Page 78 of Peaches & Pistols

Harper throws herself into Mia’s arms and they hug, laughter filling the room.

“Daddy, is Mia still my nanny?” Harper asks, snuggled into her new mom.

“No, but not much will change around here. She’ll still take just as good care of you as she always has,” I explain.

Mia and I discussed this at length. She’s still reluctant to rely on a man for all her financial needs. I plan on giving her more than she could possibly imagine and am humbled by her trust in my promises. I’ll earn that trust brick by brick until it’s unbreakable.

“Can we go now? Auntie Livy promised to take me for a ride on Maisey today,” Harper says, completely nonplussed by the gravity of the conversation we just had.

“Sure. Go find your boots and try to go potty before we leave.”

Everly bounces up with Harper, who takes her by the hand, bounding down the hall—their tiny voices carrying through the small apartment.

“Now my Auntie Livy and Auntie Izzy and Auntie Delilah will be your aunties! And my Uncle Reid and Uncle James and Uncle Connor will be your uncles too!”

“Can your gramma and grampa be my gramma and grampa too? My gramma and grampa are mean.”

I know her brutal honesty is a sign of her age, but it’s gotta gut Mia. Due to circumstances she had no control over, Everly’s lived without Mia’s beloved sister; and the one set of grandparents she has, are cruel, power-hungry narcissists.

“That was easy,” I say, trying to bring her back to me.

“Kids are resilient.”

“That they are.” I squeeze her knee encouragingly. “What do you say? Should we take our daughters to the ranch and unleash them on their unsuspecting aunts and uncles?”

“Definitely.” Happiness radiates from her like a golden halo.

Somehow, the universe got her off that bus in Swiftwater right where she belongs.

With me.

I should’ve taken prophylactic pain killers, because my god the screeching from these women might’ve permanently damaged my eardrums.

Liv was over the moon to gain a second niece. She saddled up three horses and declared it to be a “no boys allowed” ride. She mounted Maisey, her loyal mare, and Everly snuggled in between her thighs.

Delilah hoisted Harper up onto her black and white paint, Hope, before mounting the mare herself, caging my daughter in with her loving arms.

Izzy pouted like a child that she didn’t have a cute little niece to ride double with, but Mia’s not all that comfortable solo yet. So, we swapped the buckskin Liv had saddled for Izzy, for a towering thoroughbred who could easily handle two grown women’s weight for a short ride.

Reid got the two of them settled and the six of them rode off into the glittering snow talking at high-speed, giggles dancing with the winter wind.

“Mom and Dad are going to be thrilled,” Reid says, arms crossed over his barrel chest, beside me. “They’ve got another grandchild to dote on, so thank you for taking the fuckin’ pressure off the rest of us for at least a couple months.”

He laughs because Cecelia can be relentless, and as far as I know, there’s no plan for any Lucky Spurs Ranch babies anytime soon.

“Thanks for being so welcoming to Mia and Everly. It means a lot,” I say, not wanting to make this a thing.

“Shut the fuck up. Of course, you dipshit.” Yep, he doesn’t want to make it a thing either.

“I’ve got three certified horse girls on my hands, don’t I?”

I turn to walk toward Reid’s place, where we’ll wait for the women to get back. He follows, chuckling. After so many years of him being a ghost, I’m still caught off guard at how easily he smiles these days. The power of the love of a good woman.

“Looks like I’ll be in the market for a horse, or three.”

“Let’s start with one. Already got one earmarked. A sweetheart came in with the last group of rescues. She’s got the perfect temperament for your girls.” A clap on my back, and he walks ahead of me toward his cabin.

If my dad could see me now…