Rules of the Ride: A Silver Star Ranch Novel (12 page)

“Well, she’d beat my ass if I told you this.”

I interrupt him. “I’m also guessing she’d beat your ass if she caught you saying ass.”

He chuckles a bit. “Yeah, I promised last new year to give up cussing.”

I can’t help but shake my head at the boy. He has so many of Ella’s features, including her ambitious drive.

“I promise I won’t let your mom know you let one cuss word slip.”

“Well, since I was born my mom has worked three jobs, using all of her extra money to get that trailer and truck for us.”

“Really?”

I don’t like the way this story is going, as it seems it will only add to the heartbreak of Ella’s story.

“She always talked about you when I was growing up and made sure we’d do right by you.”

“Oh, I think you two have outdone yourself.”

“The night she came home from her business trip a few months ago, she never stopped crying and told me she’d buy me a horse or a new trailer.”

“She ever tell you why she was crying?”

He plops down on a straw bale next to me. “My mom’s stubborn and doesn’t give in on anything, trust me on that. Bed time, candy before supper, doing homework, she’s practically Hitler and has always told me adult worries are none of mine, so I didn’t even bother asking.”

Mav plucks a piece of straw from the bale and plops it in his mouth.

“Why did you choose a new horse and not a trailer?”

We both look over to the trailer that’s rusted, dented, and has seen better days.

“My mom gave me heart to be a champion. I don’t need a new fancy trailer like the other kids to kick their ass. I needed a new partner that was all mine.”

He slaps his hand over his mouth after he finishes out his thought.

“It’s all right, Mav, you can let her fly with me and I won’t ever rat you out to your mom.”

Picturing Ella as a Hitler mom cracks me up. The growing up she did on her own with no help is mind boggling, making me want to march right in that house and sweep her off her feet. I know boundaries and will respect her home, but damn it’s going to take everything inside of me to do that.

“We best be getting in. I like to help my mom set the table.”

“Sounds good.”

My chest has no right to swell with pride, but it does. Mav is a walking and talking man in a little boy’s body with the sole purpose of protecting his mom.

“Can I ask you a question?” I turn to him as we walk back to the house.

“Yeah, dude.”

I chuckle at his use of words.

“Does your mom, well, I’m not sure how to word this.”

“Does my mom love you?” He stops dead in his tracks, staring up at me.

“Yeah.” I nod back at him.

“She tells me all the time her one hope for me is to find true love like she did. Her fairy tale wasn’t perfect, but she’ll fight damn hard to make mine perfect.”

“I see.”

“She’s never loved anyone but you.”

The words from a child nearly destroy me. I want like nothing else to reassure him that everything will work out and I’ll take care of his mom forever. But I can’t be selfish and stomp all over everything Ella built for herself. It’s more difficult than I ever thought.

I spot broken down fences, waters, and barn doors on my walk back and want nothing but to fix it all for her. My queen deserves a palace, not this, but it’s all hers that she fought to build with her own hands.

I need patience and the ability to bite my tongue.

“You’ll love Mom’s meatballs.”

“Yeah? Think she made enough?”

“Oh, she hates making meatballs, so when she makes them, she makes tons.”

“Perfect, because I can eat.”

He smiles up at me with his toothless smile. “Me too. Mom says I have hollow legs.”

It takes everything inside of me not to scoop him up and then Ella and drive off.

“Mom’s been real sick, so we need to be careful about slopping down meatballs.”

“What do you mean, Mav?” I sit down with him on their back porch, being careful not to fall through.

“She’s hasn’t felt good since her trip and it’s starting to spook me a bit.”

“Just grumpy?” I ask.

“No, Mom is never mean to me. She cries a lot.”

I shake my head side to side. “Women.”

I try to make light of the situation. It’s clear Ella has done everything to protect her son, even sacrifice me in the process. As I watch him set the table and dance around his mom in the kitchen, I’m okay with it. Baby pictures of him plaster the walls, along with him on horseback with Ella on the ground holding the reins. In every single picture, both of them beam back proudly at the camera. My heart swells two sizes knowing the sacrifice she’s made to right her own wrongs. Ella never needed me to protect her. No, she needed me to understand.

Walking in the back door and straight into her kitchen, I see Ella like I’ve never seen before. I begin questioning everything possible. How can I love someone so hard and deeply but know nothing about her? She’s been my best friend since first grade. Only if she had come to me.

“Maverik, have a seat. You’re the guest and get to pick any seat at the table.”

Mav dances around his mom in the kitchen, opening and slamming cupboards. It looks like he’s done a fine job of introducing Ella to the male side of life as he hums, farts, and belches his way through.

I watch Ella roll her eyes and even thump him a time or two trying to straighten him up, but when he lets his final fart rip, she can’t even hold back a giggle. I’d try to let one go to bond with the kid but from my damn nerves, I’m afraid I might shit my pants.

Ella pulls out a tall red stool and begins climbing up it to fetch a bowl.

“Let me please, Pinks.” I stand, but she’s halfway into the large cupboard digging around in it. Her hoodie sneaks up above her waistline and I don’t miss the bump protruding from her belly.

Instincts kick in as I move to her side and sprawl my palm across her abdomen. She jumps at my touch as my fingertips lightly press into her flesh. She’s pregnant. I don’t let go as she crawls back down the stool, keeping my hand plastered to her belly. When we come eye to eye, the unspoken truth is conveyed between us.

“Mine?”

She only nods her yes. A large lump forms in my throat and I fight to remain calm. I turn and take a seat back at the dinner table. Mav’s already shoveling up a plate for me and teaching me exactly how to eat the meatballs and potatoes. I sit frozen, listening to him but unable to function.

“Were you going to tell me?” I look up to Ella.

She looks over at me from the kitchen and only nods. I’m not sure if I believe her or if she’s just trying to avoid confrontation in front of her son. I do my best to suck up my pride and resentment and enjoy dinner with Mav and Ella.

“So, what’s your favorite event?” I ask Mav, trying to make small talk.

“Steer riding, but Mom won’t let me do it.”

“Oh horse crap, Mav, you love roping,” Ella corrects him.

“She’s right.” He rolls his eyes. “I love to rope but can’t wait to ride.”

“Mav won state last year for his age division in breakaway roping.”

He smiles proudly at the announcement. “Yeah, it was a good year for us, eh, Mom.”

“It was, son.”

The rest of the dinner flows easily as Mav leads the conversation, asking twenty questions. The boy eats, breathes, and sleeps rodeo. He knows names, record times, and has plans to crush them all. I’m in awe that Ella has raised this boy all on her own. There’s no way in hell I could even do that.

Ella excused herself from the table a couple times to rush into the bathroom. Each time with the water flowing and I’m guessing to mask the sounds of her puking. When she returns, Ella finally looks relaxed as her son chatters on about his rodeo career. She plants her elbow on the table, relaxing her chin on her fist. I study each of her movements with the urge growing inside of me to wrap her up and kiss the hell out of her.

A shining fleck of light catches my attention, and that’s when I notice my ring on her finger. She catches me staring at it and tucks it under the table.

“Time for bed, Mav.”

“But, Mom, just ten more minutes.”

“Nope, bedtime now.”

Mav turns to me and begins speaking with urgency lacing his voice. “Will you be here tomorrow?”

“I—I will be here in the morning before you head to school.”

“Sweet, want to feed with me?”

“Um, sure, as long as it’s okay with your mom.”

Mav turns to Ella and begins pleading with his eyes, causing Ella to let out a giggle.

“He’ll be here in the morning, now get your little ass upstairs.”

“Language,” he warns.

“You’re going to think language if you don’t get going.”

Mav stands up and then throws his arms around my neck, hugging me. I don’t move, not knowing what I should do.

“Thank you for coming for us,” he whispers so low in my ear that I only hear him.

My hands wrap around his back and I hug him back.

“You’re very welcome. I’ll be here.”

The need to promise this young man so much more is tempting, but I bite my tongue and know my place.

“I’ll be right back. Let me tuck him in.” Ella excuses herself.

Sitting still, waiting in her silent kitchen is torture, so I stand and begin cleaning up dinner. Artwork and candid snapshots fill Ella’s house. Everything is centered on Mav and all of his achievements. If I didn’t know better, I wouldn’t think Ella lived here. Obviously, she was behind the camera in every single picture.

Several rodeo pictures of Mav saddling up his horse with their rickety two horse trailer in the background. Buckles, trophies, and ribbons adorn every shelf. I run my fingers along his pee-wee champion buckle.

“He loves rodeo.”

I turn to see Ella leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed.

“I see that. You’ve done an amazing job with him, Ella.”

“Do you hate me?” she whispers.

I rise to my feet and close the distance between us. “I love you, Ella, and nothing could ever change that. I wish you would’ve come to me, but that’s the past.”

I grab for her wrist, but she pulls back from me.

“Your husband could be living in the house with you and I’d still be here fighting for you. You’re mine.”

“This is our home, Maverik.”

“I understand that.” I go for her wrist again and this time she doesn’t recoil. The sensation of her skin on mine is mind blowing. “Mav would love the ranch. We all want you home.”

“Things are different, Maverik, I have a kid. A nine-year-old son. How in the hell am I going to explain that? I don’t want him on the other end of judgmental stares.”

“For Christ’s sake.” My voice comes out louder than expected. “He’s a Slatter. You named him after me. Do you really think I give a flying fuck what others think? And I dare someone to treat him differently.”

“You can’t strong arm your way into everything, Maverik.”

I pull her in close to me until I’m able to wrap her up in a tight hug. Our bodies fit together differently with her baby bump pressing into me.

“Leeman’s dead. Was shot outside the church. He’s gone and can’t hurt another soul.”

“I know. I read about it online.”

“Come home, Ella, I’ll give you the world.”

“Was it you?”

I know what’s she’s asking and don’t know how I want to answer her. I pause for a long moment.

“It was you, Maverik.” She looks up to me, astonished.

I wait to see if she’s pissed or not. Her features are stoic, not giving me a clue to her reaction. Ella’s face nears mine as she perches up on her tiptoes. Our lips meet and that’s when she finally speaks. “Thank you, Maverik.”

The thought of me killing Mav’s dad nearly drowns and threatens to take me down.

“Stop. I know what you’re doing. Stop, Maverik.”

“It was an accident…”

Her finger presses into my lip as my hands tighten around the top of her ass, pulling her in even tighter, trying to feel the life we created together.

“He knows nothing of him or what happened to me. I never and I mean never, wanted him living with that guilt.”

“What does he know?”

“He knows that his mom made a mistake in high school and moved away to make everything better.”

“You told him you made a mistake?”

She cups my face in her hands. “He’ll never know, Maverik. When he asked questions about his dad, I had to tell him something.”

At certain points in life, there are just no words left to speak. Not one word in the English vocabulary could fix anything here or even soothe healing wounds. My lips land on hers in a feverish way, and once her taste hits my lips, I’m lost in her again. I fight desperately to grasp onto her and each sensation.

My whole body awakens with her sweet scent filling my nostrils.

“Tell me to stop now, Ella.”

She shakes her head no as she deepens our passionate kiss.

“Ella, I won’t be able to stop in about ten seconds.”

“Don’t stop, Maverik, take me.”

She takes one little hop into the air and I catch her easily in my arms and begin backing her down the hallway. It occurs to me once the hallway darkens, that I have no idea where I’m going. I find a wall and press her back against and take a moment to feel her skin on mine and devour her mouth. I take the lead with lips and teeth exploring every single part of her. My hands roam up and down her sides as I pay extra attention not to apply too much pressure to her belly. The thought of my baby growing inside her only deepens my desire to take her.

“Ella, where’s your room?”

“Second door.” Her response is so breathy it takes me a moment to comprehend it.

“Tell me when to stop.” I take off down the hall, covering her mouth again. Her teeth sink down into my lower lip, sending a piercing pain throughout my body. I can’t get her laid down in front of me fast enough. Her hand flails out and captures a doorjamb. I back up a bit and enter the dimly lit room.

It’s very simple with only a full size bed and dresser with clothes and high heels littering the floor. Delicately, I lay her down on the mattress and study her movements as I do. I’ve never experienced anything as powerful as loving on a woman carrying my baby.