He passed a few people walking dogs or jogging on the path as he walked toward the bench overlooking a small pond where he knew he’d find Becky and the girls.
His hand strayed to the side pocket of his cargo pants and the outline of the black velvet box he’d carried around with him since that morning.
She seemed lost in thought as he approached, her lips moving as if she were talking to her daughters or maybe to her late husband. She’d shared that this was the place she felt closest to Rick, and suddenly Callum felt like an interloper, intruding in a moment where he didn’t belong.
Then Luna, who was leaning forward in the double stroller, spotted him.
“Cawl,” she cried, then shoved a piece of oat cereal into her mouth and lifted her arms toward him.
Sasha pulled the binky out of her mouth to call out to him as well, and Becky met his gaze with a gasp.
“I hope you don’t mind company,” he said as he got closer.
“No,” she whispered and offered a tentative smile.
The girls bounced and clapped and reached for him, like two little baby birds in the nest. “Is it okay if I pick them up?”
“Of course.” Her fingers clasped and released the hem of her faded sweatshirt over and over. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one with a case of nerves.
He unbuckled the girls, lifted them into his arms and then sat next to Becky on the bench.
“I heard you went to visit your parents,” he said as Sasha snuggled into him and Luna patted his cheek. He’d missed not only Becky this week, but her girls, as well. His heart stammered at the thought of getting another chance to be in their lives, hopefully on a permanent basis.
“Just for a night,” she confirmed, then frowned. “How did you hear?”
“I stopped by the pediatric center yesterday.”
“Oh.”
“To see you.”
“I gathered that,” she said with a slight smile.
“You haven’t returned my texts.”
Her gaze softened. “I thought a clean break between us would be easier.”
“Right,” he muttered. “And now here I am intruding on your evening walk.”
“It’s okay, Callum. I’m glad to see you.”
Hope had never played a huge role in his life, but now he grabbed on to the kernel of it, holding it close to his heart like a lifeline. “Were you visiting with Rick?” he forced himself to ask.
“I know it seems silly, but yes. I wanted to talk to him after being with my parents and this is the spot where I come for that.”
“Is anything the matter with your folks?”
She shook her head. “It had been too long since I’ve seen them. I want the twins to know their family.” She reached out a hand and squeezed his arm. “The Fortunes have inspired me, actually. It’s great how close all of you are, even when you live halfway across the country from each other.”
“Family is a gift.” He kissed the top of Sasha’s head. “Until they drive you crazy.”
“Yeah.” She laughed and lifted Luna from his arms. “It was good to see the girls with their grandparents. Hard to tell if we’ll be able to put everything in the past behind us, but I’m glad I made the effort. My mom actually had some great advice about my future.”
A momentary flicker of panic gripped his gut. “Tell me you aren’t moving away from Rambling Rose.”
“No plans for that at the moment.” She adjusted her hold on Luna. “Although Mom doesn’t understand my devotion to this town, and what she said made a lot of sense.”
“It’s your home,” he argued, not wanting Becky to compromise her commitment for anyone. “Rambling Rose is the place you and Rick chose to build a life. Of course you’re dedicated to this town.”
She studied him for a moment. “Believe it or not,” she said, “she wasn’t judging me. That’s what I’d always thought about my parents. I think they’re glad that I’m happy here, but they also want me to know I could make a home anywhere. Rick will always be with me.”
“And with your girls. His love is a part of all three of you.”
“Exactly.” She swiped at her cheek. “You understand.”
“I hope you understand that I’d never try to take his place.” Callum swallowed. Hard. “But I love you, Becky. I should have told you before now, and I’m sorry I hurt you. You were right to call me a coward. You make me want to be brave. I’d do anything for another chance. I promise I won’t mess it up again.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered. “I never want you to think that this town—that anyplace—is more important to me than you.”
He lifted a finger to her lips. “It’s your home, and it’s my home, too. I want to build a life here with you.” He hugged Sasha closer. “With the girls. They will never forget their father, but it would be my great honor to raise them and be as much of a dad as I can be.”
“Do you mean that?” She sniffed and the tenderness in her gaze made his heart melt all over again. “I know you’ve had enough of a burden with taking care of little ones and that—”
“It would never be a burden,” he corrected. “Being a part of the twins’ lives would be the best thing that I could imagine.”
He fished in his pocket for the velvet box. “In fact...”
Becky’s dark eyes widened.
“I hope you’ll excuse me if I don’t get down on one knee,” he said with a chuckle. “Sasha seems to have fallen asleep on my shoulder and I don’t want to disturb her.”
“No knee necessary,” she whispered.
“Becky Averill.” He flipped open the box to reveal the ring he’d chosen at the jeweler’s that morning. It was a round diamond set in a platinum band with two smaller stones flanking the one in the center. “Would you be my wife? I promise to never give up on our love and to spend the rest of my life making you happy.”
Luna cooed out her approval of the ring as she grabbed at it. Becky held her daughter out of reach, then met Callum’s gaze. “Yes,” she told him and it felt like a symphony swelled in his chest.
“There’s something else.” He set the box on the bench and reached in his opposite pocket, taking out a small velvet pouch and handing it to Becky. “I got these for the girls.”
She pulled out the two gold bracelets he’d also chosen at the jewelers. “I love you, Becky,” he repeated. “And I love your daughters. This is my way of telling you that my heart belongs to all three of you.” He shook his head. “You’re crying. Don’t cry.”
“They’re happy tears,” she promised, her voice catching on the last word. “But you better put that ring onto my finger now. I’m not sure I can wait any longer.”
“Then let’s not wait,” he said, plucking the ring from the box and slipping it onto her left hand. “I want us to be a family.”
She leaned in and brushed a kiss across his lips. “Don’t you know we already are?”
For the first time in forever, Callum felt truly at home. He knew in his heart that the joy of this moment would last forever.
Epilogue
“I like seeing you smile.”
Becky turned toward Callum as he parked the truck in front of the Paws and Claws Animal Clinic, so much happiness filling her heart she could almost feel it beating against her rib cage. It was another Texas blue-sky day, the brightness of the sunshine reflecting the glow in her heart.
“You make me smile, Mr. Fortune,” she told him.
“For the rest of our lives, Mrs. Fortune,” he answered.
She glanced down at her left hand and the eternity band that had joined the engagement ring on her finger.
It had been a little less than a week since Callum proposed, and they’d driven to the county courthouse with the twins earlier that morning to exchange their wedding vows.
Some people might question a wh
irlwind courtship and wedding, but Becky didn’t worry any longer about raising eyebrows. The moment Callum had sat down on the park bench with her, any doubts and fears she’d had fled like night shadows chased away by the light of dawn.
She’d felt her late husband’s spirit surrounding them, a quiet whisper of approval that she could move forward and truly love again.
They were a family and had both wanted to make it official as soon as possible. With Callum’s busy schedule, her dedication to the pediatric center and the continuing saga of baby Linus’s future, a simple ceremony felt right.
Callum’s stepmom got them to agree to celebrate with a larger reception once their lives calmed down a bit, although Becky wondered if that would ever happen. She didn’t care. Becoming Callum’s wife, even with no fanfare, fulfilled her in ways she couldn’t have imagined.
They’d driven straight to the vet clinic so they could attend the afternoon’s grand opening celebration and would begin the process of moving Becky and the girls to the ranch later that night.
As Becky opened the passenger door, Marci and David greeted her. Her new mother-in-law enveloped her in a tight hug, whispering words of congratulations into her ear.
“Welcome to the family,” David told her when it was his turn for a hug.
“It makes me so happy to be a Fortune,” she said, and the older man kissed both of her cheeks.
“I’m a grandma,” Marci murmured as Callum put Luna into her arms.
“Gigi,” the girl said with a toothy grin, staring into Marci’s eyes.
“That’s perfect,” the older woman said, blinking back tears. “I’m your Gigi.”
“And you can call me Papa.” David held out his hands for Sasha, who automatically reached for him. Once again, the Fortune charm had worked its magic on Becky’s cautious daughter.
“Papa,” Sasha repeated.
“Uh-oh.” Callum shut the door and placed an arm around Becky’s shoulders, pulling her close. “I have a feeling our girls are going to be spoiled rotten by their Gigi and Papa.”
“Nothing rotten about spoiling our granddaughters.” Marci looked between Becky and Callum. “You’ve made us so very happy.”
Becky nodded, unable to speak around the emotion clogging her throat. The sense of contentment she felt at being a part of the Fortune family almost overwhelmed her.
Callum squeezed her arm. “Let’s go check out the new vet clinic. I’m sure the rest of the family will be champing at the bit to give you a proper welcome.”
“It feels like they already have,” Becky told him. The triplets had arrived yesterday and they’d had a big family dinner at the ranch. It amazed her how warm and gracious every member of Callum’s family seemed to be. They made her feel as if she belonged with them, and she knew that whatever life brought, she could handle it surrounded by that depth of love.
As much as Becky loved Rambling Rose, she’d found her true home with Callum. Gratitude bubbled up inside her along with an abiding joy. Tragedy had marked her but not defined the whole of who she was.
She linked her arm with her husband’s as they headed toward the new building, thrilled to walk toward their future together.
* * *
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Her Right-Hand Cowboy
by Marie Ferrarella
Chapter One
It felt familiar, yet strange.
The closer she came to the sprawling two-story ranch house, the simple five-word sentence kept repeating itself over and over again in Ena O’Rourke’s brain like a tuneless song. Part of her just couldn’t believe that she had returned here after all this time.
She could remember when she couldn’t wait to get away from here. Or rather not “here” but away from her father because, to her then eighteen-year-old mind, Bruce O’Rourke was the source of all the anger and pain that existed in her world. Back then, she and her father were constantly at odds and without Edith, her mother, to act as a buffer, Ena and her father were forever butting heads.
The way she saw it, her father was opinionated, and he never gave her any credit for being right, not even once. After enduring a state of what felt like constant warfare for two years, ever since her mother lost her battle with cancer, Ena made up her mind and left the ranch, and Forever, one day after high school graduation.
At the time, she had been certain that she would never come back, had even sworn to herself that she wouldn’t. And although she wavered a little in the first couple of years or so, as she struggled to put herself through college, she had stuck by her promise and kept far away from the source of all her unhappiness.
Until now.
She swung her long legs out of her light blue sports car and got out. She had sincerely doubted that a man who had always seemed to be bigger than life itself was ever going to die.
Until he did.
Bruce O’Rourke had died as tight-lipped as he had lived, without ever having uttered a single word to her. He had never even tried to get in contact with her. It was as if, for him, she had never existed.
It figured, Ena thought now, slowly approaching the house where she had grown up. Her father hadn’t bothered to get in contact with her to tell her that he was dying. Instead, he had his lawyer summon her the moment he was gone. That way, he hadn’t given her a chance to clear the air or vent her feelings.
He hadn’t wanted to be held accountable.
Because he knew he had driven her away, she thought now, angry tears gathering in her eyes.
“Same old Dad,” she bit off angrily.
She remained where she was for a moment, just staring at the exterior of the old ranch house. She had expected to see it on the verge of falling apart. But apparently her father had been careful not to allow that to happen. He had taken care of the homestead. The house looked as if it was sporting a brand-new coat of paint that couldn’t have been more than a few months old.
She frowned to herself. Bruce O’Rourke took a great deal more care of the house and the ranch than he ever had when dealing with her. Her mother, Ena recalled with a stab of pain, was the only one who could effectively deal with the man. What Edith had advised her on more than one occasion was to just give the man a pass because he was under so much pressure and had so much responsibility on his shoulders. It wasn’t easy, the genteel woman had told her in that soft low-key voice of hers, trying to keep the ranch going.
“So you
kept it going while pushing me away—and what did it get you in the end, Old Man? You’re gone, and the ranch is still here. At least for now,” she said ironically. “But not for long. Just until I can get someone to take it off my hands. And then I’ll finally be done with it, and you, once and for all,” Ena concluded under her breath.
She was stalling. She supposed she was putting off dealing with that oppressive wave of memories that threatened to wash over her the moment she walked through the front door and into the house.
But she knew that she couldn’t put it off indefinitely.
Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and took another tentative step toward the house. And then another until she reached the steps leading up to the wraparound veranda. The place, she recalled, where her mother and father used to like to sit and rock at the end of the day.
As she came to the second step, Ena heard that old familiar creak beneath her foot.
Her father never had gotten around to fixing that. She could remember her mother asking him to see to it and her father promising to “get to it when I have the time.”
“Obviously you never found the time to fix that that, either, did you, Old Man?” she said, addressing the man who was no longer there.
“Is that a Dallas thing? Talking to yourself?” a deep male voice behind her asked.
In the half second that it took Ena to swing around to see who had crept up so silently behind her, she managed to compose herself and not look as if the tall, handsome, dark-haired cowboy behind her had launched her heart into double time.
“Is sneaking up behind people something you picked up while working here?” Ena countered, annoyed.
Her father had had that habit, materializing behind her when she least expected it, usually to interrogate her about where she had been or where she intended on going. And no matter what she answered, her father always sounded as if he disapproved and was criticizing her.
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