Page 54 of Rain or Shine
"Sweetheart, I don’t know a damn thing about flowers. You want to put mums in the beds, go right ahead. We’ll go later to get some. But don’t go by yourself.” I’m not ready for her to leave the ranch. Not without me first dealing with Philip and seeing to it that he gets the message that she’s off limits.
“Okay.” She draws out the single word on a breath and lets out a sigh.
“I’ll check in in a bit,” I kiss her one last time and straighten. “Remember, just call me if you need anything."
"Will do," Delaney says with that smile of hers that makes my chest tighten.
I reluctantly step back, watching her for a moment before turning to leave. I make my way to my truck and climb up behind the wheel. I glance in Delaney’s direction while starting her up and backing up enough to turn around in my drive.
Turning toward the ranch, I press down on the gas, flying down the gravel a little faster than I should be, kicking up rocks as I go. In less than two minutes I’m parking near the barn and hopping out.
I slam my door, pocket my keys, and walk toward an ATV parked by a pasture where calves gather. Putting my mind on task isn’t as easy as it usually is. It’s not like I don’t know she’s safe at my place. I’ve got the cameras, and it’s not like we don’t have enough security around here as it is.
The security around here isn’t just at the gates or scattered around here and there. After what happened with Della and Dylan, everything was amped up. We all still feel the effects of that day like it was yesterday when Della sacrificed herself to save Amelia’s son from being kidnapped.
Since the merger with the MC, security on the ranch has been beefed up. Initially, I figured it was because of the incident involving Amelia's son, Dylan, and Della, but Della & Shadowwill be moving out here too, and I'm sure without a doubt Shadow wants this place secure for his wife.
With all that happened months ago, things have changed immensely. Not just around the ranch. Though all of them for the better.
Maddox now has his woman and her son living with him. Having Amelia around seems to help my friend more than anything. After the shit they went through, he got his second chance with the woman that should have always been his.
With Della moved out and living at Shadow’s for the time being, it’ll only be a matter of time before the two of them extend their family.
In a way, that family is already extending. Della and Shadow are expecting their first child. She’s roughly two months further along than Delaney. I know the two of them plan to build a place here on the ranch and have picked a location. However, Della refuses to start building until after the dude ranch is complete. I’ve heard more than one argument between the couple about it. Shadow wants the house built, and the two of them settled in before the baby makes his or her appearance.
The thought brings me to one of my own. I'm going to have to figure out something for when the twins arrive. My house is fine for now, but soon we'll outgrow it. There won't be enough room for everyone. I’d never put Lexy out. My home is her home. She’ll always have a place to lay her head under my roof.
Maybe I can talk to Maddox about building onto it, and making it bigger. Or maybe I need to look into finding a property close by that's big enough. Either way, I'm going to need to talk to him about it. I don't want to move away from here. I love where I’m at.
For the past several years, my house has been home to Dash and me. It's where he learned to crawl and walk. Where he said his first words. There's a lot of firsts that have happened forus. Being here on this land, it’s special. A haven that gave us the reprieve I needed when I became a single parent and didn’t know how to handle everything. I don't want to move away from here, but I'm going to have to figure something out. Twins are going to be a big addition to our household.
Making it to the pasture, I count the calves all clustered together, fifteen. Good. After what happened, I've started counting them. Thankfully today, most of them will be loaded up and taken to the arena for the Stock Show Auction. I refuse to let anything happen to these guys. Not all of them are going. Maddox decided we’d take ten of them to the auction instead of all of them.
Glancing past them, I look toward the cows that were pregnant. Again, not taking chances with them. We were even taking precautions with the heifers. They were just as important as the cows.
A smile tugs at my lips as the memory of last night lying in bed with Delaney pops to mind. She’d been lying in my arms while I explained to her the difference between a heifer and a cow. Delaney’s laughter is still fresh in my mind as she said, 'Well no one can call me a heifer anymore, I'm already knocked up, but I guess it means I'm a cow’.
My cock twitches at the replay of what happened after those words left her mouth. I’d taken my time with her sweet, delectable body. Showing her in no way was she to ever compare herself to cattle. It doesn't matter how big she gets, she'll be beautiful to me.
A shout breaks me from my thoughts. Turning, I spot Maddox waving from the edge of the pasture.
"Tyler! Need you at the main house. The Sheriff's here to see you!" he calls out.
"Be right there!" I holler back, already striding toward the fence.
My mind races with all the reasons the Sheriff could be coming to the ranch to see me. Out of everything that would bring him out here, I know it has to be about one person above all others. Megan. The very thought of her has ice flowing through my veins.
As I approach the main house, I spot the Sheriff's SUV parked right out front. Maddox is already waiting on the porch with Sheriff Holloway, his expression unreadable. Not a good sign. The fact that it's the Sheriff, not one of his deputies, twists my gut. The Sheriff doesn’t make house calls unless it’s an emergency or something that requires him instead of being assigned to those under him.
"What's going on?" I ask, taking the porch steps two at a time.
"Did you receive a call from the school?" Sheriff Holloway asks, eyes on me.
I pull out my phone, seeing I don't have any missed calls, but that doesn't mean someone didn't try calling and I didn't have a signal. It’s a common thing around the ranch. It can be pretty spotty at times. But I hadn’t been out to those spots yet. I only just started the day.
"No, but you know how it is out here, Holloway. Signal ain't always the best," I tell him, shoving my phone back in my pocket, my gut twisting. "Did something happen to Dash?"
Sheriff Holloway nods grimly. "Got a call from the school. Your ex, Megan Henderson, went to pick him up, and she refused to leave without him until the school called us. The principal informed my deputies and me that there was an altercation where she claimed she had the right to pick her son up as his mother."
