Lucky Forever - Cee Bowerman Page 0,25
made them look with just shading and paint colors. “You’re an artist.”
Rowdy shrugged.
“Did you make those animals I saw in Lexi’s room?”
He nodded.
“Those are exquisite!” I told him, excited about his talent. “They’re so lifelike. How did you get started doing this?”
“Honestly?”
“Of course,” I nodded. “Did you take a class or something?”
“The first one I made was with Leia’s Play-Doh.”
“No way!”
“Yeah, I’m a little embarrassed that I don’t have some elaborate backstory. Look at these,” he told me as he opened an armoire that held larger pieces of his work. “I do one of her every so often, to capture her face as it changes with age.”
“Rowdy,” I whispered as I studied Leia’s face.
“I did this one a year or so ago. I need to do another one because her cheeks have thinned out and her face has gotten longer. Someday I’ll do one of Lexi. They’ll show them growing up.”
“That’s amazing. You never took a class in school or anything?”
“No,” He took a deep breath and I could see he was thinking about what to say next. “I quit school my sophomore year. I didn’t graduate and I’ve never been to college.”
“I knew you didn’t graduate.”
“How did you know that?”
“I quit school my sophomore year, too. It was when I took Lexi and ran. I never had a chance to go back. I’ve got the same study guide I’ve seen you reading at the gym while you wait for Leia.”
“We could study together then.”
“Let’s do it.”
“Are you ready to go?”
“Yeah.” I reached up and brushed a wet curl behind his ear. He had on a different ball cap today - this one also a Texas Rangers cap, but in black. His t-shirt was faded black and looked soft and worn, the edges around the neck frayed just a bit. I noticed that the hem around his biceps was also almost threadbare and stretched just right over the large muscles there.
As he walked in front of me down the hall, I took a moment to appreciate just how well he filled out his faded jeans, wondering how a man got an ass and thighs like that without working out in the gym for hours every day. Luckily, I was able to tear my gaze away before he caught me staring. Again.
He picked up his coffee mug, drained it, and then refilled it from the carafe before he nodded his head toward my mug questioningly. I shook my head and took my mug to the sink where I rinsed it and then turned it upside down to drain in the sink until later.
After I moved away from the sink, Rowdy walked over and picked my mug up and put it in the dishwasher. He didn’t say a word and I wasn’t sure he even realized what he was doing - he was just working out of habit.
“Let me get the ladies out to pasture and we’ll head to your place for your shower. I’ll leave the chores for this evening. I can do them while Leia introduces Lexi to the girls,” Rowdy said as he walked around the bar.
“Lexi is going to freak out. Seriously. She might even faint.”
“That runs in the family? Fainting?” Rowdy asked as he nudged me with his shoulder.
“Only when you either win the lottery or find out that your future family has access to horses and they live right outside your front door.” I laughed. “To Lexi, that is winning the lottery.”
“I like that.” Rowdy stopped and pulled me to him with his free hand. We were just a few feet from the truck and I wasn’t expecting him to pull me into his embrace, so I fell into his hard chest with an oomph sound.
“That she wants horses bad enough to equate it to winning millions?”
“No, the future family part.”
I smiled up into his face, realizing that I liked that, too. I liked that a whole lot.
8.
ROWDY
“Are you ready for this?” I asked Sierra as I opened the truck door and helped her down to stand beside me. “I think we should go forward the way we want things to be seen. So, starting right now, I’m going to hold your hand and be the best fiancé I know how to be.”
“Um, did you take a class on that?”
“No. Movies and television.” Rowdy laughed as he took my hand in his. He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on the lips and then pulled me beside him as he started walking up the