Linc just nodded once. “Let’s get this done.”
The ceremony was over in minutes. The officiant rattled through the words like he’d said them a thousand times that week. No music. No flowers. One witness, the chapel’s receptionist, who’d been halfway through a crossword puzzle before we’d interrupted her night. Just Linc and me, with a pair of cheap gold bands from the glass display case.
When he slid the ring onto my finger, his hand trembled. Just slightly. Enough for me to see that maybe this wasn’t all practicality. Perhaps this meant something, even if he didn’t dare say it.
I looked up once, just as he said I do. His gaze caught mine, dark and steady, and for a heartbeat, everything stopped. The hum of the fluorescent lights, the murmur of the officiant, and even the ache in my chest.
We walked back out into the neon glow the same way we’d walked in, side by side, not touching, not looking at each other. Married but not tethered. The silence between us was louder than any argument we’d ever had.
The cool air outside hit my face like a slap. I hadn’t realized how hot it was in there until I stepped out. The neon sign flickered, humming faintly. My new ring gleamed against the cheap light, too big and too bright, like it didn’t belong on my hand.
Back at the stables, the night air was sharp, filled with the scent of manure and diesel. Normal. Blessedly normal. I breathed it in like medicine.
“Horses are in Kristin’s trailer,” Wilf, the owner, said, tipping his cap. “Your man’s been and gone.”
“Thanks, Wilf. I’ve got one more favor to ask.”
Linc handed him the truck keys along with a thick wad of cash. “Get this truck back to the rental company tomorrow. For your troubles.”
The man whistled low, nodded. He didn’t ask questions. No one ever did with Linc.
“What does she owe?” Linc asked, his voice all business now.
They talked numbers while I stood a step back, silent, pressing my thumb against the band on my finger. The ring was too big, too shiny, too strange. It wasn’t even the one he’d mentioned; it was the chapel’s stock band. But it was still a symbol. Still a weight.
My weight. His weight. Ours.
My head was light, my body sore, my thoughts spiraling. Married. To him. After everything.
“Let’s go,” he said finally, his voice strained but controlled. Always controlled. He wrapped his hand around the steering wheel and the ring he was wearing caught the light, and damn it, it was sexy.
The diesel engine roared to life beneath us, vibrating through my bones as he steered us out of the corral.
“Where are we going?” My voice was softer this time, hesitant.
“Home.” He gave me half a smile, small and devastating.
He shifted into drive, the truck slowly crept ahead, and we were silent as we left the lights and the noise of Las Vegas behind us. The glow faded in the mirrors, replaced by open desert and endless black sky. The road stretched ahead like a ribbon, leading to whatever came next.
Nobody would expect me to run tomorrow after my fall today, so I will email the committee tonight to inform them thatI am pulling out. I was already a national champion; I didn’t need another buckle to add to my collection. But damn, I wanted another one.
“Your business in Everton, it’s been doing well?” he asked, probably to fill the silence.
I turned to look at him, sure my face was a mix of how did you know and oh no you know. “You knew?”
“Of course, I knew. I wasn’t kidding when I said I knew where you were and what you were doing.”
“That’s creepy, Linc.”
He snorted. “Don’t think about it too much, and it doesn’t sound that bad.”
“It’s still bad,” I said flatly, “it’s been going well, the storefront isn’t as busy as I’d like, I’ve been considering closing that and just using a warehouse.”
“We’ll get it all transferred to the ranch. There’s a building more than big enough at my place for it.” There wasn’t even a moment of hesitation in his voice. He had a plan, and it was the only option in his mind.
“You don’t have to do that. I can keep renting the store.” I looked down at the email I was composing. I jerked around to face him. “Oh God. Did you tap my phone too?”
“No. That would be too far.”
