Page 24 of Ride Me Reckless (Millionaire Cowboys of Lucky Ranch #1)
Chapter Twenty-Four
Every Morning
Colt
T he smell of coffee hit me before I even opened my eyes.
It wasn’t the fancy kind, either—no cinnamon syrup or whipped cream nonsense. Just old-fashioned, percolated brew, the way folks around here liked it. I stretched, scratched the back of my neck, and padded out to the kitchen, still tugging a T-shirt over my head.
Dalia sat at the table, already dressed for the day in a soft pink blouse that Tessa must’ve picked out for her. Her Bible was open in front of her, glasses perched on her nose. She looked up as I entered.
“Well, morning there, Bob,” she said brightly, then blinked and tilted her head. “No. Colt. It’s Colt, isn’t it? I’m getting better at that, aren’t I?”
I smiled as I made my way to the counter. “You sure are, ma’am.”
She beamed, proud of herself. “Names are funny things. Sometimes they stick, sometimes they float away.”
I opened the cabinet for a mug and poured myself a cup. Then, mostly out of habit, I checked the coffee pot since Dalia was the one who had made it. There were no floating grounds. The coffee was not too light, not watery, just right.
“You nailed the coffee,” I said, lifting the mug toward her in a silent toast.
“Well, thank you.” She tapped the page in her Bible like she’d just read something worth remembering. “Did you tell Tessa you loved her yet this morning?”
That caught me off guard. I lowered the mug slowly. “Uh… no, not yet. She’s still sleeping.”
Dalia’s expression softened as she looked out the kitchen window, past the screen and into the hazy pink sky. “Then you best not waste the moment. Jack told me he loved me every morning. Rain or shine, tired or not. Last words he ever said to me, too.”
She didn’t tear up. Didn’t sniff or get misty. Just smiled like the memory was a favorite song she hadn’t heard in a while.
I stood there, holding that cup of coffee like it weighed fifty pounds.
“I won’t forget,” I said quietly.
“You’d better not. That girl of yours, she needs to hear it. Every single day.”
I nodded, throat tight, and took one last sip before heading down the hall.
“Thanks for the coffee, Dalia.”
She waved me off. “Thank the Lord. I just followed the instructions.”
I stepped back into the bedroom, the morning light just starting to push through the slats of the blinds. The covers were tangled around Tessa’s legs, one arm flung over her pillow, the other curled beneath her cheek. She looked peaceful—soft, warm, and mine.
I crossed the room quietly and leaned down to press a kiss to her bare shoulder.
“I love you,” I whispered, letting the words linger just above her skin.
She blinked slowly, stretching as her lips curved into a sleepy smile. “That’s a nice way to wake up.”
“I figured I’d take some advice from your mom,” I said, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
Her eyes fluttered all the way open at that. “She been giving you marriage tips again?”
“Yep,” I said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Told me your father never missed a morning. Said ‘I love you’ every day.”
“She’s not wrong,” Tessa murmured, rolling onto her back. “Keep that up, and I might keep you.”
“Might?” I placed a hand over my heart in mock offense. “Woman, I just pledged eternal devotion at seven-something in the morning. That oughta at least earn me some bacon.”
She laughed, that throaty, half-awake sound that always knocked something loose in my chest. “If you’re wanting bacon, you’d better start cooking.”
“I was thinkin’ hot tea for you first.”
“Mmm.” She stretched again and yawned. “If you bring it to me while I shower, I’ll love you forever.”
I raised a brow. “That easy, huh?”
She cracked one eye open. “Don’t push your luck, cowboy.”
I leaned in for another kiss. “Hot tea, coming right up.”
“And toast.”
I stood with a groan. “You drive a hard bargain, Tessa Rae.”
“Yeah, well,” she called as I headed toward the kitchen, “you’re the one who said ‘I love you’ first.”
The sound of an approaching vehicle filtered through the window above the kitchen sink. I glanced up from buttering toast and saw a car pulling up the drive.
Tessa stepped beside me, holding her cup of coffee with both hands. “That’ll be Callie.”
I leaned to kiss her temple. “Yep, five minutes early.”
By the time I got the door open, Callie was bounding up the porch steps with a brown paper sack in her hand and a grin that could brighten a stormy day.
“Hope y’all are hungry,” she said, waving the bag. “Muffins from the bakery. Still warm if you don’t waste time.”
Dalia had moved to her favorite patio chair with a throw blanket around her shoulders with her Bible in her lap, and clapped her hands. “You’re an angel, Callie.”
“You’re lookin’ good this morning, Miss Dalia,” Callie said as she handed her a muffin and settled into the rocker beside her.
“Good?” Dalia scoffed, tearing off a bite. “I look fabulous —at least until the sun gets too high and shows all my wrinkles.”
Tessa and I stayed back, watching through the screen door as the two women laughed like old friends catching up after years apart. The breeze lifted a few strands of Dalia’s hair as she sipped from her coffee mug.
“This Bob sure makes a yummy breakfast,” she said, loud enough for me to hear.
Tessa covered her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing. I pushed the screen door open and leaned a shoulder against the frame. “Well, ma’am, I do my best,” I called out.
Dalia gave me a regal nod. “Don’t get cocky.”
Callie laughed. “She’s definitely sharper today than I’ve seen her in a while. It's kind of amazing.”
Tessa stepped outside and joined her on the porch. “The doctor said the new meds might help stabilize her memory. But I think being home is doing more than the pills.”
“Home and love,” Callie added, giving me a look. “She’s got both now.”
I joined them on the porch.“You’re sayin’ I’m the secret ingredient?”
Dalia held her coffee aloft like a toast. “You’re something, all right. But I wouldn’t call you an ingredient.”
I caught Tessa’s eye as she beamed at her mama. Callie was right. It wasn’t just the medicine. It was the porch, the coffee, the company. The little rituals that made people feel like themselves again.
And for the first time since we brought her back, I let myself believe she was indeed improving.
I checked my watch—9:22.
Tessa was still out on the porch, cradling the last sips of her tea while Callie and Dalia shared a quiet laugh over the muffins.
As much as I wanted to linger and watch her smile in the morning light, we had someplace to be.
I just hoped Art wouldn’t call needing my input on the bulls while I was getting my first look at my kid.
I rapped my knuckles against the doorframe. “Alright, mama-to-be. We should probably get this show on the road.”
Tessa glanced over her shoulder, her grin lazy and warm. “Bossy this early? You must really want to see that baby again.”
I chuckled. “I do. But mostly, I don’t want to be late and give them a reason to mark us down as a ‘no-show’.”
She grabbed her purse, kissed Dalia on the cheek, gently squeezed Callie’s shoulder, and joined me at the truck. The sky was wide and soft above us, early fall colors brushing the trees like a sigh.
Once we pulled onto the highway, a peaceful quiet settled in. Tessa rested one hand on her bump, absently smoothing her thumb across it.
“It’s wild,” I said, keeping my eyes on the road. “Thinking about how different everything’s gonna be.”
She turned to me with a soft smile. “I know. But I’m not in a hurry to change what’s working. Mama is happy. I’m not waking up in a cold sweat from worry anymore. The three of us—we’re finally finding our footing.”
“I get it,” I said, nodding. “I really do.”
I reached over and let my hand settle over hers. She didn’t pull away. If anything, she leaned into it.
“But sooner or later…” I added, “it’s not just gonna be the three of us.”
She looked out the window for a beat, then back at me with something steady in her eyes. “One step at a time, right?”
“Right.”
I gently squeezed her fingers and then added, “Maybe in between those steps, we should talk about planning a wedding.”
She let out a dramatic groan. “My idea of a dream wedding went out the window a long time ago.”
I smirked. “Good. That means you’ll be thrilled with whatever half-decent plan I cook up.”
Her laugh softened the air between us, and I focused on the road ahead, already wondering what the next step might look like.