Page 19 of Brand Me, Cowboy's Second Chance

When I picture life in South Carolina, I can see the stadium lights, hear the roar of the crowd, and feel the rush of the game. But Anny isn't there. And without her, none of it means a damn thing.

I take the call. The recruiting coach bombards me with flattery. He paints a picture of what joining the team could look like. I hear the enthusiasm in his tone. But in the end, my decision slips easily from my lips.

"I appreciate the opportunity, but I've found where I belong."

The relief is immediate. Peace washes over me. The weight lifts from my shoulders the moment I say the words.

But when I hang up, a new realization settles over me…I've got so much work to do.

I head straight into the barn, grab a toolbox, a bucket of paint, a bag of nails, and a whole shit ton of lumber. Alex is going to murder me when he finds his inventory is off. But I don't care.

Anny is worth whatever Alex is about to throw at me. I don’t waste a single minute. Every beam I reinforce and every board I lay down brings me one step closer to winning her back. It's a confession. A vow. A whole goddamn apology in wood, nails, and splinters.

Callum stumbles upon me mid-project around noon, and honestly, I'm surprised it even takes that long. When he finds me, he doesn't ask questions. Instead, he starts cutting boards right alongside of me.

Word travels fast at the ranch. Before I know it, Bowen's here with two strings of twinkle lights sent by Priya and a six-pack courtesy of himself. The rest of the Kingridge crew is quick to follow. Hell, even Danner picks up a drill and gets to work.

We carry on like this for two full days. I work around the clock and hardly sleep. Hunkleberry stays by my side. The guys rotate in and out, helping where they can in between their other duties.

When it's finished, I take a step back. It's a job well done. But the barn is only one part of the plan.

For the final touches, I pull on my old maroon sweatshirt. It isn't anything to look at, but it's the one she used to steal. I light the lanterns we strung along the rafters and sweep the floor again, even though it's already clean.

When everything is in place, I get ready to punch out a text to Anny. But before I can, I hear the sound of paws padding toward me, followed by bootsteps. My stomach flips like I'm back in high school and about to get benched.

I look to see Anny walking toward me with Hunkleberry at her side. The old dog must have gone to get her for me. She stops when she sees me standing in front of the old barn.

“Hey, I was just about to come find you,” I call out to her.

“I thought you might be out here, taking over my thinking spot.” Then her eyes go wide as they sweep over the space. “Wow.”

The freshly painted green exterior. The new rows of hydrangeas. The brick path. The outside of the old barn looks nothing like it did before, but it’s nothing compared to the inside. The whole place glows. It feels warm, lived-in, and intentional.

“What can I say? It’s a good place to think.”

Hunkleberry steps into the barn and makes himself comfortable in the hay-padded bench against the back wall. Anny takes one step into the doorway. Then another. Her hand drifts to her chest.

She turns to face me, arms crossed… but it's not defensive. It's protective. It's like she's bracing for the hit in the exact same spot I broke us last time. But that isn't how our story ends.

The truth pounds through me. In my head. In my chest. In every beat of my blood. I know I never should've left her. Never should've believed the lies I told myself about what she needed. About what I was capable of. Because this woman doesn't need a perfect hero, she needs me. And I need her. I'll burn the whole damn ranch to the ground before I let anyone take her from me again.

"Fallon... I can't do the back-and-forth."

"Great, me neither." I take a deep breath. "I used to think football was all I had. That being part of a team was the only thing that made me worth a damn."

She says nothing.

I step forward and close the distance between us. "But the truth is, every field I stepped on, I looked for you in the stands. I didn't even know I was doing it. But I was. Every city and every game. Part of me was always hoping I'd find my way back to you."

Her brows pinch, lips trembling just slightly.

"I didn't realize home wasn't a place. It was you. It was this ranch. This barn. Hunkleberry. Your terrible playlists. Your hair on my pillow. Your hand stealing the blankets. I left you once and I stayed gone for far too long. But I'm here now. And I'm not going anywhere."

She takes a shaky breath. "What about the Knights? We'd have to try and figure things out. I never want to leave, but maybe I could. It would be hard and I?—"

"I turned them down."

Her lips part. "You what? Dammit Fallon, you shouldn't have done that for me."

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