by Liz Isaacson
“Wow,” he said, looking around at the silver, the green, the red. “This is beautiful.”
“Will you be here on Christmas?” she asked.
“I was going to go to Grand Cayman with my brothers,” he said. “But I don’t have to go.”
“Oh, I think you do,” she said. “Your mom wants everyone there, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah, but I think you’re more important.”
“She won’t see it that way,” Evelyn said.
“Come with me, then.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not?” Rhett looked at her, his hand tightening on hers. “Why can’t you?”
“I don’t know. I don’t…travel?”
He laughed and bumped her, nearly knocking her onto her side. He hovered above her, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “Evelyn, it’s time you started traveling. It’s fun.” He kissed her, and she detected the passion he’d had for her previously.
“My sisters,” she said, her voice little more than a rasp as he moved his mouth to her throat.
“They can celebrate Christmas without you for one year,” he said, his lips lighting a fire along her skin. The holiday was still a couple of weeks away.
“I don’t have a passport.”
“Oh, now that is a problem.” Rhett sat up and pulled her up too, though she sure had been enjoying the kissing. “I’ll talk to my mother. See how important it is that I go.”
“Fair enough,” she said. “We’ll have lots of Christmases together.”
“I hope so, sweetheart,” he said, gazing at her. “I sure do love you.”
“And I love you.” Evelyn’s smile radiated through her whole body, and she honestly felt loved by the cowboy down the lane. And it was the best feeling in the world.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Rhett stood in the kitchen at Seven Sons Ranch, the mail spread out before him. His brothers had left for the airport a couple of hours ago, and everything felt too quiet without them here.
His mother had said he should stay in Three Rivers with Evelyn for the holidays, so that was what he’d decided to do. She’d moved back into the house on Quail Creek Road, but Rhett hadn’t dared to do so too.
Number one, he’d want to do married things with her, and their divorce should be final any day now. He shuffled another envelope, looking for the one from the county courthouse. Christmas was in four days, and it had been sixty-seven days since he’d filed. Without any assets, children, or anything to contest, it should be done.
Number two, he liked going to visit her there. Get to know more about her. See her run a house and talk about what she wanted to do with the front yard in the spring. They’d talked about children, and they were on the same page there. Evelyn would be forty years old in March, and she wanted to get pregnant as soon as possible.
All of her beloved wildflowers would be on display in May, and she’d already set a date for their real wedding.
He did need to find a ring and ask her to marry him.
He moved another envelope, and there it was. The one he’d been looking for and waiting for. With slightly shaking hands, he ripped open the envelope and pulled the single sheet of paper out.
Their divorce was final. The marriage was no more. Over. Done.
Relief poured through him, along with a measure of disappointment. It made no sense, but Rhett knew most feelings didn’t.
He picked up his phone and texted Evelyn. It’s done.
He wasn’t sure how she would respond, and he watched to see when she’d read his message. A few seconds passed, and then it marked the text as read. A moment later, her response came in.
Okay.
When are you going to propose?
He laughed, though there was no one around to hear it. Joy filled him, and he started tapping again. When are you free to go ring shopping?
Right now, cowboy. I just finished with my last client.
I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Rhett looked up and out the glass doors that led outside. He walked out there, pausing at the table on the deck where he and Evelyn had eaten so many Tuesday breakfasts together.
They’d been eating breakfast together every morning at the pancake house, and the only one not happy about it was Sandy. The hordes of women that had been coming to watch Rhett eat pancakes and sip coffee had dwindled, and she teased Evelyn about being bad for business.
When he pulled into the driveway, Evelyn rose from the porch swing and walked toward him. “I feel kind of stupid,” she said as she got in.
“Why’s that, love?”
“Making you buy me a ring. Do a fancy proposal.” She seemed a little grumpy, and Rhett took a long look at her.
“Sweetheart,” he said. “What else am I supposed to do with my time and money?”
She looked at him, startled. “You’re not joking.”
“Of course I’m joking.” He laughed as he put the truck in reverse and backed out. “But Evvy, I don’t think God led me to Three Rivers—right next door to your ranch—for no reason. He knew I needed to be there. He knew you needed me there.”
“Callie won’t take your money,” she said.
“I know,” he said. “But we’ll be married in five months, and then what? She’ll refuse a gift from a family member?”
“I don’t know what she’ll do.”
“And you don’t have to work until May either,” he said. “I don’t care about the money.”
“I know,” she said, looking out the window.
“God blessed me with the money so I could use it for good things,” he said. “And you’re a good thing. The Shining Star Ranch is a good thing.” He reached over and took her hand in his. “Could we maybe try talking to Callie again?”
“If you want to repeat that nightmare, go ahead.” Evelyn shook her head. “I’m afraid she’s more stubborn than I am.”
Rhett chuckled and brought her knuckles to his lips. “I don’t think that’s possible, baby.”
“Ha ha,” she said. “Very funny.”
Rhett grinned and put both hands on the wheel. “Okay, is there a ring store in Three Rivers?”
“They’re called jewelry stores, and yes, there are three.”
Rhett tried not to laugh. He really did. But the fact that she knew there were exactly three tickled his funny bone. Thankfully, she laughed with him, and then she directed him to the one she wanted to try first.
As she peered down into cases and tried on different settings, he couldn’t help but stew over the Shining Star Ranch. He and Evelyn had called a Foster family meeting, and he’d proposed the idea of giving them “a grant.”
Callie had seen right through that, and the meeting had not gone well. She would not take a dime from him, and she hadn’t given him any work to do for a week afterward either. Not very many people knew about the zeroes in Rhett’s bank account, and he wanted to keep it that way. But the Fosters knew, and he wanted to help them.
He didn’t want Evelyn to work if she didn’t want to. She’d gotten a job at a boutique in town, and she said she wanted to do it. Which was fine with him. But he didn’t want money to be a concern for any of them. Not anymore.
He firmly believed God had blessed him with the money to take care of people he loved, and he loved Callie and Simone as sisters.
“What do you think?” Evelyn asked, and Rhett focused on this shopping trip.
“I think it’s great,” he said. The band was yellow gold, which the traditionalist in him liked more than the white gold. It looked too much like silver to him, and that didn’t spell out forever and always to Rhett.
“It’s expensive,” she said, and Rhett almost rolled his eyes.
“If that’s the one you like, let’s get it,” he said. The diamond was huge, and actually looked like a diamond. Several other clusters clung to it, and Rhett could see the beauty of it.
“It’s too much,” she said. “I need something simpler.”
“You do? Why?”
“I’m kind of simple.”
“Evvy,” he said. “You’re the least simple person I know.”
“I don’t think that’s a compliment.” She handed the ring back to the jeweler. “I like that cut, but maybe something a little smaller? And with less going on.” They moved down the counter, and Rhett trailed behind, wanting her to be happy and wishing there were no price tags on the bands.
In the end, Evelyn didn’t find a ring she liked until the third store—and the sixth hour of shopping. Rhett dropped into bed that night, exhausted though he had little to show for the hours he’d been awake.
“Thank you, Lord,” he prayed. “It was a good day.”
Evelyn’s ring would be ready just after Christmas, and he sat up and started texting. Maybe Liam or Jeremiah would have an idea for a fancy proposal.
Christmas morning dawned to find Rhett already on the back deck, his hot coffee steaming slightly as the sun rose. Evelyn slept later than him, but he felt like a little boy unable to sleep because Santa had come.
He was going to propose today, and he’d been up for most of the night getting everything ready. At six-thirty, he got in his truck and drove down the highway to the house he’d bought months ago.
Evelyn’s car sat in the driveway, and everything seemed peaceful. If she’d been up already, she’d have seen everything he’d done the night before. He walked quietly to the door leading into the house from the carport and fitted his key in the lock.
Inside, the furnace hummed, and the scent of Evelyn’s rosy perfume hung subtly in the air. The poinsettia petals he’d scattered all over the floor were still intact. The ring box still sat on the counter. His propped-up card still waited behind it.
A smile touched his face, and in the next moment, he heard something bump in the house. Several more seconds passed, and then the door creaked open. Footsteps came down the hall. Evelyn appeared, rumpled from bed and oh-so-beautiful.
“Merry Christmas, gorgeous,” he said, and she gasped.
Her hand went to her throat as she drank in what he’d done last night. He’d put flowers all over the floor, leaving a path that led right to the kitchen counter. To the ring box. To him.
“I’m in love with you,” he said as she started walking toward him again. “And I want to share every Christmas right here with you, in our house.”
He picked up the ring box. “I made a sign in case you woke up before I got here.” He smiled at it, his heart beating crazy-fast in his chest. He wasn’t sure why he was nervous. He’d married this woman before.
But there had been no ring. No engagement. No preparations.
“Evelyn Foster, will you marry me?” He cracked the lid on the ring box to show her the ring she’d picked out, every second like torture.
“This is great,” she said, her voice choked. Her eyes met his, and they were filled with tears. “I love you, Rhett. Of course I’ll marry you.” She cupped his face in her hands, ignoring the ring completely, and kissed him.
She pulled away and pressed her cheek to his. “For real,” she whispered.
“For always,” Rhett promised.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Evelyn turned in a slow circle, looking at the back of her wedding dress. “I should’ve lost ten more pounds,” she said, to which Callie scoffed.
“Evelyn,” she said. “It’s your wedding day. You’re beautiful.”
And she was forty, and frankly, losing weight had been terribly difficult. About March, she’d given up. Rhett didn’t care what size her wedding dress was. The only people who did care didn’t matter, and Evelyn had re-centered her focus on where it should be: her relationship with Rhett, and her relationship with God.
She looked into her sister’s eyes. “I’m getting married.” Hot tears sprang to her eyes as Callie engulfed her in a hug.
“You sure are, sweetie.”
“Guys,” Simone said, hurrying into the room as quickly as her bridesmaid dress would allow her to. “It’s time to go. No more hugging.” She tugged on Callie’s arm, and her sister fell back.
“Okay, we’re going to go take our seats,” Callie said. “You’re about to become Mrs. Rhett Walker.” She squealed and followed Simone out of the room.
Evelyn stood in front of the mirror for another moment. She’d never changed her name the last time she and Rhett got married, but she couldn’t wait to do it this time. “Thank you, Lord,” she whispered. “For everything. For the ability to change and learn and grow. For a good man like Rhett.”
She paused at the door, and then opened it to find her father standing several feet down. He turned and hurried over to her. “Wow, you look beautiful.” He hugged her, and Evelyn held him tight, tight.
“I wish Mama was here,” she whispered.
“She is, baby,” her dad said, stepping back and linking his arm through hers. “She is.”
Evelyn beamed at him and moved down the hallway. The kitchen where Rhett had proposed came into view, but her goal was the backyard. She’d worked all winter on the yard, and while it wouldn’t bloom until next year, she’d found a wildflower farm that would come set up everything exactly how she wanted it.
So she had Texas bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush in pots, on the ground, along the deck railings, everywhere. Callie met them at the back door and handed Evelyn her bouquet, which also had bluebonnets in it, along with white roses and Rhett’s favorite flower, the calla lily.
She smiled at his brothers as she went by. His parents that she’d met over the weekend. Her grandmother.
This was how a wedding was supposed to be. A huge celebration, where only love prevailed. Rhett waited for her in his fancy, black tuxedo, a cowboy hat perched on his head, and a smile on his face.
When her father reached him, he passed Evelyn to Rhett and said, “Be true to one another.”
“Thank you,” Rhett said, because they had experienced a bit of a rocky road with her father. Apparently, he’d been quite hurt that he’d been left out of the first ceremony, and Evelyn had taken Callie and Simone over to the house to explain the make-believe marriage—twice. He’d finally understood what had happened, and he’d forgiven Evelyn and come around to liking Rhett.
“Don’t you look amazing?” Rhett asked, sweeping his lips along her cheek before they faced Pastor Daniels. A slight breeze shook the treetops, but other than that, the weather was perfect. The altar stood between them, their wedding bands on it. Rhett had shown up. Everything was going according to plan.
“Welcome,” Pastor Daniels said. “It’s my pleasure to be here with two good friends, who are taking their lives from one path and merging them into another.” He continued with wise words about finding joy and happiness even in the tough times.
Nothing was said about the previous marriage, and when it was Evelyn’s turn to say, “I do,” she did so with great gusto.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the pastor said, and Rhett turned toward her, a child-like light in his eyes.
“Don’t you dare dip me,” she warned, recognizing that mischievous grin. “Rhett, we talked about this.”
“I know, honeybee.” He kissed her, and the crowd cheered. The last time that had happened, Evelyn had gotten all the pieces of her heart back. This time, she could see her whole future with Rhett in front of her, and it was glorious and grand.
Until Rhett dipped her, whispering, “I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist,” and then pressing a sloppy kiss to her lips as he laughed.
Keep reading to find out if another Walker brother can get his happily-ever-after in Three Rivers! Chapter one of TRIPP’S TRIVIAL TIE is next!
I’m so happy for Rhett and Evelyn! Sometimes it’s hard to get out of our own way to see what’s right in front of us. I want to be brave like Rhett and Evelyn! If you liked this book, please leave a review now.
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Sneak Peek! Tripp’s Trivial Tie Chapter One
Tripp Walker rolled
his shoulder, the ache there bothering him and it wasn’t even lunchtime yet. He needed to get up from this computer, take a walk, and breathe in some of the summer air, even if it did have the consistency of soup.
Right after he finished this last animated sequence. Then he’d be done with this project for at least a week while the on-site animators in California went through his work and pieced it together. They’d send him notes, and he’d fix whatever they wanted him to fix.
But not today.
Right now, he wanted to spend a few minutes with Penny, Rhett’s dog, and then he wanted lunch.
His chair scraped the wood floor as he stood, and he exhaled heavily as he stretched.
“Done?” Liam asked from his desk.
“Yes,” Tripp said. “I’m heading outside for a few minutes. Then we should get lunch.”
“I’m in,” Liam said. “I have maybe twenty minutes of work left before I can go.”
“Take your time,” Tripp said, but his stomach wasn’t happy with the words. “I’m going to go teach Penny how to roll over.”
His twin laughed, and Tripp knew enough to laugh at himself too. Penny was a great dog, but she did not want to roll over, especially in the dirt. Tripp wasn’t going to give up on her though. He was simply going to take advantage of Penny living at Seven Sons for the next few weeks while Rhett and Evelyn were on their honeymoon.
He missed his older brother, though Rhett had been living in the house he’d bought on Quail Creek Road for a few months now.
After stopping at the fridge for a piece of cheese, Tripp stepped onto the back deck and let the summer sunshine beat down on his shoulders. He whistled, hoping Penny would hear him and come running. He heard a bark, and he whistled again.
