Good Enough (Meet Me in Montana #3) - Kelly Elliott Page 0,124
and it’ll all be legally divided so that the house and acreage is in my name.”
“Hmm.”
It was the only response from my father before he cleared his throat. “And what about you, Timberlynn? Since you clearly haven’t spoken to Tanner about his income, does he have any idea of what your net worth currently is, or what you stand to inherit once I pass away?”
My mouth felt like it turned to cotton. I tried to speak, but nothing came out. The idea of my father dying was something I didn’t like to think about. At all.
I could feel Tanner’s eyes on me. “We have not spoken about that, Mr. Holden,” he said. “I need you to know I have no intentions of holding Timberlynn back from pursuing her dreams of horse training and rescue. I have no intentions of using any of Timberlynn’s money. That is for her to use to pursue her own dreams.”
“What about nursing?”
“Dad, I told you I’m not interested in nursing.”
“What you’re telling me, then, is that I paid for you to go to college for nothing.”
I closed my eyes and slowly drew in a deep breath. “Do you think we could talk about this later, in private?”
“Why? If you’ve decided to move in with this…cowboy…and didn’t bother to talk to him about your finances or his, why feel the need to hide anything?”
Tanner reached for my hand and gave it a squeeze before our fingers laced together.
“My daughter happens to have a small fortune of her own, Mr. Shaw. And when I pass away, she’ll inherit even more. If you think for one second you’re going to get your hands on—”
“With all due respect, Mr. Holden, I’m not the least bit interested in your daughter’s current or future financial holdings. If we decided to marry and Timberlynn asks me to sign a prenuptial agreement, you will not hear any arguments from me. I’m a rancher by nature, sir. Money isn’t something my family has strived for. It’s been nice to have, but it doesn’t buy my happiness. What makes me happy is seeing your daughter smile at me first thing in the morning. Hearing my niece and nephew laughing as they run around the yard. Seeing my folks dancing in the kitchen while my mama hums her favorite song. Those are the things in this life that make me happy. Not money.”
I placed my hand over my stomach to calm the sudden rush of flurries. If my father hadn’t been in the truck, I would have told Tanner right then and there how much I loved him.
Tanner looked at me and smiled. Those blue eyes of his sparkled, and his dimples were on full display, which caused my heart to speed up ever so slightly.
“That was a nice speech,” my father said.
I closed my eyes and sighed.
“I’m sorry you thought it was a speech because it was from my heart.”
The rest of the drive was made in silence. We pulled up to the gate of the Shaw ranch and Tanner clicked the gate opener.
“Did you want to freshen up first before you meet the rest of Tanner’s family?” I asked.
My father didn’t reply. I turned around in my seat to find him staring intently out the window. “Dad?”
He didn’t respond, so I followed his gaze. Six horses were out in the pasture. It was a stunning sight to see with the Bitterroot Mountains in the background and the sky turning a soft pink as the sun dipped lower.
I focused back on my father. “Dad?”
“Your mother would have loved it here,” he softly said as he smiled. It was such a genuine smile. “She loved horses, like you do, Timberlynn.”
My throat worked to swallow the emotion that had suddenly built up. It was the first time he’d mentioned my mother in...I didn’t even know how long. “I know she did.”
He broke his gaze and looked at me. “What did you ask me?”
“Would you like to freshen up before you meet the rest of Tanner’s family?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m fine, sweetheart.”
I smiled softly and then turned to look straight ahead. My father had just gone from ice cold to warm. It was something he had done often when thoughts of my mother hit him.
We drove down the long driveway, winding around snow-covered pastures dotted with both horses and cattle.
“What’s down there?” my father asked as we passed a road off the main drive that went to the left and had a little gate on it.