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“I’m coming too,” Kinsley added and finished her orange juice in a quick gulp.
We headed back out to the barn, grabbed two ranch horses from their paddock, and got them tacked up. Riding over the range and rounding up cattle, I breathed easier. All the stresses of life on the road, trying to win all the time, vanished.
Kinsley watched me out of the corner of her eye.
“What?” I asked her.
“I like you here.” She bit at the inside of her cheek.
“I like being here,” I conceded, and it was the truth. If my father hadn’t sold our farm, I could’ve given up the rodeo to manage the cattle. It was work I loved.
“Stay,” Kinsley blurted out suddenly, then sucked in a breath, clamping her mouth shut.
“What do you mean?” I asked, taken aback.
“Stay with me. Work for the farm.”
“Kinsley, we’ve talked about this.” My defenses rose as I braced myself for the same old argument.
It wasn’t the first time she had brought this up. Why couldn’t she understand I needed to make my own way? Winning this season might allow me to save some money, but then what? Buy my own farm? Try to get ours back? I didn’t know what I was going to do. I just had to do it on my own.
“I don’t understand—”
“Kinsley,” Cal’s sharp voice interrupted, cutting through our conversation as he rode up. “There are a couple of cows falling behind over on that side. Go round them up.”
“But—”
“Now, Kinsley.”
I saw a flash of reluctance in her expression, but she relented and loped off after the stragglers. I exhaled a sigh of relief and dragged a hand down my face.
“Don’t think you’re off the hook, son.” Cal turned his attention to me. “I know my daughter is pushy, but she takes after me, so now you’re dealing with the big gun.”
I realized then that my reprieve was short-lived. I shifted nervously in my saddle as his no-nonsense expression bore into me. He had every reason to be angry with me. I could only guess what Kinsley has told him about what went on between us. I doubted I came across in a good light and fully expected him to lay into me for hurting his daughter.
“Do you love my daughter?” he asked directly.
“Yes, sir,” I answered honestly. I meant it. Despite what I’d put her through, it was never because I didn’t love her.
“Lucky for you, I can see that. That’s why I put up with your bullshit.”
His bluntness took me aback, and I was stunned for a moment. I started to protest, but he interrupted, and I clamped my mouth shut.
“I like you, Wyatt. Kinsley has a very generous heart, and I’m glad she chose someone who doesn’t take advantage of that. I can respect that you want to earn your own way, but you need to look realistically at your future. Do you want a life with Kinsley?”
“Yes,” I replied without hesitation. She was the one thing I was certain of. It was just everything else...
“Well, her future is this ranch. I’m a lucky man to have two daughters who want what I’ve built for them. Kinsley and Abby will run this ranch together one day—God help us all. So, if you want to be with my daughter, this ranch is your future too. You best just start accepting it now. I’m not handing you anything; you’ll work your ass off for this family. We’ll make sure you earn it. Do you understand?”
I managed a nod, feeling as though I’d been smacked across the face with a baseball bat. I had no idea what to do with what he’d just said.
“Good. Now, get your ass in gear and get these cows moving. I don’t want this taking all day.”
Cal rode off towards Kinsley, leaving me with the left flank of the herd and my head spinning.
Chapter 25
Wild As Her - Tyler Joe Miller
