Walker headed from where he’d been warming up toward where he needed to be in less than an hour’s time. Around him, the scent and sounds of the rodeo filled his ears and upped his excitement. He waved at some of the other competitors before sliding into one of the holding rooms to collect himself.

The past couple months had been simultaneously amazing and rough. He’d chipped in what money he could toward the mortgage on Ivy’s house, and now it was their house. The tiny thing would last them at least until they decided they wanted to start a family.

Caleb had begun to walk around with a decidedly tortured look, one minute thrilled by the slowly growing bump in Tamara’s belly, then worried as hell the next as bills continued to pile up. Which was when Walker called a serious discussion with Ivy, and they decided he had to try.

So here he was, ready to head out on the back of a bull, and it wasn’t concern about blacking out that had him twisted up, it was sheer, straight-up worry.

He had a hell of a lot to live for, and bull riding was damn dangerous.

Still, over the past month he’d attended five rodeos and not only survived but covered all but three of the bulls he’d attempted. He’d earned enough to tuck away some money, but he’d also scored enough points that with what he’d piled up before the summer, he’d confirmed a spot in this final championship.

The door opened, and Luke marched in. His brother had joined him on all his recent trips as support, backup, and all-around pain in the ass. It’d been perfect having him along, and somehow it made being away from Ivy that much easier.

Especially when it turned out Luke and Ivy had chatted before they’d left and made plans. Plans that made Walker grin every time he thought of them.

Luke strolled forward, checking the time on his phone. “Good thing I saw you duck in here, Dynamite. Can’t let you go off on your little bumpily-bumpy ride without a final cheer.”

Screw it. Walker knew he looked eager, but he didn’t care. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

Luke nodded briskly. “Sure I do. Now shut up, someone wants to talk to you.”

He held forward his phone, already open to messenger, and there on the screen was Ivy’s pretty face, smiling sweetly at Walker. “Hi, love. That’s a strange rodeo ground. It looks more like a school room. Maybe I should take up bull riding.”

Walker took the phone from his brother then ignored the fact Luke was there. “Good to see you, sweetheart.”

She looked him up and down. “You handsome thing.”

“Sweet-talk. I like it.”

“You’ll get more than sweet-talk when you’re home next week, but for now, this will have to do. I know it seems as if I’m not there, but I am. I’m right there beside you the whole time,” Ivy told him. Complete confidence shone on her face. Although she had to be concerned, she didn’t look like it.

She looked like a woman in love, and that was just fine by him.

“I feel good,” he told her. “I pulled a great bull too. He turns back a lot, and I like that, so we should get some good numbers.”

She nodded as if she knew what he was talking about. “Well, go have fun. Call me when you’re done.”

As if he were off to round up calves or something. “Yes, dear,” he said with a laugh. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Go to your happy place.”

She hung up, and he stood there staring at the empty screen for a second before handing the phone back to Luke. “I laughed when Dare told me you had maternal instincts, but I’m sure glad you’re taking care of me, bro.”

Luke smacked him on the shoulder, shoving Walker toward the hallway and back to the noise and the chaos of the bull riders prep area. “I’m damn maternal. I’m not even going to tease you about happy places, whatever the hell that means. You’re going to do great. We’re here for you.”

He knew it. He knew it to the very depths of his being, which was why, when it was his turn and he climbed on the back of the beast that was ready to do his damnedest to get rid of him, Walker felt a strange sense of peace.

The noise from the arena faded into a peaceful melody. The song playing matched the beating of Walker’s heart—faster than usual, but that only made sense.

He was on the back of a bull. No man did that without his heart racing.

But in the almost-stillness that came over him, it wasn’t a lack of connection to what was going on. It was a complete and utter meshing of all the notes of the melody; the bull, himself, the announcer, the crowd.

And when the gate opened and the bull exploded out, there was nowhere to go except with the music. Staccato, full of life, with an ever-changing rhythm as the animal rose and fell. Through it all, one sensation surrounded him.

Walker was happy.

He was utterly aware of every single second ticking by, as though they passed in slow motion. Glimpses of people in the crowd, flashes of white cowboy hats and dark vests, lights flickering, metal railings and belt buckles. The bull under him raged—

No, it danced. The animal was dancing to a melody Walker could hear, and he was dancing along with the bull.

When the eight second buzzer sounded, Walker dismounted in one smooth motion, walking away with his hands raised to the roar of the crowd. The bull rushed the opposite direction, tangling with the bullfighters.

It was going to be a very good day. A very happy place, because Ivy was there with him. She was always going to be with him.

---

Emma held the belt buckle that Walker had given her with a bit of suspicion. “But that doesn’t say champion, Uncle Walker.”

Walker glanced over at Ivy, who had curled up on the couch in Tamara and Caleb’s house. He’d just got back from the rodeo, and after they’d celebrated his success at home, she’d insisted they accept the invitation from his brother.

“Well, it’s not a champion belt because I didn’t win,” Walker told her.

“You didn’t win the entire thing,” Caleb corrected. “You did damn good.”

“Caleb.”

“Daddy.”

“Papa.”

Three female voices sounded simultaneously in warning at his swear. He glanced at them with suitable guilt. “Sorry. He did damn well?”

The girls still looked scandalized, but Tamara laughed, in spite of looking a trifle green around the gills. “Yes, Walker. You did damn well.”

“Mommy.”

“Mama.”

Ivy couldn’t take it anymore. She laughed out loud, so glad she was a part of this household of joy. “Emma, let’s not repeat that word in class, okay? But yes, Uncle Walker came first in some of his events, but they only give a champion belt to the one person who wins the whole contest.”

Luke had slipped into the room during the conversation and dropped onto the couch next to Emma. “I gave that buckle to Uncle Walker. Isn’t it pretty?”

Emma held it up in the air. “It’s not as big as his old one, but I like the bull. And I like it that it says Happy Place on it in big letters. Is that the name of the bull, Uncle Walker?”

He grinned. “Sort of.”

“You earned it,” Tamara said, passing the buckle back to Walker. “But I hear you’re not planning on riding next season.”

He shook his head. “I had fun, but it’s time I did other things. And the money I won gives us time to come up with new plans for the ranch.”

The doorbell rang, and Emma popped up like a jack-in-the-box. “It’s Crissy,” she shouted as she raced for the front door

Tamara glanced over at Ivy. “Crissy is sleeping over for the night. Her usual babysitter cancelled on Hanna, and she’s got to work.”

Walker slipped his fingers into Ivy’s as they rose from the couch and headed outside to the fire pit with the rest of the family.

Late November meant there was plenty of snow on the ground now, and their breath showed on the air. But overhead the stars were sparkling and while cold, it was beautiful out.

Ivy tucked into the bench space next to Walker and let him wrap his arm around her, talking quietly as the rest of them brought out chairs and marshmallow roasting sticks.

His lips brushed her cheek. “You look good in your sky-blue coat, Snow Princess.”

She smiled at him. “I needed a new one, and I remembered it was your favourite colour.”

“Well, now, I wouldn’t say that.”

Confusion struck. “I was sure you said that blue coat I had back when we first met made you think of winter skies.”

“It does, and it looks good on you, but it isn’t my favourite colour.” He pulled off his glove and put his warm palm to her cheek. “My favourite colour is silvery. Like your eyes—always changing, and yet the most beautiful part of them is always there.”

Every time he broke out the sweet talk, her heart pounded. “What’s always there?”

“Love. An everlasting love, just for me.”

“Sounds like a song lyric,” she teased.

He shrugged. “Maybe. We’ve got an awful lot of pages to fill going into the future. I’m sure a lot of them are going to be covered with beautiful melodies and memories.”

“I love you,” she told him again, touching her forehead to his and whispering the words as the fire flared, hot-red comfort washing over them. The heat between them was more than enough to keep her safe.

A little-girl whisper carried from across the fire as Emma and Crissy roasted marshmallows, their feet kicking freely where they dangled down from the too-high-for-them benches. “Does Ms. Fields kiss your Uncle Walker an awful lot?” Crissy asked.

“Lots and lots,” Emma informed her. “Almost as much as Mama and Papa kiss.”

Ivy kept staring into Walker’s eyes. He was listening to the conversation as well, a soft smile twisting his lips as they waited quietly, not wanting to embarrass the girls.

Crissy didn’t say anything for a minute, and when she did, she sounded sad. “My Mommy doesn’t have anyone to kiss.”

Emma had a solution. “You should ask Santa for somebody for her for Christmas. That’s what I did. I mean, I asked for Mama, and I didn’t get her until after Christmas, but it worked.”

Ivy couldn’t take it any longer. “I should warn Hanna,” she whispered.

Walker gave her a quick kiss before accepting the bag of marshmallows that had finally made its way around the circle. “I don’t know. It sounds like a pretty good thing to wish for. Someone to kiss. I’m glad I’ve got you.”

Ivy had to agree. They had so many things to look forward to, and although some of it was up in the air, there was a lot of good they already knew. The first and foremost—they were together. That wasn’t going to change.

And as she leaned against Walker’s side and stared into the flickering flames, she sent up a word of thanks for all the good things that had come her way.

Going away and learning so much.

Returning home to find her heart waiting for her.

A thought occurred to her, and she couldn’t stop from giggling, which meant Walker kept giving her looks until he finally caved.

“What’s so funny?”

“I’m calculating exactly how much I paid for you. One thousand dollars divided by eternity—I got a pretty amazing deal on a bull rider.”

Walker laughed so loud all eyes turned toward them, and she didn’t mind one bit because she was right there with the other half of her heart.

He leaned in and looked her in the eye. “I’m a damn good deal. Yours, forever. And I’ll even sing for you.”