Page 65 of Sealing the Deal

She nudges Fury forward, and they’re off once more.

Izzy shifts beside me, suddenly wincing. Harper and I spin toward her.

“Iz? You OK?” I ask.

She exhales slowly, one hand pressed to her stomach. “I’m fine. Just a kick.”

My expression is anything but convinced, and she grins. “Don’t worry. This little warrior knows how to throw a sucker punch, that’s all.”

Dylan strides up behind us and drops a kiss on Izzy’s temple. He’s wearing a cowboy hat and a thick jacket, work gloves sticking out of the pocket, reminding me with another pang of the photo of Harry. “That’s a champion in there.”

“Champion what?” I ask.

Izzy groans. “Do not get us started. We can’t agree. Stormhawks player, rodeo star, rancher⁠—”

“Mad thinks the baby will be a champion dog trainer,” Dylan adds dryly.

“Speaking of dogs…” I start. “She seems pretty keen on the idea of getting her own.” I raise my brows in question. “And you do have a lot of space here.”

Dylan folds his arms, chuckling. “OK, how much of her pocket money did Mad give you?”

“None, I swear.”

Harper smiles then. “Buck might like a friend, too, for the times he’s here.”

“And Mad’s really good with dogs,” I add.

Izzy and Dylan exchange a look. “It would be a nice distraction for her when we’re in full baby mode,” Izzy says softly.

Dylan sighs. “We’re going to regret this.”

Izzy smiles. “Absolutely.”

I grin, watching Mia and Fury thunder past.

The sound of an engine crunching over gravel pulls my attention back toward the house. A familiar truck swings into the yard, dusted with snow and mud from training. Chase hops out first, sports bag slung over his shoulder. The second he spots me, his face splits into a grin, and he’s striding over, arms wide.

“Flic!”

He sweeps me up in a bear hug that lifts my feet clean off the ground. Chase has always been human sunshine, but there’s something deeper to his happiness now. A steadiness and confidence I’ve started to notice in Dylan and Jake, too.

“I’ve missed you,” he says easily, setting me down.

“Missed you, too.” I laugh. “You look happy.”

Jake joins us, hugging me too before throwing an arm around Harper as the pair exchange quiet words. I watch the three men I think of as my brothers, and I see how they’ve all found their place in the world with the women they love. I’m happy for them—truly—but there’s that small, unexpected stab of sadness again. I have the sudden sense of being on the outside looking in. I shake it off almost as soon as it appears. I belong here. I belong at The Hay Barn. I have no reason to feel left out.

“Are you staying? Serena and I are cooking.”

Jake pulls a face. “If it’s peanut butter ramen, then Flic can come to ours.”

“Thanks, but I’m opening tonight.” I glance at my watch and wince. “In fact, I’d better get back to the city.” Before anyone can argue, I add, “Oh, and Grayson wants to invite anyone watching the game on Sunday to fly to Kansas on his jet.”

“Count me in,” Harper says.

“And Serena,” Chase adds.

Izzy’s eyes light up instantly. “Mad will be a hard yes,” she says, then sighs. “But I’m not allowed to fly anymore,” she says, patting her belly. “And to be honest, I don’t want to be too far away from the ranch in case the baby comes early.”