There was so much light and excitement in Ava's eyes nowadays, but still, no words. But Hannah knew they were coming soon. She had a feeling Ava was almost ready.
Maddox patted the rock. "Climb on up, pumpkin. It's time for dessert."
Ava scrambled up the side of the rock with ease, her cheeks flushed with excitement. She plopped down next to Hannah, and helped herself to one of the chocolate chip cookies that Keegan had made for her. Surprisingly, Keegan was a baker, and owned a bakery in town. He'd loved meeting Lissa when he'd been in Wyoming, and the two of them were already plotting an online gourmet bakery.
In a few moments, Maddox finished taking care of the horses, and then climbed up. He looked incredibly sexy in his cowboy hat and boots. He'd traded in his bounty hunting gig for the moment, helping the Harts with the horses. She'd seen light in his eyes that she hadn't seen before when he was working with the horses, and she knew he'd found his way back to what he loved as well. He had already told Chase he'd help out on the ranch when they were back in Wyoming, and she had a feeling that they'd be settling down on the Stockton property before too long.
He sat down next to her and put his arm around her. "Gorgeous evening, isn't it?"
Hannah nodded. "It's so beautiful. I've had the best time here. I can't believe we're going back to Wyoming tomorrow."
Maddox was quiet for a moment. "Do you want to stay here?"
"Stay here?" She looked at him, startled by his comment. "But your family is in Wyoming."
He shrugged. "I like it here, too. Besides, the Stocktons are your family, too. The Harts have made it pretty clear that I'm in with them, so we both have family in both places." He winked at her. "Seems like getting you to love me is the secret ticket to being one of them, which is awesome, because I love your family."
Her heart tightened at his words. "I love them, too," she admitted, words she had never been able to acknowledge, let alone articulate, until Maddox had taught her about love.
"They love Ava, too." He looked over his shoulder. "Ava, sweetheart? What do you think? Do you want to live in Wyoming with the Stocktons, or in Oregon with the Harts?"
She held up two fingers, and both Hannah and Maddox laughed. "You want both?" he asked.
Ava nodded, chocolate chip cookie crumbs decorating her cheeks.
Hannah smiled, and rested her head against Maddox's shoulder. "I want both, too," she said. "Can we do both?"
"Yeah. Both works for me, too. I'd like that." he laughed softly. "Who'd have thought I'd be on board with all this family stuff? But I love it, and I will always love you for bringing all of them into my life, among other reasons, of course." Maddox pressed a kiss to her head. "How are you feeling, sweetie? Happy?"
She nodded. "My heart feels like dancing all the time." She pulled back to look at him. "These last six months with you have been incredible, Maddox. I didn't know what happiness was, until I met you, until you brought us into your family and brought the Harts back to me. I couldn't love them until you taught me how to love." She rested her hand against his whiskered cheek. "I love you so much, Maddox, to the end of time."
He smiled, a tender, wonderful smile that made her heart fill with sunshine. "I love you, too, sweetheart." He looked over at Ava. "And I love you, pumpkin."
Ava tapped her heart with her finger and smiled at him.
Maddox held out his hand to her. "Come here, Ava."
She grabbed another cookie, and then crawled across the rock and snuggled against his side, tucking herself in the crook between Hannah and Maddox. Hannah smiled, and kissed Ava's head, so grateful for how Maddox had also taught Ava to trust and to feel safe again. "It feels so right, the three of us together," she said.
"I agree." Maddox paused for a moment. "Hang on a sec. I'll be right back." He disentangled himself from them, then climbed down the rock to his saddlebags. He fished around in them for a moment, then climbed back up.
This time, however, he didn't sit with them. He knelt in front of them. "Ava, I want you to know that I never thought of having kids until I met you. You changed me. I love you, and I want to be a part of your life every moment, and be there as you grow up, to hold you when you fall, to cheer you when you leap, and to love you every moment."
Hannah's heart tightened, and she felt Ava nestle more tightly against her, the little girl's gaze riveted to Maddox.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jewelry box. "This is for you, pumpkin."
Ava took the box and opened it. Inside was a heart locket. Ava opened it, and Hannah saw it contained a photograph of Maddox and Ava grinning at the camera, both of them covered in brownie batter from a kitchen food fight they'd had just before leaving Wyoming. They were both laughing so hard, their joy so vibrant that it was almost tangible. The love and joy in the picture was electric, and it perfectly summed up the bond between the two of them.
"Ava, hon." Maddox cleared his throat, his warm gaze steady on the little girl. "That locket is my promise to you that I will always be there for you. I want to be your dad. Will you be my daughter?"
Hannah's throat tightened, and tears burned.
Ava stared at him solemnly for a long time, then she nodded. "Yes."
Yes? Hannah gasped, and Maddox's eyes widened. He looked at Hannah, and she saw her own tears reflected in his eyes. Ava had spoken. After a year of silence, Ava was finally back, and she'd come back for Maddox.
He recovered more quickly than Hannah did, and he held out his arms. Ava jumped into his arms, clinging to him. "I love you, Maddox," she whispered.
Maddox hugged her back. "I love you, too, Ava."
Ava pulled back. "Can I call you Dad?"
He nodded, his face so alive with joy that Hannah knew she'd never stop crying. "You bet." He kissed her forehead. "There's one thing, though. I think we need your mom's okay."
Ava grinned at Hannah. "Mom, is it okay if Maddox is my dad?"
Mom. Ava had called her Mom. Oh, God. The tears wouldn't stop now.
"Wait. I want to ask her." Maddox tucked Ava on his hip and faced Hannah. "Hannah, these last six months with you have made me happier than I knew was possible. I love you more every minute. My entire soul settles whenever you are near, whenever I hear your voice, or brush against you. My life was darkness before I met you, and it has all changed. Every day, the sun shines brighter. I know I've got flaws, but if there's any way that you can put up with them..." He paused, reached into his pocket, and pulled out another jewelry box.
A ring box.
He flipped it open, revealing a gorgeous, sparkling diamond set in a platinum band. It was breathtaking. Breathtaking. "Will you marry me, Hannah? Will you be my wife, and let me be your husband?"
Elation flooded her. This time, she felt no fear. Just joy, more joy than she had ever felt in her life. Love. Happiness. Hope for a future that was more than she could ever have imagined, even six short months ago. There was no doubt in her heart, not even the tiniest whisper. Her soul knew the answer, and so did her heart. "Yes," she whispered. "Yes, Maddox, of course, I'll marry you."
He let out a loud whoop, then leaned over and kissed her, a deep, beautiful, passionate kiss that she knew was the first of many, many to come. Ava shrieked with laughter and wrapped her arms around Hannah's neck, almost knocking Hannah off balance. But before either of them could fall, Maddox wrapped his arms around both of them, anchoring them together, being their strength, their comfort, and their joy.
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Sneak Peek: A Real Cowboy Never Walks Away
She tried.
She really tried not to be so aware of him.
But there wa
s no way for Lissa McIntyre to ignore the man sitting at her counter.
When he'd first walked into the café, she'd been a little unnerved by the sheer size of him. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and wore his leather duster as if he were an outlaw from the Old West, owning every joint he walked into. His dark brown hat was low over his eyes, casting his face into shadows, and he moved as if every muscle in his body was primed and ready to pounce...on her.
She never dated. She was careful not to even look at a man in a way that might make him think an overture would be welcome, especially not when she was working and had a café full of cowboys. Men were trouble, dangerous, and a threat to everything that mattered to her, which was a very short list.
And yet, the moment he'd raised his head and looked at her, she'd felt herself falling into the depths of his steely blue eyes. He was pure male, loaded with testosterone. His clothes were old and worn. He was soaking wet. And...God...she couldn't lie. He was insanely, irresistibly sexy. Sensual. Tempting. Every word she would never dare apply to a man had been rushing through her mind for the last hour.
He hadn't said much, except to ask for a refill on his coffee and to thank her each time she refilled his water, but the way he spoke made chills rush down her spine. His voice was deep, almost melodic, filling her with a longing so intense that she wanted to sit down on the stool next to him, prop her chin up on her hands, and ask him to just talk for a while so she could lose herself in the magic of his voice.
Before he'd arrived, she'd been feeling sorry for herself, dreading festival week, and all the chaos and long hours it brought with it. If she didn't need the money, she would shut down for the week and take Bridgette to all the events. Instead, she'd had to pawn her daughter off on her amazing neighbor, Martha Keller, who had become the grandmother that Bridgette would never have. Martha was the one taking Bridgette to all the events of festival week, while Lissa worked. Of course, it would be worth it when her bank account had enough money in it to make it through another slow winter, but on the first night, she always felt cranky, wondering how she'd ended up with this as her life.
But when her counter cowboy had shown up, he'd been a welcome distraction, drawing her out of her negative thinking and into the present. He made her think of a time when she'd thought life was full of opportunity and sunshine, before everything had crashed down around her. Plus, a little eye candy always made a girl's day brighter, right?
The door jangled again, and she grimaced when she saw another group of competitors from the rodeo walk in. She was already at max capacity, and the crowd was getting boisterous and impatient with the slow service. Even if Katie was here, it would have been tough to keep up, but alone? It was impossible, and she knew it. It wouldn't take much for word to get out about the Wildflower Café to the rest of the tourists and competitors. If tonight was a bust, no one would be coming back this week. Fear rippled through her at the thought of losing all that income. She desperately needed a profitable week. Desperately.
"Hey." Her counter cowboy waved at her.
She hurried over to him, grabbing her water pitcher as she went. Sweat was trickling down her spine, but she knew she had to find a way to go even faster. "What's up?"
"You got anyone in the kitchen watching those burgers while you're out here?"
She spun around. "Why? Are they burning?" She couldn't afford to burn them. Her customers had already been waiting too long. "I'll go check--"
He stopped her with a hand on her forearm.
She froze, her belly flipping over. His hand wrapped all the way around her arm easily, but his touch was gentle, so gentle that she knew he wasn't trying to trap her. She could pull away if she wanted...but she didn't want to. "What?"
He gestured at the café. "There's no way you can handle this alone. Want help?"
"Help?" She blinked at him. "Who? You?"
"Yeah. I can cook." He still had his hand on her arm. "I'm too antisocial and bitter to socialize with the public, so I'm not waiting on tables, but I'll flip some burgers."
God, she needed help. There was no way she could manage both the customers and the cooking by herself tonight. A part of her wanted to throw herself over the counter, hug him fiercely, and then put him to work....but there was no way. "I really appreciate the offer, but I don't even know you. I can't have a stranger in my kitchen, but thanks." She started to turn away, but he tightened his grip on her arm.
Her breath caught, and she looked at him. "Yes?"
He hesitated, emotions warring on his face. For a long moment, he said nothing, and she frowned, turning back to face him. "What is it?"
He flexed his jaw, his blue eyes fixed on her face. "You're new to town, right?" he finally said. "You didn't grow up here, did you?"
She blinked at the random question. "I've been here eight years. Why?"
Again, a long moment of silence, as if he were waging some massive internal debate about whether to speak. She leaned forward, her curiosity piqued while she waited.
Finally, he met her gaze. "You know Chase Stockton?" His voice was low, as if he didn't want anyone else to hear.
"Chase?" He was all worked up about Chase? "Of course. He comes in here once a week. He supplies my pies when I don't have time to bake them. Why?" But even as she asked it, his penetrating blue eyes took on new meaning. She'd seen eyes like his before. Exactly like them...on Chase. "You're related to him, aren't you? One of his brothers? Aren't there like nine of you or something?"
His face became shuttered, but he didn't pull away. "Yeah." He said nothing else, waiting, watching her face.
"Oh, wow." Relief rushed through her. Chase was one of the nicest guys she'd ever met. Yes, he was intimidating, but there was a kindness beneath the surface that was true and honorable. He'd helped her out on more than one occasion, and she adored his wife, Mira. She'd met his brothers, Steen and Zane, a couple times, and the loyalty between the brothers was amazing. Everyone in the family was incredibly kind, despite the fact that the men were tall, broad-shouldered, and more than a little intimidating when they walked into a room. "Which brother are you?"
He raised his eyebrows, still watching her warily. "Travis."
"Travis Stockton." She frowned, trying to remember if she'd heard anything about him, but she didn't think she had. No matter. The fact he was Chase's brother was enough, given the level of her desperation right now. "Well, if you're as good a guy as Chase, then I trust you in my kitchen."
Surprise flashed across his face. "Really?"
She hesitated. "Why? Is there something about you I shouldn't trust?"
He paused, looking hard at her. "I'm completely fucked up in a lot of ways," he said, his voice hard, almost warning her. "People in this town don't like me."
She raised her brows at his defensiveness. His face was dark and almost angry, and his fingers had tightened around her arm. Her heart turned over, and she wanted to hug him, because she knew what it felt like to suffer under a town's disdain. It was a brutal, horrible way for a child to grow up, and the scars never went away, no matter how hard one tried. "Well, townspeople suck sometimes."
He blinked. "What?"
She shrugged. "Does the fact that they don't like you mean I can't trust you in my kitchen?"
He stared at her for a long moment, then shook his head once. "No. It doesn't."
Of course it didn't. "Then please, please, please help me out tonight. I'm desperate."
A grin flashed across his face then, a smile that was so genuine that her chest tightened. "I'm on it." He slid off the stool. "Give me the ninety second tour, and then I'll be good."
As he stood up, she realized how tall he really was. He towered over her, taller, wider, and so much stronger than she was. He was gritty and tough, a man who wouldn't stand down from anything. She hesitated for a split second, suddenly nervous. Her kitchen was her sanctuary, her world, the only thing that had saved her eight years ago. Having Travis in there felt dangerous, like she was turning over her fo
undation to someone she barely knew--
He shoved open the kitchen door and disappeared inside, not waiting for a second invitation.
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Sneak Peek: Her Rebel Cowboy (Rodeo Knights, A Western Romance)
So, yeah, apparently there was a reason why people read novels instead of actually trying to experience the life they were reading about.
Because fantasies had no place in real life. Ever.
Especially fantasies that involved romantic, soul-enriching excursions to ranch country out west.
Noelle had been dreaming about cowboys and the Wild West since she was a kid, and not a single one of those fantasies included driving her rental car off the road and into a flooded ditch during a thunderstorm. Granted, she'd been driving slowly when she'd hit the brakes to avoid a coyote, and the slide down the embankment had been gentle and danger-free, but that didn't change the fact that her car wasn't getting back on the road by itself. And the part about not having any cell service? Yeah, that hadn't made it into even a single fantasy, and for good reason apparently.
Because it kind of sucked.
Noelle sighed, resting her wrists on the steering wheel as she watched the rain hammer onto her windshield. The din of pounding rain sounded like a herd of cattle stampeding across her metal roof, which, again, wasn't exactly how she'd envisioned her first cattle experience.
She'd been sitting in her car for two hours and six minutes, and not a single car had driven by. Not one. She was on some dirt road, not that far from her destination, and apparently, none of the other residents of Eastern Oregon had any business along this particular stretch of road.
So, yay for finding a place where she wasn't going to be harassed by having to deal with people, right? Go her.
She glanced at the dashboard on her car. Almost seven o'clock. It would be getting dark soon, and she so didn't want to spend the night here. She looked again at her directions. How much farther could the ranch be? She was almost there. She could sit there in the car until someone found her clean-picked skeleton, or she could use her body that she was lucky enough to have, and hike the rest of the distance.
A Real Cowboy Loves Forever (Wyoming Rebels Book 5) Page 21
