His Forever Texas Rose

by Stella Bagwell

  There was a short silence and then Roslyn said, “He’s not doing anything like that. I just got a call from Chandler. There was some sort of accident on the Johnson Ranch. Something about Trey having a run-in with a bull. The men are on their way to the hospital in Wickenburg.”

  Her heart was suddenly pounding. “Hospital! What’s wrong? Is it serious?”

  “Sorry, I don’t know. Chandler didn’t explain. He promised to call me later—after Trey is examined.”

  Nicole shouldered her handbag as she hurried off the porch. “I’m on my way!”

  * * *

  “Go ahead and kick my rear, Doc,” Trey said. “If I’d had my mind on my business, none of this would’ve happened.”

  “Forget it. We’d already finished the job,” Chandler told him as he walked alongside the wheelchair being pushed by a male nurse. “And you’ll mend all right. You just remember what I told you earlier.”

  Trey looked ruefully down at the cast on his left forearm. He was going to be hampered by the cracked bone for a month, but he could deal with the nuisance. All that mattered to him now was convincing Nicole that the only man she belonged with was him.

  “About Nicci, you mean?”

  “Exactly,” Chandler answered. “It’s only nine thirty. You still have time to go by her house.”

  “Can’t. I penned the horses for work tomorrow,” Trey told him. “They’ll need to be fed and watered.”

  “Forget about the horses. I’ll go by your place and take care of them. Besides, you’ve been administered pain meds. You don’t need to be stumbling around in the dark, trying to carry a heavy feed bucket.”

  “You shouldn’t be trying to feed livestock tonight,” the nurse said. “You need to go straight to bed.”

  Trey couldn’t argue with that advice. The only thing that could cure him was to go to bed with a strawberry blonde with a pair of soft lips and more love in her heart than he had a right to. But would she be willing to look past the blockheaded way he’d behaved this morning?

  The three men passed through a glass door and onto a concrete area covered by a large overhang.

  “I’ll go get the truck and pick you up here at the curb,” Chandler told him. “No need for you to walk.”

  “Heck! I’m getting out of this thing!” Before the nurse could stop him, Trey jumped out of the wheelchair.

  Seeing it would be useless to argue, the nurse handed him several sheets of paper stapled together. “Here are the instructions to follow. And don’t forget to make an appointment with your regular caregiver.”

  “Don’t worry, he will,” Chandler said. “And I see her coming right now.”

  Her? Dear God, he’d finally gone and done it, Trey thought. He’d driven Chandler crazy.

  Glancing around, he saw Chandler grinning at the woman trotting toward them.

  Nicole!

  Stunned, Trey watched her rapid approach. Roslyn must have told her about the accident, he decided. But why had she bothered to come?

  Standing next to him, Chandler said, “You don’t need me any more tonight, buddy. You’re going to be in good hands.”

  Chandler walked off in the direction of his truck at the same time Nicole rushed up to Trey. Her face was white, and for a split second he thought she was going to burst into tears. Had she actually been that concerned about him?

  “Will this young woman be taking you home?”

  Compared to the doubts swirling in Trey’s mind, the nurse’s question was trivial.

  “Yes. I’ll be taking him home,” Nicole answered. She leveled a pointed look at Trey. “And I’ll be taking care of him.”

  “Then you’re all set to go, Mr. Lasseter.” After winking at Nicole, the nurse said to Trey, “And don’t be running into any more bulls. We don’t want to see you back here at the hospital.”

  Trey thanked the nurse, and once the man departed with the wheelchair, he turned to Nicole and said, “You really don’t have to do this, you know.”

  “Do what?” she asked.

  In spite of the medication they’d given Trey to dull the pain in his arm, Trey’s heart jumped into a runaway rhythm.

  “Give me a ride—or anything.” He grimaced as he realized he didn’t make any more sense now than he had this morning. “I mean, uh, not unless you want to.”

  Her lips pressed together. “Do you feel like walking out to my car? If your legs are wobbly, I can pull up here to the curb.”

  “I can walk. Let’s go.”

  Both of them remained silent as they made their way to her vehicle, but as soon as they were seated inside, she turned to him.

  “What’s wrong with your arm? What happened?”

  “It’s just a crack. I’ll be fine in a few weeks,” he said. “I wasn’t paying attention, and about the time I stuck my arm through the slats of a loading chute, a bull shot forward and tried to wrap it around an iron pipe.”

  “Oh.” She released a long breath with the one word. “I’m glad you weren’t hurt worse.”

  He gestured toward the keys dangling from her hand. “Aren’t you going to start the engine?”

  “Not yet. There’s something I want to say first. About this morning and the—”

  “Just tell me one thing, Nicci,” he swiftly interrupted. “Are you going back to Texas and marrying that marine?”

  She looked thoroughly disgusted. “You still have to ask those questions? I feel like cracking your skull to match your arm! I’d never marry Randy. Not in a million years. Nor will I be moving back to Texas for any reason. If you hadn’t been so quick to assume the worst this morning, I could’ve explained. But you made me angry. And then you made me even angrier when you left without—” She paused and shook her head. “As though you didn’t care at all!”

  Groaning, Trey used his good arm to reach for her shoulder and drag her toward him. Once her face was nestled against his neck, he said against the top of her head, “I realize I was wrong. I should’ve howled in protest. I should’ve told you that you’re my woman—the woman I love—and that I’ll never let you go.”

  She tilted her head back far enough to look at him, and as Trey studied the doubtful shadows in her eyes, he realized she’d been just as uncertain about his feelings as he’d been about hers.

  “You love me?” she asked. “Honestly?”

  “Honestly. I should’ve told you that days ago,” he admitted. “But I thought it was impossible for a woman like you to love a man like me. I was afraid to risk my heart. Afraid you’d end up leaving me.”

  “I love everything about you, Trey. Everything! And you might as well get ready to put up with me for the rest of your life, because I’m not going to let you go. Not for any reason!”

  His hand cradling the back of her head, he eased his mouth down on hers and kissed her with all the love and tenderness his heart had to give.

  When the kiss finally ended, he whispered against her lips, “Let’s go home. Like the nurse said, I need to be in bed.”

  She let out a sexy chuckle. “What about your arm?”

  He rested his cheek against hers and wondered if he could possibly be any happier than he was at this very moment. “I’m feeling no pain.”

  Her fingers pushed through the hair above his ear. “That’s because the medication has numbed it.”

  “No. The hurt is gone, my darlin’, because I know you love me and you’re going to be my wife.”

  Easing out of his arms, she settled herself behind the steering wheel, and after starting the engine, she cast him a coy smile. “Is that a proposal?”

  “Uh, now that you ask, it is,” he admitted. “But don’t worry, I’ll give you a better one tomorrow. With flowers and a ring and—all my love.”

  “I only need that one thing from you, Trey. And that’s your love.”

  She drove out of
the parking lot, and as Trey settled back in his seat, he realized that, like the Hollister men, he was well and truly going home.

  Epilogue

  Six weeks later, on a hot May night, a large group of friends and family crowded the roofed patio and spilled over into the yard behind Three Rivers Ranch house. Champagne was flowing and spates of laughter drowned out the distant sound of bawling calves being weaned from their mothers. Spring roundup was being planned for next week, but for tonight no one was thinking about riding and branding.

  “I’ve seen some big shindigs here at the ranch,” Trey said. “But I believe this is the biggest.”

  Standing with his arm around the back of Nicole’s waist, Trey gazed across the milling throng of people. He’d never seen the Hollisters so jubilant, but he doubted they could be feeling any more joy than he’d been experiencing these past three weeks since he and Nicole had eloped to Reno and spent several days honeymooning in the cool mountains.

  Since they’d returned, Nicole had moved all her things into Trey’s house and put her property in town on the real estate market. She insisted that the money from the sale of it would eventually be added to their savings for the big ranch Trey had always dreamed about. At first he’d protested about her plans for the money, but she’d managed to convince him that she wanted what he wanted—a perfect place to raise a big family.

  Nicole inclined her head to a spot across the patio, where Roslyn and Chandler were speaking with Maureen and Gil.

  “That’s a whopper of a diamond Gil slipped on Maureen’s finger,” she remarked. “I can see it flashing all the way over here.”

  Trey lifted Nicole’s left hand and kissed the knuckle just above her wedding ring. “Yours is a fraction of that size, but it means just the same,” he told her.

  She turned her beautiful smile up at him. “I love my ring. And I love you, too, Mr. Lasseter.”

  He hugged her closer to his side. “Are you sorry now that you eloped? Instead of staying here and having a fancy ceremony?”

  She shot him a quizzical smile. “Are you kidding? And miss all that planning and stress? And my mother smothering me with well-meaning advice? No, thank you. Eloping was the best thing for you and me. It was very romantic with just the two of us.”

  Neither Trey nor Nicole had known what to expect from her parents when they’d gotten the news that their daughter was married. Fortunately, Big Mike had been full of congratulations, while Angela had seemed to have experienced a wake-up call. Not only had she quit pestering Nicole with whines and demands, but she’d also happily gone with her husband to New Mexico.

  “Hopefully your parents are having a second honeymoon right now,” Trey voiced his thoughts.

  Nicole smiled up at him. “Yes. I think we’ve been an inspiration for them. And Mom seems like a different person now. I’m actually looking forward to them coming for a visit. Which might be in time for them to attend Maureen and Gil’s wedding.”

  “Doc tells me the ceremony will be held at the church in town,” Trey said. “I was surprised. The ranch is such a huge part of their lives. I thought it would take place here.”

  “I’ve been told that she and Joel were married here on the ranch, so I’m thinking she probably wants something different with Gil.”

  From their shady spot in the yard, Trey urged Nicole toward the patio. “Let’s go to the bar. I feel a beer coming on.”

  She laughed. “Beer when there’s expensive champagne to be had?”

  “I’m a simple guy,” he reasoned.

  “Okay, simple guy. What else has Doc told you about the wedding?”

  “You’ll have to ask Ros for more wedding details. That’s all I know. But Doc did give me some very surprising news.”

  “Oh, what’s that?”

  “The ranch has hired a new man to work with Holt as his assistant trainer. He’s supposed to be arriving soon. You know, the family has tried for years to convince Holt that he needed help, but he wouldn’t give in. Because he’s so damned particular with his horses, Blake says. But now that he’s married and helping Isabelle with the Blue Stallion, he’s realized he can’t keep stretching himself so thin.”

  “Apparently, Holt must have found a guy he can trust to do the job the way he wants it. The way Chandler trust you,” she added proudly. “The longer I work at the clinic, the more I realize why he wants you to study for a veterinary degree. He needs you in that capacity. But of course, that’s a choice you’ll have to make.”

  Trey had been giving the idea more and more thought. But now that he and Nicole were married, there were other things to consider. Not for anything did he want to put a hardship on her, and yet he knew that if he did decide to enter veterinary school, she would give him her total support and never complain. The idea that she loved him that much made him realize just what a blessing he’d been given.

  “Hey, you two! Over here!”

  They both paused, then seeing Chandler standing at the far end of the portable bar sipping from a fluted glass, they grabbed their drinks and walked over to join him.

  “Quite a party, isn’t it? Mom is walking on a cloud.”

  “She looks like a dream, too,” Nicole added. “You must be so happy for her.”

  “And there’s something else we’re happy about, too. A few years back, Mom put up a several-thousand-dollar reward for the apprehension of the person or persons who might’ve had a hand in Dad’s death. Joe delivered that reward in person to Ginny Patterson today. She was overwhelmed. The money will help her move to a nicer place. And Joe’s halfway convinced the woman to make her home in Wickenburg. He’s assured her that no one will ostracize her because of Ike.”

  “That’s great,” Trey replied. “All she needed was a little help to turn her life around.”

  “Speaking of Joe,” Nicole said. “Why are he and Connor climbing up on the edge of the fire ring?”

  Before Trey or Chandler could speculate, Joseph cupped a hand around his mouth and spoke loud enough for the crowd to hear.

  “Attention everyone! As law officials of Yavapai County, Connor and I have the duty of seeing that no one overindulges in spirits tonight. So we’re ordering all of you to set your glasses down! No one is allowed another drink for two hours.”

  Gasps and groans rippled through the crowd.

  From somewhere in the crowd, Joseph’s father-in-law, Sam, yelled out. “What the hell is this, Joe? Jazelle just poured my bourbon. I’m not going to waste it!”

  Joseph and Connor exchanged amused glances before they both burst out laughing.

  “Just a little joke, Sam. Connor and I actually want to make an announcement. Everyone is here to celebrate Mom and Gil’s engagement. Well, we have something more to add to the merriment. I just learned that Tessa is expecting our third child. And Connor got the news this morning that Jazelle is expecting their second. So drink up everyone. It’s a happy night.”

  As everyone rushed forward to congratulate the two men, Trey felt Nicole’s hand wrap around his, and he looked down at the coy smile on her face.

  “If we ever expect to have a family as big as the Hollisters’, we’re going to have to get busy,” she told him.

  Bending his head, Trey pressed a kiss on his wife’s cheek. “I promise we’ll get started on that tonight, darlin’, as soon as we get home.”

  * * *

  For more sweeping Western romances, try these great stories:

  She Dreamed of a Cowboy

  By Joanna Sims

  Making Room for the Rancher

  By Christy Jeffries

  Their Night to Remember

  By Judy Duarte

  Available now wherever Harlequin Special Edition books and ebooks are sold!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Making Room for the Rancher by Christy Jeffries.

  WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS BOOK
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  Making Room for the Rancher

  by Christy Jeffries

  Prologue

  Good evening, Wyoming, we are reporting live from the Twin Kings Ranch following the funeral of United States Vice President Roper King, who was born and raised right here in the small town of Teton Ridge, in the heart of Ridgecrest County.

  As many of you know, Roper King was a well-respected war hero and successful cattle rancher who started out in local politics, then served two terms as the governor of Wyoming before becoming vice president. The guest list of attendees read like a star-studded who’s who of celebrities, foreign dignitaries and politicians, including the president of the United States and her husband.

  The service began as a somber and dignified celebration of life, then took an unexpected turn when political analyst Tessa King, one of Roper King’s daughters, collapsed on the front steps of the church and was quickly spirited away by the Secret Service. While we don’t have an update on Tessa’s condition, there are reports that she was later seen at the private graveside service along with her five siblings.

  Hold on, I’m getting word that one of the Kings is driving this way through the gates and it might be... No, it’s just one of the other family members. Possibly one of Roper’s less famous daughters.

  We will update you with all new developments. Now, back to our news desk for more highlights from today’s event...

  Chapter One

  “Will Grandpa Roper have any friends in Heaven?” five-year-old Amelia asked as they took a right onto Ridgecrest Highway, which wasn’t so much a highway as it was a two-lane road that cut through the middle of downtown Teton Ridge, Wyoming.