Page 29 of Forever Enough

Once I was out of the truck, Bradly held onto my hand. I wanted to believe it wasn’t because I had left my gloves in his truck and he was simply keeping my hand warm, but because he felt the same connection I was feeling.

An older gentleman, maybe early fifties, stood outside the arena. He was handsome with blue eyes that held a hint of laughter. The younger man next to him was clearly his son.

“Uncle Ty, Josh, this is Mackenzie Reeves; she works on the farm.”

A part of me loved that he hadn’t introduced me as Kenzie. I liked that he was the only one to call me that…well, besides my sister.

Reaching for my hand, Ty Shaw gave me a wide smile. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Mackenzie. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

The surprise must have shown on my face, because he chuckled. “You have?”

“I have. Dirk and Merit have mentioned on more than one occasion that you’re a true asset to the farm.”

I felt my cheeks heat. “Well, that means a lot to me.”

The younger gentleman moved to stand in front of his father. He forcibly took the hand that Bradly was holding and brought it to his lips.

“Josh Shaw, pleasure is all mine.”

My brows lifted as the corner of my mouth twitched with a surprised smile.

Bradly groaned. “There is absolutely no chance, Josh. Not to mention, you’re a child.”

Josh shot Bradly a dirty look as he said, “I’ll be eighteen in February.”

Ty rolled his eyes as he put a hand on his son’s shoulder and pulled him back gently. “That’ll do, Josh. Besides, I believe your cousin is besotted.”

My eyes blinked in surprise a few times as I looked over at Bradly. He simply winked, took my hand once again, and started toward the arena. Josh placed his hand on his chest and acted as if his heart had been broken.

“Tell me you have a younger sister, at least!”

Ty laughed and gave a friendly push to his son, who chuckled and started for the door to the large barn-type building.

“His poor mother,” I whispered to Bradly. “Good-looking and a charmer.”

Bradly chuckled. “And don’t let his father fool you. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree.”

It was my turn to smile.

We walked into the building and down a long corridor.

“Uncle Ty’s office is right here. Next to it is a small kitchen and a bathroom, in case you need to use it.”

“A kitchen?” I asked in surprise as I took my coat off and handed it to Bradly, who set his and mine down on a bench.

Bradly nodded. “There have been plenty of times we’ve all been in this arena for hours on end. Aunt Kaylee would sometimes drop off food for us, and we’d just reheat it. I’ve even crashed on the floor and slept here when we’ve worked late into the night.”

“Wow. You take your bull riding seriously.”

“Absolutely.”

We continued walking down the hall and into an open area. “Wow, this place is huge!”

“It is. Let me show you around.”

I glanced to my left and saw a large pen that housed four bulls. They were massive.

“My gosh. How much do those things weigh?”