Roping The Cowgirl's Heart

Chapter 1

Savannah

The sun hung low in the Montana sky, casting long shadows across the rolling hills of the Double M Ranch. The air was heavy with the scent of sage and the distant lowing of cattle. A familiar site that had been the backdrop of my life for as long as I could remember.

But today, the ranch felt different. Hollow, somehow. Like a vital piece of it had been carved out of its heart. And in a way, it had been. Because today was the day we laid Jackson McKinley to rest. The day I said goodbye to the man who had been my north star, my anchor. My whole world for 26 years.

I stood at the edge of the freshly dug grave. Staring down at the polished mahogany coffin that held my father's body. He looked peaceful in his best suit. His weathered hands folded over his chest, his face smooth and unlined in death. But it wasn't right, seeing him like this. He belonged on the back of a horse. With his eyes squinting against the sun, his laughter booming across the valley.

A sob caught in my throat, and I clenched my jaw, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill down my cheeks. I couldn't break down, not here, not in front of everyone. I had to be strong, had to hold it together for my family. Hold it together for the ranch hands who looked to me for guidance and reassurance.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Liam, my oldest brother, his face drawn and pale beneath his dark stubble. "It's time," he said, his voice rough with emotion.

I nodded, taking a deep breath as I stepped forward to place a single yellow rose on top of the coffin. Yellow, for friendship, for the unbreakable bond I'd shared with my father. I pressed my fingers to my lips, then touched them to the smooth wood, a silent goodbye.

One by one, my siblings followed suit. Each placed a flower on the coffin. Before stepping back to join the crowd of mourners. Grace, my little sister, was weeping, her slender frame shaking with the force of her grief. Ethan, my middle brother, stood with his arm around Grace, his jaw tight and his eyes red-rimmed.

I looked out over the sea of black-clad figures. Taking in the familiar faces of neighbors, friends, and ranch hands. They had all come to pay their respects, to honor the man who had been a pillar of this community, a legend in his own right.

And there, at the back of the crowd, the site of dark hair and broad shoulders, made my heart jump in my chest. Wyatt Jameson, my childhood best friend. The boy who had been my constant companion and coconspirator. The man who had left Silvercreek City, almost nine years ago to chase his rodeo dreams, and never looked back.

I hadn't seen him in years, not since the night he'd come to say goodbye. With his eyes bright with excitement and his voice trembling with nerves. He'd asked me to come with him, to leave the ranch behind and start a new life together. But I had been too afraid, too tied to the land and the legacy my family had built. So I'd watched him drive away, his taillights fading into the distance. And I'd locked away the part of my heart that belonged to him.

Now, seeing him again, it all came rushing back. The late-night rides, the stolen kisses in the hayloft. The whispered promises of forever. I felt a rush of anger, of hurt, of something deeper and more complicated than I wanted to admit. What right did he have to show up here, to insert himself back into my life when I was at my lowest, my most vulnerable?

As if sensing my gaze, Wyatt looked up, his eyes locking with me across the distance. For a moment, the rest of the world fell away, and it was just the two of us, the way it had always been. And something inside me cracked a little.

The moment broke, with the sound of the pastor's voice, intoning the final prayer. I bowed my head, letting the words wash over me, a balm to my battered soul. And then it was over. People moved around offering condolences and hugs. And they drifted away to their cars and their lives.

I stood rooted to the spot, my eyes fixed on the mound of turned earth. It marked my father's final resting place. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think past the gaping hole in my chest where my heart used to be.

A shadow fell across, and I looked up to see Wyatt standing beside me. His hands shoved deep into the pockets of his dark jeans. He didn't say anything right away. He stood there, a solid presence at my side, and something inside me eased a little.

"Savannah, I'm sorry," he said, his voice low and rough. "I know how much he meant to you, Sav. He was a good man."

I nodded, swallowing past the lump in my throat. "The best," I managed, my voice cracking on the words.

Wyatt hesitated, then reached out, his fingers brushing against mine. "If there's anything I can do, anything you need... I'm here, Savannah. I know I haven't been, not for a long time. But I'm here now."

I looked up at him, searching his eyes. There was so much history between us, so much left unsaid. But in that moment, I felt gratitude, a bone-deep relief that he was here.

"Thank you," I whispered, my fingers curled around Wyatt's, holding on tight. "Thank you for coming, for being here. It means more than you know."

Wyatt smiled a soft, sad smile that made my heart ache. "There's nowhere else I'd be, Sav. Not when you need me."

We stood there for a moment our hands clasped, our eyes locked, the rest of the world falling away. And for a second, I let myself believe that I could get through this.

At that moment, Liam called my name and I pulled my hand from Wyatt's.

"I have to go," I said in tears. "There's so much to do, so many arrangements to make. I can't..."

Wyatt nodded, an understanding in his eyes. "Go," he said. "Do what you need to do. I'll be around if you need me, Savannah, Always."

I managed a small, grateful smile before I turned away and walked toward my waiting family.

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This is book 1 in the Double M Ranch Series.

This book has not been revised by a professional editor. This has been my best effort. The writing in this story will probably change after it goes through a professional editor.

I would love to know what you think about this story in your honest opinion as you read it. You can let me know by leaving a comment, review, emojis, etc.

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