AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My chin shook. “I know. I know. God, this isn’t even about that. I wanted more time with him. Just him. Us. Alone together. Is it selfish of me to want Anson all to myself?”
“No, Sweetie, it’s not selfish at all.”
“What do you think he’s going to say?”
Mindy shrugged. “When does he plan on going back to Nashville?”
“He hasn’t said. He went to the ranch today to try and talk to Carl again.”
“Well, maybe this baby will bring those two together. Carl must not be that mad at him still if he’s letting him work the ranch. Nick told Drake he thinks Carl is beyond happy Anson has been there, but he knows it won’t last. So he’s trying not to show his feelings.”
“I know how he feels. Ugh, no! I can’t think that way. I knew what it was going to be like when we got back together. I need to wipe all this foolishness away and put my big girl panties on.”
“He’s not going to the moon. And he already told you he can live here pretty much full-time.”
I smiled and sheepishly looked up at her. “With all this baby stuff, I haven’t had a chance to tell you what all happened in Nashville.”
“Please, I’m so sex deprived I cannot hear about how amazing your sex life is.”
With a laugh, I shook my head. “No. It’s not that. Anson had me sing on his new single.”
Her eyes went wide with shock. Then a huge grin appeared on her face. “It’s about damn time he heard that voice of yours! Drake and I always said you had the better voice.” She winked.
“It was scary, but at the same time so much fun. I can’t wait to hear the finished song.”
“Are you going to sing on any more of his songs?”
“Oh no!” I said as I waved her off. Then we both looked at each other and laughed. “I totally would if he asked me to!”
“If you ask me, you sing better than Lindsey Ashton.”
“You’re only saying that because I’m your best friend.”
“That and you’re single and knocked up. We have our own club!”
My mouth dropped open before we both fell into another fit of laughter.
Anson
TEXAS IN LATE spring was not something I could honestly say I missed. I picked up a hay bale and tossed it onto the back of the trailer where Nick grabbed it with forks. We were taking it to the north barn to store for when the summer drought started. It was almost a promise there would be a drought.
I stopped at the sound of someone coming up on horseback. Taking off my cowboy hat, I wiped away the sweat that was nearly pouring in my eyes.
My father rode up on a horse with George saddled up and trotting alongside him.
“You able to take a break and go for that ride we keep missing out on?”
I smiled and looked back at Nick. He nodded and said, “I need a break anyway. It’s damn hot out for the last week of April.”
“Thanks, Nick.”
My father handed each of us a bottle of water, and I drank the damn thing down all at once.
He chuckled. “I only brought the one for each of ya.”
“No worries, Dad. That hit the spot.”
I tossed the empty water bottle in the floorboard of the ranch truck then walked over to George. I swung up on him and followed my father.
“Figured we’d check this part of the fence line while we ride.”
“Sounds good,” I said.
For a few minutes, we rode in silence. Then he cleared his throat.
“Do you have a ranch in Nashville?”
I turned to look at him. Surely he had talked to my mother or Grams about my house. They’d both been there. So had Granddad.
“I know you have the house there, you mother told me about it. Sounds nice. I wasn’t sure if you had anything else.”
“Nah. I’m actually going to sell my house and buy something a little farther out into the country. Something smaller—the one I have in Belle Meade is too big.”
He nodded but didn’t look my way.
“You seemed to have picked right back up here on the ranch, which is why I was wondering if you had a place back home you worked.”
“This is home, Dad.”
This time, he did look at me. “Is that so?”
“Yes, Sir. Didn’t take me long to figure out how much I missed this place. How being here puts my soul at ease.”
I watched him as I spoke. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, but he didn’t say anything.
“Dad, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about. I’ll understand if you say no.”
“From what I can tell, you don’t need money, so that can’t be it.”
With a grin, I rubbed the back of my neck. “No, Sir. I don’t need money.”
He glanced my way and smiled at me for the first time in six years. My heart felt like it grew bigger in my chest.
