Laying Down The Law (#4, Cowboy Way) (The Cowboy Way) (15 page)

EPILOGUE

Melanie’s body tensed as she watched Brady step behind the center and put his hands down for the ball.  This always made her nervous, especially when there was a kid two times the size of her stepson on the other side of the line waiting to cream him if he had a chance. 

Brock didn’t seem to be nervous at all, though, his expression was one of calm intensity as he focused on the game.  Pee Wee Football, according to him, was serious business.  The league that Brock started this fall as his first official act as the new mayor was proof of that.  Well, his first was really the only stoplight in town, but he’d seen that done before he resigned as sheriff when the Morris’ left town to be near Lucy in Atlanta.

She liked when Brock was focused like this because it gave her time to watch her sexy new husband in his element and fantasize about him like she did in high school.  The only difference now was she could live out those fantasies when she got him home and out of those tight football shorts to have a shower with him. 

That was her favorite part of Saturday afternoon, and happened right after they dropped Brady off at his new grandmother’s house for some tea time, leaf reading lessons and lots of love. Unless he insisted on helping Brock with chores before he went. 

Please just go over there after the game today, buddy. 

Her mother adored Brady, and Aunt June doted on him, and he begged to go over there every chance he got, so maybe he’d just let them drop him off.  Unless he insisted Brock give him another lesson on Lorrie today.  Brady was getting to be a very good rider, and Brock was talking about upgrading him to one of the mares soon.

That would have to wait until she foaled next year though.  He’d had both of the mares inseminated.  With the heifers he bought, and the new bull she gave him as a wedding present, next spring the ranch was going to have a lot of new babies.  She wondered if the following spring they’d have another.  She and Brock had been talking about giving Brady a sibling. 

It had taken long enough, over a year, for them finally get to the altar so she had the official freedom to think about their future and plan.  But good things were worth waiting for, and her new husband and son were definitely worth the wait.

But if Melanie would’ve had to live with her mother one more month while Brady finished his counseling, she probably would have committed herself to that mental facility where Lucy was being held and treated until she was fit to stand trial for murder. 

The D.A. delayed filing charges for felony child abuse and attempted murder hoping they would get out of having to testify.  Mostly so Brady wouldn’t have to testify—he agreed the kid had been through enough.  The prosecutor thought the murder would probably get her life in prison, so he wouldn’t need to charge her with the lesser crimes.

Brady’s call for the ball jerked her attention back to the offensive line.  She knew that’s what it was called now, because her stepson had explained the game to her in intricate detail.  Melanie hated football, but she listened intently because she loved her stepson to distraction—almost as much as she loved his father.

The kid was funny and so damned energetic now she wondered how she’d ever keep up with him when he became a teenager.  She would pass that duty off to Brock then, she thought, cringing as helmets crunched together and Brady ran toward the far end of the line.   It was a good thing she was a doctor, because she had a feeling she’d be seeing half of these kids in her office before this first season of the Sunny Glen Pee Wee Football League was over.

Melanie’s breath caught in her throat, her fists closed and she held her breath as the last pair of players at the end of the line fell and Brady swooped by them with the ball under his arm.  Brock bent to cup his hands to his mouth and yell, the crowd started buzzing and Melanie shot to her feet to watch.  He pushed his hand into the chest of a defender and blew by him, then his feet moved so fast they looked like a blur as he streaked toward the end zone.

“Go
Brady
!!  Run, baby,
run
!” she shouted, pumping her fists as pride swelled her chest to near bursting.  And he did run all the way into the end zone where he promptly spiked the ball, then turned to fist pump Brock, before he picked up the ball and jogged back toward the sideline.

Melanie couldn’t stand it. 

Brock told her to stay in the stands, but she had to hug Brady, and he needed her hugs, he told her so, because they made him happy.  She quickly stepped on each bleacher seat until her feet hit the ground then ran toward the bench where Brock was talking to the players.

“Did you see me?” Brady shouted, as he ran over to grin up at her.

“I did see you, and I’ve never seen anyone run so fast!  You were freaking awesome,” she praised, and he beamed. “What was that play called?  A quarterback sneak?” she guessed, because it was the only one involving a quarterback that she could remember.

He squealed and threw his arms around her waist.  “You got it right!  Cause I’m a good coach, huh?” he asked, stepping back to smile at her. 

“You’re the best coach, ever,” she said, then leaned down to whisper.  “Even better than your daddy.” 

Brady giggled and she felt eyes on her, so she glanced over to find Brock glaring at her.  She smiled and waggled her fingers, and Brock’s lips twitched as he rolled his eyes.

“Cooper stop flirting with my wife and get back over here so you don’t miss the play,” he said gruffly, and Brady’s eyes widened before he spun to run over there.  “Dr. Cooper get your pretty butt back in those bleachers before I spank you.”

Brock stared at her with that look, and a delicious chill snaked down her spine. 

“You sure are bossy these days,” she mouthed, and he grinned, that dimple popped and her panties went up in flames.

The End

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed
Laying Down The Law (#4 Cowboy Way)
.  If you did, I’d greatly appreciate you leaving a review.  You can find the other books in my
Cowboy Way Series
here: 
http://www.beckymcgraw.com/?page_id=1109

Hope For Christmas

Just Shoot Me

Cowgirl Crazy

Too Hot To Trot

Where There’s Smoke

I also have another contemporary western series called
Texas Trouble
which includes hot cowboys, a dash of suspense and a lot of southern humor.  You can find more information on that series of twelve books here:
http://www.beckymcgraw.com/?page_id=99

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I hope you’ll also check out my erotic romantic suspense series,
DEEP SIX SECURITY
which includes
Till Death
,
SEALed Fate, Twisted Honor and my newest release Hell Bent
. 

You can find information on them here: 
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A Jill of many trades, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Becky McGraw has been an optician, a beautician, a legal secretary, a real estate broker, web designer, graphic artist, and romance writer. She knows just enough to make her dangerous, and her humor-laced contemporary cowboy, military and romantic suspense novels varied and interesting.

Becky has three adult children, and a precious new grandbaby.  She resides in Florida with her husband of thirty-plus years and her dog Abby, and is a member of the Romance Writers of America Published Authors Network, Novelists, Inc. and The Sisters in Crime.

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