Chapter 22
Jett
Age 49
July
“Fancyanafter-dinnerride?”I asked as I pulled the last dish from the drying rack and wiped all remaining traces of moisture away with a towel.
Daisy yanked the plug on the sink, allowing the soapy water to flow down the drain. “Mm. That sounds nice.”
Lacing our fingers together, she let me lead her out the back door, and we made our way to the barn on foot. I tacked up her horse, then mine, and off we went.
The sun was sinking lower toward the horizon, casting the endless fields in a golden glow.
“Sometimes I forget how beautiful it is out here,” she mused.
“That it is,” I agreed. Though the view was spectacular in its own right, the sight of my wife gently bouncing atop her saddle was absolutely breathtaking, and one I would never tire of.
With a tug on the reins, I clicked my tongue, urging my mount, Trigger, to turn to the right. Daisy followed suit with her horse, keeping pace beside me.
The sky was a tableau of pinks and purples when we came to a stop before a familiar tree.
“This is Tripp and Penny’s spot,” Daisy protested when I hopped down and offered her my hand.
My gaze flicked to the giant tire hanging from one of the thick branches. Wade and I had hung that swing for all the kids when they were little and full of so much energy that there was no hope of containing it. So instead, we redirected it. They were allowed to come out here any time they wanted, just so long as they made sure to be home before dark.
Over the years, Tripp and Penny gravitated toward this spot on the ranch, claiming it as their own. He might think I didn’t know, but this was where my son went any time we butted heads or wound up in an argument, and Penny always came running, offering a sympathetic ear while allowing him to vent.
Guiding Daisy toward the tree, I dipped my head to whisper in her ear, “I won’t tell if you don’t.”
We stopped before the tire, and she made a show of tilting her head from side to side as she considered it.
“Well . . .” A brilliant smile lit up her beautiful face. “When you put it like that, how can I say no?”
My own lips twitched. “You can’t.” I gave her ass a light smack to get her moving.
Though the tire was massive enough that our grown children could still use the swing with ease, Daisy’s hips were noticeably wider than theirs, and it was a tight fit. There would be indents on her thighs where the rubbercut into them, but I’d make sure to kiss every one of them later to make up for the discomfort.
“Ready?” I gripped the edges of the tire and pulled it back toward me.
“Mm-hmm.”
When I let go, she drifted away from me, her musical laughter floating on the breeze. After all these years, it still sounded exactly the same.
If I closed my eyes, I could pretend we were still those two crazy kids who fell in love, what felt like a million years ago now. Since then, life had toughened me, made me jaded, but it left Daisy unchanged. Even through all the hardships we’d faced, she remained the same compassionate, kind woman she’d always been, offering comfort to anyone who needed it.
It was nothing short of a miracle that she’d stuck by my side through thick and thin.
Mesmerized by the sway of her long hair—threaded with more gray by the day—I was startled when she spoke.
“This summer feels . . . different.”
Eyes snapping up, I caught her peeking over her shoulder at me, a sad smile curving on her lips.
I dipped my chin, conceding, “Yeah, I suppose it does.”
Tripp had been sent on the road with the rodeo team, with the hopes that, within the next few years, I could completely hand over that part of the business to him. The plan was to slowly add more ranch responsibilities to his plate until he was capable of carrying the entire load.
