Sassy Blonde (Three Chicks Brewery 1)

Warmth and emotion filled his eyes, making her belly flip-flop. “I bought this shop for you.”

“You…what?” She gasped. Blinked. And blinked again. “How? I mean, why? Wait…what?”

He laughed loudly and laced his fingers with hers, holding tight. “When Laurel passed away, I was given her insurance policy money. I used it to buy the house with the willow tree because I wanted a place for Laurel to rest, a spot just for her at her favorite tree.”

When Hayes spread Laurel’s ashes, she’d cried in his arms, and he’d cried too. “Okay…?”

Hayes continued, “I hadn’t used all of the money, though. I didn’t want to spend it on myself. I thought about donating it, but something always stopped me. I finally know why now. It’s because I’m supposed to use the money for this. For you. For your art studio.”

Tears welled, her voice shaking. “Hayes,” she barely managed. “I can’t let you do that.”

“I didn’t do anything,” he said, his voice trembling too. “This is Laurel’s last gift to you. She would have wanted this for you. For you to be happy. To make all your dreams come true.”

Maisie burst into tears, and Hayes had her in his arms a second later, holding her tight.

A long time after, he eventually said, with a thick voice, “I thought this would make you happy.”

“I am happy,” she sobbed, leaning away to wipe away her tears. “So happy. I can’t believe you did this for me.” The dreams she once had felt like were right there, so close she could almost reach them. She glanced back at the store, seeing all the possibilities. Art lessons. Paint nights. Selling her art. She could pour all of herself into this place. “I’ll pay you back, I promise.”

“That’s not necessary.”

She turned back to him and then nearly fell over.

Hayes was down on one knee, a black little box in his hand, revealing a stunning flower-shaped diamond ring. “We could draw this out. Do the dating thing. But for years, you’ve carried me through the darkest time of my life. It’s time we make our mark on this world, you and I. Together. Maisie, will you marry me?”

“Yes,” she gasped. “Of course, Hayes. Yes, I’ll marry you!”

He slid the ring on her finger. A perfect fit. Sudden applause surrounded them as Hayes gathered her in his arms. His woodsy cologne infused the air when he sealed his mouth across hers and kissed her like no one was watching.

When she leaned away, she stared into her past, her present, and her future. “Do you think Laurel would be happy for us?” she asked.

A knowing glint twinkled in his eyes. “Yeah, Maisie, she’d be happy we found each other.”

Epilogue

“Hang on!” Maisie yelled from the fence line as the horse bucked like a wild animal with Hayes on its back. This time, he wore a helmet and a protective riding vest that she’d seen bull riders wear. “Oh my God, he’s going to kill himself.”

Beckett snorted a laugh. “Hell no. He was forced to stay away from the farm because of the last fall. He’ll stick this time, believe me.”

Maisie could barely look. She peeked through her fingers, scared to death Hayes was going to get thrown off. But then she realized Beckett was right. Hayes leaned back and held the reins tight so the horse couldn’t buck him. The moment the horse realized Hayes wasn’t coming off, the horse stopped and snorted, sounding like a pissed-off man throwing a giant temper tantrum.

She kept quiet, silently watching Hayes work, and it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever witnessed. The connection between horse and man was there—in every way Hayes moved and the way the horse responded. It wasn’t all easy. The horse reared a few times, bucked in attitude, but Hayes was firm yet understanding. He let the horse make mistakes and rewarded him when he got things right.

Maisie knew why he needed this. It all suddenly made sense. Hayes understood what it felt like to be broken. Working at the farm gave him a way to fix the brokenness in these horses. On the verge of tears, she forced herself to think of something else. They were happy. They were engaged. No more sadness. They’d done enough of that. This was their time.

When Hayes finally had the horse walking around the ring slow and easy, the horse covered in sweat, he stopped in the middle of the ring and dismounted. He removed his safety gear, untacked the horse and walked away, the horse watching him like even he didn’t know what in the hell had happened. He had obviously planned to kill the human on his back, and somehow that human’s touch shifted his entire world until trust was formed. Yeah, Maisie got that. Hayes had magical hands.

“Not a bad start,” said Hayes, opening the gate to join her and Beckett outside the sand ring.

Maisie snorted. “You make it sound like that was easy.”

“Last time he got a jump on me and I lost my balance,” Hayes said, clearing his throat. “That won’t happen again.”

Maisie nudged him with her shoulder. “Or maybe he was just helping by putting you in my path for a road trip.”

Hayes grinned and dropped his head, until his lips were near hers. “Should I thank him then for wanting to kill me?”

“No thanks needed, but maybe be a little more understanding.” She pressed her breasts against his warm chest.