After another turn around the arena, I walked Penn and Mushu back to the stables. It was a warm July evening, the sun still high in the sky, promising another hot day tomorrow. Dad wasn’t kidding when he said we were entering a drought. It hadn’t rained in over fourteen days. Willows Rodeo had already canceled their world-famous fireworks show, pivoting instead to a small drone show. It wasn’t going to be the same, but I was thankful they were taking precautions. We were entering wildfire season, and there was already a report of a four-thousand-acre fire in southern Oregon, prompting evacuations of ranches and communities as it continued to grow.
Mushu nuzzled Penn’s cheek as we doled out his hay. “Aw! He loves me,” she declared, a sweet smile breaking across her face.
I smiled, taking her little hand as we closed his stall. “I think he might.”
“Bye, Mushu!” she said, giving him a quick wave as we left. Mushu picked up his head briefly from his dinner to flick his ears toward her voice.
My chest warmed seeing her interact with my favorite guy.
“Do you think he’s going to win?” she asked. “My daddy said you’re the fastest barrel racer he’s ever seen.”
I swallowed, feeling my cheeks heat. “Yeah? Your daddy said that?”
She nodded, her little feet skipping as we walked away from the stables and I loaded her into the UTV parked outside.
“Can I drive?” she asked. She was definitely not shy. I loved a girl up for anything.
“Fuck yes, you can drive,” I told her.
“Fucking yes!” she exclaimed, climbing onto my lap in front of the steering wheel.
“My kind of girl.” I chuckled. “Don’t get me in trouble with your dad, though.”
I revved the engine to life, pushing on the pedals and helping her steer our way through the property to the other side of the ranch where the double-wide sat.
All the lights were on. Jude had treated it to a fresh coat of white paint. Fern baskets hung from the awning over the front porch. The door opened, and my heart did a silly little flip seeing Reed step out onto the porch. My pussy clenched in response to him in a tight, white T-shirt showing off his muscles and Wranglers that hugged those tree-trunk thighs. He rubbed the scruff of his beard and narrowed his eyes when he saw Penn driving us to a stop.
Now that we were home, I already missed having him in my bed. One night, where I had him three times before we fell asleep in each other’s arms, and then again in the morning before we even got out of bed, only had me wanting more. Seeing the bruises on my throat and breasts every morning since then gave me a nice reminder of where his mouth had been. I was desperate to have him again, to ease the ache between my thighs.
“Daddy!” Penn yelled. “Look at me! Lina let me drive!”
“She did, did she?” His dark eyes pinned me down.
I gave him a big grin. “She’s a pro at it. She’ll be racing down the trails in no time.” I winked, tossing my hair over my shoulder.
Reed crossed his arms, watching us cut the engine and step off the UTV. “I’m going to be in a heap of trouble with you two. How was riding Mushu?”
“The fucking best!” Penn cried out, running toward her dad on the porch.
Reed shot me a look over his shoulder as he scooped her up, his lips pinching together to keep from laughing.
I shrugged, not holding back my own laughter. “Yep, you’re in for it,Daddy.” I gave him a sexy wink.
His jaw flexed and his throat bobbed at my words, his eyes giving me a heated warning. God, I loved testing him. Seeing how far I could push him before he snapped. And this time, it may result in him bending me over the porch railing or tying me to a bedpost. I was here for all of it.
“Can I see my room now?” Penn pleaded, putting her palms on either side of his face, turning his attention back to her.
“Yep, it’s all done now.”
“Is it a princess room?” she asked, bouncing up and down in her dad’s arms.
“You’ll just have to wait and see for yourself.”
She wriggled from his arms, running into the house. Reed and I exchanged glances before following her inside.
“It is! It’s a princess room!” she yelled from down the hall.
“Jude did a great job getting it ready for you,” I commented from the entryway, taking in the updates. He’d traded out his leather couch for a gray, microfiber one for durability. A shelving unit was set up by the TV with baskets for toys and books.
