Page 36 of A Baby for the Texas Cowboy (The Texas Wolf Brothers #3)

Hellfire was restless in the stall, shifting back and forth and crashing against the metal. Anders watched while Hellfire was prepped. Part of him wished his brother had come up with him or Kane, but he was fine on his own.

He adjusted his gloves, checked the ties on his boots—although he knew they were tight—pictured himself floating above the bull even as he dropped down, tucked his feet back, and began wrapping and rewrapping his grip as he felt the massive animal shift under him.

He closed his eyes and felt the animal’s muscle tension and energy.

He adjusted his weight and moved forward. He didn’t want to overthink, but he did want to take a moment to absorb the fact that he’d made it to the finals and still had a chance to take it all.

Fortune favored the man or woman who would jump into the fray and wrestle fate into submission.

He checked his grip one last time, adjusted his seat until he felt in his sweet spot. One last breath in the dark, and then he opened his eyes, stared at the middle of the bull’s shoulders, and nodded his head.

The sound of sliding metal jacked his adrenaline off the charts, and he was out of the chute, Hellfire dropping low, spinning right, then rearing up and then down again.

The front hooves hitting dirt sounded like thunder, and Anders, left hand held high, counterbalanced.

Two more nearly vertical kickouts and then a right spin, dropped left shoulder and then a left spin like Hellfire had decided to flaunt all laws of physics.

Anders felt glued to the ride. The crowd—a blur of color and light—seemed to be on their feet.

He couldn’t hear the buzzer, but he saw the light.

He counted one and then two as he looked for his opening to launch himself off.

He dropped the rope and threw himself clear, running for fence and hurdling over.

He’d seen his fair share of bull riders stick the ride but get hurt on their dismount or in hesitating to get out of the way.

He waved to the crowd, figuring he’d done his job and Hellfire had done his.

Ninety-two point two-five!

He’d won. When combined with his scores over the finals, he had eked out a win! By a quarter of a point. He hopped down, waved to each side of the arena, and then hopped back over.

The first one to greet him was Kane, who slapped his back and congratulated him.

He was then swept up in the AEbr champion PR blitz.

This was what he’d wanted, the win, but it would have felt sweeter with Tinsley by his side.

*

Tinsley sat in her hotel room and debated calling an Uber to the airport. She was supposed to meet the Wolfs at the after-party. She’d never felt less like celebrating. She’d broken her rule by getting involved with Anders, and she’d broken another by falling in love.

“Love,” she muttered. She hadn’t wanted to love.

She caught her reflection in the mirror; her lips were twisted much like her mother’s had been last week at their unexpected and horrible reunion.

She jumped up. It was like seeing a future ghost of herself. Maybe her mother was so negative and so angry because she hadn’t had love and she hadn’t been able to love.

“But I love,” Tinsley said to her frightened reflection.

And that was the problem. She had fallen hard, head over boots in love with a man who had a perfect wife list that sounded nothing like her.

She may not have wanted to be a wife, but she wanted love. She’d never had it and now, she finally admitted to herself, she wanted love and needed love.

Then she remembered Anders’ ultimatum. If she had a problem with him or was hurt or pissed off, she needed to come to him, talk to him.

There was even ass-kicking involved. Why should she run away again?

Lose the life she’d started to build and enjoy?

Take her baby away from a family who would love it?

She’d been running for too long. She’d even packed her bag except for the dress she’d bought for tonight after Catalina and Cruz had pressed her into splurging on it. But she would not be heading to the airport tonight, and she wasn’t going to hunt for another job.

She was making her stand—in Last Stand.

That was appropriate. Tinsley jumped to her feet. She’d showered before she’d thought about running, so she’d only be half an hour late or so. If Anders wanted a piece of her mind, she was going to give it to him, and so much more.

She changed into a deep orange, clingy dress with a low back. She added makeup and left her hair hanging down her back in waves.

“Ready or not, here I come.” She gave a last look in the mirror, first pouting her lips sexily and then trying out a smile.

Hell no. She didn’t look like her mother. Not now. Not ever.

She flung open the door, determined to march into the rest of her life.

Anders lounged against the doorframe, beer bottle dangling from his fingers. He looked from her to her packed bag.

“Running away again, darlin’?”

*

What was Tinsley wearing? She looked Beautiful. Stunning. Edible. And elegant in a way he’d never once aspired to. And she was leaving.

“Only place I’m going tonight is a party. I have an invitation.”

“That so?”

“I have a date with the champion bull rider of the world.” Tinsley cocked her hip and brow and looked so damn sexy and edible that he didn’t want to go to the party.

He pushed his way inside her room, closed the door and leaned against it.

“What if your champion’s not really the dating type? What if he’s into commitment, marriage, family settling down and only bringing his wife to parties.”

“A wife, huh. The perfect wife.”

“Ah shoot, Tinz, did you hear those idiots? Kane was right and you did come looking for me?”

“The only idiot is the person who wrote that list.”

“Can’t argue with you there,” he said pushing off the door so he could get closer. “I was a dumbass writing that list. I didn’t know jack. I think because I didn’t have a mother for most of my life, I had this idealized version of what a wife and mother would be and I held on with both hands.”

“So…” She reached out a finger and stroked down the mother of pearl snaps of his shirt. “You no longer want those things?” She sounded uncertain, and he found he liked it better when she challenged him.

He caught her finger and sucked it into his mouth. She caught her breath and her eyes flared with heat.

“What’s on your list now.”

“You. I love you, Tinsley. Have for a long time. I love your fire and your drive and your humor and sense of adventure and creativity and business savvy and everything. Total package. I love you and I want to marry you. I want to be a family with you.”

“Really? What changed your mind?”

“You. Time. The baby. Damn, Tinz, you’re so beautiful inside and out you hurt my eyes.”

“Beauty was not on your list.”

“Neither was so sexy that I am in perpetual pain from wanting to bury myself inside your body.”

“I want to work.”

“Then work.”

“I want to be partners, not just follow your lead.”

“I don’t want less than or more than equal, although I do love the way your eyes go honey-gold when I rile you up.”

She stepped forward so that they were almost touching. She looked up at him, her lips a whisper away. “I don’t want you to change for me,” she said. “I don’t want you to quit the tour until you’re ready. I want you to quit on your terms.”

He ran his hands through her loose hair.

It flowed through his fingers like liquid flames.

“I’ll admit tonight felt pretty damn good.

Riding makes me feel so alive. I love everything about riding bulls, but I don’t like the distance, and I can already tell the time apart from you is going to be hard. ”

“I miss you too,” she admitted. “And I’ll take some time off and travel with you sometimes.”

He pulled her tight into his body and buried his face against her neck. His heart felt so full it hurt.

“It killed me to meet your mother,” he said.

“I hated how she talked to you and treated you. You are a treasure, and yet I don’t think she ever once realized your value or how she has been blessed, and these past few days apart gave me time to think that I don’t want to make the same mistake.

You are perfect for me. Perfect as you are.

Perfect woman. Perfect wife. Perfect mother of our children. ”

“Don’t say anything else.” Tinsley sniffed and blinked hard. “You’re going to make me cry and I have a party to go to.”

“You got the champion in your room.” He smiled at her, happier now than he had been earlier when he’d won. “We can make our own party here.”

“Later, cowboy.” She levered her body back, nipped his jaw and stared up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “This is your night, and I want you to fully embrace it.”

He loved her strength, but her vulnerability got him every damn time.

“I got everything I want right here, Tinsley. Everything.”

“And this is only the beginning.” She took his hand, kissed it and placed it over her baby bump. “The beginning of us.”