Caroline clapped, Belle laughed and sighed all at once, and the Graystone brothers were applauding.
Wes wrapped his arms around his girls and told himself he was never letting go.
Back in Royal...
Brandee Lawless left her foreman in charge of the mare and her new foal and walked through her ranch house with a smile on her face. Though the birth had gone well, she wanted to email her vet, Scarlett McKittrick, to come give the new mother and baby a once-over.
She snatched her Stetson off, letting her long, wavy blond hair tumble free to the middle of her back. Shrugging out of her jacket as she walked toward her ranch office, Brandee grinned to herself. How could she not?
Everything was going great for her. After the tornado that had caused so much damage to the town of Royal and so many ranches—including her own—things were looking up. She’d rebuilt and now was bigger and better than ever, with plans for even more.
“Basically,” she said aloud as she walked into her office and hit the light switch, “everything’s coming up Brandee.”
She laughed a little, sat down behind her desk and booted up the computer. A couple minutes later, she had her email open and scanned her inbox. But one particular email had her frowning as she read the subject line.
ARE YOU READY TO PLAY?
Wary, because she didn’t recognize the sender—who the heck was Maverick? She opened the email and read the brief, yet somehow threatening missive.
You’re next.
* * * * *