Page 2 of The Maverick’s Legacy

“And don’t think I haven’t had my moments of regret,” her mom replied. “But now I have all my girls within an hour and a half’s drive of each other.”

“Yeah,” Carly said, turning to look at her house once more. It really was a gorgeous homestead. From the front of the house, it looked like a single-story ranch. Large stones made up the base while the rest of it was covered in thick, dark wood boards. But the home was deceptively bigger than it looked with a lower walkout basement that overlooked the mountains in the distance and woods that ran along the property.

“Uh-oh,” her mom muttered.

Carly looked at her, her eyebrows pulled together. “What?”

“I know that look.”

Carly crossed her arms across her chest. “What look? I have no look.”

“Are you regretting moving back?” her mom asked.

“No, not really,” she answered. “It’s just going to take some getting used to. Not being on the road. It’s all I’ve known for years.”

“Well.” Suzie wrapped an arm around Carly’s waist as they both looked at the house. “At least you bought a beautiful piece of property with a gorgeous view. Tenacity is booming. Hold on to this land for a while, and you’ll likely double your investment, if not more so.”

Her dad drove back to them, towing the now empty trailer. Arthur got out of the truck and wrapped Carly in a bear hug. The man was still the size of a grizzly despite getting on in age. Ranch work kept him young. While his skin barely had a wrinkle in it despite the amount of hours he spent under the sun, his hair was starting to gray at the sides. To her, though, he’d always be that quiet hero who’d shaken her hand solemnly the first time they’d met and promised her that as long as he was breathing, nothing would ever hurt her again. He’d kept his word over the years too. She could never repay either of her parents for the love and support they’d given her since they’d taken her in. She owed them everything.

“You got yourself some nice land, Carly-bear,” her dad said after he finished hugging her.

“That’s what we were just talking about,” Suzie said, looking at Arthur with the same sweet warmth that she always did when she looked at her husband.

“What are your plans for that area?” he asked, pointing to an empty expanse of cement to the left of the barn.

“I’m not sure yet,” Carly said. “Why?”

“Nothing really,” he replied. “I seem to recall when you were little that you said you wanted to someday run a horse-riding school for kids in the foster system. That’d be a real nice spot to build an office.”

“Oh, yeah. That was the dream, wasn’t it?” Carly said.

When her parents introduced her to horse riding when she was a child, it had been so natural to her. She would think about the few friends she’d made in the system who were missing out on the exhilarating freedom of riding a thousand-pound animal at top speed. They’d never get to enjoy the feeling of being so out of control and in control at the same time, and it saddened her. She remembered vowing after she won her first championship that she’d someday start a riding school so that kids in the system could have the same experience.

Carly pushed the thought aside before the little seed her dad had just planted could grow any further. “I don’t want to plan anything right now. I haven’t taken a vacation in years. All I have in my immediate future is a well-earned break. Especially after everything that happened with Fletch.”

“Never did like that man,” her dad grumbled. “He was too smarmy.”

“I know, Dad. You’ve told me that at least a hundred times.”

It never bothered her much that her family hadn’t liked her boyfriend of two years, which should have told her something. She and the attractive Aussie had been the it couple of the rodeo circuit, appearing in magazines across Australia. Sponsors couldn’t get enough of them.

She’d dated Fletch because he was fun to be around. He’d dated her because being in a relationship with one of the Hawkins Sisters gave him the credibility that his daddy’s money couldn’t—despite his father owning the Australian Circuit she’d traveled in. Together they were elevated to the international spotlight, and he’d loved it.

Carly hadn’t felt too heartsick the day she’d caught him cheating. Was she humiliated? Yes. There had been a huge scandal. It was one of the reasons she’d decided to come back to the States when she did. But did she care otherwise? Not really. That should have been the biggest red flag to her that she wasn’t in love with the man. If she’d stayed, they would have broken up eventually anyway.

She wasn’t sure if she’d ever truly been in love before. She’d been too focused on her career. She wondered sometimes if it would ever happen for her like it had her sisters. Until it did, Carly wanted to focus on her next steps if she ended up taking an indefinite break from the rodeo circuit.

“Anyway,” she said, changing the subject. “The house might just end up being a stopping point for me. A place I can stay in between tours. There’s no point in starting a business when I can’t maintain it.”

Her mom side-eyed her. “It’s something to think about. There are more options than rodeo out there.”

“What’s wrong with rodeo?” Carly asked, her stubbornness rising.

“You said yourself that you’ve grown tired of the constant traveling,” her mom replied. “Especially after your injury.”

Carly winced at the memory. A friend in Australia had asked her to take some photos on top of their horse. They’d wanted some publicity for their new breeding stables. Carly hadn’t realized that the horse had a fear of snakes, and she’d been distracted by the paparazzi nearby shouting at her about Fletch. When a snake had slithered in front of the racehorse, the poor animal had startled. Carly had done her best to control the situation, but she’d ended up with a couple of cracked ribs when the horse threw her. She’d been lucky not to get injured any worse. Thankfully she was already feeling better, other than the occasional twinge of pain.

Her mom continued, “I think you should consider all your options. The world is your oyster, you know. Maybe take Nieve for a ride around the property and enjoy your new home. A good ride always puts things in perspective.”