Gunner pulled over in front of his clinic, sighing as he looked at the locked door. He had given Samantha and Gina a day off as he wanted to celebrate for the day. But he never imagined it would go the way it did. Stepping out of his truck, he looked back at Faith, who had parked behind him, staring at him from behind the windshield. He could see her eyes were glassy and red from where he was standing and approached her vehicle, opening the door and crouching by her side. “It’s going to be fine, sweetheart,” he said, raising his hand to cup her cheek. Faith sobbed, turning to face him as they both lost themselves in a sweet embrace, the pain of losing their home getting to them. “Why do things keep happening to us?” she asked in a whisper, hiding her face on his shoulder while tears damped his shirt. “We need to just take it one day at a time.” Faith pulled back and looked at his blue eyes. “What if we overreacted? Maybe they’re right. We would have lost your ranch to Gray, an
Gunner covered his couch in his office with a sheet and tossed a couple of pillows from his truck before he sat down, leaning his head on the backrest and looking up into the ceiling. He thought of getting back into his truck and following his wife as soon as he saw her car disappear through the corner of the street, but he was as stubborn as she was sweet, and his body wouldn’t let him move, except towards his clinic. The sound of the cages and the dogs barking didn’t let him sleep, and he spent most of the day and night with his eyes wide open, thinking about what he has done. Maybe he was, indeed, overreacting, and he had to thank his friends for saving his ranch. But that didn’t take the fact that they had hidden it from him and Faith. “What am I going to do?” He said, running his hand through his blonde, now disheveled hair. Leaning forwards, he set his elbows on his knees, rubbing his hands together. His heart ached, and he felt lonely inside his office. Since he had Fait
Gunner followed Faith’s beat up car back home, pondering over every single thing he did and how he had failed his family. Turns out, he never did. He needed to see he was the luckiest man in the world. He had amazing friends, a wonderful mother and a wife who he loved more than anything, even with his flaws. Not to mention a little girl who adored him. Who saw him as her hero. And now, they have been blessed with another little bundle of joy. If they didn’t deserve it, God wouldn’t have let them conceive another baby. With a smile on his face, he remembered the moments with Faith. That day in the janitor’s closet, eating lunch together. The time he stood up to her father for her love and the right to be her boyfriend. And when he met Christopher, a shy guy who kept to himself, until Palmer had helped him get out of his shell. Oh, how he missed those moments in school. It was all simpler. Pulling his truck over at the side of the road, he turned the ignition off and pressed
Months had gone by, and life had been such a treasure. The friends had made peace with each other, and as soon as the contract was up, Christopher and Palmer had handed Gunner and Faith the ownership of their home. It was now theirs, with no debt, no foreclosure, and no man wanting to steal it from them. Now, they each waited inside the maternity room, a curtain separating their wives as both of them found themselves giving birth on the same day. Faith breathed while Gunner frantically tried to make her comfortable, fluffing her pillow and whispering soothing words as the doctor ordered her to push. Few minutes had gone by, and the cry of a baby boy echoed in the room, bringing joy to the couple. “Oh, wait until Cheyenne meets him,” Faith said as the nurse handed her her son after a thorough cleaning. “She’ll be over the moon,” Gunner replied, kissing her forehead. “I am so proud of you, my caramel queen.” “No, proud of both of us. We did this together. All of it.” She repli
Making memories. It’s all a girl ever wants for herself. Faith Hilton had conquered Gunner Travis’ heart back in middle school; the track star falling for her beauty and kindness. She had finally given her own heart to him in high school, and she has been happy ever since. Gunner was a passionate dreamer, a stubborn man, and a heartthrob. But it didn’t matter, because he was all hers. Today, four years later, they are still together and now have a beautiful baby girl. She is proof of their love. A family was all Faith wanted, and now her dream has come true. Palmer Wright, her best friend, was marrying Christopher Melbourne, the love of her life, and she’s her maid of honor. She remembered when he arrived in town, shy and introverted. Palmer had saved him from the school bullies, making it her mission to be in his life forever. Even though four years of being apart had been torture for them. Making precious memories. “What are you thinking?” Palmer asked, looking at herself
Palmer was in tears, thankful that her makeup was waterproof, or else she would have to go back to her room and freshen up. “I'm so proud of you,” Faith said after she approached Gunner, kissing him tenderly before he passed her the microphone. She gave a brief speech, but her tears didn't let her continue, to which Palmer chuckled and stood from her chair to hug her. She thanked her for being there for her unconditionally. They all spent the rest of the party chatting and eating when Daisy came outside with a crying Cheyenne in her arms, the little one feeling cranky and having enough of the party; wanting to be in her parents’ arms. Cheyenne spotted them and stretched her little arms, her blue eyes full of tears. “I think the little one is tired, so I brought her to momma,” she said, handing her to Faith. Cheyenne screamed in happiness before rubbing her eyes, yawning, and putting her head on her mother’s shoulder. “I think we better get home. We’re also tired. We can come b
Faith stood on their porch, seeing his truck disappear in the distance before she walked back into the house and sat Cheyenne down in her high chair. “Ma-ma!” she said, excitedly tapping her hands on the table while she waited for her breakfast. “Yes, sweetheart. It will be ready soon,” Faith replied, grabbing some fruit from the fridge and instant oatmeal from the cupboard. While the oats cooked in the microwave, she cut the apples and pears on a wooden cutting board, turning towards her daughter soon after. “Here, princess.” She put the fruits in front of her, cooling down the oats before putting them on the table as well. Sitting down in front of Cheyenne, she opened the laptop that she kept on the dining chair and started browsing for fashion schools online where she could apply. Excitement ran through her, and she couldn't wait to be a part of one. After spending a good amount of time searching, she didn’t have as much luck as she hoped. Nothing appealed to her, and for s
As soon as he arrived, Palmer walked out of the stables to meet him and led him towards Goliath, who was barely standing. “What do we have here?” He asked, setting the bag down before he opened it to pull a pair of gloves out of it. “I'm not sure, Gunner. This is how he woke up, and I haven't seen any of our horses sick like this in years. I've been trying to reach Mom and Dad, but they're not answering,” Palmer replied, concerned. This was the horse that had gone wild on her years ago, but she still loved him. Gunner grabbed a small tube and took a sample of some yellowish fluid coming out of his nose. He observed it before putting it in the bag, along with the other test tubes. “I'm taking these to the lab and will check what he has, but judging by the way the fluid coming out of his nose looks, he might have Equine Influenza,” he replied, grabbing a towel to clean the horse. “I figured. Just wanted to make sure,” she mentioned, not looking at Gunner straight into his eyes as