Page 62 of Claimed By the Cowboys

“My mama called you kind,” she says. “And when she said it, all I could think was, maybe there’s a chance she’ll come to love you like I do. With a lot of time and adjustment… maybe there’s hope.”

“Well, we are irresistible,” Jensen jokes, tucking a braid behind her ear.

“You are,” she says with a watery laugh. “You really are.”

“We’ll work hard to convince your mama that we’re the right men for you.”

“It’s going to take a lot.” She looks between us with wide eyes that speak of hope. “There’s a chance she’ll never come around.”

“We’ve got a lot to give.”

She takes both our hands and kisses them one by one, and the happiness that swells inside me is everything I hoped for when Brandy eventually saw the rightness of what’s between us.

“What about the kids,” I say, suddenly worried. “Would your mama keep them from you?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “No, she’d never do that. Those kids have lost enough people.”

“Okay.”

“I guess we should give you the proper tour now.” Jensen’s already reaching for his horse's reins.

I know what his plan is immediately. He’s going to take her past the room we’ve made for her and the kids. It’ll be the icing on the cake.

It’s time for the grand gesture. It’s time to show our hands.

She rides with Jensen this time, and we show her our horses first, letting her stroke their soft noses while Jensen digs out a spare wide-brimmed hat from the barn and settles it carefully on her head.

“There,” he says, adjusting the brim. “Now you look like a real cowgirl.”

She laughs, and it’s so genuine that I laugh along with her, my happiness freed.

Then we lead her across the yard to the old outbuilding we worked on with Claire. The door creaks when I push it open.

“It’s a quiet place where you can relax,” I say. “A place the kids can play.”

Brandy walks in slowly, then sits in the chair immediately, closing her eyes as more tears spill over her soft, brown cheeks. “You did this for me and the kids?”

“Yes.”

“Before you even knew if I’d…” she trails off, wiping her face. “Before you even met them.”

I lean against the doorframe, watching her.

“We want you,” I tell her firmly. “Just as you are. With your burdens and your blessings. Whenever you’re ready… we want you. We did this to show you how much.”

She opens her eyes and looks at both of us for a long moment. Then she nods, and something inside her seems to finally settle into place.

She’s here.

She’s choosing us.

And this time, we’re not letting her go.

Chapter 34

Brandy

At the cemetery, I park near the familiar path and help Mama out of the car. She’s carrying a small bouquet of white lilies; I hold a mixed bunch of soft pinks and yellows. The stems are cool and slightly damp against my palms, and the air smells of cut grass and warm earth. Somewhere beyond the iron fence, a lawnmower drones, but here among the headstones the world is hushed, like it’s holding its breath.