Epilogue - Walker

My boots crunch in the dry dirt as I make my way over to the corral fence, little Hannah cradled securely in the crook of my arm. She gurgles happily, tiny fist waving as she catches sight of her mama atop Rebel.

A swell of pride tightens my chest as I watch Naomi, whom I spent the last few months teaching how to ride a horse, guiding the big buckskin gelding through a series of smooth turns.

She sits on the saddle with a natural grace like she was born to it. Her cheeks are flushed with exertion, and tendrils of hair escape her ponytail to dance around her face.

"Ma-Ma?" Our one-year-old daughter Hannah looks up at me with her big blue eyes, following my adoring gaze.

"That"s right, sweet pea," I murmur. "There"s your mama, bein" amazing as always."

As if sensing our arrival, Naomi stops Rebel and twists in the saddle to beam at us.

"Well, hello there! Having fun watching me put ol" Rebel through his paces?"

Hannah squeals excitedly and kicks her pudgy legs, quickly recognizing her mother"s voice. I chuckle and shift her higher, leaning against the weathered top rail.

"You know it, darlin"."

Naomi"s melodic laughter rings out as she gracefully slides from the saddle. With a final pat for Rebel, she approaches the fence and leans in to press a lingering kiss to my lips. I savor the moment, drowning in her warmth and scent like a man dying of thirst.

"You two are my favorite people in the whole world," she murmurs teasingly before pulling back. Her gaze drops to our gurgling daughter, expression melting into naked affection. "Never forget that."

"I would never. I love you both," I tell her, right before passing Hannah into her waiting arms.

I watch in quiet awe as my beautiful daughter instantly settles against her mama"s chest with a contented sigh.

That bond between mother and child is sacred - something I aim to protect and nurture with every bone in my body until the day I meet my maker. This life I once thought was set in permanent loneliness is now full.

A benevolent higher power sure did smile on this sorry sinner when it led Naomi here to the Triple J that first day.

Wrapping my girls in a fierce hug, I press my lips to Naomi"s temple and simply bask in the rightness of it all. Come what may in this life, my home is wherever these two remarkable ladies happen to be.

We stand there a while longer, just soaking in the peaceful ranch surroundings and each other"s company. Hannah starts to fuss, little mouth puckering in that telltale sign she"s getting hungry.

"I"ll go warm up a bottle," I say, dropping a kiss on my daughter"s downy head before stepping back.

Naomi smiles and nods, already swaying gently to soothe the impending meltdown.

"We"ll be right behind you."

I give her hip an affectionate squeeze as I pass, heading for the humble ranch house that"s never felt more like home. My family"s voices float after me, Naomi humming a lullaby as I pull open the door.

In the kitchen, I make quick work of fixing Hannah"s bottle, testing the temperature on my wrist out of habit. Even after all this time, part of me still can"t quite believe how natural this dad gig has become. Holding that squirmin" little bundle for the first time damn near stopped my heart.

I enter the living room and see Naomi settling into the rocking chair by the window. My gaze lingers perhaps a bit too long on them.

"See something you like, cowboy?" she teases, catching me ogling like a damn kid.

I unabashedly hold her stare as I cross the room, sinking to my knees beside the chair.

"You know I do," I rumble, leaning in to brush the gentlest of kisses over our daughter"s velvet brow. "Two prettiest little ladies in Willow Creek, soon as she"s old enough to appreciate the compliment proper."

Naomi"s free hand comes up to comb lovingly through my hair as our gazes meet and hold, everything I could ever want or need sparkling right back at me in those warm depths. Moments like these are why I finally broke my own rules all those years ago.

I rest my head against her thigh, letting Naomi and Hannah"s quiet cadence of breathing wash over me in soothing waves. For the first time, the future ahead doesn"t look as lonesome as a prairie at high noon.

It"s full of love, family, and rootedness - the seeds of a legacy that makes getting up before dawn worth it, and I aim to savor every moment, come what may.