“If Carrie and Joe know the truth, why doesn’t Bella?”
Thinking about it made her stomach hurt. This was her greatest fear. Every day, she worried Bella would learn the truth and would come to hate her.
“They wanted to tell her but I—I begged them not to. I thought it would be better for her if I could be in her life only as a friend. Maybe like a sort of...older sister or cousin.”
“Why would that be better?”
She shrugged against him. “How do I tell her that she was created through an act of violence at a time in my life I wish I could forget?”
“You wouldn’t have to tell her that part.”
“What do I say when she asks me about her father? I did not know how I could answer that. I still do not know. How can I tell her I do not even know his name? No. It is better that she not know the truth.”
His silence told her he didn’t agree.
“When I came here, I did not want to intrude in her life,” she said. “Carrie and Joe are her parents in every way that matters and they have been wonderful to her. I only wanted to...see her. Make sure she was happy. Healthy. I thought I would only be here a short time but then I came to love her and to love Cannon Beach and Brambleberry House. Anna offered me a partnership in the store and it became harder to think about leaving.”
“I am glad you stayed. So glad,” he said. And before she realized what he intended, he lowered his mouth and kissed her with a sweetness and gentleness that took her breath.
Her mouth still burned where she had been hit, but she ignored it, lost in the peace and wonder of kissing the man she loved on a moonswept beach.
He still wanted to kiss her, after everything she told him. All this time, she had been so afraid for him to learn the truth. He now knew the ugliest part of her past and yet he kissed her anyway with a tenderness that made her feel...cherished.
“Thank you for coming to my rescue.” She realized in that moment she had not really told him that yet. And while she was speaking about earlier, with Aaron Barker, her words held layers of meaning.
He smiled against her mouth. “I don’t think you needed help from me. You were doing just fine. You’re pretty ferocious, Rosita.”
The endearment—Little Rosa—made her smile, too. Her mother had always called her that and Daniel still did.
“Ow. Smiling still hurts.”
“Oh. I forgot about your mouth. I shouldn’t have kissed you. I’m sorry.”
“I am glad you did.” To prove it, she pressed her mouth, sore lip and all, to his.
All of the emotions she could not say were contained in that kiss. All the love and yearning she had been fighting for so long.
When he lifted his head, Wyatt was breathing hard and Rosa realized they were once more on the sand, sitting on the blanket she had brought.
“I have to tell you something,” Wyatt said after a long moment. He gripped her hands again, and even through the darkness, she could see the intense light in his eyes.
“I was scared to death when Jenna called me and said you were in trouble. I made all kinds of deals with God on my way to Brambleberry House, begging Him to keep you safe until I could get here.”
“You...did?” She didn’t know what to say, shaken to her core by the emotion in his voice. Her heart, already beating hard from the kiss, seemed to race even faster.
“Yes. Though I suppose I should have known you could take care of yourself,” he said with a little smile. “You’re amazing, Rosa. One of the most amazing women I have ever met.”
She could not seem to wrap her mind around this man speaking such tender, wonderful words.
“I do not understand,” she finally asked. “How can you say that after—after everything I have told you about my past? About what I had to do? About...about giving my baby to someone else?”
“All of those things only make me love you more.”
She thought she must have misheard him.
“Love me. You cannot love me.” She stared through the darkness, wishing she could see him better. She wanted to drag him back to the house so she could look at him in the light to read the truth.
“Yet I do,” he said, his voice ringing with so much truth she had to believe him. “What you did was remarkable. Even more so because of what you have been through. You were scared to death but you still risked your life to protect your friend. You make me ashamed of myself.”
“Ashamed? Why? You came as soon as you heard we were in danger.”
“I don’t have your kind of courage. I have been fighting falling in love with you for a long time. I think long before I moved to Brambleberry House.”
“Why?” She was still not sure she could believe it but she wanted to. Oh, she wanted to.
“I loved my wife,” he said simply. “When she died, I thought I had nothing else to give. I did not want to love someone else. Love brought too much pain and sadness and it was easier, safer, to keep my heart locked away.”
He kissed her gently, on the side of her mouth that had not been hurt. “I am not brave like a certain woman I know who has endured horrible things but still manages to be kind and cheerful and loving.”
His words soaked through her, more comforting than she could ever tell him.
“This woman. She sounds very annoying. Too good to be true.”
He laughed. “She isn’t. She’s amazing. Did I tell you that she also reaches out to those in need and is willing to protect them with every fierce ounce of her being?”
She was not the perfect woman he was describing. But hearing how he saw her made her want to be.
Wasn’t that what love should be? A window that allowed you to discover the best in yourself because someone else saw you that way?
She didn’t know. She only knew she loved Wyatt with all her heart and wanted a future with him, as she had never wanted anything in her life.
“I know something about this woman that you might not,” she said.
“What’s that?”
The words seemed to catch in her throat as those demons of self-doubt whispered in her ear. No. She would not listen to them. This was too important.
“This woman. She very much loves a certain police detective. She has loved him for a long time, too. Probably since he moved to town with his sad eyes and his beautiful little boy.”
He gazed down at her, those eyes no longer sad but blazing with light, joy and wonder. “Well. That works out then, doesn’t it?”
He kissed her again, his arms wrapped tightly around her. Her entire journey had been leading her to this moment, she realized. This moment and this man who knew all her secrets and loved her despite them. Or maybe a little because of them.
She loved Wyatt. She wanted a future with him and with Logan. Thinking about that boy who already held such a big part of her heart only added to her happiness.
She could clearly picture that future together, filled with laughter and joy. Kisses and Spanish lessons and walks along the beach with their dogs.
She had no doubt that it would be rich and beautiful, full and joyous and rewarding. The scent of freesia drifted across the sand and Rosa smiled, happy to know that Abigail approved.
Epilogue
One year later
What a glorious day for a wedding.
Rosa woke just as the sun was beginning to creep over the horizon in her third-floor apartment of Brambleberry House.
She stayed in bed for a moment, anticipation shivering through her. For a few disoriented moments, she wasn’t sure why, then she caught sight of Fiona’s head on the bed, the dog watching her intently, and she remembered.
Today was the day. This day, she was marrying Wyatt and becoming Logan’s stepmother.
In a few short hours, they would stand in the gardens of Brambleberry House and exchange their vows.
&nbs
p; Everyone was in town. Her parents, Anna and Harry, Sonia Elizabeth and her husband, Luke.
Fiona made the little sound she did when she wanted to go for a walk and Rosa had to smile.
“I am not even out of bed yet. You really want a walk now?”
The dog continued to give her a steady look she could not ignore.
With a sigh, she slipped out of bed, threw on sweats and a baseball cap and then put on Fiona’s leash. A moment later, they headed down the stairs of Brambleberry House.
This was her last morning in this apartment and her last morning as Rosa Vallejo Galvez. Tonight she would be Rosa Vallejo Galvez Townsend.
A wife and a mother.
After their honeymoon, she and Wyatt would be returning to the ground-floor apartment of Brambleberry House. They had decided to stay here for now.
He was going to rent out his small bungalow and they would move to the larger apartment, with its sunroom and extra bedroom. It was larger than his house, plus had extensive grounds where Logan could play, as well as his best friend, Addie, living upstairs.
She knew it wouldn’t last. At some point, they would probably want to find a house of their own. For now, she was glad she did not have to leave the house completely.
She knew it was silly but Rosa felt like Brambleberry House was excited about the upcoming wedding and all the coming changes. She seemed to smell flowers all the time and wondered if Abigail was flitting through the house, watching all the preparations.
The summer morning was beautiful, with wisps of sea mist curling up through the trees. It was cool now but she knew the afternoon would be perfect for a garden wedding overlooking the sea.
The decorations were already in place and she admired them as she walked through with Fi toward the beach gate.
Fiona, usually well-behaved, was tugging on the leash as Rosa walked onto the sand. She lunged toward a few other early-morning beach walkers, which was completely not like her.
It looked like a man and a child walking a little dog, but they were too far away for her to see them clearly. Suddenly Fiona broke free of Rosa’s hold and raced toward them, dragging her leash behind her.
The boy, who Rosa was now close enough to recognize as a nearly eight-year-old boy with a blond cowlick and his father’s blue eyes, caught Fiona’s leash and came hurrying toward Rosa.
“Rosa! Buenos, Rosa!”
“Buenos, mijo.” When he reached her, he hugged her hard and Rosa’s simmering joy seemed to bubble over.
A few more hours and they would be a family.
A year ago, she never could have imagined this day for herself. She expected she would be content going to other people’s weddings. She would dance, laugh, enjoy the refreshments and then go home trying to ignore the pang of loneliness.
Destined to be alone. That is what she had always thought.
She could not have been happier to be so very wrong.
“I don’t think I’m supposed to see you today. Isn’t it bad luck?” Wyatt’s voice was gruff but his eyes blazed with so much tenderness and love, she felt tears of happiness gather in hers. He always made her feel so cherished.
“I think you are not supposed to see me in the wedding dress. I do not think the superstition means you cannot see me in my old sweatpants, when I have barely combed my hair and look terrible. Anyway, I do not care about such things. We make our own luck, right?”
He laughed and reached for her. “Yes. I guess we do. To be safe, I won’t tell Carrie and Bella we bumped in to you on our walk. They do care about that kind of thing.”
Rosa smiled and her heart seemed to sigh when he kissed her, his mouth warm and firm against the morning chill.
“You do not have to tell me. I have heard every superstition about weddings from them since the day we became engaged.”
“I don’t know how it’s possible, but I think Bella is even more excited about this wedding than we are.”
Rosa smiled, adding even more happiness to her overflowing cup when she thought of his niece. Her niece, after today.
And her daughter.
After talking with Joe and Carrie several months earlier, she had decided she must tell Bella the truth.
They had all sat down together and, gathering her courage and without giving all the grim details, Rosa had told Bella she was her birth mother.
To her shock, Bella had simply shrugged. “And?” she had said. “I’ve only known that, like, forever.”
“You have not!” Rosa had said, shocked nearly speechless. “How?”
“It wasn’t exactly hard to figure out. You just have to look at a selfie of us together. We look enough alike to be sisters.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Carrie had looked and sounded as shocked as Rosa.
“I figured you all would say something eventually when you wanted me to know. What’s the big deal? You’re like one of my best friends, anyway.”
Rosa had burst into tears at that and so had Carrie.
Nothing seemed to have changed between them. Bella still confided in her about boys she liked, and Rosa still tried to be like a wise older sister.
In that time, Bella had never asked about her father. Maybe some day, when she was older, Rosa would figure out a way to tell her something. For now, she was grateful every day for the bright, beautiful daughter who seemed happy to let her into her life.
“She has done a great job of helping me plan the wedding. I would have been lost without her,” she said now to Wyatt.
Bella was one of her bridesmaids and could not have been more excited to help her work out every detail of the wedding, from the cake to the dresses to the food at the reception. In fact, Rosa thought she might have a good future as a wedding planner, if she wanted.
“I’m sure she’s done a great job,” he said. “It’s going to be a beautiful day. But not nearly as gorgeous as you.”
She smiled as he kissed her again. A loud sigh finally distracted them both. “Can we be done kissing now? You guys are gross.”
“Sorry, kid.” Wyatt smiled down at his son but made no move to release her. “We both kind of like it.”
That was an understatement. They were magic together. She loved his kiss, his touch, and could not wait until she could wake up each morning in his arms.
“Fiona and Hank want to take a walk,” Logan informed them. “So do I.”
Wyatt kissed Rosa firmly one more time then drew away. “Fine,” he said. “But you’d better get used to the kissing, kid.”
He reached for Rosa’s hand and the three of them and their dogs walked down the beach while gulls cried and the waves washed against the shore.
The perfect day and the perfect life seemed to stretch out ahead of them and Rosa knew she had everything she could ever need, right here.
* * *
Don’t miss these other great single parent romances:
Not Their First Rodeo
By Christy Jeffries
Redemption on Rivers Ranch
By Kathy Douglass
In the Key of Family
By Makenna Lee
Keep reading for an excerpt from The Rancher’s Summer Secret by Christine Rimmer.
The Rancher’s Summer Secret
by Christine Rimmer
Chapter One
Last New Year’s Eve
Jameson John fully intended to ring in the New Year in style.
He wanted to hear some good music, play a little eight ball and, if the stars aligned, take someone sweet and willing home. To make all that happen, he’d jumped in his quad cab and headed straight for Wild Willa’s Saloon.
Perched on Center Street, with the entrance in Bronco Valley and the dance floor in tony Bronco Heights, Wild Willa’s was the most popular bar in Bronco, Montana. At Wild Willa’s, things got loud and rowdy pret
ty much every night. On New Year’s Eve, however, the fun reached a whole new level.
As midnight approached, the very air seemed charged with anticipation. The sound of boots stomping on hardwood competed with the wail of the fiddle, the beat of the drums and the driving rhythm from the bass guitar.
Tonight, every man wore his best boots and a snap-front dress shirt. Every woman had on her tightest jeans or her shortest flirty skirt. Many wore light-up, sequined cowboy hats. They blew party horns and shouted encouragements at the band. The place smelled of beer, perfume, saddle soap and sweat.
“Hey, cowboy, let’s dance.”
Jameson turned to the pretty blonde who’d just tapped him on the shoulder. She had lipstick on her straight white teeth and a woozy look in those big blue eyes. Like just about everyone else in Wild Willa’s tonight, she’d had one too many.
As for Jameson, in the two hours since he’d walked through the wide, rustic double doors, he’d had a whiskey, neat, and a single beer. He wanted to be sharp, on his best game, just in case he met someone interesting. So far, that hadn’t happened. It wouldn’t be happening with this cowgirl, either.
But the woozy blonde looked sweet and hopeful. He gave her a smile and led her out on the packed dance floor.
When the song ended, another cowboy stepped up. Jameson thanked the blonde and left the floor. He tried not to feel discouraged, but at this rate, he’d have nobody to kiss when the clock struck twelve. Maybe it just wasn’t his night.
With a shrug, he decided he needed a second whiskey and a seat at Wild Willa’s famous Get-Lucky Bar, which formed four loops of stools in a four leaf clover configuration.
Too bad every stool had an occupant. Jameson considered heading for the pool tables. He could order a drink there.
But then, in the split second before he turned for the tables, a guy at one end of the clover got up. Jameson moved in to claim the seat.
A Brambleberry Summer Page 18
