Page 20 of Reuniting with the Rancher

Lily blinked, wrapping her mind around what he confessed. She never knew. She hadn’t realized just how far Greyson had gone to protect her sister, nor what she dealt with it. It was something Marigold kept to herself and, in fact, took to her grave.

Lily’s heart swelled, a warmth growing inside her as she watched Greyson with her nephew. She hadn’t expected this—hadn’t expected to feel anything other than the old resentment she’d carried toward him. But seeing him here, like this, caring for Caleb in ways she hadn’t known he was capable of, gave her insight to the kind of father he must be to Ivy. She’d missed out on seeing that growth in him, but Ivy hadn’t and damn, she was grateful for it.

“He never bothered her again after that,” Greyson continued, turning back to Caleb. “Your mom was strong, buddy. She didn’t let him stop her from living her life or loving you.”

Caleb stared down at the ground, silent for a moment. “She wasreallysmart. When Auntie Lily toured, she always took us with her and Mom was my homeschool teacher. She knew everything. Every city there was some lesson or tour and Auntie always made sure we got to see the stuff other people didn’t see. Like personal tours of Stradivarius violin vaults.”

“My daughter has been in some of the best boarding schools in the country,” Greyson said softly. “And I would’ve sent her to study with your mom in a heartbeat. She almost always treated me well.”

“Almost?”

“Well, there was the time I said I had four books and a possible in Spades and barely got two…”

Lily barked out a loud laugh at that. She remembered. They lost first round of the Spades tournament in grad school and Mari was so mad she dogged Grey for two weeks. Lily stayed out of it. Mari already knew Lily’s brain was music, history, the arts - not cards.

“And the other time?” she asked smiling, thinking he would talk about the time he ate a whole pan of brownies a eight month pregnant Mari made to satisfy a craving. Exhausted by the effort,Mari fell asleep and when she woke, Grey was shaking crumbs from the pan into his mouth while watching car races.

“When she learned I hurt you. She took my call once, said I was a hypocrite, and hung up. It makes a lot more sense now.”

Lily nodded, her throat tight. She sat next to Caleb, who rested his head on her shoulder.

“I think she would’ve loved that Auntie Lily broke your nose.”

Their laughter together carried on the wind across the flatlands of the ranch. It sounded a lot like new beginnings.

10

ANCHOR ME

GREYSON

Lily and Greysonentered the dimly lit Hen House, the sounds of laughter, a DJ, clinking glasses, and hoots over the various sports on the TV screens greeting them.

“I haven’t played darts in ages,” Lily said, her eyes lighting up at the dartboard on the far wall.

“Let’s see if you still suck at it,” Grey replied, a playful smirk on his face. He grabbed a set of darts from the wall, handing three to her.

Lily stepped up to the line and focused intently on the board, taking a deep breath before throwing. The dart landed with a satisfying thud, just nowhere near the board.

“Duck!” Greyson shouted with a laugh. There was no one close enough to hit, but he enjoyed messing with her, anyway. He tossed his dart with flair, landing it closer to the center.

Several rounds of darts and a couple of beers later, they were laughing more than they were playing.

“Shit. Why did I ever think this was fun?” she asked, breathless.

“Because you always bet your ass, I would win and fuck you in the bathroom.” His gaze turned serious, and the air between them grew heavy with desire.

Before she could respond, Greyson took her hand, leading her through the crowd towards the restroom. “But I didn’t bet anything,” she protested, while her feet in her long boots had no problem keeping up. She’d already started moving better since working with the Silver Creek physical therapist. Turns out she didn’t have to be a hundred and sixteen pounds to walk better. She just needed someone who paid attention to her actual body, not the weight in her chart.

His heart felt light, giddy even, at the progress they made - individually and together - as people and for the ranch. Caleb was talking about Mari more and coming further out of his shell.

He caught a smirk and hat tip from Draven as they passed his designated Friday night spot at the bar.

The small bathroom was empty, the sound of their laughter echoing off the walls. As soon as they stepped inside, Greyson shut the door behind them, leaning against it. Her gaze turned hungry, and he pulled her to him by her waist.

“This is a bad idea,” Lily said, half-laughing, half-nervous.

“You say that every time,” he replied and pulled up her long, flowing skirt until he had access to her panties and slid them down. “Yet, you’re already wet.”

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