We stand in silence for a few minutes until Will breaks it.
“I’m going to head out. I just wanted to thank you for coming into our lives, Rhett. I know the rodeo guys call each other family, but I want you to know, if you need a father to talk to, I think of you as another son. So, ah, you’re part of my family too.”
Will’s words make mine dry up on my tongue. He squeezes my shoulder, but I pull him into a hard hug. He goes with it and returns the hug, patting my back with an understanding I’m grateful for.
After he leaves to say more goodbyes, I lean into the fence again and wipe at my eyes. “Jesus Christ this town makes me emotional. Must be something in the water.”
Tater bounces out of the pasture, and I know before I even bend to pet her what she’s been up to. “You were eating shit, weren’t you?” She playfully runs ahead of me, and I shake my head with a laugh. “You’re not sleeping in the bedroom, you disgusting animal!”
Is it a glamorous life? Definitely not.
Am I truly happy for the first time?
Diamond’s voice sounds in the dark. “Rhett? We’re playing a game of Scrabble! You want in? Hunter is still mad about serendickity and looking for revenge.”
Serendickity? I’m not even going to ask.
“Definitely,” I call out with a laugh. “I’m definitely in for Scrabble.”
I smile into the darkness as I walk back towards my home.
Yes, this is truly happy, and I wouldn’t change a thing.
twenty-five
Epilogue
The following spring
Rhett
Whoever invented fairy lights is both a genius and a devil sent to this earth to try my fucking patience. After two hours, though, my fruit trees are adorned in as many fairy lights as the local box store carried.
Which is 41 sets exactly, much to the dismay of the cashier who had to scan every single box since they were from different companies and all had different prices.
Now I hope they work when I bring Diamond out here later for his surprise. I’m grateful for a chinook wind to make my job easier this afternoon. March in Alberta is no joke, but the weather gods are on my side today.
The hammock he wanted so badly sits on the stone patio covered in a ratty blue tarp for now. It’s not really hammock weather, but he’s been talking about it all winter. We’re celebrating, and he deserves to be spoiled.
Checking the time, I rush inside to get dinner started so I can shower before he’s home. It’s my day off, and while I wanted to lie around and possibly watch one of my favourite tv shows, I spent the entire day planning this for Diamond.
Homemade lasagna with fresh pasta I made this morning goes into the oven before I hit the shower.
The bathroom is littered with towels, and I huff in annoyance. Diamond is the love of my life, but Jesus fuck, he cannot keep a bathroom clean. I should remain irritated, but the biggest smile is on my face as I scoop up the towels and shove them in the hamper before finally getting into the shower.
It’s been a year since I moved to Kissing Ridge and met Diamond. A year of running a growing rodeo training facility, competing at rodeos…falling in love. I still can’t believe this is my life.
A home I’ve always wanted, and my horse snug in his new barn. Tater has an acreage to prowl. Not just a yard, but an orchard and a pond, and she’s living every dog’s dream, flopping on a comfy dog bed every night.
Securing the towel at my waist, I wipe the steam from the mirror and touch up my beard. It’s just scruff, but I keep it short because Diamond loves it, and I’ve discovered I’d do almost anything to make him happy. Like buying 41 sets of fairy lights.
After choosing clean clothes, I’m walking back to the kitchen when the front door opens, and Diamond enters like a cool breeze on a summer day. Giant black sunglasses cover his blue eyes. I love his eyes, and that just won’t do.
“Hey, cowboy.” He tosses his laptop bag on the closest surface and kicks off his boots. “Morgan has the shop under control, and I got out a little early because I have a surprise for you, and I just couldn’t wait.”
“You do?” I reach for his glasses and take them off, carefully setting them on the bag he tossed aside. “That’s better. I love your sapphire blues.”
“Aww, you’re such a sap, cowboy.” He presses a soft kiss to my lips, and my arm snakes around his waist, holding him close.
