Page 117 of Headed for Home

“Should be.” He tips my face to his with a knuckle tucked under my chin. “You two are meant to be partners. Totally called it. She ran so hard for you.”

My nod is jerky. “I’m so proud of her.”

“Good thing you let me swoop in and buy her for you.”

A garbled snort dribbles through my emotional turmoil. “To think I almost sold her. We would’ve missed out.”

“But you didn’t.” His whistle is tinged in awe. “Damn, that was incredible to watch.”

“I couldn’t have done this without you.”

“You could have,” he whispers. “But I’m glad you didn’t.”

“Yeah, trouble. “We’re a team.”

He squeezes my hip. “Always.”

“Mommy!” Kenzie and Charlie crash into my legs. They grip onto me while shouting, “You did it!”

I crouch to cuddle them close. “Were you there watching?”

“Uh-huh,” Charlie answers. “You went zipping there and then zapped, zinged, flash, dodge, and zooooooooom!”

“Wow,” I breathe.

“That was sooooo super cool. I wanna be you when I grow up.” Kenzie hops on the balls of her feet.

“Maybe Leita can be yours someday.” I snag a carrot from Drake’s pocket and feed the piece to my horse. “She’s going to be a champion for many years to come.”

My little girl squeals. “Yes! I wanna be a cowgirl and run faaaaaast.”

“I’m gonna ride bulls with big balls,” my son states proudly.

Drake clears his throat, gaze cast on the ground. “I might’ve made a poorly timed observation about a certain animal’s anatomy.”

Paisley is suddenly beside us, passing Leita’s reins to my boyfriend. “How about you take her for a walk. She needs to cool off.”

“Oh, I don’t think—”

But Drake ignores my voice of reason, leading the roan away. The softie sneaks her another carrot before slinging his arm around her neck. If I didn’t know better, I’d assume he’s been around horses his entire life. Charlie and Kenzie trot to catch up with them. The picture they create burns my nose with too many feels.

“You picked a good one,” Paisley comments.

I swipe at my mouth, making sure there’s no drool. “Sure did.”

“How did it feel?”

I place a hand on my racing heart, a grin stretching wide. “Amazing. Like a new chapter shooting from the gate.”

“Great choice of venue.” She hitches her thumb at the field.

“Crazy coincidence, right? I saw an advertisement and figured it was meant to be.” The shock on the former Mustangs’ face sealed the deal on my giddiness. “If I could choose anywhere to start my comeback, this is the place.”

“Totally tracks.”

“Cassidy Brooks,” the announcer cuts in. “Please report to the arena.”

I glance at my fellow contestants, noticing nobody else is moving. “Is there an award ceremony?”

---