“And shit.” I laugh. “So basically, a living room and a kitchen all in one giant barn?”
“That’s right,” he answers with a smile in his voice. “On the left side of the barn, where there isn’t as much land, we’re going to have some small cabins built. Since I want to keep this exclusive in a way, the plan is to have no more than five or so riders here at a time. Each will have their own bedroom and bathroom, but they will all share one cabin. The other cabins will be built more like small houses for the instructors and staff to have to themselves. I think, going off the land I want to dedicate to that, I’ll have almost ten cabins in all. The riders’ bein’ the largest in size.”
“Wow,” I respond, looking at the area of land that he had pointed to and having no problem envisioning what he is saying. “What kind of staff will you have on hand?”
“I’m hopin’ at the least, three instructors other than myself. Each with a different specialty to offer the riders. Since we’re goin’ to focus on bull riding exclusively for now at least. That might change as time goes on. They’ll have a cook, as well as a doctor on hand. The doc will help with everything from medical needs to teachin’ them how to use their body as a tool.”
“You’ve really thought this through,” I praise, looking up at him.
“Yeah, darlin’. Like I said, steel-enforced roots.”
My stomach flops at his words.
“Tell me more,” I request with a wobble to my voice.
Maverick spends the next half hour walking me around the land, explaining where he wants to build things. His patience explaining to me what each “training area” will focus on, and why, really helped me understand the magnitude of this endeavor. I honestly didn’t realize just how big these steel-enforced roots of his were, but hearing about it while visualizing his plans left me with no doubts that something this grand wouldn’t be happening if he wasn’t in it for the long run.
“So, there will be two arenas for ridin’,” he continues. “One for practice and the other to emulate a champion-level ride. They’ll use everythin’ they’ve learned while here in that arena. We’ll judge them just as they would be if they were on the circuit ridin’ for the big purse. They’ll be graded on everythin’ from chute procedure and ridin’ skill to dismount technique. They’ll be filmed each time they jump on the back of a bull in this arena, so by the time they leave here, they’ll ride just as effortlessly as they breathe.”
“God, Mav. What you’re doing here is amazing. This place is going to be something else.”
“I hope so. I’ve started to put some feelers out, see who I can pull into this place with me. I’m excited, Leigh, and darlin’, that’s not somethin’ I’ve felt about my future for a long time.”
“I know you are. I can’t wait to see you bring this vision to life. It’s going to be beautiful, I just know it. You’re going to have so many people flocking to Pine Oak to be trained under ‘The Unstoppable’ Maverick Davis.”
His face turns serious, and I feel my smile slip a little.
“Honest to God, Leigh, hearing how much faith you have in me—in this—means the world, but I’m tellin’ you right now, if I don’t have you by my side every step of the way, all of this”—he trails off and looks around us before I get his attention again—“all of this means nothin’ if I don’t have you. Everythin’ I want for my future is built around ours bein’ interwoven. I don’t want to do this without you. Do you understand that?”
I nod, not trusting my voice to talk.
“It’s not just me that I’m building this for. I want it here, on your family’s old ranch, not just because of the peace this place brings me, but because this is the first step in us mergin’ our lives together.”
“I’m not sure what to say to that, Maverick. Part of me wants to scream that it’s too soon to be making decisions that mean forever, but an even bigger part of me knows that nothing we ever do will be too soon. Not us. I’m not saying that I’m not nervous—I am—but I know that something that feels this right couldn’t possibly be wrong. I’m scared, but a lot of that fear is because of how much I care about you. I’m not lost when I’m with you. I don’t feel the aching loneliness anymore. My heart beats strong and true again. Everything I’ve ever wanted, Maverick, that’s what you’re offering us here. So I guess what I’m trying to say is yes, even though I’m so scared of that future, I’m going to be here every step of the way.”
He bends and takes my mouth in a slow, burning kiss, tipping his head just so in order not to have his hat knocked off. When I feel his tongue trace my bottom lip, I open with a gasp. Our tongues tangle together, and I feel tingles fire through my nerves when his hands curl around my body, holding me close to him. My own hands fist in the soft material of his shirt, desperate to find something to hold on to when my legs start shaking.
When we break away with a gasp, I look up at his full lips and feel a tremor rock through me when I see how bruised and swollen they are. All from our kiss. Judging by how his focus is also on mine, I have no doubt that they look just like his do.
I feel like I’ve been branded.
I hope I’ve been branded, because there will never be another man for me, not now . . . not ever.
After our talk, we spend some more time walking around the land. Seeing my old place in a new light now that I have a good picture of what Maverick is planning in order to build his training school.
I wasn’t in a rush to leave, though, something that I made sure to voice to Maverick. His answering smile told me he was feeling the same way. This time together has been something we both needed. From his own admission, I know we had both been feeling the oppressing weight of our loneliness. But together now, there is a happiness filling the air that can’t be denied. I know for me, that’s not a feeling I’m in a hurry to have interrupted, and I’m pretty sure he feels the same way.