Holt Men of Clifton, Montana Book 12

by Susan Fisher-Davis

  “I believe that too. I probably wouldn’t have believed you if you told me then. I would have figured you were just saying that to make me get over you being distant to me.”

  “I won’t do that again, either.” He blew out a breath when the cat curled into a ball by his feet. “I can’t believe you got a cat,” he muttered.

  “Juniper is a wonderful cat.”

  “I hope Buddy likes him and doesn’t want to eat him.”

  “He’d better not,” she exclaimed.

  Holt laughed. “I’m sure they’ll get along.”

  “Do you want a big wedding?” she asked, hoping he’d say no.

  “I want whatever you want.”

  “Well, since we both had big weddings before, how about we just have a small one with our parents, my cousins, Connie, and Owen, and whoever you want to invite.”

  “Sounds good but you do know this is Clifton, right? People will be out in the street wanting to share in our celebration while we’re in the church.”

  She sat up and looked at him. “Are you serious?”

  He chuckled. “Yes, ma’am. It started back when Jake and Becca got married. Whoever wasn’t inside the church was out in the street waiting for them to come out. They’ve done it ever since.”

  She laughed. “I love that. We can have a reception though…it doesn’t have to be fancy but maybe just a big party.”

  “Definitely. I want to tell you something and I don’t want you to think I’m crazy.”

  “All right,” she said then listened to him telling her about the raindrops. Goosebumps rose on her arms. “It was Carolyn.”

  “I think so too. She was giving us her blessing.”

  “I love it.”

  “Let’s get some sleep, darlin’. I haven’t slept much since you left me.”

  “I’ll never leave you again, Holt, I promise.”

  “Happy to hear that, sweetheart. I still can’t believe you got a cat,” he grumbled again, making her laugh. He pulled her tight against him, kissed her lips then fell asleep.

  She was so happy to have this man in her life and she knew he’d love her for the rest of his life as she would him. As she listened to his deep, even breathing, she knew that although he’d always hold Carolyn in his heart, she was willing to share. She snuggled close to him and sighed when his arms tightened around her.

  “Thank you, Carolyn,” Sloane whispered then closing her eyes, she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

  Epilogue

  Holt sat at a table with Preston, Trent, and Reece at Dewey’s as they watched their fiancées out on the dance floor. He chuckled when he saw them singing at the top of their lungs. He couldn’t hear them though because the damn place was packed, and the music was loud.

  “Sometimes I wonder what I’ve gotten myself into with Deidra,” Preston said with a grin.

  “I think we all wonder that about those Gates girls,” Reece said.

  Trent chuckled. “We’ll probably be wondering that until we take our last breath but damn, I do love Delaney.”

  Holt knew what he meant. He loved Sloane so much and he knew damn well that life would never be boring with her. He laughed when the band started playing The Road Less Traveled, a song by Lauren Alaina. Sloane, Deidra, Rissa, and Lanie started bouncing up and down and singing. He shook his head. He never thought he’d love someone so much again and he was looking forward to marrying Sloane.

  He glanced around the table at his friends.

  “I bet I get married before all of you,” Holt said with a grin.

  “Bullshit,” Preston said.

  “I’ll take that bet,” Trent said.

  “Me too,” Reece added.

  “What’s the bet then? Put your money where your mouths are.” Holt smirked.

  “You’re the one who said you’d bet, so what do you want to bet?” Trent sat forward and placed his arms on the table.

  “A hundred dollars,” Holt said.

  “A hundred dollars? Hell, Holt, that’s pocket change to you. Make it a thousand,” Preston said.

  “Deal.” Holt folded his arms and looked at each man. “Do you have your marriage licenses yet?”

  “No, do you?” Reece asked with a smirk.

  Holt grinned. “As a matter of fact, we do.”

  “What?” Reece, Preston, and Trent said at the same time.

  Holt chuckled. “Yep. You slackers. You can pay me cash. I don’t take checks.”

  “How fucking fair is that? You just jerked our chains. No bet,” Reece said as he folded his arms and stared at him.

  “I couldn’t resist. Sloane and I are getting married as soon as we can. We have the license, and we have one hundred and eighty days to get married.”

  “You prick,” Preston muttered. “This is not going to make Deidra happy in the least.”

  Holt laughed along with his friends and agreed that none of the other Gates girls would be happy when they found out that Sloane was beating them to the altar.

  ****

  When the song ended, Sloane and her cousins made their way back to the table and collapsed into the chairs beside their men.

  “I’m getting too old to be out there jumping around,” she said to Holt.

  “No, you’re not. I loved watching you, darlin’.” Holt kissed her temple.

  Sloane sighed then sat up and looked at her cousins.

  “Oh, I forgot! Do you know who owns the Hartland Restaurant?” she asked them and the three of them shook their heads. She looked at Preston and Reece to see them grinning then she glanced at Holt. “Can I tell them?”

  “Sure.” He chuckled.

  “Grant Hunter,” Sloane said with a grin.

  “Grant Hunter?” Deidra asked in shock. “The country singer?”

  “He’s a good friend,” Reece said.

  “Are you fucking kidding me, Maddox? You told me you called a friend to get us in,” Rissa snapped.

  “I did. I called Grant,” Reece said with a grin.

  “That is not funny,” Rissa said as she sat back and folded her arms.

  “I met him,” Sloane said as smugly as she could.

  “What?” Lanie, Rissa, and Deidra said in unison.

  “Yes, one night, Holt and I were there having dinner, and he came in. He’s been in my bakery too.” Sloane laughed at the looks on their faces.

  “You could have told me,” Deidra growled then punched Preston’s arm.

  “And then you would have wanted to meet him and once you had, you would have left me for him.” Preston winked at Deidra.

  “Well, there is that, I suppose,” Deidra said then laughed when Preston pulled her across his lap then kissed her.

  “I can’t believe it,” Lanie said.

  “I’m still pissed at you, Maddox. How dare you not tell me who that friend was?” Rissa muttered as she stared at Reece.

  Sloane watched as Reece pulled Rissa close and kissed her. She pushed at him, but he held her tight until she gave up and laughed.

  “He has such an amazing voice. Why did he retire? I wonder if it had something to do with Kay O’Malley,” Lanie murmured.

  “No clue. That’s his business and no one else’s, but he’s a good friend,” Holt said as he lifted his glass to his lips.

  “They sure were cozy for a while and she’s out touring on her own now. I miss his music,” Sloane said.

  “I do too. I have all of his CDs,” Rissa said.

  “He still writes songs. He just doesn’t perform anymore.” Reece shrugged.

  “But how do you know him?” Deidra asked.

  “Preston and Reece went to school with him. I met him years ago when his father bought a horse from me for him. We hit it off and kept in touch. I’m proud of him. He did what he set out to do. He was one of the biggest country singers out there. I hated seeing him retire but it was his choice,” Holt said.

  “Enough about Grant. Tell them what you told us, Holt,” Preston said with a smirk.

  “I
told them we were getting married and we already have our license.”

  “What?” Deidra, Rissa, and Lanie said in unison again.

  Sloane laughed. “We did get our license already, so we’re beating you to the altar.”

  “That’s not fair,” Deidra said then glared at Preston.

  “Hey, I didn’t do anything, why be pissed at me?”

  “Because we should be getting married before them.”

  “Wait. I got engaged first, so Trent and I should be getting married first,” Lanie said.

  “It doesn’t work like that, Lanie. Holt and I just decided not to wait since it’s not the first time either of us has been married.”

  “Preston was married before,” Deidra exclaimed and pointed her finger at him.

  “See what the fuck you started, James?” Reece growled out.

  Sloane and Holt laughed. She leaned against him and he wrapped his arms around her. When Deidra glared at her, she winked, making Deidra laugh. Sloane picked up her glass and raised it.

  “Here’s to all the Gates girls getting married to the loves of their lives and living happily ever after. We deserve it.”

  Lanie, Deidra, and Rissa tapped their glasses to hers, and then the men did. Everyone was happy for each other. Sloane knew Holt was the man for her and she would love him for eternity. When he kissed the top of her head, she smiled up at him.

  “I love you,” she whispered.

  “I love you too. I always will,” he said.

  Sloane smiled as she looked at her cousins who were still arguing over who was getting married first, along with why their fiancés hadn’t told them they knew Grant Hunter. She didn’t care. As long as she knew Holt loved her, she would be happy. Life was finally good for her. The bakery was doing well, and she had this wonderful man in her life. She decided it had been fate that day Holt ran her off the road. They were meant to meet and fall in love. The Lord works in mysterious ways, as they say…or maybe it was Carolyn who had a hand in it all.

  **The End**

  About the Author

  Susan was born and raised in Cumberland, MD. She moved to Tennessee in 1996 with her husband and they now live in a small town outside of Nashville, along with their two rescued dogs. Although writing for years, it was in 2014 that she decided to submit to publishers and she chose Secret Cravings Publishing. When SCP closed their doors, Susan decided to publish on her own. She is a huge Nashville Predators hockey fan. She also enjoys fishing, taking drives down back roads, and visiting Gatlinburg, TN, her family in Pittsburgh, PA and her hometown. Although Susan's books are a series, each book can be read as standalone books. Each book will end with a HEA and a new story beginning in the next one. She would love to hear from her readers and promises to try to respond to all.

  She would also appreciate reviews if you've read her books.

  You can visit her Facebook page and website by the links below.

  https://www.facebook.com/skdromanceauthor

  www.susanfisherdavisauthor.weebly.com

  susan@susanfisherdavisauthor.com