Page 123 of The Cowboy's Unlikely Love

Ashton stepped closer to Tanner when he saw the two boys approaching.

“Do you know who this is?” Sloane asked as soon as Cody and Wyatt reached them.

Cody looked at Tanner and mumbled, “One of the MacFarlands.”

“That’s right; this is Tanner MacFarland. Your daddy wouldn’t have a job if it wasn’t for the MacFarlands. So, what do you think you’re doing bullying his son? You should be looking out for him – and you should be ashamed of yourselves.”

Cody and Wyatt were both busy studying the ground in front of them.

“Well? What have you got to say for yourselves?”

“I didn’t know. How come…? He’s new here. How can he be his son? He’s just some kid who says his dad’s a cowboy.”

“Damn straight his dad’s a cowboy. And don’t you ever call Ashton MacFarlandjust some kidagain. He’s one of us. And him being new here means that you should be looking out for him. You’re going to be looking out for him from now on,aren’t you?”

Tanner tensed when Cody glanced at Ashton. He was hoping like hell that this wasn’t going to make things worse for Ash instead of better.

“His name’s not MacFarland – he’s Ashton Welsh.”

“His name on the roster might be Ashton Welsh, but he’s Ashton MacFarland.” Tanner spoke without hesitation. It was only once he’d said it, and they were all staring at him – including Ashton – that he realized the weight of his words.

He gave the kid’s shoulder a squeeze. “Isn’t that right, Ash?”

The way Ashton smiled at him sealed the deal. Saying that his name was MacFarland might be a little white lie, but Tanner knew that he needed to make it true just as soon as he could.

Sloane grinned at him and nodded. “Hey, ladies,” she called. “I have some bad news for you all.”

“What’s that?” a couple of them asked.

“This is Tanner’s kid, Ashton. And Tanner is officially off the market.”

Tanner rolled his eyes as a few of the women laughed while others jokingly expressed their disappointment.

A couple of them came over to talk, and as he fielded their questions, he watched warily as Cody and Wyatt approached Ashton.

“Why didn’t you say that your real name’s MacFarland?” Cody asked.

Tanner grinned when Ashton glanced up at him and said, “I didn’t know if I was supposed to tell anyone yet.”

Wyatt pushed against him with his shoulder, but it was a friendly gesture. “Do you have your own horse and everything?”

Ashton grinned. “I do, his name’s Houdini.”

“Houdini? What kind of name is that?”

“It means he can escape from any enclosure you put him in if he wants to. He’s awesome.”

At the sound of the buzzer, the kids started moving toward the gate. Ashton turned back to look at Tanner. “See you later, Dad.”

That warm, buzzing filled Tanner’s chest as he said, “I’ll be here to pick you up. See you later, son.”

He was concerned that Cody and Wyatt might just be putting on a good show until they were away from the adults.

Sloane touched his arm. “Relax, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Watch this. Cody?”

“Mom?”

“What’s the deal with Ashton now?”

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