by Liz Isaacson
He tried to sound less like he was reading from one of his lists, but the fact was, he had the blasted things memorized. “Because of those wants I met with my general manager this week, and I’ll be working much less as he takes over more of the day-to-day tasks. I wanted you to know that. I wanted you to know I’m going to put you first. That is, if you’ll take me back.” He took a step forward and then settled back again.
“Please, Laney,” he said. “Forgive me, and let’s try again.”
Chapter 23
Laney’s heart danced around inside her chest. Graham said such lovely things, and she wanted to believe them all. Especially the part where he said he loved her and wanted to support her.
“Are you going to say anything?” he asked.
Laney blinked, her mind revolving at twice the speed now. “Yes.”
Graham continued to wait, but he looked like he was about to bolt, like it was taking everything inside him to stay and listen.
“I got a loan for the furnace,” she said. “We could’ve kept living in the cabin, but it’s not really meant for long-term habitation.” She filled the teaspoon with vanilla and added it to her frosting mixture.
“I hired Jake because I’m exhausted. I can’t run this ranch on my own.” The words were painful coming out of her mouth, but they hurt less than she’d thought they would. “I don’t put in enough crops, or enough hay to last the winter. So then I’m spending money I don’t have on feed and supplemental hay. If Jake’s here, I can be a mom in the mornings, work around the ranch and house during the day, and Bailey and I go out in the afternoon.”
This past week had been glorious, and a quick smile traveled across her face. “It’s been working out real nice so far.”
“I’m so glad.” His voice sounded like he’d gargled with nails, and she focused on him again. “What’s wrong?”
“I would’ve paid for your furnace. I was going to, I swear. I just got…distracted.” He seemed to fold in on himself and then he sucked in a tight breath. “But that won’t happen again.”
“Graham.” She didn’t mean to infuse so much tenderness into her voice, but it was there, loud and clear. She stepped over to him and cradled his face in the palm of her hand. He leaned into the touch, his eyes drifting closed, and Laney knew in that moment that he truly loved her.
“I love you, too, you know.”
His eyes snapped open, hope bright and beautiful as it shone in his expression. “Yeah?”
Laney grinned. “Don’t act like you didn’t know.”
“Well, all the signs didn’t say so.”
“Oh, so you’re an expert at relationship cues these days?”
He chuckled, his head dipping down in that adorable way he had. “You broke up with me, Laney.”
“It was a very hard decision.” Laney tucked herself into his arms. “But I wasn’t happy. I didn’t like how you’d treated me. And I should get to say those things. Doesn’t mean you have to alter your whole life, but I should get to have my voice heard too.”
“Of course you should. I’m sorry I didn’t call when I said I would.” His large hand rubbed circles on her back, and Laney enjoyed the warmth from his body, the scent of his cologne, the fact that he was hers.
“Can I kiss you now?” he whispered, his mouth already at her ear and then sliding along her neck.
Laney giggled and held onto his broad shoulders as he gazed down at her. “Yeah, all right.”
He growled, a smirk on his face, and then kissed her like he loved her.
“Bailey, someone knocked.” Laney frantically spread another dollop of frosting around the perimeter of the cake. It didn’t look anything like what she’d envisioned, but her daughter didn’t seem to care.
“Graham!” she heard from the front of the house, and Laney’s heart did a happy little flop in her chest. She couldn’t believe he’d rearranged his life for her. Couldn’t believe he loved her. Then his arm came around her waist, and he pulled her into his side with a “Hey, beautiful,” and all her doubts dried up.
“Hey.” She pointed him toward the coffee table in the living room. “Presents over there. Bailey’s friends will be here in a few minutes.”
They’d only invited three girls from school, but they’d all said they’d be there. The sky threatened to open again, but Laney hadn’t received any cancellations yet. She had pizza in the oven, the cake was finished, and even the balloon arch she’d spent the afternoon constructing had stayed up.
“You’re a great mom,” Graham said out of nowhere, and Laney locked eyes with him.
“I’m just doing the best I can.”
“And that’s all any of us can do, right?” He watched Bailey as she tapped on one of the purple balloons in the arch. “I have no idea how to be a dad.”
Laney loved this vulnerable side of him, the way he let his defenses down when it was just the two of them. He’d always been like that; it was why Laney had felt so close to him growing up.
“You’ll figure it out,” she said. “Besides, it’s not like we’re married.”
“Yet.” His gaze bored into hers. “You know I want to marry you as soon as possible, right?”
Fear struck Laney right behind her lungs. “As soon as possible?”
The doorbell rang, and a shadow crossed Graham’s face. “We’ll talk about it later.”
“No,” she said as Bailey skipped down the hall. “Say it right now.”
“I don’t want to ruin the party.”
Laney heard the exclamations and squeals and hurried over to the hallway. All three girls had come together, and she walked down to the door to talk to Allison’s mom. “We’ll be done at eight-thirty,” she said. “I can bring them back to town.”
“Oh, Gina’s going to come get them. She’ll be here at eight-thirty.”
Laney smiled, glad she didn’t have to make a trip into town. “Okay, great.”
“Have fun, girls.” Patricia left, and Laney closed the door, the girls already gone into Bailey’s room.
She returned to the kitchen, where Graham stood in the same spot. “See?” Laney said. “We’ve got time.”
“We’ve talked about having kids,” he said. “And you said you’d think about it. I’m not oblivious to the fact that women can’t have kids forever.” He met her eye, clearly wanting to see her reaction.
Laney had said she’d think about it, and then Mike had come into town. Her furnace had gone on the fritz, and everything had fallen apart.
“No one ever said you were dumb, Graham.” She flashed him a smile. “And I know you want kids.”
“Maybe just one,” he said. “And I could move down here with you and help you run the ranch, and can’t you just see it?” He looked like a kid opening the exact present he’d asked Santa for. “I mean, I can see it.” He cleared his throat and glanced away.
Some of his enthusiasm drifted over to her, and Laney reached up and ran her fingers along the brim of his cowboy hat. Their eyes met again, and she said, “Yes, Graham. I can see a future with you.”
“Then let’s get married,” he said.
“Those things take time to plan.”
“Oh, no, they don’t. We send out a few texts and go down to the courthouse. We could do it on Monday.”
Laney burst out laughing. “Graham, I am not marrying you on Monday.”
Something beastly marched across his face, but he smothered it quickly.
“How about spring?” she asked. “I’m sure the grounds at the lodge will be beautiful then, and that would give me time to get a dress and send proper invitations.”
“Celia can make the cake and all the food.”
“Maybe you should ask her first.” Laney chuckled and shook her head. “It doesn’t need to be grand. Whatever you want. I’ve done it before.”
“Yeah, but not with me.” He grinned at her and added, “I’ll get you a ring and ask you real proper.” He pulled out his phone. “But maybe we should set a date right now.�
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She laughed again and threw herself into his arms to kiss him. It was a sloppy, mismatched kiss, but Laney loved the way she felt with him in her life.
“Pull up May, cowboy.”
“May?” He looked panicked. “That’s four months away.”
“It sometimes snows in May. I want blossoms on the trees.”
He opened his mouth, presumably to argue, then he swiped a few times and say, “It looks like May third is a Saturday. Sounds like a perfect day to get married.”
Laney shook her head. There would still be snow on the ground on May third. “Pencil it in.”
“Oh, not pencil.” He tapped and studied his phone, tapped some more. “It’s in, Laney. Can’t be moved.”
She shook her head and bent to retrieve the pizzas from the oven. “Go call the girls. It’s time to eat.”
But he didn’t move. “I love you, Laney. I want you to have the wedding you want. Tell me what to do to help you, and I’ll do it.”
She hugged him tight, intending to take him up on that offer. “Right now,” she said. “I need you to go call the girls to eat dinner.”
He nodded and went and did as she asked.
The Next Christmas
Graham stepped into the kitchen, the smell of brown sugared ham and butter meeting his nose. “Celia, you’re a miracle worker.” He surveyed the spread of cakes, pies, breads, and salads, his mouth watering.
She trilled out a laugh and nudged him away from the candied meat. “Not until dinner.”
“I’m starving,” he said.
“You think you’re starving?” Laney entered the kitchen, one hand on her pregnant belly. He swept his arms around her and kissed her, his happiness shooting toward the sky.
“Hello, wife,” he said, a smile in his words and on his face. He’d asked her to marry him on Valentine’s Day. Quite romantically, too, in his opinion. He’d taken her and Bailey to a nice restaurant in Jackson Hole and surprised them both with the ring.
They’d gotten married on May third, according to their plans. Mother Nature had been kind, for maybe the first time, and had held off on the snow until the following week. Graham had taken Laney to Spain, and they’d missed the worst of the snow.
He’d paid off her loan, and they’d hired on two more men to help with the ranch that summer. He loved living in her house, with her and Bailey, the dogs, all the horses and cows and chickens.
When he got up in the morning, he didn’t even recognize the man who’d come to Coral Canyon two years ago, and he was very, very happy about that.
Laney had not been able to get pregnant right away, though not for lack of trying. Graham kissed her again and asked, “How’s the baby? How are you feeling?”
“Doing okay today.” She grinned at him though he could tell she wanted to roll her eyes. She’d done that a few times, and Graham hadn’t liked that. He’d finally gotten the courage to tell her he had every right to be concerned about his wife and unborn child, and if wanted to ask how she was, it wasn’t because she was weak or because he thought she couldn’t handle the pregnancy.
They’d had several conversations like that over the months of their marriage, and Graham was glad he’d found someone he could be honest with and forthright about his feelings. She did the same, and Graham had taken a few opportunities to analyze his behavior and modify it to make sure she felt safe, loved, and that she was his top priority. Because she was.
“When are you due again?” Celia asked.
“Not until the end of May.” Laney eased onto a barstool and reached for a cheddar biscuit. Celia did not swat her hand away, and Graham lifted his eyebrows.
“Oh, so she gets to eat before dinner?”
“She can eat whatever and whenever she wants.” Celia gazed at Laney with all the affection of a grandmother. “Are you going to find out if it’s a boy or a girl?”
Laney met Graham’s eye. “I don’t know. Do you want to know?”
“Did you find out with Bailey?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you want to know?”
Laney did roll her eyes then, and Graham snatched a piece of sugared ham. “I want to know,” he said. “But I don’t know when that all happens.”
“I’m just barely out of the first trimester,” Laney said. “So not for another couple of months.”
Someone entered the house through the back door, stamping the snow from his feet. “Woo boy!” Eli whistled and came around the corner from the mudroom. “It is cold out there.”
“Wishing you were back in Bora Bora now, aren’t you?” Graham grinned at his brother. Both he and Andrew were living in the lodge now, but with Graham’s departure for Echo Ridge Ranch, Eli had taken the master bedroom and put Stockton across the hall, with his nanny Meg in the third bedroom in that wing of the house. It was perfect for their situation, and he had a desk in the office with Graham.
Andrew had taken the largest bedrooms downstairs, and it had a big enough area for his office in the corner. He came upstairs sometimes and worked with the other brothers, but sometimes he stayed in the basement, concocting new events to bring more customers to the lodge, writing press releases for Springside Energy, and basically keeping Graham from having to deal with anything related to the media.
“Nah.” Eli took off his hat and shook the snow from it. “I actually like the snow. Stockton is going crazy. Third snowman this week.” Eli grinned, a happy smile that made Graham warm from the inside out.
Eli took off his coat and boots and came into the kitchen, taking a marshmallow treat dipped in caramel. “Celia, I love you.”
“That’s what all the boys say.” She let Eli press a kiss to her cheek before he turned to Laney and Graham.
“How’s the baby?” If anyone was as excited as Graham about having another Whittaker, it was Eli. Stockton had turned six over the summer, and he and Bailey were inseparable around the ranch and lodge.
“Doing great.” Laney put the last bit of biscuit in her mouth. “Graham was just saying he wanted a boy.”
“I was not.”
“Well, I have a great name for him if it’s a boy.” Eli gave them a playful smirk. “Eli is such a strong name, don’t you think?”
Graham shook his head and chuckled. “We’re not naming our baby after you.”
“Why not?”
“I think Laney would like to name a boy after her dad,” Graham said, returning to Laney’s side and rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.
“Or yours,” she said, gazing up at him.
Absolute love poured through him at her statement. He swept a kiss across her temple as Meg came down the hall. Her normally short hair, usually cut into an A-line, had grown out since she’d come to Coral Canyon.
Eli practically jumped toward her, a huge smile on his face. “Hey, Meggy.”
Her smile didn’t come as fast, and Graham watched the two of them with interest. He’d asked Eli if he had any romantic interest in his nanny, but Eli had denied it outright. Still, Graham thought there was some pretty strong sparks there.
“What’s wrong?” Eli asked.
“It’s my mother.” She wrung her hands. “She called and she’s hoping to come here for the holidays.”
Graham couldn’t see his brother’s face, but from the panicked expression on Meg’s, he knew having her mother at the lodge for Christmas wasn’t at the top of her to-do list.
“It’s fine with us,” Graham said. “I mean, I don’t even live here anymore.” Sometimes he forgot that yes, he owned the lodge, but he didn’t actually live in it.
“There’s plenty of room,” Eli said carefully, almost in a hushed tone like he’d rather have this conversation in private.
Meg’s dark, brown eyes searched his. “She doesn’t have anywhere else to go, and now that I’m back in the states….”
Eli reached out and ran his hand from Meg’s wrist to her shoulder, a quick movement, but intimate nonetheless. “Invite her. It’ll be fine.”
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Meg nodded and turned to go back down the hall. Graham averted his eyes so it wouldn’t be so obvious that he’d been watching them like they were the best movie he’d ever seen.
“So what’s going on with you two?” Laney asked, no shame whatsoever.
“Nothing,” Eli said, but his voice definitely held a note of mischief and falseness.
“Right,” Laney said. “Just like I didn’t have a crush on my best friend in high school.”
“And look how that turned out.” Graham put his arm around his wife’s shoulders and grinned at his brother.
“She’s my nanny,” Eli said. “I’m going to go shower.” He left, and Celia clucked her tongue.
“What do you know?” Laney asked.
“Oh, Meg’s liked Eli for a while,” Celia said. “But that man is as stubborn as all the Whittaker’s put together.” She gave Graham a pointed look and said, “I’m going to take a nap before dinner.”
Graham’s mind spun with what he’d just seen and what Celia had said. But he still had the wherewithal to say, “I’ll keep an eye on this ham for you,” as she walked out.
Celia and Laney both laughed, and Graham sent a prayer of gratitude to the Lord for all the beautiful things his life had been filled with since returning to Coral Canyon.
Especially Laney, he thought.
“Oh, I got you something for Christmas,” he said. “Want to come see?”
“How far do I have to go?”
“It’s down at the homestead.”
The look on her face said it all. So he pulled out his phone and swiped to the picture of the cradle he’d had specially made for their bedroom. He showed it to her and said, “So you can have the baby right by us.”
She gazed at the phone and then him. “I love you, you know that?”
