Page 40 of Before You Can Blink (Rust Canyon #4)

Jett

July

“Fancy an after-dinner ride?” I asked as I pulled the last dish from the drying rack and wiped all remaining traces of moisture away with a towel.

Daisy yanked the plug on the sink, allowing the soapy water to flow down the drain. “Mm. That sounds nice.”

Lacing our fingers together, she let me lead her out the back door, and we made our way to the barn on foot. I tacked up her horse, then mine, and off we went.

The sun was sinking lower toward the horizon, casting the endless fields in a golden glow.

“Sometimes I forget how beautiful it is out here,” she mused.

“That it is,” I agreed. Though the view was spectacular in its own right, the sight of my wife gently bouncing atop her saddle was absolutely breathtaking, and one I would never tire of .

With a tug on the reins, I clicked my tongue, urging my mount, Trigger, to turn to the right. Daisy followed suit with her horse, keeping pace beside me.

The sky was a tableau of pinks and purples when we came to a stop before a familiar tree.

“This is Tripp and Penny’s spot,” Daisy protested when I hopped down and offered her my hand.

My gaze flicked to the giant tire hanging from one of the thick branches.

Wade and I had hung that swing for all the kids when they were little and full of so much energy that there was no hope of containing it.

So instead, we redirected it. They were allowed to come out here any time they wanted, just so long as they made sure to be home before dark.

Over the years, Tripp and Penny gravitated toward this spot on the ranch, claiming it as their own. He might think I didn’t know, but this was where my son went any time we butted heads or wound up in an argument, and Penny always came running, offering a sympathetic ear while allowing him to vent.

Guiding Daisy toward the tree, I dipped my head to whisper in her ear, “I won’t tell if you don’t.”

We stopped before the tire, and she made a show of tilting her head from side to side as she considered it.

“Well . . .” A brilliant smile lit up her beautiful face. “When you put it like that, how can I say no?”

My own lips twitched. “You can’t.” I gave her ass a light smack to get her moving.

Though the tire was massive enough that our grown children could still use the swing with ease, Daisy’s hips were noticeably wider than theirs, and it was a tight fit.

There would be indents on her thighs where the rubber cut into them, but I’d make sure to kiss every one of them later to make up for the discomfort.

“Ready?” I gripped the edges of the tire and pulled it back toward me.

“Mm-hmm.”

When I let go, she drifted away from me, her musical laughter floating on the breeze. After all these years, it still sounded exactly the same.

If I closed my eyes, I could pretend we were still those two crazy kids who fell in love, what felt like a million years ago now.

Since then, life had toughened me, made me jaded, but it left Daisy unchanged.

Even through all the hardships we’d faced, she remained the same compassionate, kind woman she’d always been, offering comfort to anyone who needed it.

It was nothing short of a miracle that she’d stuck by my side through thick and thin.

Mesmerized by the sway of her long hair—threaded with more gray by the day—I was startled when she spoke.

“This summer feels . . . different.”

Eyes snapping up, I caught her peeking over her shoulder at me, a sad smile curving on her lips.

I dipped my chin, conceding, “Yeah, I suppose it does.”

Tripp had been sent on the road with the rodeo team, with the hopes that, within the next few years, I could completely hand over that part of the business to him. The plan was to slowly add more ranch responsibilities to his plate until he was capable of carrying the entire load.

Aspen had secured an internship at an architectural firm in LA to gain experience to put on her resume before she began her master’s program this fall, electing to obtain that degree at SoCal University like her undergraduate.

Then there was Penny. Not one to be left behind, she was off logging the required hours to complete her veterinary medicine program.

Wade was bursting with pride that not only had his daughter gone off to college, but she was going to be a doctor.

Truth be told, I was impressed, though I couldn’t say I was too surprised.

That girl was unstoppable when she set her mind to something, and right now, her focus was firmly fixed on having a reason to stay on this ranch near Tripp.

The vet degree was a nice little bonus that would be a huge benefit when we had an animal in distress.

It almost felt like the world was on pause while we waited for all the kids to come back. Though for some of them, there was no telling when that would be, their return date not set in stone.

“What would you think if I said I wanted to renovate the cabin?” Daisy’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

My brows rose. “The cabin? What for?”

One of her shoulders lifted. “I don’t know. Just seems a waste to have it sitting there empty.”

“It’s served its purpose as far as I’m concerned.”

“What if we could find a new one for it?” my wife pressed.

“Can’t imagine what.” Skepticism colored my words.

“Think about it. Maybe Penny needs a place of her own after she’s done with school. Or what about your mom?”

I reared back. “My ma?”

“Yeah. She’s getting older. We could move her out here with us, but the cabin would allow her to keep some semblance of independence.”

This woman. Always thinking of others. She was a freaking saint as far as I was concerned.

“Might work for Penny,” I hedged. “But Ma’s not gonna want to leave that house, or town.

” Didn’t matter that we were barely a ten-minute drive outside of it; she complained about the distance every time she ventured out this way.

Living a stone’s throw from Main Street, she’d grown accustomed to being able to walk everywhere, though it took longer now that she was in her seventies.

“Even so, it would be nice to have a place to put people if we ever had guests.”

“We don’t know a single soul outside of Rust Canyon, Daisy. Who’s gonna magically show up at our door needing a place to stay?”

She scoffed. “You’re missing the point, Jett.”

“Then why don’t you spell it out for me,” I challenged.

“I want it to be there in the case of a rainy day when someone needs it. You know better than anyone how unpredictable life can be. And besides, it’ll give me something to focus on this summer until school starts.

You, Wade, and Caroline all have jobs around here during the day.

And offering my volunteer services to Rose at the church doesn’t keep me busy enough. ”

Closing my eyes, I dragged in a deep breath before releasing it slowly. “If it’ll make you happy, we can sit down and figure out a budget.”

For the first time in decades, we had money to spare, and I couldn’t remember a single project we’d taken on around here that was classified as a want versus a need. Yet another sign of the changes as we grew older.

An outsider might even dare to say we’d finally found ourselves established.

Took damn long enough.

Daisy tapped her lips with a finger, indicating she wanted a kiss. Happily, I bent to oblige her request.

“Thank you,” she whispered when we broke apart.

I hummed, stepping back to resume pushing her on the swing.

We were quiet for a while, lulled into companionable silence by the rhythmic sway of the tire. But eventually, Daisy let out a little sigh.

“Can you believe how far we’ve come from when that cabin was a lifeline for us? ”

A shudder rolled through me at the memories of the years spent living within those four wooden walls. “I can still remember being sick to my stomach when I brought you there for the first time. It was no place for you—or a baby—but I was fresh outta options.”

“We made it work.” I could hear the smile in her voice.

“Like we always do.” Finishing that phrase had become automatic.

“Almost didn’t know what to do with myself once the big house was finished. There was too much space, and I struggled with not having constant eyes on the kids.”

I chuckled. “Then the kids got bigger and there were days when it didn’t feel large enough, everyone on top of each other.”

“Now it seems excessive for just the two of us.” Wry laughter sounded. “Maybe we should be fixing up the cabin for us.”

Even though I knew she was joking, my chest tightened at the mere mention of moving back into that shack, and it took me a minute to find my voice.

“Nah. If we did that, where would we entertain that gaggle of grandkids you’ve got your heart set on?”

Daisy snapped her fingers. “Darn, you’re right.”

“Still feeling that full dozen?” I teased.

“Vision hasn’t changed, but it is strange to think Aspen’s about the same age you were when we had her.”

That reality was like a bucket of ice water dumped over my head.

Aspen was still so young. Her life was just getting started. I couldn’t even begin to imagine her having babies and becoming a mama.

Slow your roll. She’s not even dating anyone.

“I don’t even have to look back to know that sent you into a panic.”

She knew me too damn well.

I grunted. “She’s still a baby herself. ”

“Half her graduating class already has kids, Jett. Some of which will be roaming my halls, starting kindergarten in the fall.”

“That supposed to make me feel better?” I muttered under my breath.

“No, but you need to come to terms with the fact that she is a grown woman now. Yes, she has a lot she wants to accomplish and isn’t thinking about settling down anytime soon, but plans and dreams have a way of changing when life unexpectedly throws the person you’re meant to be with right in your path. ”

She sure as hell had my attention now. “She meet someone?”

Daisy dug her heels into the dirt, causing the tire swing to stop before I could give it another push. Extracting herself from the hole in the rubber, she turned around to face me.

With a single step, she closed the gap between us, reaching up to smooth a thumb between my brows. “You’re too protective for your own good sometimes.”

“That wasn’t an answer, Daze.”

Her eyes lifted to the sky before returning to meet mine.

“No, she hasn’t met anyone. But you need to prepare yourself for the day when she does.

Some poor boy is already gonna be knocked on his ass, having fallen in love with our daughter, so the last thing he’ll need is you giving him a hard time because you’ll never deem anyone good enough for your baby girl. ”

That last part hit a little too close to home. Daisy’s close relationship with her father grew distant after she married me. While he never tried to stop our union, he’d been outspoken about his displeasure that I couldn’t support his daughter.

By the time I’d gotten around to proving him wrong, he’d already left this earth. More than anything, I wished he could have seen that I’d done right by Daisy, even if it took longer than I—or he—would have liked .

There were too many days when it felt like I’d already lost Aspen, with her being over a thousand miles away. The last thing I wanted to do was to push her even further away because I couldn’t make peace with the partner she’d chosen to share her life with.

As much as it killed me, I would have to accept whatever man she decided to marry because I wasn’t willing to lose her.

Swallowing against the broken glass lining my throat, I rasped, “I only want the world for her.”

With her thumb stroking my jaw, Daisy’s lips turned up, and her eyes softened. “Of course you do, because you’re a good father. She loves you and will want your approval. Don’t give her any reason to doubt her instincts when she believes she’s found the one .”

My eyes slid shut, and I dragged in a deep breath through my nose. On the exhale, I said, “I’ll try my hardest.”

Lips pressed against mine. “That’s all I can ask for.”

Here I was, thinking this parenting gig would get easier once we moved past the baby stage.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.