Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 120708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 604(@200wpm)___ 483(@250wpm)___ 402(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 604(@200wpm)___ 483(@250wpm)___ 402(@300wpm)
Tears streamed down my face as I dropped down onto the dirt in front of him. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words would come out. The only thing I managed to do was nod and sob like a fool.
“I believe that’s a yes, son!” my father called out.
I smiled and said, “Yes! Yes, I will marry you!
Tanner’s face erupted into the most beautiful smile as he picked up my left hand and slipped on the ring. I glanced down at it and stared. Then I looked up at my father and saw him wiping away his own tears.
“Daddy,” I whispered.
“She would have wanted you to have it, princess.”
Tanner leaned in and whispered, “Go to him, Timber.”
I turned back to Tanner, cupped his face with my hands and kissed him. “I love you so much, Tanner Shaw.”
He winked. “I know. I love you too.”
Tanner stood and helped me up. I hugged him tightly, then turned and ran to my father.
He held his arms open and caught me when I ran into them. “I love you, Timberlynn. So very much.”
“Oh, Daddy. I love you too.”
Ty walked up to Brock and slapped him on the back. “I won…pay up.”
Epilogue
TIMBERLYNN
May
I slowly lifted the saddle pad onto the two-and-a-half-year-old gelding I was training. He stood perfectly still and turned his head ever so slightly to watch me. “That’s a good boy, Romeo.”
He threw his head back slightly as I rubbed the pad over him gently, then let it sit on his back.
“He looks comfortable with it on,” Tanner said.
I glanced over my shoulder to see the love of my life—my fiancé—sitting on the fence. Lord, he looked so handsome with his dark cowboy hat on and that sexy smile and dimple.
“He’s a trooper.” I quickly lifted the saddle and placed it onto the pad and let it sit for a few minutes.
“Okay, buddy, let’s cinch the girth and see how you like it.” I got the saddle strap just snug enough to keep it in place, and Romeo didn’t flinch.
“I’m itching to get on that horse, you know,” Tanner said as he got off the fence and headed over to us.
“Patience, Tanner. You of all people know that,” I said as I tightened the girth a bit more.
“He seems to be okay with it. Jasper was biting the shit out of the saddle earlier to get it off.”
I laughed lightly. “Yeah, he’s going to make us earn our money, that’s for sure.”
After Tanner and I got engaged, we sat down and talked about where we both wanted our careers to go. Tanner, of course, was still going to work on the family ranch, but we also decided to go into a partnership with the horse training and rescue. There was also the fact that Tanner had purchased the house and land we lived on from his parents. After talking with my father and Tanner, I paid Tanner fifty percent of what he’d bought the house for. Tanner then turned around and invested it into our new business, Shaw Equestrian and Rescue. Stella and Ty Senior also added the name to the main gate of the Shaw ranch. Each time I saw it driving in, my eyes teared up. It was a longtime dream of mine that was finally coming true.
Working with Tanner was another added bonus, and each time I saw him with a horse, I knew this was where he belonged. He had such a natural way with horses—I swore he knew how to communicate with them. He loved training horses under saddle and did amazingly at it.
“You’ve got him moving good. Look at that,” Tanner said as we watched Romeo trot around the corral on his own.
“When do you want to work on the mounting block with him?” I asked.
“Later. What I really want to do is work on mounting you.”
I smiled and let him pull me to him.
“Have you decided on a wedding date yet?” he asked.
“Well, I had an idea.”
“Okay, hit me with it.”
“I think I want to get married in the spot you took me on our first, unofficial date. The lookout over the ranch.”
He smiled. “I love that idea. When?”
“My mom’s birthday is May twenty-fifth. I already talked to my dad about it and he loved the idea. I know that’s only a couple weeks away, but I really only want it to be just your family and my dad and Molly and of course Dirk and Candace, if they can make it.”
“I bet they both could. Why don’t we put Romeo up, and you let me take you into the house to make love to you. Then we’ll go talk to my folks about it.”
With a smile, I stretched up on my toes and kissed him. “Sounds like a plan.”
Tanner got Romeo to come to him, then attached the lead to his halter. After getting the saddle off and turning him out in the pasture, I started to walk toward the house, only to have Tanner grab me and pull me back into the barn. “What are you doing?” I asked with a giggle.