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Chapter29
Melody
Bomber limps from the stable and I walk alongside him, leading him by the bridle. He moves gingerly, gently, each step probing and uncertain, but I coax him on. Ford, Kat, and War watch from the fence, the late summer sun beating down on my back.
“You’re doing so good,” I say softly as we make our way around the paddock. “Good job, Bomber, you’re so good, you’re such a good boy.” I keep praising him, talking softly and calmly, trying to make sure he doesn’t spook and hurt himself. The vet says the leg is all healed, and now it’s a matter of whether the mended bone will carry his weight without cracking all over again. We’ve been doing some minor rehab work, strengthening the atrophied muscles, getting him ready for the big day.
And now it’s finally here. Nerves jangle in my chest and sweat rolls down my back, but I don’t let him sense how uneasy I’m feeling. We keep up a slow but steady pace, and Bomber seems comfortable, almost eager to be outside. I can’t blame him—the poor guy’s been cooped up for months now, and I’m sure he’s itching to get back out into the world again, even if he has to move as a snail’s pace.
“You did so good,” I say as we head around and back into the barn. He snorts in response like he’s accepting my praise and heads right back into his stall. I take off his kit and wipe him down, and go meet the others at the picnic benches when I’m done.
“That looked really good,” Kat says, sounding relieved. “Think it’ll hold?”
“I think so,” I say and lean against War. The engagement ring sparkles on my finger. “The vet says he’s ready, and I can’t keep him locked up inside forever, right? Time to get him moving.”
“You’re doing great,” Ford says and checks his phone. “And now I have to run. Seriously, Melody, great job.” He stands, kisses Kat’s cheek, and heads off with a wave.
Kat watches him go. “He’s really proud, you know,” she says, glancing back at me. “The Instagram page you set up for Bomber has been driving a lot of interest to the farm. Seriously, we’ve gotten, like, dozens of interested buyers just from your posts alone.”
“Tell me about it, I’ve been fielding all their emails, and those are just the ones you guys know about.”
Kat laughs and stretches. “Good work today. I think I’m going to go for a little walk before I have to hunt down my husband and pry that phone from his ear.”
“Poor guy’s always busy,” War says with a lazy smile. “Must be nice.”
Kat walks off, and I lean over to kiss War. He kisses me back, lingering for a second longer than he needs to. “Hello, handsome,” I say.
“Hello, beautiful. You really did great with Bomber, you know.”
“I hope so. He seems like he’s doing good, but it’s always iffy, you know? Breaks like that sometimes just never heal right, no matter what you do.”
“You’ve done everything you can. I think you should be proud.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” I let him wrap his arms around me and put my head on his shoulder. We sit like that for a little while, and I admire the ring on my finger, breathe in his musky smell, and let myself enjoy the brief moment of quiet and contentment that washes over me.
“I’m thinking we should make this official soon,” he says and startles me from my meandering thoughts.
“Make what official?”
“The engagement. I’m thinking end of September.”
“Uh, you mean, in a month?”
“Exactly.” He kisses my neck and cheek. “How’s that sound? Want to be my wife in a month?”
“But we have to plan a wedding, invite guests, get a venue and catering and—”
“All that’s just money, and what’s money matter these days? We’ll do research together and pay whatever it takes. I don’t want to wait a second longer.”
I take a deep breath and let it out. Something uncurls in my chest, some worry I’ve been carrying this whole time. Even though War promised he’d never lie to me when he proposed, I still can’t help but wonder if maybe he’s holding things back, or if he’s falling back into old habit, but for some reason the way he looks at me right now makes all those doubts disappear.
This man loves me. He truly, genuinely loves in me in a way I’ve never experienced before. And I love him back like he’s a piece of my own flesh. When I think about rehabbing Bomber, I also think about doing it with War by my side. There’s no future without War, no future all alone.
“I can plan a wedding in a month,” I say with a shrug. “How hard could it be? It’s just money.”
“Damn right.” He kisses me and holds it for a long time, and I drift into him, my War. He knows me like nobody else ever has, all my flaws and horrors, all my trauma and my mistakes, and he loves me even more because of them.
“We’ll have to teach you to ride though,” I say and stand up, holding out my hand. “There’s no way I’m marrying a man that can’t ride a horse.”
