Grumpy Cowboy (Single Dad Collection)

“I’m good,” I answer and force a smile to my lips. “You don’t worry about me. You just focus on making sure this ankle feels stable enough to practice.”

He rotates it from left to right, then up and down, before testing several circular motions. “Feels good. Thanks.”

“All right,” I say and stand to my feet. “You’re all set. Stop by after practice to sit in an ice bath.”

“Will do.”

Once he leaves my exam room, my shoulders sag, and I have to rest my hip against the table just to stay upright.

All the lack of sleep and appetite over the past few days are really starting to catch up with me.

Thankfully, I have the weekend off—

“Knock, knock,” a male voice grabs my attention, and I look up to find Gary, one of our physical therapists on staff, standing outside my exam room door. “You have visitors.”

My head lurches back. “What?”

“They’re waiting for you in the lobby.”

Confused, I open my mouth to find out who the visitors are, but Gary doesn’t stand around long enough for me to ask him.

Welp. Thanks a lot for the info, Gare.

I roll my eyes, but also, once I run a hand down my T-shirt and fluff up my hair, trying to straighten myself up a bit, I head out the door and down the long hallway that leads to the lobby area of the arena.

My eyes are fixated on the ground as I go, but when they lock on a pair of familiar boots—actually, two pairs of boots—I jerk my eyes up and find the last two people I ever thought I’d see in this arena. Standing there, holding a sign with neon-pink glitter proclaiming my name and a brand-new pair of sparkly cowgirl boots, are the two most important people I’ve ever met.

“Rhett? Joey?” I question, and I feel like bursting into tears over the sight of them.

For the past three days, I’ve been trying to get ahold of Rhett without any luck.

Even when I managed to get ahold of Tex this morning before I headed to the stadium, he told me Rhett was busy with some chores on the ranch and he’d try to get him to call me back.

Frankly, I was starting to think that maybe Rhett was really and truly done with me.

Like, even though I’d poured my heart out to him in a rushed letter before I left the ranch, he didn’t want to make it work between us.

“W-what are you doing here?” I ask, looking directly at Rhett.

“Well, there’s a new job opening,” he says matter-of-factly. “At the ranch. We’re lookin’ for a full-time doctor to stay out there.”

I snap my head back in surprise. “You came here to offer me a job?”

“Yeah.” He smirks, and it’s like he doesn’t realize that the past three days have been absolute hell. He’s acting like we didn’t leave things with him storming out of my cabin and me carelessly tossing out words I didn’t mean.

I open my mouth, but then I shut it again because I have no idea what to say to any of this.

I mean, that’s really why he came here?

To ask me to work on the ranch?

“But actually, that’s not all,” he answers my unsaid questions, and Joey bounces on the heels of her boots.

“Tell her, Daddy!” she whispers, tugging at the pocket of his jeans.

He smiles down at her. “Don’t worry, Joey, I’m gettin’ there. You gotta be patient.”

She giggles, takes a step behind him, and all I can do is stare back at Rhett and try not to feel like I’m going to pass out from the shock of him actually being here.

“Every man has two lives. The second life starts when he realizes he only has one,” he says, and his eyes lock with mine. “That’s a quote from a famous philosopher, and it’s one my dad always used to say when I was growing up. Honestly, that quote didn’t mean shit to me. Well, not until you stepped on to my ranch.”

He steps closer and reaches out to take my hand into his.

“We only have one life, Leah. One life to live. One life to love. One life to find happiness in. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to let another day go by without you by my side.”

A sheen of fresh tears blocks my vision.

“Come home, darlin’. Come fuckin’ home to the ranch with me where you belong. Because you’re not a damn hamster person. You’re meant for horses, and you’re meant for me.” He grins and sets the pair of sparkly cowgirl boots by my feet. “Even if that means addin’ a whole hell of a lot of sparkle to my life.”

“Tell her she can stay at our house, Daddy!” Joey whisper-yells toward him, and a soft chuckle leaves Rhett’s lips.

“We want you to stay with us. Not in a fuckin’ cabin. But in our house, because you belong there. With us. Every goddamn day.”