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“I can’t go,” he said before his friend could continue. He’d never done this. He’d never gone back on a commitment. But he wanted to make a more important pledge to these three special girls. “I have to back out because I fell in love. With Tess and Morgan and Willow. I can’t leave them…”
“Whoa.” Fletch paused for a moment of stunned silence. “Well, hey,” his friend finally said. “I think that’s great, man. I’m happy for you guys.”
“Really?” Silas breathed out in relief.
“Hell yeah. Couldn’t be happier for you. And there’s not gonna be a mission anyway. The government’s decided to go another way. Apparently, they want to work with the local authorities instead of ambushing the kidnappers. So, we’re off the hook for this one.”
“Good. That’s great.” He told his friend goodbye and tossed his phone down on the table. “I’m officially sticking around this summer.”
The girls cheered and Tess opened her arms for a hug, but Silas hesitated. What would the girls think? Yes, they had invited him in, but he still didn’t want to rush things for them.
Morgan stopped dancing and regarded him with an astute stare, one side of her mouth lifting in a lopsided grin. “You can hug her. Just don’t kiss in front of us. That’s disgusting.”
“Yeah! That’s disgusting,” Willow chimed in.
“Got it.” They would have to save the kissing for later.
Right now, he caught Tess in his arms and held on tight.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Tess rode Dreamer along the newly installed welded-wire fence that segmented the lower meadow behind the ranch into two hundred–acre pastures. Up ahead, her hero volunteer crew was finishing stretching the last panels of fencing into place.
Well… some of the crew was putting the fence into place while the rest of them were setting up for the big celebration to commemorate the completion of the Dry Creek Ranch Horse Sanctuary.
“Looking good, guys.” She rode to Darrell and Ford and Paul Kline, who were stapling the wire panels into the posts. “Almost done now.” She had to give these men credit… though they might not have been exactly thrilled with their community service assignment to assist with setting up the pastures for the wild horse sanctuary at first, they had really stepped up—joining the volunteer crew every weekend for the last four months to complete the requirements outlined by the Bureau of Land Management. After Tess had turned in the application to manage the herd of horses on her property, the real work had started. “You’re all going to stick around for the festivities after the work is done, right?”
“Only if you’re sure we’re welcome.” Paul pressed the staple gun to the post and secured a few more rungs into place. “We don’t want to impose.”
“It’s no imposition at all.” Each of these gentlemen had made a formal apology to both her and Morgan for scaring them the way they had when they’d been riding in the meadow. And now the three of them were the first patrons of the Adopt a Horse program she was starting for the sanctuary. They would be personally paying a monthly stipend for Legacy’s care. She and Silas had kept an eye on the horse from afar, catching glimpses of her with the herd every so often. And with the Bureau rounding up the herd and delivering them today, Tess couldn’t wait to see Legacy again. “Youshouldbe a part of the celebration.” The more they’d learned about the wild horses, the more enthusiastic they’d become about helping out.
“Then we’ll stay.” Ford tipped his hat to her. “Thanks for the invite.”
“You’re more than welcome.” She clicked her tongue, giving Dreamer the signal to keep moving down the fence line. They were so close! Only three more panels to secure into place and the last section would be ready for their new friends.
Tess rode to where Silas, Thatch, and Aiden were holding the panels taut and in place to make sure they wouldn’t have any gaps while Ford, Paul, and Darrell stapled them to the posts.
“I can’t believe we’re this close.” She pulled her horse to a stop next to Silas and slid off Dreamer and into his arms—a move she’d perfected over the summer months.
“I can believe it.” He held her close, letting her brother and Thatch steady the panel on their own. “You’ve worked hard for this. And you’ve inspired a whole town to take action.” He brushed a kiss across her lips, something he did often now, even though her daughters were only fifty feet away helping Minnie, Lyric, and Kyra set the tables for the picnic they’d planned.
It had taken all of her close friends to load up their trucks to get enough supplies out here to feed the crowd that would be coming to get a look at the majestic creatures that almost everyone in town had come together to protect. “We did cut it close,” Tess reminded him.
In preparation for the sanctuary’s opening, the Bureau should be arriving to deliver them to the ranch any time now. “We have to have the fence finished before they show up.”
In order to help preserve the delicate environment, they’d sectioned off the two hundred–acre pastures the horses could graze on so they would still have plenty of room to roam. Every few months they would move the herd to a different pasture so they could experience new territory while lightening the impact on the grasses and foliage.
“We’ll make the deadline.” Thatch moved aside so Ford could staple in the last of the fencing. “This is it. The final post.”
“And then it’s time to party,” Aiden added, wiping the sweat off his face with a handkerchief.
“Mommy!” Willow waved her arms from one of the tables. “Miss Minnie made chocolate chip cookies!”
“And cupcakes too!” Morgan added. “Come see!”
“I like cupcakes.” Silas took Tess’s hand and they walked toward the girls together. When they’d made it halfway, Willow raced to meet them and Silas caught her youngest daughter in his arms, swinging her up into the air and then settling her onto his shoulders.
“I love being this tall.” Willow giggled, stealing Silas’s cowboy hat and putting it on her own head.
