Embracing Today, a firefighter romance: (The Trading Yesterday Series, #3), Kahlen Aymes [essential reading txt] 📗

Teagan was at home, caring for the two babies and little Jace, while Jensen and Missy worked full-time, and Chase continued his soccer career. I was still amazed at how well their family dynamic worked. We missed them terribly, but we Skyped often, and they were both adorable.

I Skyped with Dylan and Remi at least twice a week and we texted every day. They were so excited about the ranch and we had arranged for them to spend the entire summer with us. I truly felt like part of their family and it was inexplicable how much I loved each and every one of them.

I’d used the life insurance from Uncle Ben’s settlement to pay off the main house mortgage as he would have wanted and the payout from the shop fire as the investment into the dude ranch. The endeavor was much more expensive that we anticipated, and we found out rather quickly that we needed to raise capital from other investors if it was going to become a reality. It might have been a daunting task however, Missy and Jensen chipped in, but the big bucks came from Chase and Teagan. To save money, we did some of the work ourselves but needed to hire most of it done in order to make the deadline. Chase and Jensen flew out whenever they could to help, and it was amazing how it all came together.

The insurance money was enough to build another stable, a huge metal building that would act as storage for feed, supplies and equipment, and a new barn completed with electrical and heat which would be used to hold events like parties and weddings all year long. It was beautiful and magical inside. All wooden beams and stained wooden floors were varnished and glinting, and fairy lights strung all up in the rafters; something my little Remi insisted on. We had to admit, it was perfect. Skylights provided light inside during the day and an amazing view of the star-filled Wyoming sky at night. There were lofts on both ends overlooking the center floor with stairways leading down from both. Our own wedding was scheduled for next December and I was looking forward to working on the final plans with Remi, Missy, and Teagan this summer, but I could already picture it in my mind.

The twelve new cabins had been built out toward the site of my Uncle Leonard’s auto shop and were arranged in a half circle around a large bonfire area, but that part of the build required another million-dollar investment.

It had been a joy to design and even put in the hard labor needed to finish in a year. Uncle Leonard’s farmhouse had been completely modernized and a new corral and paddock had been added which were built close to the stables. Both of the stables were now filled with horses. All of those we had boarded, but we also acquired twelve more quarter horses at auction. We’d hired two ranch hands, a cook and cleaning crew. It was all finally coming together. I could sense Ben’s immense sense of pride every time he spoke about it or came in from a hard day’s work.

The insurance company argued the settlement with Carter’s family because it was determined, through the fire commissioner’s investigation, that he contributed to his own death. The shop was full of flammables as would any auto shop, and it was determined that his own carelessness with a lantern and working during a power outage and lightning storm put most of the liability on him. There was also the issue that he was running the business. The insurance would only pay out a fraction of what the policy provided for, and the family was given a copy of the investigative report. It wasn’t ideal, and I was scared of retaliation, but Ben already had an attorney on retainer to file a series of protection orders against Apollo which he’d already violated. Because he was on parole, he was arrested and put back in jail. We both breathed a sigh of relief.

I saddled up Siri and headed out to check on Ben’s progress on the main gate archway. Davis was helping and so I had a thermos of cold lemonade and some chocolate chip cookies tucked away in the saddle bags.

“Tkk tkkk. Come on, Siri. Let’s go find Daddy. Giddy-up.” Siri was still my favorite horse, and she took off in a familiar trot. Her gate was practiced, and I was used to it. It was obvious that she enjoyed getting out on a ride as much as her humans.

Dark was almost a yearling, and close to seven hundred pounds, but he neighed loudly from the pasture, running along the fence until I reached the end of the lane, hoping to follow us.

“Sorry, baby. You can’t come yet.” When he reached the corner of the fence that separated the pasture from the road going north to the edge of the property, he was forced to stop and neighed loudly. Siri’s ears turned toward the sound, but she kept on her course. “One more year and we can start you, Dark. Poor thing. Your baby wants to come with us, Siri.”

The colt still had about five hundred pounds to gain before he was fully grown but that wouldn’t be until sometime in his second year. He’d grown into a beautiful horse and would be great for breeding, but for ease of training I wanted to geld him. Ben was completely against it. He said he wasn’t going to cut the balls off of his boy. Thinking about Ben’s expression of shock and utter disgust, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. You’d think I was suggesting cutting his balls off.

“Isn’t there some sort of birth control pill for horses?” Ben had asked.

“Sure, but it makes them cranky. Dark won’t know the difference,” I’d argued.

“Look at him? He’s so gorgeous, don’t you