“I asked Clay to let me buy this land from him,” he lets out in a rush of words.
My eyes widen. Of all the things I thought he would say, that definitely wasn’t one of them.
“I know that ridin’ like I did isn’t somethin’ I can do anymore, but the rodeo is in my blood, Leigh. When I was forced to sit back and look at my life now that ridin’ was gone, I knew I couldn’t give it up completely. My hope is that, with your blessin’, I’ll be able to keep that part of my life, but this time I’ll be doin’ it with you by my side, sharin’ this new part of my life, every step of the way.”
“I’m really not following you, Maverick.” And I’m not. I have no idea what he’s talking about. “What does buying this land from Clay help?”
“I want to start instructin’.” His words are so full of pride and excitement that I can’t help but feel the same buzz tingle over my skin.
“Instructing what?”
“It will take awhile, but eventually I plan on openin’ up a school of sorts. I want young men to have a place to learn when they’ve got big dreams and even bigger talent, but no way of makin’ them a reality. I talked to Clay about it and even though he’s hesitant, I know he can see the same vision that I do. So this is me, puttin’ down roots that will never be unearthed, but doin’ it in the only place I ever felt like I could truly call home.”
I look around, seeing in my mind the land around us. There is so much property that I have a hard time seeing exactly what he does in his head. “Right here?” I ask, pointing to the area around us.
“Not here. This is our place and I won’t give that to anyone else. On the other side of the land you kept, there’s almost two hundred acres. I would buy it all back from him, but this part would be untouched. The rest will eventually be a training camp of sorts. Intimate with low enrollment. I’ll have some dorm-type housing built around the main training areas for the folks I’ll hire and those that enroll. They’ll be able to learn it all, different areas built for each field offered and a personal trainer for each. The biggest planned for the buckin’ bulls to be kept for riders to train.”
“You want to build an arena?”
He laughs. “Not quite as big as you’re used to watchin’ me ride, but to those ridin’, it damn sure will feel like it.”
“What about you?”
“What do you mean?”
“In all of those plans, where will you call home?”
His chest rises as he pulls in a deep breath. “The long answer, I’ll have somethin’ temporary out on that land while it’s being built. The short answer, wherever you are.”
I’m at a complete loss for words, and it shows. “Wow,” I finally say. “This is a lot to take in.”
He laughs softly. “Yeah, it is. I want you to know, none of this will happen without your blessin’. Either way, I’m not goin’ anywhere. If you don’t want this on the land that your daddy used to work, just say the word. I’ll look somewhere else in Pine Oak, but no matter what, it’s happenin’ in this town. Steel roots, darlin’. I’m not goin’ anywhere except wherever you go with me.”
“Here,” I whisper. I close my eyes, trying my best to see what he’s explained, but the only thing I can see is him, smiling up at me while he builds his new dream. “You belong here, Maverick. I know Daddy would agree with me if he was still here, but I couldn’t think of anyone else I would rather bring life to this place again. Build your dream, honey.” The rush of utter certainty fills my body. I know without a single doubt in my mind that this man is meant to be mine, and with the same conviction, I know he feels it too. His words and actions proving to me that his heart is in this just as much as mine is.
He moves quickly. His hands coming up to pull me to him. Our mouths connecting. “Our dreams, darlin’. Ours.” With those words, whispered against my lips, we sit in the same field where old dreams were once talked about, and make new ones.
21
MAVERICK
“H.O.L.Y.” by Florida Georgia Line
“Come on then, cowboy. Show me where these new dreams of ours are going to be.”
For the first time since we drove away from her house, I feel the nerves disappear. I’ve worked myself up so much for this talk with her that I had been close to puking before I could even get the words out. But I shouldn’t have worried, not with Leigh. This girl might need to analyze most of the shit in her life, but just like it used to be between us, she’s never needed much to follow me with her whole heart.
And I’m going to make damn sure she doesn’t regret placing that kind of trust in my hands.
I stand, grabbing my hat off the ground on my way up, and dust the damp dirt off my ass. I should have thought this through a little better. It had rained yesterday, a lot, not only giving us some great mud on the trails—but since I didn’t bring a blanket to sit on, our asses are now dirty and wet. Not that Leigh minds, though. She stands, looks behind her, and giggles.
The sound goes straight to my crotch. With her attention not on me, I grab the uncomfortable thickness and adjust myself quickly, not taking my eyes off her ass. When I look up from the wet spot our sitting made on her jeans and meet her gaze, I know she caught me, though.
“Need some help?” she asks with a wink.
“Not yet.”
She rolls her eyes, but holds her hand out for mine. I take it and let her lead me back to the truck. Once she’s settled in, I walk quickly to the driver’s side and climb up.
“I’m gonna head over and grab one of the four-wheelers from Clay. Do you want to come, or do you want me to pick you up after?”
She smiles, wide and toothy. “I’m with you, cowboy. Lead the way.”
The engine turns over with a loud roar and I drive us back through the muddy trail, making sure to hit each deep rut on the way. The sounds of her excited squeals make my face hurt from smiling so damn much.
Fuck, this girl.
When we pull off the road and onto the drive that will take us up to the main house, I don’t feel even an ounce of the normal trepidation that I used to. I don’t feel the clawing need to be anywhere but here. Not with her by my side. With that in mind, I reach over and grab her hand. She looks over from where she had been looking out her window and gives me a big smile.
“You still don’t like being here?” she asks, knowing without words that this isn’t a place I enjoy being.
“It’s not so bad when you’re with me.”
What crosses over her expression is nothing short of rapture. She loves knowing that her presence calms me and isn’t afraid to show that to me.
“And when I’m not?”
“I hate every second of it.”
She clears her throat and I look away from the drive and at her profile. Her lips are rolled together, and that little space between her brows is wrinkled.