ass down his driveway, I realize that man still has my mind spinning. Putting the truck in park, I take a moment to get myself together and glance in the rearview mirror to check my lipstick before walking into the house.

  When I’m almost to the door, it flies open and Bryndle rushes out to meet me. “Thank goodness you’re here. Daddy is trying to make me wear this awful outfit. Please save me.” Looking at her, I don’t see anything wrong with what she has on, but never fear, I don’t mind helping. I follow her to her bedroom and it looks like everything that was once in the closet has exploded all over the room.

  “What happened here?” I question.

  “Can’t find anything I want to wear and Daddy wants me to wear this,” she says, pointing to a pair of shorts and a shirt with a little saying on it.

  “I like the top, but you want something fancier, don’t ya?”

  “Exactly. He doesn’t get it. Please help me.”

  Within a few minutes, I’ve helped to find the perfect outfit: a cute sundress and a pair of boots. I quickly pull her hair into a fun, messy bun, and we’re ready to go.

  We walk toward the living room and find Weston and Paw. Weston looks at us and does a double take. “Twin much?” he says and when I look over at Bryndle, I see that he’s exactly right. We both shrug and walk out the front door.

  Walking into the Border Cafe, I try my best to remind myself this isn’t a date with Weston like the last time. It’s a family dinner. We put our name on the list and of course we have to wait. Weston excuses himself for the bar and returns with three cold beers and a virgin strawberry daiquiri. We walk outside and enjoy the warm summer heat and take a seat in the rocking chairs. We sit outside and enjoy talking to each other. Bryndle tells us about anything and everything. It’s absolutely precious. Within the hour, they call our name, and as we make our way to the table, Weston slides my chair out for me and gives me a wink when I take a seat. My entire body goes crazy remembering what happened the last time he winked at me. Dinner is fabulous and dessert is even better than the last time.

  As we arrive back at Weston’s, I walk inside with them for a few minutes, but know I’ve got to get home. Paw excuses himself but asks Weston to walk outside with him for a brief moment, and Bryndle asks if I can tuck her in. How do you say no to that? Within a few minutes Weston returns and she comes into the living room and tells me she’s ready to go to bed. I look to Weston to see if he’s okay with this. He opens his arms and she falls into them. “I love you, Daddy. Night.”

  “Love you more, Sweet Peach. Sleep tight.”

  She turns in my direction, extends her hand for me to take, and leads me to her room. Turning on the lamp beside her bed, I help her in and tuck her in tightly as she looks up and smiles at me. I realize that this is how life is supposed to be.

  “Night, Timber.”

  “Night, Bryndle,” I say as I turn off the lamp.

  “Love you,” she says and it makes my heart do something funny.

  “I love you too. Sleep tight.”

  Walking out of her room, I pull the door closed and take a moment to compose myself. Pressing my back against the door, I allow myself to process the emotions that are flooding me. That little girl said she loved me, and I know I love her too.

  Chapter 28

  Weston

  Taking the remote, I try not to think about what Dad gave me outside, but it’s burning a damn hole in my pocket. Deciding I’ve got to do something with it, I start to walk toward my room. I stop abruptly when I spy Timber leaning against Bryndle’s closed door. I don’t want to startle her, but I’ve got to get this out of my pocket.

  Clearing my throat, she opens her eyes and they go wide. “Everything good?”

  “Better than good, Cowboy.”

  “Good. I’ll be right back,” I state and hurry to my room. Taking the ring out of my pocket, I try not to think about the last hand it was on, but there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t wish my mama was still on this earth. Placing it in the top drawer of my dresser, I take a deep breath and go to check on Timber.

  Walking into the living room, I see her walking around admiring all the photographs. “She was a cute baby, wasn’t she?” I say as I prop my arm against the doorway and she spins around.

  “Yeah, but you know which one’s my favorite?” Walking toward her, I look around and know which one is my favorite, but I doubt it’s the same one.

  “This one,” I say, pointing to a picture of Bryndle at the age of three. She’s on my back with my cowboy hat and is laughing out loud as I give her a pony ride. I won’t ever forget that night. It was the night of her birthday party. She was on a sugar high and in that moment, life was perfect. I had no idea that Dad even took it, but when he got that disposable camera developed, I was so glad he did.

  She turns to me. “How’d you know?”

  “Because it’s my favorite. That was the first time that we quit associating Hannah’s death with Bryndle’s birthday. I know it sounds crazy but even though I didn’t love her it was hard on me. I’m not talking about a baby either. Watching someone die like that does something to you.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Timber, by that point you were off at college and I didn’t know what in the hell to do. I wanted to prove I could make it alone, and I did. I vowed to be the best damn daddy possible, but each year on her birthday, I’d remember.”

  She looks into my eyes. “Tell me. You need to tell someone.”
Shaking my head, I don’t want to have this conversation. I’ve never told a soul about what haunted me until that moment, and as I shake my head no and place my forehead on hers, she looks up to me and her eyes plead for me to open my entire world to her.

  Bending down, I lightly kiss her lips. “I don’t know if I can.”

  “Cowboy, let me be your rock, and for once in your life, put it on someone besides yourself.”

  I feel my heart and emotions beginning to crack. Never in the past ten years have I told anyone how I truly felt about the night my wife died. At the time, I didn’t have a moment to process what was happening. I had a little girl that needed me, and that’s where I went. I became the father that little girl needed.

  She places her hands on the sides of my face. “Put the weight on me,” she whispers and then kisses me again.

  Not wanting to talk, I lift her into my arms, carry her down the hall and let my body do the talking.

  As she lies there naked beside me, she traces her fingers gently on my chest. “I love you, Weston Parker.”

  “I love you more, Timber Sellers, so much more.”

  “Doubtful, but how about we do a little more talking?”

  “I’d prefer a little less talking.” I try to kiss her but she pulls away.

  “I’m not getting distracted this time.” Sitting up in the bed, she covers herself with the sheet and looks at me. “Talk to me.”

  Rubbing my hands in my hair, I decide to pour out my heart about a girl that shouldn’t have a hold on me.

  Timber

  Looking at the man in front of me, I take his hands in mine, and focus on him. “Talk to me. If you want this relationship to be what you say you want, then you’ve got to tell me everything.”

  He turns to face me. “I didn’t love her at all, but she was the mother of my child. We got married, shared nine months in this house, and the day she took her last breath she gave me the greatest gift possible. How could I be happy knowing she gave up her life for our little girl? It’s what she said to me that bothers me the most.” Moving closer to him, I give him every bit of my attention. “She said that the fact that I created a name for Bryndle that was a piece of each of us was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her.” Pausing, I wait for more because on the surface this doesn’t seem like a big deal, but I know him and there’s more to this than what it appears. “A name, Timber, was the nicest thing she had ever experienced and here I’d been a dipshit from the moment she told me about the baby.”

  “Oh Weston, Hannah grew up different than me and you, but she had a good heart. She never got the chance to be the person inside her. The time I did hang out with her, I realized she had never been shown the love and support we had, but she knew you were a good man.”

  “You know I often thought she got pregnant on purpose.”

  “Not going to say it didn’t cross my mind, but I think she was just living.”

  “From the moment we came home from the hospital, it’s like I could hear her talking to me. I sure as hell didn’t tell anyone this. They’d have thought I was off my rocker, but I swear I’d hear her.”

  “What exactly did you hear?”

  “You’re going to think I’m nuts.” I shake my head no. “I swear I’d hear her singing a lullaby or when I’d be at my breaking point, she’d get in my head and tell me how to fix it. Over time, it wasn’t as loud, but I couldn’t ever get over her final words. It made me want to do better, to make sure that Bryndle had plenty of sweet moments. I guess her birthday was always a bittersweet reminder.”

  “I can see how that would be hard, but what made that night different?”

  “When I saw the pic, I saw Hannah living through Bryndle. It was like that photo was showing me that she was still living and it was the best life she could have ever dreamed of.”

  Those words sink in, and it’s hard for me to understand them completely. “That little girl is living a dream. She’s got a daddy and paw who treasure her. She understands what it’s like to be loved, cared for, and how to enjoy life. You are being the father that Hannah knew you’d become and I’m sure she looks down and smiles daily.”

  He doesn’t say anything for a moment, but then slides out of the bed and moves toward his dresser. Sliding the top drawer open, he takes something out and walks back over to me and kneels on the side of the bed taking my hand in his.

  “Timber, this isn’t how I planned it, but it’s what I feel right now.” When I see what he’s holding, my hands begin to shake. I look into his eyes. “The moment you walked into this house, our world changed for the better. The sound of you and Bryndle laughing together woke my heart, but the way that you are willing to fight for her made me see that you are what we’ve been missing. I don’t want to wait; I want to start our future together sooner rather than later because if I’ve learned one thing in my lifetime, it’s that we aren’t guaranteed tomorrow.” His eyes never leave mine as he speaks from his heart and I know that this is it. It’s not something out of a fairy tale, but it’s better. It’s our lives and our very own fairy tale. A single tear starts to fall from my eye and he brushes it away. “Timber, will you be my wife? The woman that I can count on day in and day out? Will you be a mother to my sweet peach, and will you allow me to worship the ground you walk on daily?”

  “Yes.” It’s the only word I can manage and when he hears it, he springs from the floor and his lips consume mine. As we pull away, he slides something on my left hand, and as I glance at it, I recognize it without a doubt. “It’s your mama’s.”

  He smiles and kisses me once more. “I love you, Timber Sellers, and you’re the only woman worthy of that ring.”

  Chapter 29

  Weston

  Timber Sellers is going to be my wife, and I can’t wait another day. Right now, I want to toss her back into my bed and make love to her, but as I look at the time, I know we have to do all of this right for Bryndle’s sake.

  She must read my mind as she pulls me in for one more, slow kiss. “There’s more where that came from, but there’s a little girl down the hall that needs to be the first to know.”

  “Um, she’s asleep.”

  “Well, wake her up.”

  I shake my head no. “That’s like the first commandment in parenthood. Thou shalt not wake a sleeping child.” She starts to laugh. “I’m serious. We can tell her in the morning. You want to stay with us? I can sleep on the couch.”

  “I’m not making you sleep on the couch when I live one farm over. I’ll go home and be back in the morning. How does that sound?”

  “Horrible. I really want you to stay.”

  “Same here, but she doesn’t need to see all of that yet.” She slides her dress back on and as I slide on my jeans, she walks toward me and wraps her arms around my neck. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

  I stand in the doorway and watch her walk to her truck. The moment I see her taillights leaving I realize this is going to be the longest night of my life.

  Timber

  Arriving back at the farm, I realize it’s well past midnight but I see the kitchen light on and know that Daddy is awake.

  Walking inside the back door, I close it quietly and realize that it’s not just Daddy in the kitchen but Mama too.

  “‘Bout time you got home. So let us see.”

  I’m dumbfounded as I show Mama the ring. How in the hell do they know?

  “Oh shug, wipe that look off your face. The moment George left after supper he came right here.”

  “But… how…”

  “Parents know things.”

  “But it literally just happened. He hadn’t planned on it.”

  “We never plan on it. It just happens. Your mama will tell you. I just spit it out,” he says with a laugh.

  “Oh hush, Lyle. Want a bite?” she asks, sliding the banana pudding in my direction.

  Both of them stare at me as I take a bite.

  “What?” I ask through the sweet goodness.


  “We’re happy for you, and I can’t wait to go shopping and planning everything out.”

  “Hold up, Mama. This literally happened a few minutes ago and I have no idea what I want. I do know that I love that man and little girl more than I ever thought possible. Oh and I think there’s a big shock coming everyone’s way in the near future.”

  “Awe hell. He knock you up too?” Daddy questions.

  “Hell no. I’m smarter than that. But Bryndle did say she loves me.”

  They both pause and a smile spreads across my mama’s face. “Oh, honey, I had no doubt. I know you will be a perfect addition to that family.”

  We sit around for a few minutes and talk about what’s to come and how life is about to change. Before long, Mama takes the pudding and places it back in the refrigerator. Then she kisses Daddy on the top of his head and excuses herself.

  “So tell me what else is going on.”

  “I can’t, but I will tell you this. I’ll leave it to you to fill in the blanks. I can’t wait for the rodeo next weekend.”

  “He’s riding?”

  “No, it’s even better, but my lips are sealed.”

  “You were always good at keeping secrets.”

  We sit around a few more minutes before I head to the loft. Walking in, I try my best to focus on what has occurred tonight and I honestly can’t wrap my head around it. I’m going to marry Weston Parker, my cowboy, the boy that I’ve known my entire life.

  Knowing I can’t go to sleep right away, I take a shower to relax and then slide into bed. My head continues to swim with ideas of what’s next. I know I don’t want anything big, but now that I gave up the idea of going slow, I don’t want to wait. I want to go one hundred miles an hour on this crazy ride called love.