Saddle Up(89)

“I already have a reason to stay,” he said, stroking her cheek with the pad of his callused thumb. “My vested interest is in you, but you need to understand something, Miranda. I don’t believe in free rides. I pay my own way.”

“If it’s the same concerns you voiced before, I might have an answer. What if Jo-Jo were to sell you a few acres? Maybe enough to set up your own independent training facility? Would that work for you?”

Keith drew back with a surprised look. “I don’t know. Do you think your grandmother would go for that?”

“Are you kidding? It was Jo-Jo’s idea. She’s come to think a lot of you, Keith, and wants you to stay here almost as much as I do. I’m sure she’d give you a real fair price and even hold a mortgage if that made it easier for you. It’s worth exploring, isn’t it?” She regarded him with hope-filled eyes. “If you wanted to, you could even start an internship program for fledgling horse trainers. Interns are really cheap labor. I know this from personal experience.”

“If Jo-Jo agreed to do this, I’d pay her fair market value for her land and nothing less.”

“But that could be tens of thousands,” Miranda said.

“Which would still leave me enough to build an indoor arena,” he replied. “If I’m going to do this, it can’t be half-assed. I’d need a year-round training facility.”

“But, Keith, how could you afford it?”

He gave her a rueful smile. “Maybe you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. I’m not rich, but I’m not poor either, or stupid. I invested a good bit over the years. I’ve got a decent nest egg. I live simply by choice, Aiwattsi, not by necessity, and I have no wish to change that.”

“Me either,” she said. “I’ve come to appreciate the simple life. My needs are pretty minimal too. Will you do it? Can we talk to Jo-Jo?”

“Only if we also talk to a lawyer about a prenup.”

She blinked. “A what?”

“A prenuptial agreement. I’d want you to consent to one.”

“I don’t understand. Why?”

“Because I don’t want anyone, especially your aunt and uncle, to have any reason to believe I was after you for your grandmother’s ranch.”

“That’s crazy!”

“No, it isn’t,” he said. “If we move forward with this idea, that has to be part of the bargain.”

“I don’t like it,” she said, “but I suppose I can live with it if you can.”

He took her face in his hands and kissed her tenderly. “The only thing I can’t live with, Aiwattsi, is the thought of being without you.”





Chapter 30


Keith drove through the gates of the ranch with a feeling of peace and harmony he’d never experienced before, a change he suspected had everything to do with the woman by his side.

“Nervous?” she asked, catching his gaze.

“Surprisingly, no,” he answered. “What about you?”

“A little,” she replied with a wan smile. “I kind of wish you had warned them first. What if they don’t like the idea? What if they don’t like me?”

He reached out to take her hand. “Don’t worry. They will, Aiwattsi. Just be aware that my people take a little while to warm up to outsiders.”

“That’s just it.” Her lower lip quivered. “I’m afraid they’ll always think of me as an outsider.”

“Some probably will,” he said. “But not my family. Tonya liked you from the very start. Huttsi will too. Kenu is more reserved and harder to read. He may take a while longer, but be patient. He has a strong sense of family. I know he’ll come to love you as a daughter.”

He parked the truck and gave her a reassuring peck. “If you are uncomfortable in any way, just say the word, and we’ll go.”

“Thank you for bringing me here, Keith. I know how hard this must be for you.”

“It is,” he confessed, “but your presence has made it much easier. Come, it’s time to meet my family.” Taking her hand, Keith led Miranda around to the back of the house.

“The back door?” she asked with a puzzled look.

He grinned. “My grandmother will be in the kitchen. She always is at this time of day.” He followed with a knock and then entered without waiting for a reply.

“Two Wolves!” Huttsi’s eyes lit up. “My heart jumps. It has been far too long.” Dropping the dough she was working with, she came to him, wrapping flour-covered arms around him.

He hugged her back and planted a kiss on her wrinkled cheek. “Huttsi, there’s someone you need to meet.” He reached for Miranda, who stood in the doorway, hands clasped in front of her and a nervous smile hovering on her lips. Bringing her close to his side, he completed the introduction. “This is Miranda…my wife.”

Huttsi’s black eyes widened. “Your wife?”

“Yes.” He grinned and kissed Miranda’s hand. “We got married yesterday. We had originally planned to wait until next year, but neither of us wanted a big wedding, so there seemed no real reason to wait.”

Huttsi gave a solemn nod. “So you have finally chosen.”