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But first, they had to get through the tour and the demo.
Chuck watched as Millie chatted to Thunder, her voice low and soothing. She’d changed so much since she’d arrived here, and he felt immensely proud of her. Despite the hardships that she’d faced, she’d found an inner strength that was undeniable.
He couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride in himself too. When he’d saved Millie from that awful situation when her dad had visited, he felt as though he’d exorcised something from his soul. He would never truly get over losing his mom — the loss was too great — but maybe now he could live with it. Integrate the experience into his life.
He was quick to smile these days. Quick to laugh, too. There were other changes, which his brothers had been quick to point out.
“Not so much of a miserable asshole anymore,” Duke had said. “What’s your secret?”
“I’m in love,” Chuck had replied.
“Shame that wouldn’t work for me,” Duke had replied. “Never been in love, never will be.” He sighed.
Chuck had a sneaking suspicion, though, that with the right woman, Duke could most certainly be just as happy as he was with Mill.
“What are you thinking about, Daddy?” Millie asked, catching him with those beautiful eyes.
“Life,” he grinned. “Just how damn crazy it all is.”
She smiled back. “You know, a few months ago, if you’d have told me what we were going to do today, I would have almost passed out with fear.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yep. I’m still nervous. But that’s okay. I’m gonna feel the fear, and do it anyway.”
Chuck kissed her, holding her close, feeling the warmth of her close to him. “I love you, sugar lump,” he growled.
“Love you too, Daddy.”
“Right, let’s prepare.” He checked his watch. “It’s almost showtime!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Thewaitwastorture.Millie was trying to keep calm. She didn’t want Thunder to sense her restless nerves. She knew that the best way to spook a horse was to be spooked yourself.
Luckily, she didn’t have to wait too long. Eventually, they saw a crowd of people, heading over toward the corral from the ranch house. As they got closer, Millie could hear the happy sounds of laughter and excitable chatter from the group.
She was struck by just how varied all the faces were. There were people of every size, shape, and color. Some of them were wearing clothes that looked on the Little side, but some weren’t. The one thing they all had in common was their grins. It felt so powerful to see all these people brought together by love and a common purpose.
These are my people. This is where I belong.
Zara was there, too, with her Daddy, Jaben. He looked tough and slightly scary, with a scar running down his cheek, but Zara had sent photos of the two of them goofing around back at Rawhide Ranch, so she knew how much fun he could be. Besides, Daddies always looked kinda scary to start with… but that made it all the more fun when they turned out to be pussycats inside, didn’t it?
Zara grinned at Millie, and Millie grinned right back.
Takis was leading the group, and he waved at Chuck and Millie as they approached.
“This is Chuck, our Head Groom,” he told the group, “and here’s Millie, our Riding Instructor.”
Chuck and Millie smiled, and Millie waved. A couple of the Littles waved back coyly.
“Both Chuck and Millie are very experienced working with horses,” Takis continued, “and they’re always here to help with questions or requests. Now, I’ll let Chuck give a little introductory talk.”
“Thank you, Takis,” Chuck said. He clapped his hands together. “Littlecreek Ranch is a special place. You’ll all get to see that during your time here. But let me give you a little taster of just what makes it so special.”
Chuck walked over to Sunrise, who was patiently hitched to one of the posts in the corral.
“This is Sunrise. He’s a wonderful, loyal horse, who’s affectionate and careful with his riders. He would also be dead if it weren’t for Littlecreek.” Chuck turned Sunrise so that his scarred-shut eye was pointed toward the crowd. “Sunrise had an accident before coming to Littlecreek. He was being transported in a trailer that got into a road accident. As the trailer came to a sudden stop, he hit his head against the side.”
