“I’m looking forward to it.”
She reaches up to kiss me and I dip my head. It’s then all three horses let out a simultaneous huff, as though we need topay them some attention, and we both laugh into our kiss before we break apart. “You guys,” she chastises, but she’s grinning as she says it. “We’re kissing here.”
“See, Dancer is getting jealous I’m giving you all my attention,” I quip. “She wants my loving hands on her.”
“She’s jealous that Mommy isn’t paying attention to her,” Bailey shoots back. “It’s alright, babies, Mommy loves you just as much asDaddy.”
She’s cheeky, and I know what she’s doing.
I laugh now and hold my hand to my heart. “Baby girl, you’d throw me under the bus for these three any day of the week, we both know it.”
“Not true!”
“Uh-huh. I’m new here, I have to earn my place in the pack.”
“I’d save all four of you equally.”
I grin at her words and take a small step back so I can pull the camera to my front. “I love you all the more for it. Now, let me take a shot of you four against the mountain backdrop,” I say. “The way the sunset is hitting the mountain peak is almost as beautiful as you.”
“Spoken like a true country singer and songwriter.” She kisses me chastely and pretends to do a few flashy poses, batting her eyes with a pout and shaking her shoulders. Little does she know I’ve already flipped the camera lens off as I quickly snap away. “Brett, no!” she squeals.
“Let me keep snapping and I’ll let you take a photo of me and Dancer when she professes her love for me.”
Bailey swipes me on the arm. “Fat chance of that!” She reaches for all three horse’s reins at once and turns her head toward me.
“Babe, right there.” I hold the camera up to my right eye and quickly assess the horizon to the ground to make sure the photo is even on both sides. She stares right at me, just as Dancer turnsher head. I don’t know how but I also capture Spirit and Rebel both looking toward me, too. “That’s it. Perfect.” I snap away like I’m trigger happy. Her smile, the backdrop, Cedar Hollow ranch, her beautiful horses and the fresh, mountain air are all part of me now. And they are all just that—perfect.
EPILOGUE A
Bailey
Three months later
Brett “Rock Altman” has been the talk of the town for weeks on end, we never thought the buzz would die down after the press conference that day at Whiskey Business. The photo of him, his parents and sister was on the front page of the Alpine Falls Gazette and splashed across the news like it was the best thing since sliced bread. I can hardly blame people, Brett, in my opinion,isthe best thing since sliced bread. I wasn’t in the photo by choice, just because it was early days and I didn’t know how I felt about potentially being in the limelight or having snooping photographers around again. Eventually things died down, and the locals in Alpine Falls are all loving the fact that Rock Altman is going to call our little town home, at least for some of the time.
Things have only improved for the better as we’ve gotten to know each other. Brett went back to Lawless Farms the very next day and still wants to keep a foot in the door when he’s home from Nashville. He loves it. And every aspect of Wyoming.I can see it in his eyes, his smile—his face just lights up every time I see him—and that’s often because he’s been staying at my place. He moved some of his stuff into my old bunkhouse and we’ve been doing lots of repainting and minor repairs around the place. It’s a space he’s been using as his own to write songs for his new album and for some downtime when I’m at work. I haven’t gotten around to renting it out to tourists yet, as eventually he wants to use it to record and insisted he pay me rent to keep it for when the time comes. It wasn’t necessary, but Brett being Brett wouldn’t hear of it.
I love that even if he’s strumming to some tunes down at the back of my property; I know he’s close by. It’s like I can feel his energy without him even being in the house.
Of course, we’re inseparable, but it hasn’t been all about sex. We’ve been getting to know each other and talking a lot. Playing board games, rocking on my porch at twilight, and hearing stories from his trips on the road.
“You seem deep in thought,” Brett says, walking up to the front porch. He knows where I’ll be at dusk if I’m not at work or in the stables.
I almost jump at the sight of him, holding a hand to my heart, I take a breath. “Shit! Brett, you scared me.” I blow out a breath and then laugh because I see the mischievous crinkle in his eyes. “You shouldn’t creep up on people like that.”
“I walked up the garden path, hot stuff. I’ve been fixin’ your mailbox.” He waves his tool bag in the air as evidence of his work.
He’s been threatening to do that since he first saw it hanging by his hinges. That takes me back to the first night he drove me home in my truck and I was supposed to just say thank you and goodnight. “About time,” I joke with a wink. “It’s great having a hot handyman around.”
“I have to earn my keep somehow.” He grins, taking the porch steps two at a time, and walks over to me on the swing.
“Wait, not so fast,” I say as he leans down, pulls his cowboy hat off for a beat, and plants a kiss on my lips. “I have a surprise for you.”
He pulls back a little and licks his lips. “Oh yeah, what’s that, sugar?”
“You’ll see.” I reach my hands out to him and he pulls me up off the swing.
“Where is this said surprise?” he inquires, placing his cowboy hat back on.
