He hugged her one more time, long and tight, then swung back up onto Halo.
“You take care of yourself, Juniper Kate Morgan,” he said, looking down at her. “And look after Miss Belle.”
“I will.”
He tipped his hat, gave her that heart-stopping crooked grin one last time, and rode off, back toward Wild River Ranch.
Junie stood in the chokecherry thicket until he disappeared from sight, clutching Nibbles to her chest like a lifeline. Then she walked to her old bicycle, tucking Nibbles securely into the basket.
She cried all the way home.
CHAPTER TWO
The same day…
Halo’s hooves struck the hard-packed dirt in a steady rhythm, each solid thud vibrating up through the saddle and into Tanner’s bones. The big bay moved with purpose. Halo read Tanner’s mood, somehow sensing this ride carried a heavier load than usual.
He eased his weight in the stirrups and let the reins go slack in his fingers. Out here, everything else fell away. There were no expectations. No older brothers casting long shadows. Just him, the horse, and the open land stretching ahead.
His chest tightened at the thought of leaving tomorrow. Tanner’s jaw flexed. Boone was a damn pararescue jumper, jumping out of planes into places most men wouldn’t survive. Chance had taken over half the ranch operations before he was even twenty-one. In the past two years, several of the area ranches had already adopted a lot of the changes he’d made at Wild River Ranch. Trace was about to start vetschool on top of getting his EMT certification, because apparently being good at one thing wasn’t enough for him. Even his younger sister had been invited to attend the exclusive Wilder Community School last year. It was an invitation-only college preparatory middle and high school, and she’d only been twelve at the time. Now Kenzie was thirteen, like Junie.
And what had Tanner done?
Nothing worth mentioning.
He’d finished high school, worked the ranch when he had to, and spent every spare minute on the back of a horse. That was it. That was all he had. The only thing he’d ever been good at was riding, and the only thing that ever made sense was the feel of a horse moving under him and the sound of the crowd when he made a clean ride.
The rodeo was the one place he could prove he wasn’t just taking up space.
He wasn’t stupid. He knew his family loved him. Knew they’d never say the things he sometimes heard in his own head. But that didn’t stop the feeling from sitting heavy in his chest. Tanner loved his brothers. He’d die for them without thinking twice. But he needed something that was his. Somewhere he could shine. That was no easy task in his family.
He twisted in the saddle and reached back, his fingers brushing over the small, wrapped package tucked safely in the saddlebag. A soft smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. It wasn’t much. Just a stuffed honey badger he’d picked up at the toy store in town.
He’d stood in that aisle way longer than any twenty-one-year-old man should, turning the stuffed animal over and over in his hands. Was it fierce enough? And cute enough? Would Junie like it, or think it was too babyish for a girl who’d just turned thirteen?
God, he hoped like hell she’d love this one.
His chest tightened as he patted the saddlebag again, fingers pressing against the soft lump wrapped in brown paper. Tomorrow he’d be gone—really gone this time. No more putting it off, no moreexcuses.
But today was about her birthday, about making her smile that bright, crooked grin of hers that always hit him square in the ribs. Just once, before everything changed, he wanted to see that smile caused by something he’d given her.
Tanner glanced toward the east, toward the chokecherry grove beyond the tree line. She’d be waiting. Probably already had that look on her face she got when she was trying not to show how much something mattered to her.
God, he didn’t want to tell her he was leaving. She didn’t even know it was coming. She’d turned thirteen today. If he’d planned this better, this day would be all about her. Instead, he was going to blindside her with information that she probably wouldn’t understand.
Oh, she’d understand he was leaving. But at her age, she wouldn’t be able to understand why. She and Kenzie were both still just kids, really. It would suck if her opinion of him changed. But she was the only person who had never once looked at him like he was falling behind everyone else.
Tanner adjusted his grip on the reins and nudged Halo forward. The small gift shifted softly in the saddlebag. She’d like the honey badger. She’d understand why he had to chase his dreams. He just prayed she wouldn’t hate him for it.
Tanner headed back toward Wild River Ranch with a knot in his gut that no amount of hard riding could shake loose. Halo’s gait was smooth beneath him, but his mind was still back at the chokecherry thicket. His conversation with Junie played on repeat in his head. Junie had tried so damn hard to pretend everything was fine.
By the time he reached the ranch, the sun had dipped low, painting the big log house in warm gold. Tanner swung down from the saddle with a heavy sigh, his boots hitting the packed dirt.
He unsaddled, walked Halo, and gave the big bay a quick but thorough rubdown. Only after he’d made sure he had fresh hay andwater did Tanner finally pat the horse’s neck one last time and head toward the house.
The familiar smell of coffee and fresh shortbread hit him the second he stepped through the door. That meant strawberry shortcake for supper. His mom and Ruby were going all out for his farewell dinner. Ruby was at the stove stirring something that smelled like heaven, and his mom was setting a pan of biscuits on the red marble counter.
“There’s my boy,” his mom said, smiling as she set the pan down. “Did Junie like her present?”
