"I do. And I can't picture doing it with anyone but you."
The kiss I give her right there in that sterile little hallway is so soft. When we pull back, there's something in her eyes that kicks my heart into overdrive.
We're outside the building before Kinsley pulls out her phone again. This time she's dialing a number, and from the way her posture straightens, I can tell she's shifting into full on cowgirl-boss mode.
"Mark? It's Kinsley Rose. I have confirmation."
I can't hear the other side of the conversation, but I can tell from Kinsley's expression that Mark’s excited about whatever she just told him.
"The DNA evidence won't be necessary. She admitted the child isn't his... Yes, a recording and I have witnesses... The ultrasound tech, the medical records showing conception dates... He orchestrated a federal investigation to force a marriage based on false paternity claims in order to run for governor."
My girl is going full attack mode.
"How fast can you run it? ...Thirty minutes? Perfect. He'll have no choice but to resign or face a committee investigation and probable expulsion."
When she hangs up, she's practically glowing with satisfaction. "Mark Macchiato, investigative journalist for the Post. He's been waiting for final confirmation."
"And now he has it."
"Now he has everything. Martinez's signature on paperwork initiating the fire hazard designation on your land. The false paternity claims. The attempted coercion. By tonight, your family's troubles are over, and Martinez's career is finished."
I take her hand as we walk out into the Texas sunshine. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."
She laughs, the sound bright and free. "I don’t think that’s possible. You're stuck with me now."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
I open the truck door for her, and she pauses before getting in. "So, what now?"
"Now we go home." I lean down and kiss her again, slower this time, taking my time with it because I can. Because she's mine and I'm hers and nobody—not corrupt senators or lying women or federal bureaucrats—can change that. "We've got a future to build."
"And you have an NFR title to win." She kisses me quick, firm, and decisively. As if winning the national finals is in the bag.
I can't help but grin. With Kinsley, I feel like I can do anything—maybe even win a national championship.
Fifty-Three
YOU GAVE ME EVERYTHING I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS MISSING.
KINSLEY
I fought for Stonegate Ranch with everything I had, and somewhere along the way, I fell completely in love with Wyatt Halloway.
The battle left me raw and changed in ways I never saw coming. But this valley put me back together too.
The pine-scented breeze tangles my hair as I sit on the front porch swing at the main house, my fingers tracing the edges of the manila folder in my lap. The folder holds the documents that saved everything, but my hands are still shaking—not from nerves, but from the certainty that this place will always be part of me.
The truck barely rolls to a stop before the front door bursts open and the Halloways spill out like water breaking through a dam. Sarah, then Oscar.
"We did it!" Sarah's voice echoes off the mountains.
Kit pushes out behind her and lets out a whoop, throwing her arms toward the sky. "We're still standing!"
Brook practically launches herself from the bottom step. "Did you see Martinez’s office's statement this afternoon? They're scrambling so hard they can't even keep their story straight."
I can't help the laugh that bubbles up from my chest. "They issued three different statements in two hours," I say, stepping out of the truck. "By the third one, they were basically admitting Martinez went rogue while simultaneously claiming they had full oversight the entire time."