Juliana entered and took Maggie’s hand. “Come with me, Miss Maggie, and we’ll go downstairs and make some calls.”
Maggie nodded. “We’ll give him a sendoff as big as the wedding he gave us. Bigger. Nobody in Fort Mavis will ever forget our celebration of the life of Baxter McAfee.”
As the door closed behind the women, Will shook his head at the shell that remained of his oldest and best friend. “I’m going to miss you, buddy.” They’d run wild around the place, barefoot and sunburned, swum in the pond, played Texas Ranger and polar explorer—which took some imagination in Texas. Shared happy and sad times until he got selfish enough he didn’t come home and he’d missed years with his buddy. Never thinking they were all he had. “I’ve learned though. I’ll spend every day of the rest of my life making your sister happy and your ranch thrive. You were the only person I had who I thought of as a brother and now I guess you are. Brother-in-law. You never gave up on me no matter how stupid I got. I wouldn’t have minded if you’d stuck around long enough to share that one last birthday with me, though.
“Good-bye, Baxter. I’m sure your folks are glad to see you again. But we’ll sure miss you.”
Epilogue
Maggie read the latest paper from one of her obscure literature students. Her latest online class held maximum students and she found teaching from home a great blessing. When she’d returned to California, Will by her side, to resign her teaching position, Harmon had accepted gracefully but offered her the online job instead. To her delight, the job did not require her to attend faculty meetings or deal with any of the other nonsense she’d hated. All the good and none of the bad.
How had she not realized she was only half a person away from Honeysuckle Ranch? Sure, Will did most of the actual ranching, but just like she had as a girl, she did her share.
At first, she did a lot of it while riding Buttercup. The golden mare was also on sabbatical from the range now, with a foal due the same week as little Baxter Kyle’s expected arrival. Along with his sister, Naomi. Twins did not run in her family or his, but the doctors told her it could happen anyway. The pair, conceived on their wedding day, gave them a great head start on the dozens of kids she planned to bring to Honeysuckle. No child of hers was going to be lonely for lack of siblings. They might suffer from too much love if that were possible.
Dozens. Maybe not quite that many, she thought, as one of her tiny darlings gave her a sharp kick, but lots.
“Maggie,” Will called from downstairs. “I’m heading out to check on some of the cattle. Lots of calves expected soon. We can take the Mule if you want to come? Or the Ford, it’s just off the main track.”
“The Mule. I’ll be right there.” She closed the laptop and stood, pressing a hand into her back and admiring the view outside her office window. Once she’d hated the motorized vehicles that symbolized her inability to ride a horse. Now she welcomed their cushioned seats that lent her the freedom to roam the ranch while her balance was off for a much better reason. She and Buttercup would ride again. Between pregnancies. But until he restored that Ford truck, her stomach wouldn’t take the bouncing. One day, he’d find the time. Busy rancher.
“I thought you were on the way.” Will wrapped his arms around her middle, his palms flat on her swollen belly. “How are my kids?”
“Kicking their mama, as usual.” She rested against him. “They can’t wait to meet their daddy.”
“Goes double for me, darlin’.” He kissed the top of her head. “Mama reminded me we are expected for supper tomorrow.”
“Just like every Sunday. I can’t believe how your stepdad has changed since we’ve been back.”
“Mama told him she wasn’t having any crap around her precious grandbabies and he’d better get a head start on good behavior.”
“Well, good for Miss Naomi. Love you, Will.” Her heart swelled with love for her family.
“Love you, too, darlin’.” He stepped back and gave her a swat on her fanny. “Let’s get out there and ride the range.”
“Lead the way, cowboy.” She followed him out of the room, pausing to look out again at the view past her desk. Where her brother’s chair had rested. Her office still held his presence, calm, happy, and always giving. “Love you, big brother. Thank you again. For everything.”
Kate Richards
Kate Richards divides her time between Los Angeles and the High Sierras. She would gladly spend all her days in the mountains, but she’d miss the beach…and her very supportive husband’s commute would be three hundred miles. Wherever she is, she loves to explore all different kinds of relationships in her stories. She doesn’t believe one-size-fits-all, and whether her characters live BDSM, ménage, GLBT, spanking, or any other kind of lifestyle, it’s the love, the joy in one another, that counts.
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Also by Kate Richards
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The Soviet Connection (Omega Team)
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NOLA Naughty Nine9 Anthology
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Lone Star Burn_The Foreman and the Lady Page 9
