His eyes narrowed. “You won’t be able to catch me. Your father’s going to jail and the company’s going under. Clients are moving elsewhere, as in my coffers. I won’t go hungry. It just would have been so much… better not only seeing Old Man Carter in prison stripes, but his daughter in my bed, too. Rolling around naked with her billions.” He shrugged as if to say win some, lose some. “Have fun with your rodeo fun and games.”
He turned and started to walk away.
I was ready to go after the guy, clobber him, dig a fucking ditch and bury him, but Tucker held me back, a hand on my chest.
Ava took a step forward, then another, slowly following him. She looked pissed, and intent. She dropped the rope, reached down and took a hold with her free hand. With perfect form, she gave the length a twirl, setting it in motion. With a silent flick, she tossed the rope, the lasso falling around Perry in a perfect arc. She pulled so it went snug about his chest and arms when he stopped in surprise, before he could turn about.
“What the fuck?” he shouted, turned and glared, tried to work the rope off.
I walked over to her. “Here, let me help with this last part.” I put my hands over hers and gave a hard tug. With a shit-ton of fucking pleasure, I watched as Perry fell to the dirt with a thud, a cloud of dust kicking up. He wiggled about like a fish out of water.
Oh yeah, that was fucking perfect. We dropped the rope to the ground and I wrapped her up in my hold. It felt good to hold her, to know she was safe. She’d taken care of Perry all by herself. I had no doubt she had enough—or would soon—dirt to get him into prison stripes as much as her father.
T went over to Perry, tugged on the rope so he had some slack, lowered so his knee was pressed into his back and hog tied him. Perry shouted and cursed the whole time, while our small audience clapped and cheered, whistled and hollered as if we were at a state competition.
“Dad, give the sheriff a call,” T said, squatting beside Perry, who looked ridiculous, miserable and pissed bent like a pretzel. “Caught ourselves a trespasser. And if Ava finds more to stick to this asshole—sorry, ladies—then I’m sure the SEC will want a piece of him, too.”
Fuck, it felt good to see that asshole have what was coming. Hogtied. I took off my hat, ran my hand over my hair, settled it back in place. Out of all the people I’d ever wished to fucking hogtie, it was Perry.
I wasn’t sure if any charges would stick—besides the trespassing on Duke property, but at this point, I didn’t give a shit. Ava had the closure she needed. The fucker wouldn’t get off scot-free. She’d see justice done. At least legal justice. This, with Perry roped like the pig he was, was a different kind of justice. One we were all too happy to witness.
Even if he went to trial, if we had to sit in the courtroom with him, he’d know what we’d done, how we’d humiliated him. How we’d do it again. Yeah, he wouldn’t bother Ava again, that was for fucking sure. And he wouldn’t underestimate her.
I gave Ava’s middle a reassuring squeeze as she just stared at Perry. She was calm as could be, thankfully. We’d get the details from her, but they didn’t matter. If there was evidence against him, our girl would find it and hand it over to the authorities. I doubted it cleared her father from getting his hands dirty, but I never expected her to try and clear his name.
At Tucker’s direction, a few of the ranch hands went over to Perry, picked him up by the elbows and ankles and carried him off. He swore and shouted the whole time and I was very thankful when he was finally out of earshot of the ladies.
“You okay, sugar?” I asked.
Ava looked up at me, nodded. “Oh yeah. That felt good. It was worth learning how to toss a rope just for that moment.”
“Fuck, yes,” Tucker added, coming over and giving her a quick kiss. “You’re my girl.”
“Sorry, Jed and Duke,” Mrs. Duke said, breaking up the seriousness with a little humor. “I’d say we have a new Duke steer roping champion in the family. Ava’s earned her prize.”
Everyone cheered and clapped. Duke came over and ruffled Ava’s hair good naturedly. “Well done, sweetheart.”
Jed gave her a thumbs up, then tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. One of the men beside him said something to him and he laughed.
“While the candy bar is the perfect reward for the best lasso of the day,” I said loudly, getting everyone to quiet down. My heart was beating frantically and my palms were sweaty. I’d never been so fucking nervous in my life. Or more sure. “Tucker and I have something else for Ava.”
I let her go, glanced at T who nodded. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a velvet jewelry box.
I heard a gasp, which I assumed came from Julia, when I dropped to one knee. My eyes met Ava’s blue ones, which were clear and bright. We’d found it for her a few weeks ago when she was at the store and we’d been waiting for the right time. Her mouth was slightly open and she had her arms bent, her hands tucked beneath her chin. I had her full attention, thank fuck as I lifted the lid and showed her the ring. It wasn’t big—while she was the fanciest female around, we knew she didn’t want bling—just a simple, wide platinum band with a square cut diamond. “You might have won in steer roping, sugar, but you won our hearts the first time we saw you. I love you. Marry me.”
Tucker dropped to one knee beside me, reached up and took hold of her wrists, then slid her hands in his. “You lassoed my heart that night in Cassidy’s and I’ve been trying to make you see ever since. You’re our prize, tiger. I love you. Want you. Need you. Marry me, too. Take Colton’s name. Be ours.”
I heard the wind blow, the whinny of a horse out in the pasture, the blood roaring in my ears. Waited. So did everyone around us, but I paid them no mind.
“Yes!” she cried and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. I felt… fuck, relieved. Incredible. Happy. Fucking deliriously happy. This was what I wanted. Ava. As ours.
By the time I got the ring on her finger, everyone was applauding and had made a tight circle around us. I pulled her down so she was sitting on my bent knee.
“I love you,” she murmured in my ear, right before she kissed my cheek, cupped my face with her hand.
I turned my head and kissed her mouth. Home. Fuck, this was home.
When I lifted my head, Tucker tilted her back so he could kiss her, too.