Dirty Ginger by Stacey Kennedy
Epilogue
Ayear had gone by in a whirlwind of happy changes, and Amelia felt the greatest of those changes kicking her tummy as she served the older gentleman at her booth in the National Western Coliseum a can of Rugged Cowboy, the name they decided to call Beckett’s beer that she created. Right as she moved to serve another customer, someone called her name. She looked around the stadium and found Hayes waving at her.
“It’s time,” Hayes yelled from the stands. “Amelia, it’s time.”
She quickly glanced at Penelope. “Do you mind holding down the fort?”
“Oh yeah,” Penelope said. “We got this.”
Amelia smiled, looking past Penelope, finding Clara and Maisie busy serving up beers to customers and her breath caught in her throat. Tonight was the last night they’d do an event together, and they all felt the weight of that. But the brewery had grown so much in the last year, after Ronnie liked not only a few samples of her beer, but all six, and marketed the hell out of them. Amelia had been able to hire staff to brew beer at the brewery. Clara now had an assistant. And while Penelope still handled the beer tours and special events, she had staff beneath her too—staff that would run these events without the sisters. Because life had changed dramatically for all of them. Maisie and Hayes were married at their house in a small ceremony a month after Beckett proposed. Beckett and Amelia’s wedding followed a month later at his home, so that a part of his family touched their day. In the months that followed, Clara had a baby girl, Raelynn, and Maisie had a boy they named Cody. And now Amelia was five months pregnant, and everyone wanted to be home with their families, not out late at stadiums. Beckett had sold his father’s property and had invested some of his inheritance into the brewery. So, when Amelia moved out of Pops’ house and into Beckett’s farm, they had used the money and converted the upstairs of Pops house into offices, and the lower floor had been renovated and turned into a taproom, serving burgers and homemade kettle chips, among other appetizers. Only the taproom had taken off too, and they were busier than ever. The brewery hadn’t only become successful, it outshined the dream any of them had for it, and happiness and love settled over her family. That would have made Pops proud.
Clara took one look at Amelia and waved her off. “Go. We’re fine here.”
“Good luck,” Maisie said, before turning back to her customer.
Amelia left the booth and hurried to Hayes’ side before following him down the stairs to the seats the stadium gave them. She grabbed onto the railing, her heart leaping into her throat as she spotted Beckett in the gate behind the barrier.
Only one second later, the calf ran from the gate and Autumn took off, and Amelia screamed in encouragement as Beckett took one swing and let the rope fly. Amelia grabbed Hayes’ arm, holding tight the moment Beckett hit the ground running. Now trained and proving herself every step of the way, Autumn backed up, pulling the rope tight as Beckett grabbed the calf’s flank and the rope, then had the calf on the ground. In mere seconds, he tied the calf’s front end and the two back legs together before throwing his hands up. The crowd went wild, and Amelia death gripped Hayes’ arms. “Did he do it?” she yelled over the crowd. “Did he do it?”
“Six, thirty-eight,” Hayes said. “He had to have done it.”
A moment later, the announcer said over the loudspeakers, “I would say he earned this championship.” The crowd continued to roar as the announcer added, “Yup, he’s done it. Ladies and gentlemen, give a round of applause to Beckett Stone, 2021 tie-down roping World Champion.”
The crowd went wild in the stadium, and Amelia grabbed Hayes and hugged him tight, albeit awkwardly with her round belly. “He did it. He did it!”
Hayes hugged her back tight and laughed. “Hell, yeah, he did.”
Beckett’s smile nearly caused Amelia’s heart to burst out of her chest. She remembered that smile. She saw it the day she married him. But this, this was all for him. This was his dream coming true.
Tears flooded her face as he scanned the crowd, and then his gaze met hers. He turned Autumn a little and then trotted over. Amelia leaned down over the railing as best she could with her pregnant belly in the way, the roaring of the crowd feeling like a giant hug around her, as he told her, “You did this. This is all you.”
She laughed and cupped his face. “You did this. This was all you. It’s always been right where you should be. I’m so proud of you, Beckett.”
His smile was sweet and all the things she hoped for him. “I love you, Am.”
“Love you back, cowboy.” Not caring that a whole stadium of people were watching, she kissed him. In the same way she’d kissed him from the first time her lips met his. Exactly the way she kissed him when she married him. How she’d kiss him for the rest of her life. She kissed him like she belonged only to him, always to him, and he belonged to her.
About the Author
Stacey Kennedy is a USA Today bestselling author who writes contemporary romances full of heat, heart, and happily ever afters. With over 50 titles published, her books have hit Amazon, B&N, and Apple Books bestseller lists.
Stacey lives with her husband and two children in southwestern Ontario—in a city that’s just as charming as any of the small towns she creates. Most days, you’ll find her enjoying the outdoors with her family or venturing into the forest with her horse, Priya. Stacey’s just as happy curled up indoors, where she writes surrounded by her lazy dogs. She believes that sexy books about hot cowboys or alpha heroes can fix any bad day. But wine and chocolate help too.