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Chapter forty-seven

Epilogue

Mason

“I think that’s everything.” I drop the last bag of groceries into the bottom of the tiny refrigerator. “It’s a two day drive, but they should be at least sleeping comfortably.” The trailer rocks when I step out.

Lori bounces Jack on her hip under the summer sun.

His toothless smile broadens when he sees me, and he holds up his chubby arms, begging with his clasping fingers for me to take him.

“Hey, baby boy. Come to Daddy.” I can’t believe how much he’s grown in just three months.

He shrieks and giggles when I hoist him against my shoulder. My other arm wraps around his beautiful mother to pull her close.

“Can you believe Sophia and Sawyer will be gone chasing rodeos for a month?” Her fingers dive into my back pocket, cupping my ass as we walk to the house. “What do you think we could do in this big ol’ empty house by ourselves?” Her pink lower lip turns between her teeth.

“Hmm,” I growl, nibbling on the tip of her ear. “I have ideas. Let’s work on filling it up.”

She giggles, then turns in my arms, her hat palms flattening against my chest. “Remember that promise I made you?”

With all of the blood in my body working its way into my jeans, I can’t think as clearly.

“Was it that you wouldn’t wear panties when you had your sundresses on?” I liked that one. I bought her three new ones just because of it.

She laughs, which makes Jack join her in a giggle, kicking his bare feet against my ribs.

“No, sir.” She winks at me, then cups my jaw to pull my face low. “I said you’d be the first to know,” she breaths, then presses her mouth to me in a slow kiss.

I let her tongue beg me to open as my mind races, trying to pin down what warranted this reward.

“Oh.” A moan escapes me and I pull her hot body closer. Her full breasts flatten as I ravage her mouth.

Jack’s fingers tangle in her hair, tying us together as she smiles up and nods.

“Think this one will be a sister for Sophia?”

Lori shrugs and patiently unwinds Jack’s grip. “If not, there’s always next time.”

I need to put our son in his crib. The drive to be in her is making it hard to walk.

Damn. My phone.

Digging it out of my shirt, I’m surprised at the name. Wade Rowland.

“I’ll get him down for a nap. Find me when you’re done.” She takes our baby and moves up the steps ahead of me.

I could watch her walk all day.

Taking a deep breath to cool the fire in my blood, I answer the phone.

“Mason. Forensics is finally catching up.” Wade sounds agitated.

“Well, hello, Wade.” Why does he always start off in the middle of a sentence?

“Yea, yea. So, it’s taken months to sort through all the shit in Sean’s trailer. Get this, Trevor and Cash had fingerprints all over in there.” He talks in a rush.

“So, they killed him?” It sours my guts to think they could have hurt my girls.

“Very possible. We may never know. It’s not like they’re talking much. They weren’t much more than hamburger on a rope by the time Ford brought them back.” He sighs.

“Pretty wild what can happen when they fall off their horses and get dragged for miles.” I parrot the same words that Ford gave me that night.

“Huh. Yea, wild.” It doesn’t sound like Wade believes that’s the whole story. But he doesn’t ask for more. “Anyways, we found several other sets of prints we’re working on nailing down. Just wanted to let you know.”

“Thanks, Wade.” I finally get a chance to hang up on him.

But before I can put my phone away, it rings again.

Jesus. The universe doesn’t want me to celebrate today.

“Dixon. How are you?” I haven't seen much of him lately. But I also haven’t been missing any more cattle since Trevor and Cash had their unfortunate accident.

“Mason? How do you know when you’re in love?” Dixon sounds pained.

Well, that’s a first.

“I don’t know. You just can’t stop thinking about them. You would do anything for them, and put their needs before your own. You’ll find yourself breaking your own rules to see them one more time…” I trail off thinking of all of those times I had to sneak to be with Lori.

I’m so glad those days are behind us.

“So, it’s when you lose control?” he says through his teeth.

“Yea, I guess you could say that.” What is going on with him?

“Fuck. I was afraid of that.” He hangs up before I can ask anything else.

Staring at the blank screen, I start laughing as I head into the house.

I forget why when I open the door to my room to see Lori standing naked near the bathroom. “Our little boy decided to pee on me. Feel like scrubbing it off?” Steam billows around her from the running shower.

My pants fall to my knees on their own.

“I’ll be your hero, baby.”