Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 20639 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 103(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20639 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 103(@200wpm)___ 83(@250wpm)___ 69(@300wpm)
As soon as Dustin takes the steer down and his time is announced, he stands up and starts walking toward me. I’m cheering and clapping with the rest of the auditorium, and when Dustin jumps over the fence to get to me, I let him pull me up in his arms and swing me around. We’re both laughing and smiling.
Dustin is announced the winner, but he’s too busy kissing me to pay attention to anything else. I pull away, and I can feel the heat on my face. “Dustin, you won.”
He just shrugs. “Baby, as long as you’re by my side, I’m a winner.”
I shake my head. “You won, D! This is what you wanted.”
“Honey, we won! If I won, we won.”
He keeps me by his side as they call him up to collect his winnings. The crowd is going wild, but he keeps his eyes on me. He waves to the crowd as we walk out of the arena, and even when we’re bombarded on the sidelines by people, he never lets go of me. It’s not until we’re in the back away from the crowd that we’re able to catch our breath.
He’s looking at me in awe, and I giggle. “Dustin, you won!”
He laughs. “I know. We should celebrate.”
I nod. “What do you have in mind?”
He shrugs. “I don’t care. As long as you’re by my side, that’s all I need.”
I loop my arms around his neck. “I thought you would be more excited than this. Are you happy?”
He points to the trophy he’s set down on the ledge. “About that?”
I nod. “Yeah, and the money… are you happy?”
His smile softens. “Truth?”
I bite on to my lip. “Yes, I always want the truth.”
I hold my breath, half afraid that he’s about to say something I don’t want to hear. He puts his hands at my waist and holds me to him. “When I won two weeks ago, I didn’t care. I was numb. The whole time, I wished that you were by my side.”
He pauses for a second and then continues. “And yes, the money is something I’ve been striving to win for a year now, and at the time, I thought it was everything. It’s probably going to make ranching a little easier for a while, but I still think that all that matters is that you’re here by my side. That’s what makes me truly happy.”
I lean into him. “Oh, Dustin.”
He cups my face in his hands. “I love you, Annie.”
I lean into him. “I love you too, D.”
He kisses me and then groans when he pulls away. “What do you want to do? Want to celebrate?”
I nod.
He lifts his arm and looks at the watch on his wrist. “It’s noon. Want to grab a bite to eat? We can stay in Jasper tonight if you want and—”
I cut him off. “Let’s go home.”
His eyebrows rise. “Home?”
I grab his hand, and automatically he threads our fingers together. I pick up his trophy and hold it up between us. “Yes, I want you, D, and I want us to be together… in our bed, on our ranch.” I go to my tiptoes to bring us closer together. “I love you, Dustin, and I’m not going anywhere. Not in two weeks, not in twenty years. If you want to be rid of me, then—”
He cuts me off. “You mean—”
I loop my arms around his neck. “I mean, I love you, and I’m never leaving you.”
CHAPTER 13
DUSTIN
The drive from Jasper to Whiskey Run is only thirty minutes, but it feels much longer. The whole way, I’m holding Annie’s hand in mine.
She turns to me. “Are you sure you don’t want to celebrate with your friends?”
“No, I want to celebrate with my wife.”
She smiles and leans her head against the back of the seat. “Okay, that works for me.”
She sighs happily, and I squeeze her hand. “I won’t let you walk away from me again, Annie.”
We come to a stop sign, and I give her a look. She blinks at me. “I didn’t want to leave you, Dustin. You have to know that. I have loved you since the first night I met you. It killed me to walk away from you, from us.”
I lean across the console. We’ve been down this path, and I know we’ve talked it to death. “No more looking back. We’re only looking ahead.”
She smiles broadly at me. “I like that.” She leans toward me and puts her hand on my thigh and squeezes. “Can you drive faster?”
I push on the gas. We make it home with a trail of dust behind us, but as I get closer to the house, I slow down. There’s a strange car parked next to the house, and a pit forms in my stomach. It looks expensive. The car is all black, and the windows are tinted.