~Seth~
“I don’t get a lot of uninterrupted sleep since I met you,” Remi says with a frown as she rolls over in bed. “It’s pathetically early. I know it’s Christmas, but you have to be past the age of waking up in the middle of the night to see if Santa came.”
I grin at her. God, she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Even when she’s scowling at me for waking her.
“It’s not the middle of the night,” I inform her. “It’s six. I’ve been up for an hour.”
“Do we have to go to the big house this early?”
“We’re not going over there yet,” I reply and kiss her soft cheek. “Just get dressed. You’ll see what’s up soon enough.”
She sits and stretches her arms up over her head. The covers fall, revealing her stellar breasts.
“Nope, you’re not going to distract me with sex.”
She grins. “I tried. Okay, fine. I’ll be ready in ten.”
True to her word, we’re soon off in my truck, headed toward the barn. Once inside, I spot Louie ready for us, Magic’s reins in his hands.
“What’s this?” Remi asks with a frown.
“You’ll see,” I repeat. “Thanks, Louie. I’m sorry to do this to you on Christmas morning.”
“Don’t you worry ‘bout me. Here’s your coffee and a little something your mama sent down for you.” He winks at me. “Have fun.”
“There’s only one horse saddled up,” Remi says after Louie has gone.
“We’re going together,” I inform her and help her into the saddle and then swing on behind her, cuddling her close. “We have coffee, and it looks like Mom made huckleberry muffins.”
“Oh, gimme,” she says and bites into one as Magic walks us out of the barn. “They’re still warm. This is a nice new Christmas tradition. Good thing we bundled up, it’s damn cold out here.”
I smile and kiss her hair. My girl can talk, and I love it. The sky is just starting to lighten, and we can make out the outline of the mountains in the distance. The timing is going to be absolutely perfect.
When we’re less than half a mile from our destination, I start to talk, breaking the stillness.
“I’ve heard this story for most of my life,” I begin. “How my uncle and my dad brought Aunt Cara and Mom out here like this to watch the sunrise. There’s a particular spot over here that is just amazing, especially at this time of day.”
“It’s so still. So quiet,” she murmurs. “As if the snow has hushed everything.”
It’s my favorite time of year—when the world is quiet and chilly.
The snow brightens a bit as the sun starts sending pink and purple into the sky. As we pass the cemetery, I notice a white owl perched on my grandpa’s headstone, watching us with round, wise eyes.
Something tells me, deep down, that my grandpa is here, and that he approves of what I have planned this morning.
I urge Magic to stop just about ten yards from the special tree, and we sit in silence as we watch the sun come up over the mountains.
“Wow,” Remi says. “Merry Christmas, babe.”
I bury my nose in her hair and breathe her in. “Merry Christmas. I have something else to show you.”
She turns back to look at me. “More?”
“Over here.” Magic takes us closer to the tree, and I point to the freshly carved heart with initials inside.
S.K.
R.C.
“Oh, Seth.”
“I was happy here, before you.” Remi turns on the horse until she’s fully facing me. “I knew that I’d be here forever, working this land, caring for the animals here and up in the park, and I never wanted anything more than that. Before you.”
I take her hand and kiss it.
“This ranch, and the people on it, saved me, Remi. It’s my safe place. But something was always missing, and I didn’t even realize it. Someone. You arrived, and it was as though a missing puzzle piece just clicked into place. You are the best part of my life, and I hope that you’ll agree to stay here, with me. Make a family here, and help me carry on the legacy that Clifford King started all those years ago. Will you marry me, Remi?”
A tear slips down her sweet cheek, but she doesn’t wipe it away. She presses her lips closed, and then she smiles and nods. “Of course, I will. I love it here on the ranch so much. I love your family. But more than any of that, I love you. Every bit of you, the dark places, and the funny ones. I’m a better person for knowing you, Seth King.”
I kiss her forehead softly, overcome with emotion and love.
And then, I pull back to offer her the ring my grandmother gave me last week.
“This was my great-grandmother’s ring,” I say, holding it in the golden sunlight on this incredible Christmas morning. “It’s a Montana sapphire, and I had a halo of diamonds added to it.”
“Holy shit, Seth, this is stunning.”
“I hope it fits.”
When I slide it on, it’s a perfect fit.
“Thank you. I’ll treasure it always.”
“You’re welcome.” The kiss is slow and lingering, and finally, I adjust Remi back into the saddle so we can ride back to the house to celebrate Christmas with the family.
When we ride past the cemetery, the owl is still there on my grandpa’s headstone.
Don’t worry, Gramps. I’ll take care of everything. I’ve got this.
The bird of prey hoots and then flies away, gliding in front of us before disappearing into the trees.
“Did you see—?”
“Yeah. I saw him.”
“Is everyone up this early?” Remi asks when we walk from the barn to the big house to join the others for Christmas.
“They’ve been up for a while,” I reply with a smile. “I told them not to wait for us for the whole present-opening thing. The kids might revolt.”
“Good idea,” she says with a laugh and follows me up the back steps of the house. I walk in without knocking.
No one’s in the kitchen.
That’s unusual, but not unheard of, given that it’s Christmas.
“They’re probably in the living room.” Hand in hand, we walk through to the formal living room where Mom likes to put her Christmas tree, but they’re not there, either.
“Seth.”
I glance down, and Remi points out the window, where the whole family, including Ty, Lauren, and Layla, are currently engaged in a massive snowball fight.
In their pajamas.
“This is the year for new traditions,” I say with a wink, and we hurry outside to join them.
“Insurgents,” Dad yells, and everyone turns to us. But Remi and I hold our own. Before long, the entire family has collapsed in the snow in a fit of giggles.
“What in the hell brought this on?” I ask as I lie in the snow and try to catch my breath.
“We had to find something to do until you and Remi arrived,” Mom says as she helps Cara to her feet. “So, I declared a snowball fight.”
“I creamed her,” Troy announces. “It was awesome.”
“And you’re engaged,” Cara says as I stand. She walks to me and cups my face in her hands, her eyes shining with tears. I lean down to kiss her cheek, and she whispers in my ear. “I told you, all those years ago, that you deserve this, my sweet boy.”
I can’t help it. I just hug her to me and lift her off her feet. “Thanks for always being my safe person.”
“Until the day I die,” she confirms.
And then we’re surrounded by family. The girls all want to ooh and ahh over Remi’s ring, even though they’ve seen it before.
“I’m going to start breakfast,” Gram says with a wink to me. “Let’s get out of this cold. Who wants pancakes?”
“Me,” the boys reply, raising their hands and scurrying after Gram.
Remi and I are the last to walk inside. “You’re sure you want to sign on for this craziness?”
“Are you kidding? This is the adventure of a lifetime.”
Epilogue
~Remi~
Nine Months Later
* * *
“I can’t believe we’re finally at the glacier.” I take a sip of my water and stand next to my husband as we take it all in. It’s damn windy up here, and there are critters I’ve never seen before, but the scenery is just to die for. “Look at those rock formations.”
“Glaciers do incredible things to the landscape,” he agrees and chews on his protein bar. “It’s a great day for it.”
“I’m glad we waited until later in the season.” I watch as a white mountain goat picks his way along the side of a cliff. “It’s the end of August, and it’s still cold up here.”
“It’s never hot up here. Not really.” Seth wraps his arm around my shoulders and gives me a squeeze. “Besides, we were busy planning a wedding, and the ranch was crazy this summer.”
“I love that we got married out by the tree.” I smile up at him. “With all of those hearts and initials nearby. Your mom and Cara spent hours hanging flowers from the branches, and your dad insisted that he should mow the field.”
“They all worked their asses off,” he says with a nod. “It went off without a hitch. Because you planned it perfectly.”
“I’m a planner,” I remind him with a laugh. “So, if we kept going that way, where would we end up?”
He spends the next twenty minutes explaining what connects where in the park. I’ve learned that although Glacier National Park is big, the trails connect in all kinds of crazy ways.
If you want to hike more than twenty miles, that is.
And there was a time that I would have jumped at the chance.
But something tells me that this will be my last hiking season for a while.
“I have news,” I say before we start back down to the chalet, where we decided to spend the night.
“Oh?” He raises a brow. “What’s up?”
“Well, there’s going to be a new King in the family in about seven months.”
He blinks, and then his eyes drop to my stomach. “You’re pregnant?”
“Yep.”
“For sure this time?”
“Yes, you idiot.” I laugh as he picks me up in a hug and twirls me around.
“Wait, why did we hike up here? That’s too much, Rem.”
“My doctor said it was okay. Really.”
“Okay, if Hannah said it was safe, I guess it’s all right. But this is it.”
I grin. “I thought you’d say that. I’m okay with shorter hikes. I’m pregnant, Seth, not disabled. I just won’t overdo it.”
He takes my hand and pulls me to him. Kisses me. “I love you, Rem.”
“I love you, too, handsome. You’re gonna be a daddy.”
His skin goes a little green, and I smile.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be fun. An adventure.”
“Right.” He nods slowly. “And we have help.”
“So much help,” I agree. “We can’t screw this up.”
His face softens. “Can we name it Jeffrey if it’s a boy?”
“I like that. What if it’s a girl?”
He chews on his lip and looks out over the glacier before us. “Would you be upset if I suggested Carolina? Maybe we can call her Lina for short so we don’t confuse the two of them.”
“I’d have been surprised if you didn’t suggest it.” I link our fingers and lean on his biceps as we watch an eagle soar above the valley below, then take a deep breath. “It’s the way it should be.”
Did you love Seth’s story, and want to see where it all began? You can do just that and pick up LOVING CARA, the first book in the Under the Big Sky saga!
https://www.kristenprobyauthor.com/under-the-big-sky
Do you love small town romance? Well, coming in 2022 is an all new series to love from Kristen Proby! Set in the coastal town of Huckleberry Bay, comes LIGHTHOUSE WAY, the first in an epic new series about three best friends, a local legend, and finding love on the stunning Oregon Coast!
https://www.kristenprobyauthor.com/lighthouse-way
* * *
Luna Winchester’s life is firmly entrenched in the coastal town Huckleberry Bay, Oregon. A fourth-generation light keeper, Luna is carrying on the Winchester tradition by tending to the lighthouse. Plus, she’s opening her new B&B, Luna’s Light, on the property. Surrounded by family and her two childhood best friends, her life is full.
Wolfe Conrad is in hiding, and he’s come to Huckleberry Bay to heal. A career ending accident on the track nearly took his life, and now he seeks refuge to try and build a new one. The quaint town’s slowpoke rattles the man who’s first love is fast cars — and then there’s the beautiful innkeeper, who rattles him in different ways.
Falling in love with Luna definitely isn’t part of Wolfe’s plan. Local legends that tell of unrequited love and despair? Unbelievable. But stranger things have happened, like two strangers falling in love…
About the Author
Kristen Proby has published more than sixty titles, many of which have hit the USA Today, New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists.
* * *
Kristen and her husband, John, make their home in her hometown of Whitefish, Montana with their two cats and dog.
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Shelter: A Heroes Of Big Sky Novel Page 17
