The wagon jerked to a stop and Robert moving barely registered until she saw the barrel of Noah's shotgun appear beside her face. Her eyes widened when he aimed the gun at her children and she reached out, pushing the barrel away just as the gun went off, the kick-back from the shot flinging her backwards.
Robert jerked her away, his face a mask of fury. He swung his arm, the blow to her head dazing her enough all she could do was sit there and stare up at him until her anger boiled hot and ugly, all the fear she'd felt from him since John's death exploding into a fury so hot, her blood felt ready to boil in her veins.
Keri screeched, screaming until her throat hurt. She curled her fingers and launched herself at him, her nails digging into the skin on his face and she pushed until they both toppled out of the wagon, the breath knocked from her lungs the moment she hit the ground.
Staring at the sky above her, she gasped, trying to fill her lungs again and barely managed to do so before Robert appeared in her line of sight. He was on her in a second.
The first blow was enough to kill the pain she felt from the fall out of the wagon. She curled herself into a ball and hoped he didn't kill her this time. Long minutes later, the weight of him was gone, the ringing inside her head starting to dim and the sound of grunts finally registered. She opened her eyes, blinking to clear her vision, and wondered if the scene before her was real or if she was imagining it.
Noah had Robert slammed into the side of the wagon, his hand fisted into the front of his shirt. Blood oozed from Robert's lip and his head hung to one side, his eyes closed. When Noah dropped him, Robert's body hit the ground with a loud thud. Keri blinked and tried to lift her head.
Aaron's voice reached her long moments before she saw him. He was staring down at Robert, his shoulders held at an angle that made him look much older than he was. The shotgun clamped between his hands did too. He aimed it at Robert and never took his eyes off him.
Noah turned to her, the look on his face confusing. He looked angry, but she saw fear shining in his eyes. When he bent to one knee and put an arm under her shoulder, lifting her from the ground, she didn't care what sort of mood he was in. She flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezed until he grunted. "I didn't want to leave," she said, her eyes burning as her throat grew tight. "He said he'd shoot you if we said anything…"
She didn't get another word out, tears making it impossible to speak. Noah held her, his grip on her tightening as he buried his face into the curve of her neck and it wasn't until her tears had dried that she realized he was talking, the soft, whispered words muffled against her neck.
When she finally understood what he was saying, the tears were once again burning her eyes and falling down her face faster than she could stop them. Pulling back, she met his gaze, her heart thundering inside her chest. "Say it again."
Noah raised his head. "I love you. I should have told you the moment I realized it." He pushed her hair away from her face with one hand. "I can't let you go, Keri. I'll follow you all the way back to Great Falls if I have to. I'm nothing without you. Without those kids. You're my family. I need you. All three of you."
He leaned in to kiss her and Keri whispered, "I love you, too," against his lips.
His eyes brightened. "Does that mean you'll stay with me?"
Her smile widened before nodding her head.
"As my wife?" He grinned. "For real this time. Not just because Morgan Avery said it was so."
Sophie Ann stepped into her line of sight. She glanced at her, saw her smiling face and looked toward Aaron. He nodded his head once before turning his attention back to Robert.
Looking back at Noah, Keri laid her forehead against his own and sighed. "Nothing would make me happier than to be your wife, Noah."
* * * *
Robert didn't realize how lucky he was. Colt and Tristan Avery showing up was the only reason the man wasn't facedown in the dirt, gagging on his own blood.
The Avery men had been headed into town when they heard the gunshot and set their horses into a run. Noah had been grateful to see them, especially after finding out everything that wasn't nailed down inside his cabin was in the back of Robert's wagon. He'd wanted to kill him, especially when Sophie Ann told him they'd had to carry everything themselves. Seeing his stolen property was reason enough to send for Morgan. Tristan rode into town to fetch him while Colt stayed behind and made sure Robert wasn't going to be a problem.
It took close to an hour before the marshal showed up and he seemed a bit eager to escort Robert to jail when the day’s events were related to him. The circuit court judge was due in any day now and Noah hoped the man threw Robert under the jail to rot.
When they got home, Duke barking his usual greeting, the kids jumped from the wagon, excitedly telling the mutt that they were there to stay. Noah helped Keri to the ground, his hands tight around her waist and was reluctant to let go. "Are you sure you want to marry me?"
Her face lit up, her eyes sparkling as she looked up at him. "More than sure." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "The sooner the better."
The relief he felt weakened his knees. "Tomorrow good for you?"
Keri grinned. "Tomorrow is perfect."
"Tomorrow it is then."
* * * *
It was snowing. Keri watched fat flakes of it swirl in the breeze as Duke jumped, his jaws snapping open and closed as he tried to catch them. The noise from the other room was a riot of laughter, squeals and the occasional shout.
Putting the last breakfast plate on the shelf, she untied her apron and hurried into the other room. Aaron and Sophie Ann were by the tree, nervous energy causing them both to bounce on their feet as Noah shook his head at their repeated demands to open the gifts. The moment he saw her, he smiled and stood.
"Thank goodness. They were about to drive me to drinking."
Keri laughed and settled into one of the kitchen chairs Noah had sat by his rocker. He kissed her forehead and turned to Aaron and Sophie Ann. "All right," he said. "Now you can open them."
The excitement grew with every opened gift. Keri sat stunned as Aaron and Sophie Ann carefully opened every package, their happy faces lighting up more with each new find.
A hat similar to the one Noah wore now graced Aaron's head. She could tell by the grin on Aaron's face that they'd have a hard time getting the thing off his head. There were books and games, more clothes than either would have time to wear and the blank journal Sophie Ann received for her own drawings held one special picture. A drawing of her, surrounded by flowers, kittens and ponies.
Keri had received her most precious gift the day before in Missoula. A promise of love and a lifetime of happiness from a man she knew would never harm them. Noah had recited his vows, and threw in a few extra of his own, making their make-believe marriage a reality.
The wedding ring he'd given her rivaled any she'd ever seen, and their single night in a hotel, the kids tucked away in a room right beside their own, was the closest to heaven as she'd ever been.
Her heart felt so full, she wasn't sure she could take much more joy, but seeing Noah sitting beside her, she knew her life would be filled with happiness. With a man as loving as Noah, how could it not be?
Epilogue
Keri fluffed the pillows again, rearranged them on the sofa for the third time and stepped back, turning in a full circle to take in the whole room and sighed.
It was perfect.
Duke's deep-toned bark caused the nervous butterflies she'd been fighting all day to roar back to life. She looked to the door as it swung open, Sophie Ann's excited squeals echoing off the walls as she ran inside.
"They're here!" she said, her blond curls bouncing on her shoulders. "They just turned onto the road to the house."
Keri nodded and walked the entire house again. The new kitchen was large enough for a whole army of women to cook in. The new stove and table gleaming as bright as the day they'd been bought.
The main room, which
was the original cabin, housed furniture to sit on, a large sofa, chairs that sat near the fire, small tables and oil lamps and woven rugs large enough to cover the entire floor. The bed now stood in one of the three bedrooms Noah had built, the privacy those rooms afforded being the best improvement they'd made to the little cabin. It wasn't so little now. It was a proper home, furnished modestly despite the money she now knew Noah had. After spending the majority of her life just barely getting by, they'd never want for anything the rest of their lives.
"Do you think they'll like me?"
Keri turned her attention back to Sophie Ann and smiled. "They're going to love you," she said. "Go on out and wait for them. I'll be there in a moment."
* * * *
Noah set the brake on the wagon and jumped to the ground, looking to Aaron as he pulled his pony to a stop near the barn. He smiled at the boy, then rounded the front of the wagon and walked to the side, offering a hand up to help his mother climb down.
His stomach had been in knots since the day he'd gotten a response to his letter. Keri had been right. His family had been worried. The guilt he felt for causing them grief would weigh on him for a while but he hoped to ease a bit of their pain now.
Marcus Cooper, his new brother-in-law helped Noah's sister, Judith, to the ground. He barely recognized her. The young girl he'd left behind was a grown woman now.
His mother looked very much like she had last time he'd seen her. Her hair was peppered with streaks of gray and small line bracketed her eyes, but she was still as lovely as he remembered.
And eager to meet his new family.
He smiled at her, taking her arm and walking with her to the house. Mary Lloyd was a small woman, her limbs thin, but her regal posture made her look as fit as women half her age. She'd talked nonstop on the ride from town, but now that they'd arrived home, she'd not said a word.
Sophie Ann bounded around the corner of the house, the smile on her face as bright as always. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw them and he knew it was taking every ounce of self control the girl had not to jump up and down with excitement.
When they reached her, his mother stopped and smiled. "You must be Sophie Ann," she said.
"Yes, ma'am."
"You're every bit as pretty as Noah said you were."
Sophie flushed, her cheeks turning pink as she beamed. "That's only ‘cause I look like my ma."
The moment Sophie mentioned Keri, Noah saw her. She rounded the corner of the house, his heart skipping a beat the moment he saw her. She was smiling, her steps quick, but he could see the uncertainty in her eyes.
"Mother, I'd like you to meet Keri, my wife."
Mary Lloyd barely gave Keri a passing glance, her gaze riveted to the squirming bundle in Keri's arms. Noah smiled and reached out to her. "And this," he said, "Is Nathaniel, our son."
He heard his mother's soft intake of breath, tears filling her eyes as she looked at the baby. "You named him for your father."
Noah nodded. "He was the greatest man I've ever known."
The blustery wind was sharp enough to force them all inside. Noah watched from his spot near the fire as his mother and sister showered his children, all three of them, with enough love to last them a lifetime.
Watching his family filled his heart to near bursting. Keri and the kids had given him a purpose, a reason to get out of bed every day, and a will to live life as he was meant to. Surrounded by friends, family and love.
The End
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Other books by this author
Western Romance
The Lawman (Willow Creek #1)
The Outlaw (Willow Creek #2)
The Gambler (Willow Creek #3)
The Rancher (Willow Creek #4)
His Brother's Wife (Willow Creek #5)
Contemporary Romance
Wicked: Tempt Me Not (Wicked Series #1)
Wicked: Leather and Lace (Wicked Series #2)
Wicked: Jade Butterfly (Wicked Series #3)
Wicked: Sweet Temptation (Wicked Series #4)
Wicked: The Complete Series (Books 1 - 4)
Blame It On The Mistletoe (single title romance)
That First Christmas ( single title romance)
Paranormal Romance
The Calling (Night Breeds Series #1)
The Gathering (Night Breeds Series #2
About the Author:
LILY GRAISON resides in North Carolina, a stones throw away from the Blue Ridge Mountains and a few hours from the Outer Banks. First published in 2005, her debut novel won a Reviewers Choice Award. The author of over a dozen published books, Lily writes in the Western, Contemporary and Paranormal Romance genres.
When not writing, Lily can be found at her sewing machine creating 1800’s Period Dresses or at a nearby store feeding her obsession for all things resembling office supplies
For more about Lily Graison, visit any of the following locations around the web:
Website: http://lilygraison.com/
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