“I appreciate all of your help with this. Thank you,” he said into the phone. “Have a good day.” He ended the call, returning it to his pocket, tipping his hat back to fully look at me. His eyes were sparkling. “We thought we’d let you sleep,” he said sweetly, his voice still deep from the smoke inhalation.
Coffee mugs sat on the porch railing. He picked one up and handed it to me.
“I couldn’t sleep anymore. Where’s Penn?” I took a sip of coffee, and he pulled me to his side.
“She’s with your dad.” He jerked his chin across the yard to the pasture where our horses grazed.
Dad had Penn in his arms beside the fence, watching the horses eat their morning hay and oats. Seeing her there—and safe—made it easier to breathe. I took another sip, letting the warmth soothe my throat and anxiety.
“Who was on the phone?”
“My lawyer.”
“Yeah?” I asked, surprised.
“Turns out with our police report about Junior, we were able to get Elise to immediately surrender full custody to me.”
I sucked in a breath, feeling the news bolster me. “Reed! That’s amazing!”
He nodded, the corners of his mouth twitching as if he was keeping himself from grinning. “She’ll be able to have supervised visits under the condition that she gets some help, and she has finally agreed to rehab.”
The relief and peace of that news seemed to wash over him, and I could feel the muscles of his arm around me relax.
“That’s such good news.”
I looked past him to watch Dad and Penn with the horses. Mushu walked up to the fence, sticking his nose out for pets. Penn’s little hand reached out, stroking him down his stripe.
Taking another drink of the coffee, I sighed, not wanting to ask the question, but aware that I needed to know the answer. I knew not all the news was going to be good today. “The ranch … is it still there?”
Reed pulled me tighter into his side, his thumb brushing tender strokes on my shoulder. “It’s still there. It may be a while before we can return, though. We lost a lot of grazing land, and there’s smoke damage.”
I nodded, letting my head fall and rest against his chest. That was the best I could have hoped for. The smoky hazegave an orange glow to the sky as it all continued to burn. It would be devastating to lose the ranch if they didn’t get it under control, but I’d survive it. But losing Reed and Penn? That was unthinkable. I don’t think I could have come back from that. “This is all I need,” I said. “My family. All in one place.”
He leaned down, dropping a kiss to my hair. “We smell like smoke.”
I tipped my chin, letting it rest on his chest. My palm reached up to cup his jaw. His dark-brown eyes were tender and loving while I stroked his beard. “Do you think they’ll be preoccupied long enough for us to go take a shower?”
Reed’s eyes intensified, heating as they bore into me. “Hey, Chuck!” he called, not even looking at Dad, who turned at his name. “I’m in love with your daughter.”
“That’s not news, Ownstead!” Dad hollered back.
I giggled, feeling my cheeks heat. “I’m in love with him too, Dad!”
“It’s about time, darlin’!”
“Could you watch Penn for a little bit?” I asked him, my eyes flicking to see Dad smirking at us while he spotted Penn as she climbed the fence.
“We got it handled here. Take all the time you need.”
“Hear that, cowboy? You can take all the time you need,” I teased, letting my thumb drag across his bottom lip.
He nipped the pad of my thumb. “I intend to.” He leaned down to whisper, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear. “With my hands, my mouth, and my cock.”
My pussy clenched. “Let’s go test the water heater.”
epilogue
Reed
