Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 77827 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77827 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
I want that, but not yet.
I need some time. I need to evaluate my life plan, my goals, and decide what I want for my future. Once I get myself worked out, and I’m settled wherever that might be, then I’ll let myself think about love, about finding my forever.
Two
Macklin
* * *
When Copeland called to tell me that his mom and sisters-in-law were throwing him and his new wife a co-ed baby shower, I didn’t even blink when I told him I’d be there. I know what you’re thinking. That’s creepy for a man to want to be at a baby shower, and normally, I might agree with you. However, Copeland and Ellison are two of my oldest friends, and I’m thrilled that they found their way back to each other and are starting a family. That’s my canned excuse. And it’s true. I might have even practiced it in the mirror in case the guys ask why I’m not grumbling the way that they are. You want to know the real reason? Well, the other reason?
Baylor Moran.
There really is no more explanation needed, but just in case, I’ll give you more. Baylor, with her long blonde hair and those big blue eyes, has captivated me for years. Her laugh is infectious, and her confidence is sexy as hell.
Baylor is five years younger than me. It wasn’t until her high school graduation that I really took notice of the woman she’d become. She had just turned eighteen, and I was twenty-three and already on the rodeo circuit. Baylor, just as smart as she was beautiful, was headed to college.
She was still far too young for me, and I was on the road all the time. She was also one of my closest friends’ little sisters, so instead of pursuing her, I kept my head down and focused on riding the next eight seconds.
I traveled the circuit, rode hard, and all the while, I never forgot the beautiful woman with long blonde hair. I tried. Trust me, I tried. No matter who was next to me, I was acutely aware that it wasn’t her. I can’t really explain it except to say it was like a light switch was turned on that day, and there she was. Beautiful Baylor, far too young, and so far out of my league, we weren’t even sitting in the same damn stadium. But still, I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
I came home anytime I knew she might be here, too. Spring break. Christmas. Random long weekends I pretended lined up with my schedule better than they actually did. My mother thought I was finally remembering where I came from, that maybe the road had stopped owning me so completely. She’d hug me a little tighter, cook a little more, smile like she’d won something back.
And yeah, I liked being home. I liked the smell of cedar that always lingered, and the way the screen door still stuck from time to time, and you had to give it a good push to open it. I liked my mom’s cooking and tinkering in the garage with Dad, talking about life, the circuit, and just spending time with them.
But all of those miles, all of those flights and long drives back to Magnolia Ridge?
They were for her.
I’d tell myself I didn’t know if she’d be there. That I wasn’t timing anything, wasn’t checking Baylor’s social media, wasn’t asking too-casual questions over the phone like “What’s everyone up to this weekend?” as if I didn’t already have a suspicion.
But I always knew.
She was no longer the kid who used to trail after Ellison, the guys, and me, making us all friendship bracelets and stealing fries off our plates. She wasn’t the girl I’d told myself was off-limits because she was too young. She was, however, still Ellison’s kid sister. I had no business noticing the way her blue eyes sparkled when she smiled.
Suddenly, she was different. She was more.
I spent years thinking about her more than I had any right to. That made every trip home feel as though I was walking a fine line that I wasn’t allowed to cross. I somehow managed to keep my distance and played it safe. I leaned into the role that was expected of me. Just one of the guys, one of her older sister’s friends. One of the three who helped pick up the broken pieces of her sister when Copeland left to enlist. I became the guy who was just passing through with dust on his boots and a bull to ride.
That didn’t stop me from watching her.
You learn a lot by keeping yourself on the sidelines, acting as if you don’t have a single care in the world. But inside, my heart raced anytime her name was mentioned. Watching her taught me that she tucked her hair behind her ear when she was nervous. I learned that she laughed with her entire body, as if holding back wasn’t even an option. Her feistiness shone through, but so did her loyalty to those she loved. Namely, her sisters.