One Tall, Dusty Cowboy

by Stella Bagwell

  Laughter bubbled from her as she wound her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly. Then finally she eased her head back and looked at him with all the love that was bubbling in her heart. “I wouldn’t change it or you for anything. But I would like to know what kind of magic your father worked on you.”

  A clever smile touched his lips. “Let’s just say he made me see that I didn’t want you to be anybody’s wife but mine.”

  He took the ring from its case and slipped it onto her finger. “So you want to tell me what happened to turn your thinking around?”

  Her eyes full of love, she cradled her palm against his cheek. “Let’s just say I suddenly understood how very, very precious you are to me.”

  He slanted her a grin. “So you think you can put up with a dusty cowboy who puts too many long hours in the saddle?”

  “I can. Do you think you can put up with a nurse who cares too much for her patients?”

  “The fact that you’re a nurse who cares too much only makes me love you more, Lilly. And I promise I’ll never let my job get in the way of our love.”

  She pressed a kiss upon his cheek. “And I’ll never let my job come before you or our children, my darling.”

  His expression turned serious. “Do you think you’ll like living in the ranch house?” he asked. “You might not want to be stuck in a house full of men. If you want I can build another house. We—”

  She stopped his words with a gentle finger to his lips. “Rafe, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere but in the ranch house. I’ve always wanted to be surrounded by a big, loving family. And being near Bart will be a special treat. We’re going to be happy,” she promised. “Together. For the rest of our lives.”

  He looked at her for long, tender moments then suddenly jumped to his feet. “Come on,” he urged as he tugged her up from the wooden bench. “Let’s go to the ranch and tell everybody we’re getting married!”

  “It’s getting late, Rafe! Everyone will be in bed!” she exclaimed as he hustled her out of the chapel.

  “Then we’ll get them out of bed. I can’t wait to see the look on Dad’s face when he hears the news.”

  Smiling broadly, she admitted, “Well, I would like to see Bart’s reaction.”

  Rafe chuckled. “He’s going to be jealous.”

  “No, he’s going to be happy,” she told him. “And so will we—be happy—for the rest of our lives.”

  They stepped through a pair of glass doors and onto the sidewalk. The clear night sky was twinkling with stars and as Lilly looked in the direction of the Silver Horn, she wrapped her arm around Rafe’s. Their love, their life together was only beginning and the future couldn’t look more beautiful than it did at this moment.

  Epilogue

  “Look at her face. If she had wings she’d look just like a little cherub.”

  The comment came from Finn as he peered into the ruffled bassinet at his six-week-old niece, Colleen Claudia Calhoun. Rafe and Lilly’s daughter had been christened earlier that morning at Our Lady of Sierra, the same church where they had wed only a little more than eleven months ago.

  Throughout most of the afternoon, the Silver Spur ranch house had been full of friends and relatives who’d shown up to celebrate the happy occasion. But the long, August day was coming to a close and most of the visitors had departed. Now Colleen, as everyone called the baby girl, was getting the full focus of attention from her doting family.

  Standing on the opposite side of the bassinet, Rafe had Lilly hugged close to his side as they all gazed down at the wide-awake baby dressed in soft white lace. Her eyes were gray like her father’s, while the sparse bit of hair on top of her head was golden-blond like her mother’s. For the special event today, Lilly had attached a tiny white bow with a pink rosette to the little curls. Each time Rafe looked at his daughter, his heart brimmed with so much love and pride, he was very nearly overcome with emotion.

  “She might look like a cherub,” he said to Finn, “but when she’s having one of her crying fits she’s louder than a braying donkey.”

  “Rafe!” Lilly laughingly scolded. “Colleen is going to love hearing that her daddy once compared her to a donkey!”

  From a nearby easy chair, Clancy teased, “She inherited her loud mouth from you, brother.”

  “Be glad she’s got a loud mouth,” Finn said. “That way she won’t have any trouble telling the boys to get lost.”

  “That isn’t going to be a problem,” Rafe joked. “I’m not going to let her date until she’s thirty.”

  Finn laughed. “Good luck, brother. I expect you’ll be letting her drive into town by the time she’s sixteen.”

  “Not in a sports car and only if her mother or father is with her,” Rafe assured him.

  Finn and Clancy were still laughing at their brother’s overly protective plan when Bart walked over and promptly scooped the baby into his arms.

  “Quit fussing over her like she’s Calhoun property,” he scolded his grandsons. “It’s time I take her outside and show her what she’s going to inherit someday.”

  As Bart walked away with the baby, Finn looked over at Rafe and rolled his eyes. “Calhoun property? He thinks little Colleen is his.”

  Rafe and Lilly both laughed. Their daughter’s arrival had changed both their lives in so many amazing and wonderful ways. The baby had also twisted a house full of bachelors around her tiny finger. There was a sense of renewed joy in the Silver Horn ranch house now, and Rafe couldn’t thank God enough for bringing Lilly into his life.

  “We wouldn’t want it any other way,” Rafe said fondly. “Colleen has given him another purpose besides making money.”

  “So when can we expect little Colleen to get a baby brother?” Finn asked coyly. “We need another foreman coming up in the ranks.”

  Lilly released a good-natured groan. “Give us time, Finn.”

  “That’s right,” Rafe said pointedly. “A thing like that requires plenty of hard work and losing lots of sleep.”

  While Finn let out a loud, lusty laugh, a grinning Rafe urged Lilly toward the same door where Bart had exited with the baby.

  “Let’s go outside and see how our little princess likes surveying her kingdom,” he said to his wife.

  Outside on the patio, Rafe held Lilly close to his side, while across the way, Bart stood at the yard fence with baby Colleen safely ensconced in the crook of his arm.

  “She’s quiet,” Lilly remarked. “She must be enjoying the stories her great-grandfather is telling her.”

  Rafe fondly watched on as Bart moved farther down the fence, then paused to point to the big red horse barn where most of the foals were born.

  “I’ll tell you what he’s doing,” Rafe said wryly. “He’s promising her a pony of her own. Among other things. We’re going to have a hell of a time keeping him and Dad from spoiling her rotten.”

  “Oh, I’m sure we’ll manage to keep her grounded enough.”

  “Looking at him now, it’s impossible to tell that Gramps ever suffered such a severe stroke. God blessed him by giving him you for a nurse.”

  She looked up at him, her brown eyes sparkling with affection. “He also blessed me by bringing me here,” she said, then chuckled softly. “I’ll be honest. At first I wasn’t sure about taking on the role of Bart’s therapy nurse. I thought I’d probably be walking into a den of male lions.”

  He grinned. “And what do you think now?”

  Her arm tightened against the back of his waist. “That you’re all a bunch of lambs.”

  “Don’t let that get out,” he said with a laugh. “You’ll ruin the tough Calhoun reputation.”

  Sighing, she rested her cheek against his arm. “The christening was beautiful. And I’m so glad that Marcella and her two boys came out here to the ranch to help us c
elebrate this afternoon. I don’t get to see her nearly as much now that the two of us are no longer working the emergency unit.”

  “Well, your lives are changing. Since she adopted Peter, she has two boys to care for. And you have me and Colleen to corral.”

  “And that’s a task I dearly love,” she assured him.

  “So you’re not disappointed about giving up your job at Tahoe General to work part-time at Lakeside Clinic?”

  “Not in the least,” she said, then straightening away from his arm, she cast him a pointed look. “Today at the church when Father O’Bannon took Colleen in his arms, I looked at you and wondered how you really felt about us having a child so soon after we got married. Maybe I shouldn’t have quit my birth control so soon—but I thought it would take a few months before my body would even think about getting pregnant. Instead, it was a few weeks. In fact, I’m pretty sure Colleen was conceived when you took me on that ride to Eagle’s Ridge to show me that beautiful spot you’d discovered. Remember?”

  His grin was slow and suggestive. “Every minute of it, my sweet wife. Just thinking about it now makes me want to carry you inside to our bedroom. But as for you getting pregnant so quickly—I wouldn’t change that at all. You and our daughter mean more to me than anything. And I happen to think Finn has a good idea. I want more babies to go with Colleen. That is, if you’re willing to give them to me.”

  Looping her arm through his, she squeezed it tight. “I couldn’t deny you anything, Rafe. But we might consider stopping after four or five more babies. Otherwise, the ranch house might get crowded.”

  Laughing, Rafe gestured toward his grandfather. “Do you think for a minute that Gramps wouldn’t build more rooms? He views his great-grandchildren as the future of the Silver Horn. Sassy and Jett’s son and little Colleen have given new meaning to his life.”

  Her happy gaze lingered on Bart and their daughter. “I think you’re right. And I think having a grandchild has even helped my mother learn about loving.”

  “Hmm. I’m glad your parents were here today. And they seemed happy enough,” Rafe commented. “Your mother was right in not going through with the divorce.”

  “She has a long way to go, but she’s trying to be less demanding and more understanding,” Lilly admitted.

  “Speaking of parents,” Rafe said, “I was more than surprised to see that Dad had invited Noreen Moreland to attend the christening with him.”

  Lilly looked at him with surprise. “I thought she was only a business associate.”

  “What sort of business would Dad have with the Deputy District Attorney of Carson County? Other than the kind a red-blooded man has with a beautiful woman.”

  A thoughtful smile crossed Lilly’s face. “Actually, now that I think of it, she was very attractive.”

  “Kind of young for him, though, don’t you think?”

  Lilly rose up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Age has nothing to do with love.”

  Groaning with contentment, he pulled her into the tight circle of his arms and lowered his mouth to hers. “But it has everything to do with us. Thank you, my sweet wife, for teaching me that.”

  “You were a stubborn student,” she whispered against his lips. “But you finally came around.”

  “Yeah. And I’m going to stay around.” He eased his head back to give her a naughty grin. “By the way, did I tell you that I ran across another beautiful spot on the ranch that I want to show you?”

  Happy laughter tinkled out of Lilly, and across the yard Bart smiled smugly at the baby in his arms.

  * * * * *

  One Calhoun man down and more to go!

  Don’t miss the next MEN OF THE WEST

  when Clancy finds his match!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from SMALL-TOWN CINDERELLA by Stacy Connelly.

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  Chapter One

  “To the newlywed and the two brides-to-be,” Debbie Mattson said as she raised her margarita to her friends. “May you always be as lucky in life as you have been in love.”

  Darcy Dawson, the bachelorette of their party, lifted her green-apple martini. “To luck and life and love,” she echoed.

  The four women—Debbie, Darcy, Sophia Pirelli Cameron and the newest member of the group, Kara Starling—had gathered at The Clearville Bar and Grille for Darcy’s final send-off as a single woman. The rustic bar was a favorite locale for tourists and townies alike with its flat-screen televisions for the sports lovers and small dance floor for music lovers. Had Debbie been in charge of the bachelorette party, she might have tried for something a little more exciting than dinner and drinks, but Darcy was clearly having a good time, and that was all that mattered.

  Six months pregnant, dark-haired Sophia sipped at her own cranberry juice. If Debbie had ever seen a woman with a pregnancy glow, it was her friend, who looked adorable in a floral skirt and long-sleeved pink peasant blouse draped over her round belly. Of course, it just as easily could have been a newlywed glow, as Sophia had married Jake Cameron the previous summer.

  Love clearly agreed with Sophia and seemed to be first and foremost on her mind as she exchanged a glance with Darcy and Kara before looking over at Debbie. “With the three of us already finding our guys, you know what that means, right? It’s your turn now.”

  Debbie held on to her smile even though she groaned inside. How many times had she heard that over the past few months? Ever since her friends had met their soul mates, they’d set their sights on the only single member left in their circle. At times, she felt very much the lone sheep about to be set upon by wolves. Cunning, devious, matchmaking wolves.

  Show no fear, she thought to herself, knowing if she wavered even slightly she was dead meat.

  “I’m happy for all of you, I really am. But I’m nowhere near ready to settle down. I’m finally at a place in my life where I have time to look for a little adventure and excitement.”

  “And romance?” Darcy chimed in slyly.

  “I wouldn’t be opposed to having, oh, say...a red-hot fling.” Debbie took another sip of her margarita, the salty, tart combination making her taste buds tingle while the alcohol warmed her to her subject. “With a guy who’s dark and mysterious and exciting, who’ll ride into town and sweep me off my feet. Someone who’ll take me completely by surprise and keep me on my toes.”

  “Now you’re talking,” the gorgeous redhead said with a grin.

  “Excuse me?” Kara protested, using a look her friends had dubbed her “professor glare.” “Need I remind you that you’re getting married this weekend?”

  Lifting up her hands in an innocent gesture she couldn’t quite pull off while still holding her martini glass, the bride-to-be retorted, “All the more reason to live vicariously through Debbie’s escapades. So tell us more about this mystery man.”

  Feeling heat rush to her face, Debbie set aside her margarita. “Well, I can tell you one thing. I’m certainly not going to find him here,” she said wryly.

  “At the bar?” Kara asked.

  “Not here at the bar. Not here in Clearville.” A quick glance around their section of the re
staurant confirmed what Debbie already expected.

  She knew every single guy in the place. More than that, even; she’d known them all for years. If she thought back, she could picture any number of their embarrassing, awkward moments that were part and parcel of growing up in a small town.

  Billy Cummings, the sheriff’s son, had gone on a football kick after seeing his first professional game and had worn a miniature helmet 24/7 for weeks on end. Mark Thompson had had the biggest crush on their freshman English teacher, and his brother, Bruce, swore the garage band he was in would make it big even though none of the members could actually play an instrument. Then there was Darrell Nelson and the cruel pranks he used to play, bullying anyone who was smaller and weaker than he was.

  She remembered it all, and if that wasn’t bad enough, she was well aware they remembered all the awkward growing pains she’d gone through, too.

  Mystery? Romance? Excitement?

  Not a chance, she thought with a sigh.

  “Look, just forget everything I said. This is what happens when a milk-and-cookies girl starts hitting the tequila and lime,” she joked, hoping her friends would be as willing to laugh off her comments.

  She should have known she wouldn’t be so lucky.

  “There’s nothing wrong with wanting some romance in your life,” Kara told her.

  At first, Debbie had wondered about the quietly serious college professor marrying Sophia’s fun-loving, outgoing brother Sam. But over the past few weeks, Debbie had gotten to know Kara and to see the warm heart behind the classy blonde’s cool exterior.

  “And I highly recommend having a gorgeous guy sweep you off your feet.” Darcy grinned. “But why are you totally discounting the whole Clearville male population? I speak from personal experience when I say my guy is anything but boring.”

  “I’ll drink to that,” Kara said as she lifted her glass of chardonnay to tap against Darcy’s appletini.