Home with the Cowboy

by Mary Sue Jackson

  “Willa!” DeeDee pushed past a bunch of people and hugged Willa hard. “You’re finally here! I can’t believe it.”

  “Me, either.” Willa couldn’t keep herself from looking over DeeDee’s shoulder, but she didn’t see the tall, familiar frame of Daniel.

  “I know you’re looking for Daniel, but he hasn’t come downstairs yet. He’s still getting things together.” DeeDee winked at Willa. “You gonna tell him you love him tonight?”

  “That’s the plan.”

  “Darlin’, he put this entire center together for you. Don’t be nervous. He’ll probably fall at your feet from shock before asking you to marry him.”

  Willa laughed unsteadily. “You think so? I was just hoping that he’d talk to me.”

  “Oh, he’ll do more than that.” DeeDee wiggled her eyebrows, making Willa blush.

  Willa talked to more friends, trying not to be rude about looking for Daniel, and Bobby, too. When Daniel still didn’t come downstairs, Willa finally sneaked upstairs to find him herself.

  Luck was on her side. As she turned the corner of the hallway, she almost ran straight into Daniel. The look on his face was one that Willa would never forget for the rest of her life: shock, hope, confusion. Love. So much love filled his expression that Willa wanted to drag him into the nearest room and have her way with him.

  “Wiwah!” Bobby launched himself at Willa, and she picked the solid little body up and gave him a loud, smacking kiss.

  “How you’ve grown! You’re so big! I missed you soooooo much!” She kept kissing him until he protested to get down.

  “What are you doing here?” said Daniel. The love that Willa had momentarily seen in his face had disappeared, replaced by a blank mask. Her heart fell at the sight.

  “Well, ain’t you a sight for sore eyes?” Sarah came out of one of the rooms and gave Willa a hearty hug. “You two look like you need some catchin’ up. Lemme take the little cowpoke for you.” She bent down to address the boy. “Bobby, let’s go find somethin’ to eat. I think there are chicken nuggets for you, somewhere.”

  At the words chicken nuggets, Bobby took Sarah’s hand and followed her without a backward glance to Willa.

  Willa rolled her eyes with a laugh. “I guess I can’t compete with chicken nuggets,” she said wryly.

  When she and Daniel were alone, though, she felt all of the awkwardness of the situation. She’d been so sure that Daniel would be happy to see her, but she was terrified that she was wrong. He didn’t look happy to see her. He looked confused, maybe even annoyed.

  He doesn’t love me anymore. I’m too late. Oh God, I’m an idiot. I should never have come. And now I don’t have a job, and I’ll have to go back to New York and find another one—

  Willa forced herself to stop the onslaught of thoughts that were turning into a whirlwind. Swallowing hard, she said, “How have you been?”

  Daniel stuffed his hands into his jean pockets. “Fine. Busy. You?”

  This was worse than Willa could imagine. She wanted to melt into the floor. “You know what? This was a bad idea. I’m sorry I ever came—”

  She turned to go, but Daniel put a hand on her elbow. She stopped, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at him.

  “Why are you here, Willa?” he said, his voice low.

  Her heart pounded in her ears. “Why do you think I’m here? I’m here for you. I came back here because—”

  Daniel took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Because?”

  “Because I’m in love with you, you jerk!” She covered her mouth, horrified that she’d declared herself like that.

  When she turned around, though, Daniel was grinning. And then his arms were around her as he breathed, “Thank God.”

  He kissed her, his lips demanding and relentless yet infinitely tender. Willa melted. She was home, finally home. She poured all of her love for him into returning that kiss.

  “I love you, Willa. God, I love you. I’ve missed you like crazy. How long are you going to stay?”

  Willa laughed. “Forever, if you’ll let me.”

  Daniel stared at her. “Are you serious?”

  “You think I’d quit my job, pack my bags, and come here if I wasn’t?”

  “You’ll stay here with me and Bobby. You won’t run off again?”

  “No, I won’t.” Her expression turned serious. “I love you, and I love Bobby. I want us to be a family like in that terrible picture you drew.”

  “Thank God,” Daniel repeated. He hugged her so tightly, she almost couldn’t breathe, but she didn’t care.

  She was home, and the man she loved still loved her. It was better than she could ever have imagined. How could she have thought that a stupid job like that was more important than true love and family? She’d been so convinced that she didn’t belong here, but it was the only place that could make her truly happy.

  Willa inhaled sharply when Daniel went down on one knee and pulled what looked like a pipe cleaner from his pocket. She started laughing when he twisted the pipe cleaner into a ring.

  “Willa Markson,” he said, his voice solemn but his eyes dancing, “I love you. You’re the one woman who understands me, the one woman who can put up with me. You’re everything I’ve ever dreamed of. Marry me, and make me the happiest man on earth.”

  Willa couldn’t see through the tears, but she nodded. “Yes, yes, yes,” she said as Daniel placed the pipe-cleaner ring on her finger. It fit perfectly, and she’d cherish it for the rest of her life.

  As Daniel rose and kissed her, Willa was startled when she heard a wolf-whistle nearby. Turning, she blinked in shock when she saw that the people from the crowd from downstairs were currently lined up on the stairs and had apparently watched everything happen.

  “Get it, girl!” yelled DeeDee. Someone else wolf-whistled again.

  Willa turned scarlet and then started laughing so hard that she didn’t know if her tears were from the proposal or from everyone watching it happen.

  Daniel just shook his head. “Y’all are a bunch of nosy nellies!” he said.

  “Ain’t our fault y’all weren’t paying attention to nothing but yourselves,” said Uncle James.

  Bobby ran straight for Willa and Daniel. “Wiwah, I eat chicken nuggets!” he proclaimed.

  Willa giggled. “I’m so glad, Bobby. And guess what? I’m staying here with you and your uncle Daniel. He asked me to marry him, and I said yes.”

  Bobby frowned before saying, “I farted.”

  The entire crowd laughed. Daniel scooped up Bobby and ruffled his hair. “Thanks for letting us know, buddy,” he said dryly.

  Later that evening, Daniel took Willa to a private nook as the party continued. Willa couldn’t stop smiling the entire evening, she was so happy.

  “I forgot to tell you that I want you to be the director here,” Daniel said in a rush. “And since you’re looking for a job . . .”

  “Seriously?”

  “Totally seriously.” He cupped her cheek. “I built this place because I knew it was my one last shot at getting you to come back. I thought that if you had a place where you could make art and be around it all day, you’d consider staying for good.”

  She heard what Daniel wasn’t saying: he hadn’t had any expectation that she would’ve returned to be with him. He’d just wanted her to come back to town. He loved her enough that simply being within a few miles of each other was enough.

  Her heart was about to burst with love. “I would love that,” she said, “although I think you should put out a call for applications. Because it should be the most qualified applicant who gets the job.”

  “Which would be you.”

  She patted his chest. “You don’t need to sweet-talk me. You already got me to agree to marry you.”

  Growling, he pulled her close, his hands roving down her back to grab her ass. “And if you don’t keep looking at me like that, I’ll show you exactly how much I love you, right here.”

  Willa laughed. “Who says I�
�d tell you not to? Show me what you got, big guy.”

  Not one to refuse a dare, Daniel tossed her over his shoulder and carried her off to the closest room with a door and no window, where he had his wicked way with her and showed her just how much he loved her.

  Epilogue

  “Oh, you look so pretty, darlin’,” said DeeDee as she adjusted Willa’s train. “Are you nervous?”

  “Kind of, but not really. Should I be nervous?”

  “No, because you’re about to marry the man you love. Ain’t nothin’ to be nervous about that.”

  Willa smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror: she’d never felt more beautiful than she did right now. She’d never been a girly girl, but wearing her wedding dress was something special. She and DeeDee had gone to one shop and had found the perfect gown on the first try. Off-the-shoulder with lace sleeves, it was the most beautiful dress Willa had ever seen.

  “You’re as pretty as a picture.” Sarah paused for a moment to take Willa in. She pulled a handkerchief from her purse to wipe her eyes. “I’m such a sucker for a wedding.”

  “Don’t cry, or you’ll make me cry,” said Willa, although she had to sniffle and dash a tear away after Sarah bustled off.

  The last six months had been a whirlwind, but in the best possible way. Willa had moved back in with Daniel and Bobby, and this time, Daniel’s bedroom was hers now, too. They made love every night, and every time was more amazing than the last. And each morning, Daniel kissed her cheek as he got up to attend to the farm, telling her he loved her and would miss her until his return.

  Daniel had agreed to allow other applicants for the art center director’s position, but an independent panel of interviewers unanimously decided to hire Willa anyway. Daniel had had a smug look on his face for a week after the vote.

  “It’s just about time,” said DeeDee. She picked up Willa’s bouquet and handed it to her.

  Willa took the pipe-cleaner ring Daniel had made that night at the opening—he’d since bought her a real diamond engagement ring—and tucked it into the bouquet of roses. Who would have thought that she’d cherish a ring made from a red pipe cleaner? Life never failed to be interesting, and amazing, too.

  Willa’s heart started pounding. “Okay, I’m getting nervous now. What if I trip and fall on my face going up the aisle?”

  “Not gonna happen. And if you do trip, we’ll all help you up.”

  “Thanks so much,” Willa retorted wryly.

  When the music started, Willa joined her father in the church’s foyer, taking his arm. When she’d told her father that she was staying in Texas and marrying a cowboy, he’d never been happier. And then he’d demanded to know who this fellow was, because that cowpoke sure as hell hadn’t asked him for permission to marry his only daughter.

  “You look just as beautiful as your mother,” her daddy said now. He kissed her forehead. “You ready, baby?”

  “I think so.”

  Bobby stood in front of Willa, the groomsmen and bridesmaids going up to the front of the church first. Bobby had been given the very important job of ring bearer, a role he took extremely seriously. That morning, he’d woken up sniffling and sneezing, and Willa had been afraid he’d be too sick to be in the wedding. But Bobby had insisted that he had to fulfill his ring bearer job, no matter how he was feeling.

  At three years old, Bobby was growing like a weed, and every day, he amazed his parents with how smart and funny and sweet he was. It was always an adventure, taking care of a preschooler, but Willa wouldn’t have it any other way. And even better, it prepared her for when she and Daniel would have their own children, something Willa hoped for in the near future.

  When the bride’s song started, Willa took hold of her father’s arm. She was glad for his support because the moment her gaze landed on Daniel wearing a tuxedo, she would’ve fallen down from how handsome he looked. He still held his Stetson under his arm and wore cowboy boots—this was Texas, after all—and when he saw her, love radiated from his smile.

  Willa barely saw anyone in the crowd as she walked toward Daniel. She had eyes only for the man she adored as she headed toward their future together.

  When Willa’s father handed her off to Daniel, Daniel whispered to her, “You look beautiful.”

  “So do you,” she whispered back.

  “I got new cowboy boots,” Bobby whispered.

  Daniel’s lips twitched, and it was only the pastor starting the ceremony that kept him from laughing.

  “The couple has decided to write their own vows,” said the pastor with a fond smile.

  Daniel cleared his throat after taking out a heavily folded piece of paper. When he’d suggested to Willa that they write their own vows, she’d loved the idea, only to realize that writing vows was harder than it sounded. At this point, Willa had gone over her vows so many times that she didn’t need to read them.

  “Willa,” began Daniel, his gaze never wavering from hers, “I promise to love you, to cherish you, and to take care of you and our family for the rest of my life. I also promise not to mind the messes that will happen, or when things get disorganized, or when you decide to make a pillow fort out of cushions that actually belong on the couch.”

  The crowd laughed, and Willa rolled her eyes even as she laughed.

  “I promise to be the best husband and father I can be,” continued Daniel, “and I can’t wait to grow old with you. You’re the woman of my dreams, and I’ll spend every waking moment aiming to make you happy.”

  “Me, too,” said Bobby, not to be left out.

  Willa wished she could kiss Daniel then and there. Wiping away a few stray tears, she said, “When I first met you, Daniel Aaron Gunn, I thought you were stubborn, cantankerous, and a total pain.” More laughter, and Willa knew right then how much Daniel loved her when he laughed, too.

  “But I realized that I was wrong. I saw you embrace fatherhood, and I saw how patient you were with Bobby. I saw man who had a heart of gold, and I’m so grateful that that heart is mine now. My heart has been yours since the first moment we met, even though I didn’t know it. You’re my home, and home is where the heart is. And Daniel, you’re my heart—forever and always.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Uncle James beaming. The entire crowd seemed to sigh collectively. When the pastor pronounced them husband and wife, Daniel kissed Willa for so long that there was wolf-whistling from someone in the church. Bobby yelled, “Ewwww!” so loudly that everyone laughed.

  Blushing but happier than ever, Willa took Daniel’s hand as they headed down the aisle with Bobby clinging to Daniel’s free hand.

  “I love you, Mrs. Gunn,” said Daniel outside on the church steps, while Bobby jumped up and down and cheered.

  Willa beamed up at him. “I love you more, Mr. Gunn. And we’re going to live happily ever after.”

  End of Home with the Cowboy

  Do you love strong, sexy ranchers? Please keep reading for a preview from my next book The Rancher’s Baby Bargain and Leslie North’s Tempting the Rancher.

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  About Mary Sue Jackson

  Mary Sue Jackson is the romance pen name created for all those cowboy dreamers! This Montana-based cowgirl is a rancher, and knows what hard work means. But despite being up at dawn and working past dusk, she still finds time for what she really loves... romance! With so many hours spent alone, riding across the seemingly never-ending expanse of grasslands, she has plenty of time to dream of love and the romantic tales of ranch life.

  When May Sue's not out on the grasslands dreaming up her next story, she's most often spending time with her own personal hunky rancher, her husband. One of May Sue's favorite activities is to ride the ranch with her husband in
the evening and hold his hand as they watch the sun go down over the prairie.

  To learn more about Mary Sue you can check out all her books on social media and her website:

  http://leslienorthbooks.com/mary-sue-jackson/

  About Leslie

  Leslie North is the USA Today Bestselling pen name for a critically-acclaimed author of women's contemporary romance and fiction. The anonymity gives her the perfect opportunity to paint with her full artistic palette, especially in the romance and erotic fantasy genres.

  Find your next Leslie North book visit LeslieNorthBooks.com or choose:

  PS: Want sneak peeks, giveaways, ARC offers, fun extras and plenty of pictures of bad boys? Join my Facebook group, Leslie’s Lovelies!

  BLURB

  Former class nerd, Lucy Carr, comes home with a tantalizing offer for hometown hottie Aiden Harper: she’s developed a natural pesticide that will kill off the spider mites eating his crops, and she’ll give it to him for free…if he agrees to father a child for her. Time is running out to go the traditional route for finding a man, and Lucy wants her baby to be smart AND good in gym class.

  Aiden has put everything he has into his fields of hops, and the award-winning beer he brews with them. But one more year of mites eating half his crops and his family’s farm and legacy—as well as his dreams for his brewery—are going to go under. When Lucy shows up looking hot, and being hailed for her scientific achievements, Aiden is more than a little jealous. He remembers how fun science class was the year they’d been lab partners and how much more enticing Lucy had been than the cheerleaders on the football field. He’d never had the guts to admit his crush in high school—after all, jocks and nerds didn’t mix. Now Lucy has everything, and he’s on the verge of losing it all.