“You and Mama Louise looked like that was an important conversation tonight.” Not a question, not pressing me for details, but I want to share them all with her.
“She told me she’s holding the farm for me, ready to sell it back whenever I’m ready.” My fingers trace patterns on Erica’s skin, connecting the freckles even though I can’t see them in the dim light of the reading lamp on the nightstand.
“Are you ready?”
So much in three little words. She’s asking about a lot more than the farm, and that she will be vulnerable with me this way now speaks to how far we’ve come.
“I’m ready for a lot . . . with you, with the Bennetts, and eventually, with the farm. But I like how things are now. Never thought I’d say that, but I feel like I’m right where I’m supposed to be and with whom I’m supposed to be.”
She snuggles in closer, not saying a word, but I feel the smile as her cheek moves against my chest.
“Even if she is a wrench-wielding badass who can take my head off.”
She swats at my chest, laughing. “Asshole.”
I pull her back to my side, both of us settling to go to sleep. “Love you, Lil Bit.”
“Love you too, Cowboy.” She’s quiet for one heartbeat before popping off again, “You’re gonna make pancakes in the morning, right?”
Epilogue
Erica
I should not be nervous. There’s no reason to be, none at all. I’ve raced Foxy a million times before. Okay, not a million, but hundreds of times for sure.
And each of those times, I sat behind the wheel calm, cool, and collected. Ready to race down the track and let those numbers flash, every time hoping for a new personal record.
Today is no different. Except it is.
Everyone is here. Mom and Dad, Emily and Dan, all the Tannens, all the Bennetts, and all the track guys. Hell, even Todd’s back, though he’s not racing. The doctor says he still has a few months of physical therapy and maybe even another skin graft before he can drive. But his Challenger is ready when he is, with a properly installed and verified nitrous system, thank you very much.
The crowd is why today feels different. Especially Dad. I know he’s proud of me. He’s told me flat-out that he is, but there’s something inside me that wants to show him just how good I am. Like he won’t really believe it until he sees it himself.
I do my burnout and pull up to the staging line. It’s me versus Clint, which is going to be a tough race because I’ve already installed his custom carburetor. But I can still win. I have to—for Dad.
The tree lights up, and I’m gone in less time than it takes to blink. Foxy roars down the track, vibrating beneath me with power. When I cross the finish, I’m in front of Clint.
“You taking it easy on me?” I yell through our open windows over the deafening engines as we take our helmets off.
He smiles easily, teeth flashing through his beard, which is ponytailed up to fit in his helmet. “Nah, just got me today. I’ll getcha next time.” He’s being way too good-natured about losing, which is answer enough.
“Don’t take it easy on me because Dad’s here. We want to earn those bragging rights.” I pat Foxy’s dashboard.
He nods respectfully. “You earned every one of them, Rix. But I’ll let bracket two know to give it all they’ve got.”
I nod back, satisfied that we’re gonna have a good day of racing.
Brody
If it’s one thing country folks know how to do, it’s tailgate. We’ve got trucks backed up along the grassy area Ed deems ‘the safe zone’ and we’re sitting in truck beds and camping chairs. Cooper has big earmuffs on, his eyes and smile huge even though Allyson is hovering about while Brutal keeps telling her to ‘leave him be.’ Marla took Cindy Lou for the day, so the gang’s all here.
They all came out for Erica. For me.
Because like it or not, we are one big, happy family.
Mama Louise and Janice sit talking like old friends, and I wonder what they’re up to again. But I don’t really care.
Because we’re all good.
Hell, even Reed and Manuel came. Manuel’s wife sits next to him, holding his hand and looking excited. I think she’d get behind the wheel of one of these monstrous machines if she could. Reed is alone, but I’ve seen him texting a lot lately at the shop and Manuel says he’s joined some dating sites.
I’m glad. He’s a good guy, and deserves to be happy.
We watch as Erica races again and again, winning in her bracket of gas-powered cars until she’s up for the main drag.
Keith stands. His eyes are laser-locked on Erica, tense but powerful. I get up and go stand next to him. “She’s something else.”
It’s praise for Erica, but it’s just as much for Keith. He helped her grow into the powerhouse that she is.
“She is,” he nods, agreeing. “What’re you gonna do about it?” He’s acting casual, eyes never leaving his priority, but I know the weight in the question.
“Gonna marry her one day,” I say without hesitation.
He chuckles. “If that was your asking permission for her hand, it sucked.”
“If you think I’ll be asking you, then you don’t know your daughter at all,” I tell him quietly but intensely. “We’ll know when the time’s right.”
I look back to Erica, who’s staging.
“If you don’t, I’m sure she’ll let you know.”
I chuckle, knowing he’s right.
We’re silent as the lights change and she roars away down the track. Every single time she gets the green, my heart still stutters and stops, my breath locks in my lungs, and I don’t blink until I see the red of her taillights and know she’s slowing down and safe.
“Best time of the day,” Keith says proudly.
I grunt, knowing the best time is still to come.
And when Erica pulls around, getting out with her helmet held high in celebration, I know she’s it for me. For however long I get on this Earth, I want every single moment with her, and I’m going to do my damnedest to make them amazing.
She deserves it.
I deserve it.
With everyone cheering for her loudly, Erica only has eyes for me. She runs my way, and I catch her easily, hands under her ass as her legs wrap around me and her steel-toed boots lock behind my back. “Best ever!”
Yeah, she is.
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed Brody & Erica’s story. You’ll see them again in Bobby’s book, but don’t say goodbye to them just yet. Get the free extended epilogue here.
Rough Country (Bobby’s book!) is already up for preorder and you can read the blurb here. Continue on for a preview of my book Beauty and the Billionaire, book 1 of my Dirty Fairy Tales series!
Preview: Beauty and the Billionaire
Mia
The darkness is complete, wrapping around me like an ebony velvet blanket, cool and textural on my naked skin. I can feel it on my goosebumps, the air adding to my trembling.
My body, exhausted from the last ordeal, still quivers as I try to find the strength to move. It’s so difficult, the waters of sleep still tugging at me even as instinct tells me there’s something in the darkness.