Page 86 of One Reckless Moment

“Well, another Brooks event in the books.” Reid sighed as he tilted his head back and closed his eyes.

“You know what that means…” Lottie trailed off, glancing at Owen with a smile.

Axle shot to his feet. “Time to take a dip!” he shouted, as everyone took off running through the field.

Cash grabbed my hand and pulled me behind him.

Growing up, we were country kids through and through. We played in the mud, raced on horses, and had the vocabulary of sailors. When our last name and reputation started being more well known in the world of breeding and training horses, our lives shifted as well.

I had been pretty young, but from what I was told, my dad started hosting events for buyers to come to the ranch. Suddenly, we were all dressed in fancy outfits and had to act like we grew up rich instead of being raised with old western family values.

One night after an event, Walker got so sick of the stuffy suit he was wearing that he ran into the lake until he was completely submerged. Naturally, everyone else followed him. It had become somewhat of a tradition now to run into the lake fully clothed after fancy events on the ranch.

We sprinted to the beach, shoes and socks being flung into the sand in all directions. I slipped my heels off and placed my hat on the sand next to them. I took a step forward to run, but Cash grabbed me around the waist and lifted me into his arms.

I screamed as he plunged us right into the water. I wrapped my arms and legs around Cash’s waist, my dress weighing me down in the water. Cash cupped my jaw and dragged my mouth to his as my siblings cheered and splashed around.

“Are you happy?” Cash asked against my lips.

“So fucking happy,” I whispered back.

“Good, you deserve to feel this way every day of your life.”

Cash’s words made butterflies erupt in my stomach. He made me feel seen and beautiful. He made me laugh and challenged me at the same time. He didn’t shy away from my dramatic side, and he always showed up when I needed him.

That was all I ever wanted in a partner. Someone who chose to be with me for who I was. Someone who didn’t care about my family’s money, and wasn’t using me to get closer to my dad. Someone who could embrace my lifestyle and actually wanted to be part of it.

Tomorrow, I would stress about the fact that Cash didn’t really choose me. But today, I was focusing on the pure happiness running through my veins and the beautiful man who was showering me with kisses as we floated farther into the lake under the stars.

38

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

CASH

After two chaotic weeks on the ranch, our bags were packed and the truck was loaded up for us to take off on the road again. Buck and Tweety were saying their goodbyes to the ranch hands as Paige and I hugged the family.

Lottie squeezed Paige tightly and whispered something in her ear that made Paige smile from ear to ear. While their fight had been stressful for all of us, I think there were things that they needed to work through, things lying dormant under the surface for years. Hopefully they could move forward and their relationship would continue to get better.

Walker clapped me on the shoulder before pulling me into a hug. “Take care of her,” he said into my ear.

“I always will,” I promised.

He nodded at me as we all continued our goodbyes.

We loaded into the truck and started out to Northern Montana. It was like night and day how different the vibes were leaving the ranch this time versus the beginning of the summer. This time, the music was blasting and we were all engaging in rowdy conversation and jokes.

The guys weren’t flirting with Paige to get a rise out of me, and I could lean over and kiss her whenever I wanted.

Things with Paige and I were…complicated. We were married. We had spent the last two weeks completely tangled up in each other. We were actually friends again, and also so much more.

But now that the wedding was over and life was back to normal, I wasn’t quite sure where we stood.

Were we dating?

Were we staying married?

We hadn’t discussed about it, and I knew that talk was coming.