Redemption Road (Roughneck #3)

by Nicole Hart

  “Oh yeah, where?”

  “Colorado. Grand Junction. You want me to set it up? It’s guaranteed in that location for at least three years, as long as all the contracts stick.”

  “Yeah, of course,” I said, looking at Mackenzie, hoping she would go for it. It was my job; I had to go where the money was. It was also exactly what we needed.

  “Alright, then. I’ll call you in a couple of days with the information,” he said, and then started yelling at someone else in the background.

  “Thanks, man,” I said.

  “No problem,” he said, and then hung up.

  “Everything ok?” Mackenzie asked.

  “They found me a new rig, once I get released from the doctor,” I said, as I turned a little so I could see her face.

  “Oh good, where?” she asked, with a worried look.

  “Colorado,” I said, and waited for her reaction.

  “Oh,” she whispered, and I noticed her eyes start to glaze over.

  “What do you think?” I asked.

  “I mean, it’s your job,” she said quietly.

  “It’s not by the water, but living in the mountains might not be so bad,” I said with a grin.

  “What do you mean? You have to move there?” she asked, her eyes filling with tears.

  “I mean, we should move there. It’s a fresh start, new beginning. I think it will be good,” I said, hoping she wanted this as much as I did.

  “There’s really not much for us here, we can always come back to visit,” I said, pleading my case, hoping to convince her.

  She started to cry, and it scared the hell out of me. What is she about to tell me, no?

  “Sweetie?” I said quietly, touching her chin, needing to see those eyes.

  She started to laugh through her tears.

  “Baby?” I said, completely fucking confused at her reaction.

  “I thought you were leaving me,” she said, as she wiped the tears away.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I thought you were moving there, and leaving me behind,” she said, her eyes wide.

  “What did I tell you before?” I asked.

  She stared at me, waiting.

  “There’s no you and me anymore. It’s us, remember?” I said, as I gently swept my lips across hers.

  “Us,” she repeated, and gave me a smile.

  “Let’s do it,” she said, as she ran her fingers through my hair.

  “Fuck yeah,” I said, as I kissed her hard.

  A fresh start was exactly what we needed.

  Epilogue

  1 year later

  Mackenzie

  I couldn’t help but watch him sleep. He was sprawled out in a chair, with his hat covering his eyes, not a care in the world. Only Kash could sleep this hard in a crowded airport. But he was determined we were taking this trip as soon as he got off work, so I knew he was tired.

  I was so proud of my man. We had moved to Colorado and he kicked that Assistant Driller position’s ass. He got the drilling position after a few weeks. He was next in line for another promotion, and I had no doubt he would get it soon. He was a force to be reckoned with when he was determined.

  I had spent the last year doing online courses, finishing my degree. It came in the mail a few weeks ago, and I couldn’t be happier. Kash wanted to take this trip, to celebrate before I jumped into my new career.

  I spoke to my mom once a week; it was nice trying to form a bond again. There were a lot of early morning phone calls, filled with tears and apologies. My dad hadn’t really come around. He would never compromise his beliefs, those were his words. I didn’t expect him to. But I knew I loved Kash, and that would never change, I only hoped that one day my dad would give him a chance. I hoped that he would get to know his grandchildren, one of these days. We weren’t in any hurry.

  Leaving Bailey was the best thing we could have done. It gave us the fresh start that we needed. We never spoke of Jake, that whole situation was behind us, exactly where I wanted it to stay.

  “Flight 722 to Las Vegas is now boarding,” a muffled voice said over a loud speaker.

  “Baby,” I said, as I tapped his shoulder. “It’s time to board.”

  Kash raised his hat and looked around. He focused those eyes on me and leaned in for a kiss.

  “Come on, sweetie,” he said, as he stood and reached out his hand for me to take.

  I put my hand in his, excited about this new journey.

  “Are you ready to become Mrs. Kash Bennett?” he asked, as he wrapped me in his arms.

  “Absolutely,” I said, and kissed those perfect lips.

  I fell in love with a bad boy, there’s no doubt about that. But there’s nothing better than watching the bad boy turn into a damn good man.

  The End

  Redemption Road Playlist

  Like A Wrecking Ball by Eric Church

  I Know She Ain’t Ready by Luke Combs

  Jealous by Nick Jonas

  The Way She Rides by Luke Combs

  Crawling by Linkin Park

  Lonely Tonight by Blake Shelton

  Tonight Looks Good On You by Jason Aldean

  Lock The Door by Frank Foster

  Acknowledgements

  I have so many people to thank! Here it goes!

  My husband-My reason behind this series. You are a combination of all of these perfect roughneck characters. Thank for supporting me and encouraging me. Thank you for letting me pick your ear constantly, so I got the oilfield slang right. I love you more than you will ever know! My blue collar boy!

  My kiddos- I’m so thankful that my kids are on board with this whole journey. They get so excited when I hit a milestone. They support me and tell everyone their mom is an author, even though they aren’t allowed to read a word of my books. I love my little miracles and maybe when they’re 18, I might let them read my work. Maybe.

  My BFF- My beta, the one who listens to me talk about these characters in my head and doesn’t consider me a nutcase. I love that you get just as excited as I do when I have new ideas! I couldn’t have done this without you!

  My Editor-My Stacey! I love you to the moon and back! I appreciate all your help and the fact that you can remind me to put a comma after a naughty word or an exclamation point during a sex scene without thinking twice. You rock!

  My girls-Y’all know who you are! Thank you for supporting me, being my book pushers and for all of the constant encouragement! Love!!!

  My Instagram girls-Y’all are truly amazing! Thank you for promoting, making teasers/videos and showing me constant love! When I first started this journey, I couldn’t even imagine this kind of support. I appreciate y’all B’s more than you know!

  My readers-Thank you for taking the chance on a new author! Thank you for the support and sweet words! Y’all really are the best!

  And finally, this one might sound crazy because he will probably never read this. But thank you Frank Foster, for your music. It has truly inspired me. Every one of my characters have their own FF song. Why do y’all think his name is Jase Foster?