Page 114 of The Scars We Heal

When I exited the arena, my friends ran up to me with a bombardment of encouragement, patting me on the back and congratulating me on a clean run.

Up on the big screen, the camera panned over the area of the stands where Ellison, baby Levi, Isa, Juniper, Whitley, and Caitlin all sat. Juniper tapped Caitlin on the shoulder and pointed up at the screen.

Before the camera panned away, the last thing I saw was Caitlin mouthing the words, I love you.

epilogue

CHRISTMAS, TWO YEARS LATER

Whit, answer the door please!” I called out to her from the kitchen. I was hanging the various Christmas cards we’d gotten from Clay and Abby, Grant and Nolan, and Bec and Noah on the fridge. Bec had sent me a Christmas present as well—a new set of wine glasses that she said we could use the next time they were in town. They’d moved to a slightly larger town in the central part of the state called Bair last year, but we’d kept in touch.

“’Kay, Mom!” she answered. Not too long after, the front door creaked and a chorus of voices filled the living room.

I hung the last card then joined the crew. “Merry Christmas!” I greeted my friends, who were all carrying armfuls of gifts. “Thank you all for coming.”

“We wouldn’t miss it!” Ellison pulled me into a hug, balancing a tower of presents. “We obviously had to come back to see the ranch’s new look.”

Colter and Ellison had moved to Goldfinch earlier this year, taking most of their cattle but leaving a few head back in Silver Creek. Now that Jake was officially part of the family, the Carson siblings had all met to decide who’d take up the land we grew up on.

Jake and I were the obvious answer. With approval and input from Clay, we decided that Colter and Ellison would keep the Carson Ranch name, leaving the door open for Jake and I to begin our own family legacy on Wild Rose Ranch.

Isabelle and Reid still lived in Silver Creek for the time being, but I was confident they’d follow Colter and Ellison to Goldfinch at some point. They got married in October, shortly after our wedding in June.

Mikey moved off the plot of land Colter gave him to live with Juniper while she finished her master’s and PhD program, and even though rumors of him retiring had circled around, he was still riding bulls. In fact, all of the Silver Creek cowboys were still competing.

Hayden and Sierra’s wedding was set to take place the next summer. They still lived in Silver Creek with us, but I wasn’t sure where they’d end up. Since they grew up in Goldfinch, I could have imagined them moving back, but I could’ve also pictured them traveling the world with their dog Pancho.

“Do you like the new headgate?” I asked, unable to stop myself from chewing on my bottom lip. Over the last few years, I’d taken up wood burning art, and our new headgate sign had delicate roses designed by me.

“It’s beautiful.” She nodded. “What did you guys think of it?”

“I loved it! It fits the ranch perfectly,” Isa said.

“You did a really great job, Cait,” Sierra added.

A squeal from Levi broke us out of our conversation. Whitley had attempted to hoist him up to the tray of Christmas cookies on the kitchen counter.

At the sight of their antics, a laugh bubbled out of me, and soon, the entire living room was erupting into chuckles.

“Damn, looks like our girl is still sneaking food, just to a toddler this time instead of a cat,” Jake joked, calling back to the day I caught Whitley feeding Cheeto chicken nuggets in her bedroom.

Our beloved cat was still around, but he didn’t love crowds so he was probably hiding in the safety of Whitley’s room underneath the new plastic glow-in-the-dark stars we’d placed on her ceiling.

Remembering that everyone was still holding boxes, I sprang into action. “Sorry, I’m being such a bad host. Here, you can set all the presents down by the tree. Food will be ready in maybe twenty minutes.”

“Does anyone have the pizza place on speed dial in case the mashed potatoes get dropped again?” Mikey piped up.

“That was one time!” Sierra protested.

I pressed my lips together to hide my smile. “Don’t worry. Mashed potatoes are already done, and I made ham instead of turkey this time.”

“Perfect!” Reid nodded his approval, amusement shining in his expression.

“While we wait for the food, should we all open one present?” Colter suggested, glancing over at Whitley and Levi who were still attempting their Christmas cookie heist.

The minute she heard presents, though, Whitley put Levi back on the ground and raced over to me, bouncing excitedly on her heels.

“Presents?” Her eyes widened. “Can I open one, please?”