“I’ll probably want to get back to it again someday.”
Steel stilled. “Someday?”
“I want a family now. I want to have my children while I’m still young and energetic, and I want to be with them for the first few years. I don’t want to divide my time. Is that all right?”
“That’s just fine,” he assured her. “In fact, it’s better than fine. I’m ready for kids, too. I didn’t know if I’d ever be.”
“What do you want to do for the next four years?” Stella loved that they were taking it in chunks rather than trying to decide forever all at once. It allowed for so many more possibilities.
“I want to take time off from being a deputy, too,” he said simply. “I want to work the ranch awhile, plain and simple. I can help Liam and the others grow the business, get my hands dirty and work the land—our land. I want to solidify my connection to this place so I can pass it on to our kids, and I want to be here for you and them through their first few years. Does that make sense?”
“It makes all the sense in the world, and it makes me so happy,” Stella said, drawing him near. “I don’t want to worry about you while I carry our babies.”
“I know exactly what you mean.” He held her protectively. “We can’t say how many years any of us will be given on this earth, but we can make choices that give us a better chance. Like you said, someday it will be time to get back to protecting our town, but we deserve a chance to be a family for now.”
“Damn straight we do.” She reached up on tiptoe to press a kiss to his cheek. “Happy New Year. Now take me home and let’s get to work.”
“Happy New Year.” He kissed her back. “You want to make a baby—tonight?”
She nodded. “Didn’t go off birth control these past couple of months for nothing, you know.”
Steel’s grin grew. “Grab your coat, honey. Time to really get this party started.”
Steel took one last look around at the people gathered in the café before slipping out the door with Stella. All the people he loved were together in one place, although he noted Lance and Olivia had disappeared some time ago. More and more lately he found himself overcome with gratitude for the path his life had taken these past few years.
Serving openly as a deputy next to Stella in the Chance Creek department had cleared the cobwebs from his reputation and opened up a number of horizons for him. For the first time since he’d returned home, he’d been able to make friends with the kind of people he wanted to spend time with. He’d been present for family dinners, community festivals, birthdays, Christmases and other special occasions as a participant, not as a shadow on the outskirts of the fun.
Being a deputy in the public eye redeemed the way he felt about himself, too. He could hold his head up high as he moved about town. He was accepted—welcomed, even.
That felt good.
Now he wanted to bring his work home. He wanted to spend his days with his brother, sisters and in-laws. Wanted to continue the work the others had started to maximize their ranches’ earning power—for everyone. Wanted to support Stella through her pregnancy—and the first years when their children were young.
As imperfect as his family was, he’d had that—a mother and father who were around more often than they were away. He wished those times had been happier for all concerned, but there was much about them he recognized as good. All those fishing and hunting trips with his dad. Learning about horses and cattle. Coming back to the house to find a home-cooked meal on the table. His mother’s love always evident in the way she was there.
He and Stella would have it much easier than Dale and Enid ever had. The prosperity of the ranches and their own savings from their work meant they wouldn’t struggle. And they had two families’ worth of love and support to depend on if times got tough.
As Steel helped Stella into his truck and drove the winding roads out to their home on the North property, he couldn’t help feel that life was going to be pretty sweet from here on in.
When he’d parked in front of their home, Stella waited for him to come around and open the door. He appreciated that she let him be a little old-fashioned now and then, and he couldn’t help pause for a kiss on their way inside.
“Remember our first time?” she said when he drew back.
Steel looked up at the stars twinkling overhead, then turned to the field where he’d built the obstacle course for her. “I will never forget our first time.” He chuckled. “Or the amount of dirt that went down the drain of my shower that night.”
Stella laughed, too, a light sound he loved to hear. “I know exactly what you mean. I had to scrub the bathroom afterward to hide how much I’d tracked in; I didn’t want anyone asking any questions.”
“Too cold for mud tonight.”
“Too cold for getting naked outside and taking it nice and slow, the way I want to,” she agreed. “Good thing we have that skylight in our bedroom. We’ll still be able to see the stars.”
“Good thing.”
Steel led her inside, figuring he’d have his chance to take her outside under the sky again someday. Tonight they needed the warmth of the big bed they’d positioned under the skylight in their bedroom. A nest of soft covers. A bottle of champagne he’d hidden away.
When they finally lay down together, Steel undressed Stella slowly, delighting in every inch of skin he exposed, skimming his hands over her, kissing her until she wriggled underneath him.
When he bared her breasts, he took a good long look at her, thinking he’d never be tired of what he saw.
