Page 76 of Break the Barrier

“She is.” He nods. “But she’s sensitive too. She’s a fourteen-year-old girl who has a single daddy trying to do his best with his only help being her uncles and grandma.” His eyes dart away, and I can tell by looking at him that he’s thinking about his next words. “I never want to parade people in and out of her life. My mom never did that to us kids, and I hate how lonely she must have been, but I would have hated more having strangers in and out all the time. So, I told myself I wasn’t going to introduce her to anyone, I’d never take a date home. I neverhave.” He shrugs his massive shoulders and looks back at me. My feet are barely moving now, my attention completely focused on him. “Until I met you, I was fine with that life.”

I swallow hard, my mind going through so many replies so fast that I can’t even keep up with myself until I finally settle on, “And now?”

His grip on me tightens, and every part of me feels completely safe with this man. Safe, secure, and cherished.

Feelings I’ve never felt before.

“And now, I want you there.” I watch his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows, licking his lips, his eyes locked on mine. “Now, I want to wake up and know you’re mine. I want to do family dinners, just the three of us. I want you there on Sunday afternoons with my family. I want to take you on a ride up in the mountains, and I want to build a bonfire and go camping with you and Lue in the summer.

“I want to spend Christmases and holidays and random Tuesdays with you. I want everyone in this town to know, undoubtedly, that you are mine.”

The words are…perfection.

A swirling feeling in my heart and gut tell me that I’m overwhelmed by the number of promises he just made, by the vision he’s painted for us.

But…more than that, there’s excitement bubbling in my chest at the prospect.

My mind keeps repeating, in its own way over and over again,could this be true? Could this be it?

I shove away any uncertainty, lace my fingers through the long hair at the nape of his neck, and pull his mouth down to mine. Telling him and anyone watching that not only was I his, but he was mine.

27

logan

It wasa beautiful day for a wedding.

There was barely a cloud in the sky when we woke up bright and early Saturday morning and headed to the ranch. It was going to be a full day of activities to get everything ready.

Stetson and I were in charge of the ranch chores so that Dani and CT could focus on what was important.

“You ready?” I glance over at my daughter, who’s beaming in her seat as we bump along the road down the driveway to Cal’s house.

Dani had asked Lue to be a bridesmaid, and when my daughter heard the request, you would have thought she was getting the key to the city.

Part of her bridesmaid duties was to participate in the activities, and she was still buzzing from last night’s movies and candy night with Dani and her friends.

“I was born ready,” my daughter replies, giving me a smile. “Is Thea coming?”

I smile at my daughter’s eager voice and nod my head. “She is. So are her sisters.”

“Good. I like Thea, Dad.”

I look over at her after I park the truck and smile. “I like Thea, too.”

Lue looks like she wants to say more, but before she can, my cousin steps out onto the porch, looking like she’s glowing this morning and waves us in.

I send her a wave and head out to the barn to get chores done before the ceremony begins.

Stetson and I work quickly to get everyone fed and cleaned up. It takes a couple hours, given how many horses we’ve got in training right now, but we get it done in a hurry.

“Your girl coming today?” Stetson asks, wiping the sweat off his forehead and replacing his hat. We’ll both need some serious showers before the wedding.

“Yeah.”

“She bringing her sister?”

I smirk at the hopeful tone in his voice and reply, “I think she is.”