“Because, honey. You’re my girl through and through.”
I sigh. “Yeah, it does sound pretty damn good, doesn’t it?”
“It really does.”
Chapter Forty
STEPHANIE
I stretch, reaching over and sitting straight up when I feel the cold sheets next to me. Without hesitating, I roll out of bed and rummage around until I find Ford’s white t-shirt from yesterday and a pair of flip-flops.
In a sprint, I make my way downstairs and yank open the kitchen door that leads to the back porch only to see him standing at the barn. I don’t stop to see what he’s doing, he’s there and that’s all that I care about.
My feet carry me over to him. Ford hears me, he looks over his shoulder at me, then turns completely around and holds out his arms. Burying my face in his chest, the tears start to flow and my entire body trembles.
It takes me a few moments to gain control of my senses. When I do, I lift my head from his chest and look into his eyes.
“I didn’t know where you were,” I breathe.
He smiles, but it’s a sad smile. “I had to come out here. I just had to see for myself that she was gone.”
“I thought you were gone again too. You can’t leave me in that bed alone ever again, not without waking me up to tell me you’re leaving. I don’t care what time of day or night it is,” I growl.
Ford lifts his hand, placing his palm at the back of my head and slowly strokes my hair. His eyes never leave mine and he nods once.
“Okay, honey. Never again,” he whispers.
“Not ever.”
His lips twitch into a smile. “Not ever,” he agrees before he dips his chin and touches his mouth to mine.
When he releases my mouth, he turns to look back at Starlight’s empty stall. “Guess I have to get another horse.”
“Can’t you wait a bit?” I ask.
He shakes his head once, his gaze flicking down to meet mine. “I need a horse to rustle up those cattle. It’s not an option,” he murmurs. “When I go get one, you want one of your own? There are a couple empty stalls, could use a hand.”
I shrug a shoulder, licking my bottom lip. “I like riding in front of you,” I admit on a whisper.
He chuckles. “You still can. You need your own if you’re going to stay here.”
“I am, you know that I am.”
“Promised to marry me, so yeah, I fuckin’ know you are.” Shaking my head, I can’t wipe the smile off of my face. “Let’s go inside, maybe I’ll eat you for breakfast.” He grins.
A shiver rolls throughout my entire body and I let out a breathy exhale at the thought, a thought that I very much like.
FORD
I’ve fucked Stephanie into exhaustion, again. She needs the rest and I probably do too, but I need to do something else.
I wasn’t just staring at Starlight’s empty stall when she came out of the house. I was also texting Beaumont and asking him for some help. Got no desire to leave the ranch, but I needed him to get me something in town.
I hear his truck driving down the lane. Leaving a note for Stephanie, I quietly make my way out of the front of the house. I could have waited until later tonight when we all go to Beaumont’s for dinner, but I didn’t want to. This is something that I just needed right away.
Beaumont’s smiling as he jumps out of the truck and closes the distance between us. “Can I say, seeing you standing there, how happy as fuck I am you’re okay?” he calls out as he approaches me.
“Thanks, brother.”
He hums, reaching for my shoulder before he tugs me in and wraps his arms around me in a hug. He clears his throat, then takes a step back. I watch as he digs in his pocket and produces a small blue box. He tosses it toward me. I catch it easily, then grin as I open the box.
Nestled in the velvet, there it is. The engagement ring. Reaching in my back pocket, I hand Beaumont the envelope of cash that I took from my safe. I had called ahead to the jeweler in town, found out what they had and already had the price.
Beaumont was happy to pick it up, pay for it, and then bring it to me so that I could pay him back.
It’s a simple ring. Set in yellow gold, on an extremely thin band, with one row of small diamonds down each side. The diamond in the center is one and a half carats and sits high. It’s smaller than what she deserves, but it’s beautiful. It is almost flawless, and simply stunning, just like her.
“She’s going to love it,” Beaumont murmurs.
I nod, lifting my gaze to his, closing the box and shoving it into my pocket. “I think so too,” I admit.
“How are you doing?”
Shrugging a shoulder, I walk over to one of the two rocking chairs and sink down. Looking to the left, I grin at the sight of that old fucking porch swing that I finished setting up a few minutes ago.
“I’m okay, you hear anything?”
“You want to know?” he asks.
“Not really, but I need to.”
He clears his throat, then nods. “Kirill called me yesterday. It’s been taken care of, completely.”
“What’s that mean exactly?”
Beaumont growls, obviously not wanting to give me the details, but I need them. If I’m ever going to sleep again, if I’m ever going to attempt to feel normal again, I need to know where this motherfucker is.
“Sebastian and his goon are dead. As are the two men who were involved with the porn studio. He made it look like an orgy and drug party gone bad. He’s good at that shit apparently, cops didn’t even investigate it. Broke out all over the news a couple days ago.”
Nodding, I lean back in my chair and look at the porch ceiling. “I shouldn’t feel as happy about that as I do.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Ford.”
“Yeah?” I ask.
He jerks his chin once, then leans back in his chair to look up at the ceiling as well. “That fucker was vile. What he did to you and was planning on doing was even worse. That’s not a man who deserves to breathe freely.”
“But doesn’t he deserve to breathe at all?”
Beaumont grunts. “No,” he snaps. “Fuck no. I’d kill him myself if I could have. He deserves no less than death. What he did to you, it’s unforgivable and he doesn’t deserve fuckall.”
“I think I’m supposed to feel guilty that the Russian killed him. I don’t.”
“Good, you shouldn’t.”
I let out a heavy sigh, then shake my head a couple of times. “I probably should tell Stephanie.”
“Let her have this day. Give her that ring, then give her that pretty pony that’s on its way here. Give her a night with her friends. Tell her tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” I agree.
Beau stays for a few more minutes, then he leaves me alone with my thoughts and my ring. I watch his truck disappear. I don’t know how long I stay in the rocking chair, my eyes focused on nothing and everything all at the same time.
My life is exactly the way I always wanted it and I feel completely fucking broken. I don’t know how long it will take me to get my shit together, but I have the time now. Something that I didn’t think I had just mere days ago.