Page 52 of Steers and Stowaways
He made a pfft sound and took another bite of his apple fritter. “Forget it.” He spoke with food in his mouth. “I’m too old for homework.” However, his eyes glowed with gratitude and anticipation.
“Tough! That’s what you get for making your mom think you’re a genius.” Mallory reached for the laptop and danced it playfully closer to him.
He swallowed his bite of apple fritter. “You two are ganging up on me, huh? No fair!” He mouthed the wordsthank youto her.
She mouthed the wordsyou’re welcomebefore snickering, “On the bright side, this could get you out of some chores if you play your cards right.”
One of her cattle trumpeted out a noisy bellow in the distance. The sound made her grow still. She would’ve recognized that sound anywhere. She met Chip’s gaze, feeling stunned. Then she pushed away from the cabinet so quickly that she nearly lost her balance.
“Old Glory!” She sprinted for the back door.
Braveheart was right on her heels, barking frenziedly.
As she yanked the door open, she glanced over her shoulder at Chip and found him grinning in triumph. “You knew about this?”
“Maybe.” He hooted with laughter as she stepped outside to the back porch.
The sight that greeted her made her hands fly to her heart. Old Glory was home! He was stomping around her icy back pasture, bellowing at the top of his lungs. Tucker was standing safely outside the fence, facing in her direction.
The moment their gazes clashed, he removed his Stetson and bowed low in front of her. “I tried to put a big red bow on him, but he objected.”
Only then did she notice the red velvet ribbon being thrashed into the dirt beneath Old Glory’s hooves.
“You found him!” She pushed open the screen door, jogged down the steps, and flew across the backyard.
Tucker shrugged as he set his hat back on his head, positioning it just so. “Didn’t think you’d want any other wedding gift.”
She reached him and launched herself into his arms. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” She buried her face against his neck. “I can’t believe you did this for me!”
He swung her around and around. “Gotta keep my woman happy.”
“How did you—?” She choked out the words.
Under the guise of nuzzling her ear, he spoke one word. “Chip.”
Of course!That explained why he’d yanked her back inside the house earlier. He’d been stalling for time until Tucker was ready to unveil the surprise. She could only imagine the amount of computer hacking and dark web visits it had taken to locate her stolen bull. She could only hope and pray that he’d covered his tracks well enough not to have his part in it discovered.
Tucker set her back on her feet, and they faced the fence together. “Welcome home, Old Glory!”
The massive bull paused his stomping to toss his head at her.
“I missed you too, old boy!” She blew kisses at him. Then she spun back to Tucker. “This is seriously the most wonderful thing anyone has ever done for me.”
He gathered her close and nipped his way from her chinto her ear. “Got most of your security cameras installed last night. Only a couple more to go.” His “work crew” was comprised of fellow Lonestar Security employees. Under the guise of performing repairs and remodeling projects, they’d been making so much noise with their hammers and saws around the ranch that it had been easy to convince Martina to move her desk to the employee cottage.
“You’re amazing. I don’t know how I ever got by without you.” She hugged him tighter, knowing that his many “construction” projects had additionally given him the perfect excuse to be present. He came and went from Evans Ranch at all hours, keeping such a random schedule that it was impossible to pin down any patterns. Though the Silvas were living only a stone’s throw from the farmhouse, she’d never felt safer.
“That’s the plan.” He found her lips and planted a hungry kiss on her. “Anything for my baby.”
There was a reckless tenor in his voice that made her feel something wasn’t quite right. “What’s wrong?” She whispered against his lips.
“Nothing.” He kissed her again.
“Tuck,” she warned. She was starting to recognize his moods, and this one felt off.
He dropped his forehead to hers. “Promise me you won’t call off the wedding.”
She tensed. “Why would I do that?” She longed to get a better look at him, but it was safer for them to communicate while pretending to canoodle. Not that there was much pretending in their case.
