Roped Tight (Ryker Ranch #4) - Kim Loraine Page 0,51
It’s about the love you use to clean up after yourself.”
“It’s too soon for love.”
“Tucker Weston, it’s been ten years. If you think a decade in the making is too soon, I don’t have an answer for you.”
Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I nodded. “I’ll…” I had to take a steadying breath before I could continue. “I’ll tell him.”
“Good. And then we’ll make a pie and celebrate the two of you the way we should have a long time ago.”
I grinned. A pie. Because Sam doesn’t like cake. It would be perfect.
“I love you, Tucker. We all do.”
And now my damn eyes were burning with the tears I couldn’t keep at bay. “I love you too, Mama.”
She walked away and left me watching the man I loved as he strode toward me. His wide smile had me wanting to pull him into my arms in front of the cameras without giving a single shit for the publicity shit storm it would cause.
“Hey, what did she say to make you look like that?” he asked.
Fuck. Did I look like I’d been gut-punched by the truth in the form of his tough as nails mama? Because that was exactly what had just happened.
“I’m fine. We were just talking about your dad.”
“I see. That’s a…tough topic.”
“Not when you let yourself feel sad about him being gone. It actually lightens the load a little to talk about him.”
Sam’s expression hardened. He still carried so much guilt about the way he’d handled—or not handled—his dad’s cancer diagnosis. “Don’t tell me how I should deal with my own shit, Tuck. I don’t expect you to let me do that for you either.”
I backed away, a little surprised at his hostility. “What’s going on?”
“Nothin’. I just…I’m tired of cameras everywhere and idiots to keep alive. I don’t want them watching our every move. I want to be able to just be with you whenever I want.”
“Look, when you decide you want to go public, I’ll go right along with you. I’ll stand in the middle of town and shout my love for you from the fucking top of the courthouse. But I don’t want you to feel forced. You have to be ready.”
His dark brows pulled together as he pondered my words. “You love me?”
“What?” Shit. I’d blurted out what I’d wanted to take my time saying in the heat of the moment.
“You told me you loved me, past tense. But you just said you’d shout your love for me from the top of the courthouse. Are you saying you love me, Tuck?”
I swallowed. “Well, I guess I am.”
This was the moment where he held my heart in his hands. All it would take was one word to break it or keep it safe.
“I have to go.” He turned away from me, not one single glance back, and walked as fast as he could to his waiting truck.
“Fuck.”
I needed some time to breathe, to right my head before I tried to tell him again, in a better, more meaningful way. So I went to what I always did when a clear mind was my goal. I’d go for a ride.
The stables were empty except for Sera, who was just finishing up putting away the last lesson horse of the day.
“Tucker,” she said, tipping her head at me. “Where’s my brother?”
“Running away.”
She laughed. “Sounds like him.”
I grabbed everything I’d need and made my way to the stall where Sunny was already pushing her snout between the bars in search of me.
“I know, baby. It’ll just be a short ride. You up for it?”
She huffed as if to say, I’m not the one you should be with right now.
“I’ve got everything I need for the exposé and more.” A man’s voice caught my ear from outside the stables. “I saw them kissing. Yes. I got it all on video. We can break the story tomorrow before the rodeo. It’ll be huge. Sam Ryker outed.”
I knew that voice. That was motherfucking Greg. “You little weasel,” I muttered. Then I looked at Sunny and whispered, “Sorry, girl. Another time.”
Long strides took me out of the back of the stables and around the corner faster than I should’ve been able to go, but I was on him in an instant.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Greg?” I asked.
The asshole hung up his phone and smiled at me. “My job.”
“I thought you were an actor. A D-lister at best.”
“Isn’t everyone who moves to LA an actor for at least