Page 25 of The Rancher

Stone grins. “You pick the spot for it and I’ll take care of the gravel pad, the electrical hookups, and building a patio. There’s plenty of top-quality wood around here for me to make outdoor furniture from, too.” From the light in his eyes, I think he’s almost as excited about this project as I am.

“Oh!” He snaps his fingers. “I’ll get you a car so you can run to town whenever you like.”

“Thank you, but no thank you. That’s too much.”

He growls, pulling me into his arms. “Okay, how about a golf cart so you can zip back and forth between the house, the stable, and the main buildings?” He smirks. “I’ve been missing too many ranch team lunches in the dining hall. The guys are going to talk.”

When my mouth starts to fall open, he captures my lips against his in a deep, sultry kiss that leaves me tingling.

“I’ll introduce you to everyone soon, baby. The guys are like my brothers. I know they’ll think you’re amazing.” He tips my chin up with his finger and kisses my nose. “I do love you, Remy.”

Even in a serious moment like this, Stone is light. Almost flirty. I can tell he has no expectations. If I don’t say it back, he’ll wait weeks, even months for me to catch up.

Maybe using his horse training techniques isn’t so bad after all. Giving me space to come to him is a lot better than being pushy. Stone wants to care for me and let me be free at the same time. All I have to do is trust this feeling.

Holding his gaze, I whisper, “I love you, too.”

His thick arms cuddle me close. “I’m going to be such a good boyfriend to you, baby.”

My whole body relaxes against his as the truth washes through me.

“I know.”

EPILOGUE ONE

STONE

* One Year Later *

I am so proud of Remy. My pretty girl is still focused and hard-working, but she’s also learning how to take better care of herself.

Her tiny home was delivered three days ago, and she can’t stop grinning, bouncing up and down and running to the side window to stare at it every few minutes. It’s adorable.

It only took her three weeks of living here with me to decide that my house and this ranch are healthier than her basement apartment. It broke my heart when I helped her move out of that place. It was small, cramped, and the only way to see daylight was to bend over the sink and crane your neck up at the sky through the miniscule window.

Remy is still doing remote work, but now she has an easy morning shift five days a week. I’m glad she wants to have a nest egg in the bank, even though she’ll never need it with me around. She’ll soon understand that this is permanent.

After returning from our “afternoon job” of exercising the animals, Remy puts on coffee while I slice some apples for us to dip in almond butter while we think about dinner.

“Prince and Unicorn are so much stronger now,” she says with a smile. “Eight months ago they hated walking even a quarter of the way up that hill. Now they love the view from the top. Unicorn even wanted to go again.”

Yes, Prince and Unicorn are now healthy as…well, horses. I don’t point out how much stronger Remy is too. She has color in her cheeks now. She’s eating well, sleeping on a reasonable schedule, and getting plenty of fresh air and exercise. She’s more vibrant, with the energy to get into photography, documenting charming details about the ranch, especially her horses.

“They love you.” I pop an apple slice into her mouth, then take one for myself. “Almost as much as I do.”

“Mmm, and I love you.” She gives me a hug, then leans around me to look out the window. “And I love my houuuuse!”

“Let’s go take another look before dinner,” I suggest.

Remy squeals with delight, then races out the back door. She’s already sitting in her living room by the time I get to the screen door of the tiny home. There’s just enough room for me to settle on the couch next to her, but the space is built for her, not me.

She’s grinning from ear to ear when she spots some papers on the table. “What’s this?”

I grin as she skims the pages. The day before the tiny home was delivered, I explained to her in great detail that as well as her house always being her house, my house was now our house. She thought I was kidding.

I wasn’t.

“That’s from my lawyer. We’re now co-owners of my house.” My hand rests on her thigh. “Now you have a tiny house that is just yours, and half of a larger house for us to share.”