26. Conner

"Isee that you're not letting the dust settle on your boots," Micah said.

"Nope. Since the sellers are friends of mine and they know my money is good, I'm moving in before the closing. Of course, I won't do any repairs or upgrades until the deed is in my hands because I'm not that trusting," Conner said.

"I see Zephyr loves it," Micah said, watching the horse galloping across the field.

"Yep. I was afraid that he would miss the rodeo life, but he's happy."

"What about you?"

Conner shrugged. "What can I say? I miss Beth and Taryn. I try to call or text them every day, even if it's just to ask how their days are going. Beth said that her mother is no longer a threat."

"Are you going to trust that?"

"I trust Beth. But I don't trust Matilda not to just be lying low. I can't take the chance. I know that I'm not immortal and I'll meet my Maker someday, but I would like to make that a later, rather than sooner, meeting."

"I hear you, Brother," Micah said. "We both still have a lot of hell-raising left to do."

"Are you coming over for the twins' birthday party tomorrow night?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Conner replied. "I'm not sure what to get them, though. What does one buy youngins when their father is a billionaire?"

"We don't spoil them," Micah said. "Mom tries, and you know that Ronnie and Michelle, do, but Lucy and I try to limit them."

Ronnie and Michelle were tiger shifters who had helped raise Micah and now took care of his estate.

"Okay, I ask again. What could I give them that they don't already have?"

Micah thought about it for a second and smiled. "You have enough rodeo belt buckles to share with the entire pack. How about one of those for each of them? It would be a unique gift that no one else could give them."

"Can do. I'll even buy some little belts for them to put them on."

The little bear cub and wolf pup were all over their Uncle Conner. Although they were still too young to understand a lot of his stories, they liked listening to him talk about the funnier stories he experienced. They were ecstatic over the belt buckles.

"They don't know what the significance of these are, but they will. They know it came from you and they will treasure them," Lucy said.

Micah grinned and said, "Speaking of treasures. We have a surprise."

Lucy clapped her hands in delight and exclaimed, "We're going to have another little one."

Everyone erupted in excitement, congratulating the couple.

"Twins?" Conner asked.

"Heavens, I hope not," Micah said. "She's not taking fertility drugs this time around, so hopefully there's just one pup or cub in there."

Conner wrestled around with Alex and Gracie the rest of the afternoon until the youngins were exhausted. He grinned at Micah and Lucy and said, "You're welcome."

They laughed.

He felt a sadness wash over him as he drove home. Because of Matilda, he had lost so much time with Taryn. There were so many events that he had missed, like her first steps, her first shift, and so many others. Now, because of that evil witch, he was missing out on even more of her life.

The next week, Conner was busy getting everything ready to get his ranch in business. He had a lead on a horse that would be a great stud to breed broncs. Conner had also bought several mares that would be perfect.

He and the sellers signed the paperwork. Everything was going according to plan. Conner knew that he should be happy, but there was a huge hole in his heart. Daily phone calls weren't enough to fill his aching need.

A few days later, Conner was fixing a fence around a pasture. He heard a rumbling noise and stood up, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Who in the world is that?" he asked.

A truck he didn't recognize was pulling a trailer he also didn't recognize down the dirt road that led to his property.

"I don't remember buying anything else," he said. "I have all the mares and the studs."

He dropped his tools and walked slowly toward the truck. His heart skipped a beat when the doors flew open and Taryn jumped out of the truck and ran to him.

"Dad, it's us. Me and Mom came to find you," she said.

He dropped down to his knees and wrapped his arms around the little girl he had missed so much. Conner stood, with Taryn still in his arms, and pulled Beth into a tight hug.

The three of them held each other for several minutes without saying a word. Then, Taryn slid down to the ground and Beth took a step back.

"I'm so glad to see you guys, but why are you here? How did you find me?"

"I had Micah's number. I called him and told him that I needed to know your address and why. He gave it to me," Beth said.

"We're here because we want to live with you," Taryn said.

Beth blushed and said, "I guess I should have asked, but I didn't want to give you the chance to say no."

"I wouldn't," Conner said. "But, won't you guys miss Cheyenne?"

"No," they both yell at the same time.

"What about Matilda?" he asked. "Is that nasty witch going to show up on my doorstep?"

"No," Beth said. "I gave her a tiny taste of her own medicine, and she knows that if she messes with anyone who I care about ever again, her heart will stop. I should have done it a long time ago, but I was afraid to travel down that dark path. It took the pain of losing you to realize that there is a huge difference between using magic for evil purposes and for defense."

"We can talk more about that later. Let's get Pegasus unloaded," Conner said.

The horse raced out of the trailer, reared up on his hind legs, and whinnied. Zephyr whinnied back. Pegasus ran over to the gate, waiting impatiently to be let in to join his friend. Taryn wiped a tear away when the two horses wrapped their necks around each other in a hug.

"They're going to have a lot of company," Conner said. "We'll just have to keep them out of the mares' section when they are in heat, or we'll end up with a bunch of Zephyrs and Pegasi instead of broncs."

Conner put his arms around his two girls and led them into the house, giving them a tour.

"We'll pay Savvy to have the rest of your stuff shipped here," Conner said.

Beth grinned. "I didn't want to bring everything we had, just in case."

"In case what?" Conner asked.

"She was afraid you wouldn't want us," Taryn said, exasperated. "I told her that was a stupid idea."

"Yes, it was," Conner said. "Taryn, can I speak with you in the other room for a minute? Alone?"

"I'll start unloading our bags," Beth said.

"Just sit down. We'll get them after a bit," Conner said.

He led Taryn into the master bedroom and picked up some boxes off the dresser. "I was going to give these to you guys the night that I was attacked by a herd of bulls. This is for you."

Taryn opened up the ring box and a smile lit up her face. "I love it. Thank you."

He opened up another box and said, "I got this for your mother. I was going to ask her to marry me. Would it be alright with you if I asked your mother to marry me?"

"Duh," Taryn said.

"‘Yes' would have sufficed." Conner laughed.

They walked back into the kitchen and Conner got down on one knee.

"Beth, you are so special that I fell in love with you, not once, but twice. I can't imagine my life without you and Taryn. Will you marry me?"

Beth grinned as Taryn jumped up and down and said, "Say ‘yes.'"

"I will marry you on one condition," Beth said.

"What's that?" Conner asked, startled.

"That you want to spend your life with me, Taryn, and your son," she said, rubbing her tummy.

"Son?"

"According to Taryn. Apparently, they have already formed a bond."

"Woohoo," Conner yelled.

He slipped the ring on Beth's finger. His heart was full at last.