“It feels pretty damn good.” She flung her arms around my shoulders and buried her cold nose into my neck. “Thank you, Jake.”
“Yeah, thank you,” Stetson said. He stood behind us along with Justin and Roxy’s mom and sister. “Roxy, I never thought you’d get back up on a horse again. You did it, sis.”
I let her go so her family could surround her. Roxy lifted her head and mouthed “I love you” over her mom’s shoulder. Seeing her get the love and recognition she deserved from her family filled my heart.
“Your dad will come around,” her mom said. “His pride took a hit, but he loves you too much to let there be a rift between you.”
“I hope so.” Roxy wiped at her cheeks again.
“We need to get the horses loaded up and back to the ranch,” Justin said. “Will you come to Christmas dinner?”
“We’ve already got plans, but how about we get together on New Year’s Eve? Assuming you’re building another ridiculous bonfire, I’d love to bring Jake. I think he’d enjoy it.”
Justin nodded. “See you then.”
“Merry Christmas,” Mrs. Swisher said with a final hug. “I’ll work on your dad.”
“Merry Christmas, Mom.” Roxy pulled her sister in for a hug, then the two of us were left alone with the horses. “We’d probably better get these two loaded up and back to the stables so we can head over to Mama Mae’s for Christmas Eve dinner, right?”
I’d been waiting for the right moment to share my surprise. “We’re not taking them back to the stables at the ranch.”
“We’re not?”
I shook my head. “Trixie is yours. I used the money you paid me for lessons to buy her for you. If you’re going to stay in Texas, you’re going to need a horse you can trust.”
“But I don’t even have anywhere to live, much less somewhere to keep a horse.” Roxy cupped my cheeks. “Unless you’ve got that figured out too.”
“I do.” I’d been biding my time working for the Calhouns, telling myself I’d get around to buying that parcel of land someday, but I hadn’t had much of an incentive until I met Roxy. “I took out a loan from my brother Grant and made a cash offer on the ranch next to Owen’s. We’ll close in a couple of weeks, but since it’s empty now, the sellers agreed to rent it to me until I get the title. There’s a barn and a spring-fed pond along with some riding trails that will be perfect for continuing to work with Trixie.”
“You did all of that? For me?”
“For us, sugar. I can’t imagine a life without you. Do you think you could be happy there? It’s not much, but we can build it together.”
“Yes. Whatever you’re asking, the answer is yes.” She stared into my eyes, the honesty in her baby blues telling me everything I needed to know. “My heart chose you the first time I saw you, and I’ll continue choosing you as long as you’ll have me.”
“Is forever long enough?”
She smiled and nodded as I slanted my mouth over hers. My heart had chosen her, too. Maybe before we’d even met. She was the one I’d been waiting for, and I’d make sure she never doubted my love for her as long as we lived.
EPILOGUE
ROXY
“Tell Grandpa to hurry up. Dinner’s going to be cold by the time he gets inside and washes up.” I sent my five-year-old son out to the backyard to chastise my dad. He’d given the kids a miniature pony for Christmas. Just what we needed… another horse to feed. I already had my hands full with the two mares I’d begged Jake to pick up at the auction. They were both in bad shape, but I couldn’t bear to see them go to someone who’d put them down just because life had been a little hard on them.
Luckily, our little ranch was in the black. Jake had spent the past five years putting in the hours to make sure of that. Instead of raising Longhorns, Angus or Herefords, he’d focused on building our herd with Wagyu cattle. That meant we could focus more on quality than quantity. He’d even talked to my dad about sectioning off a couple hundred acres to expand our operation. Now that the two of them had mended fences, they realized they had a lot in common when it came to ranching.
My dad wiped his boots on the mat by the back door as he entered the kitchen with my three-year-old in his arms. Both of my brothers followed, along with their kids. If anyone in the family had any more babies, we’d have to add onto our house again if we wanted to host another Christmas dinner.
“Can I ride Rudolph again after dinner?” My five-year-old asked.
“If Grandpa promises to make sure you have on a helmet,” I said. Dad thought helmets were for sissies, but I wasn’t taking any chances with my kids.
“Your house, your rules,” Dad said. Mom had been right. It hadn’t taken much time at all for Dad to come around. He’d realized he’d been putting way too much emphasis on the things that he thought would make everyone happy instead of worrying about making sure everyone felt loved. I blamed it on the way he was raised and was grateful he’d been willing and able to change his ways.
“Are you almost done carving the bird?” I turned toward Jake.
“Just wrapping up now.” He set down the electric knife and carried the overflowing platter into the dining room.
