Page 10 of Jagger
“What’s settled?” I asked as we walked inside and took our seats at the kitchen table.
It was Cheyenne who answered. “Trent and I will keep her here, make sure she’s taken care of, and when you want to see her, she’ll be right here waiting for you.”
“I still can’t afford what she costs. I really appreciate the offer, but—”
“But nothing,” Trent interrupted. “I’ve never seen her act like that with anyone. Hell, just yesterday morning, she bit me and kicked dirt up as she stormed away. But with you? She allowed you to ride her without a saddle or bit, and when you walked away, she had to be close to you. That kind of connection comes along maybe once in a lifetime. I never liked the thought of getting rid of her but couldn’t find a reason to keep her here. Until this morning.”
Jagger lifted my hand with his and placed a kiss on the back as he explained, “I don’t want you to worry about what it costs to take care of her. After witnessing such a beautiful bond between the two of you, I’d pay anything to keep her close by. Please, beautiful, let me do this for you.”
I still wasn’t sure, but seeing how much they wanted me to have her was touching. And I hated taking money from anyone for anything, but the more I thought about how free and connected I felt riding her, I reluctantly nodded.
“Thank you. I . . .” Reaching up, I wiped under my eyes and looked from Cheyenne to Trent, finally landing my gaze on Jagger. “Thank you.”
Trent stood from his seat. “I’ll call and let the auction know she’s no longer available.”
Cheyenne followed him, and as she walked out of the kitchen, she shot me an eyebrow wiggle with a huge smile as I sat with Jagger at the table. When they rounded the corner, leaving us alone, I looked at him, and he smiled.
“Good morning, beautiful.” Leaning over, he kissed me softly and asked, “Did you sleep well?”
“I did. How about you?”
He pecked me on the lips again and spoke low as he said, “I kept wanting to join you but didn’t want to push things too far, too fast.”
“Me too,” I returned, and we both smiled as Cheyenne and Trent reentered the kitchen.
Jagger sat back and rested our joined hands on his knee as we began to discuss what needed to be done today, what animals were going to be loaded, and what was needed from Cheyenne and me. When we were finished, Cheyenne and I got busy cooking a quick breakfast for the guys while they continued to discuss business.
Cheyenne elbowed me and quietly asked, “What happened with the two of you?”
I glanced over my shoulder and saw they were looking at a computer and speaking low, so I turned back and quickly recounted the events of last night, including me trying to give him an out from his claim.
“Trust me, if he said it, he meant it. One thing about Jagger is he doesn’t say things for the hell of it. Anything he says, he means. And if he claimed you in front of a brother, then you’re his, sweet cousin. You might as well tell your father before he hears it from one of the tribe members. There will be tons at the auction tonight.”
That was the one thing I was worried about. My father was fine with us dating, marrying, and having children outside the tribe. But he wasn’t keen on me living off the reservation. I think he wanted to keep his only daughter protected within the boundaries of our territory, but I was never one for that kind of thinking.
If Jagger and I went the distance and stayed together, we would figure out where we were going to live, and if it wasn’t the reservation, then that was okay too. I still had my work with the tribal outreach and enrichment, and it was something I took pride in.
I wanted my people to prosper and thrive, the way we had for centuries before the forced migration of our people.
But if my dad wasn’t on board, I worried Jagger and I couldn’t have a future. Without my family’s blessings, our relationship would be doomed, and the thought of losing him when we’d barely defined what we were caused a pain to erupt across my chest.
I really hoped my father would be amenable.
Chapter 6
Jagger
1 week later
The long week was finally over and it was time to cut loose and party. The ranch made a huge profit from the stock show, and one of the ranch hands took second place in cattle roping at the rodeo. It was a great way to end a successful week for everyone. The club would get a ten percent cut of the profits from the sale of all the cattle, and each brother who worked the week would each get twenty-five hundred for all their hard work.
Since that first day, besides a few stolen minutes here or there, Jackie and I hadn’t had much time to be alone. We’d rise early, and she’d go out and spend time with her horse, who she named Luna, before the day got busy. In the evening, we would go back to the ranch, shower, and crash. Rinse and repeat for the entire week, and I was ready for some downtime with my woman.
I’d asked Roughstock the first morning after I claimed Jackie if I was making a mistake, and he explained that he thought the two of us were perfect for each other.
“How did you stop yourself from fucking things up with Cheyenne?” I inquired.
He chuckled as he responded, “I fucked things up royally a few times in the early days, and I groveled more than I want to admit, but in the end, the love we had for each other was greater than the mistakes I made.”
