by Karen Rock
As the force of his kiss tilted her backward over his arm, her body sparked to life and her heart swelled and thundered. The rush of sensations crawling across her body was maddening and beautiful and scary-intense. She skimmed her fingertips over the soft, clipped hair at the back of his neck. His skin was warm and smooth under her clenching fingers.
Cole’s lips left hers, and he breathed fast and harsh as though he’d run right up Mount Sopris. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse as he pressed his forehead against hers. “You undo me. You have no idea how you undo me.”
He gripped her hips, bringing them closer. When he kissed her again, it was that deep, scorching kind that pushed her to the edge of the cliff. She was ready to jump off headfirst, to finally feel everything for Cole she’d denied herself since she’d returned home.
Her fingers skimmed over his broad shoulders then lower to dig into the taut skin of his biceps as his free hand slid down her back. Time slowed to a crawl and his mouth never left hers, his lips soaking up her responses like he was starved for water. She felt glorious. Alive. Better than under a million spotlights, before a million viewers...swimming in raw sensation.
The kiss felt incredible—amazing—and it made her think of what she’d lose if she returned to LA, how lonely she’d be without Cole, her missing piece.
His lips pulled away and his body shook against hers.
She wondered what he was thinking, but he tugged off the bandanna before she could ask. Their eyes met, and something seemed to fracture in his gaze. In that moment she knew exactly what romance was. Romance was the look in Cole’s eyes, the connection they’d been fighting tooth and nail.
She mentally raised a white flag. Waved it hard.
“Do you recognize where we are?”
Huh? She couldn’t focus on anything but Cole... Still, she forced her eyes off his handsome face and peered around them. Mulberry bushes circled the small clearing. A pair of Scotch pines sprang from the edge of a bluff. Closer still loomed a familiar gnarled oak.
“Our Say Anything tree!”
Cole leaned in and stole another kiss. When their lips parted, her eyes remained closed. “Figured it’d be a good place to talk.”
Excitement shoved away her nerves. “Think we can still climb it?”
“Only one way to find out.”
Cole tied up Cash, boosted her up onto a lower limb and began ascending behind her.
“I forgot how beautiful it is up here!” she called down to him, pausing to watch the sun’s golden orb break across the pink horizon.
Fingers of light probed the valley at their feet. Rays gilded the majestic peaks in the distance and illuminated the sea of trees waving below. There was a magical quality to a Colorado Rockies’ sky that stirred something in her. The sky was bluer than blue, the air fresher. Cleaner. She’d forgotten how heights like this exhilarated her. At this elevation, the weight of her life, her troubles, her worries, dropped away, sandbags cut from a rising balloon.
“I haven’t.” Cole lowered himself onto the thick branch, his back against the trunk. Gripping her hand, he guided her down in front of him so their legs dangled in the air, swinging. His strong arms wrapped around her. They made her feel feminine and safe against his powerful breadth.
She angled her face and caught his stare. “You’re not even looking at the view.”
“I’m looking at you. There’s nothing else I’d rather pay attention to.”
She planted a kiss on his lightly stubbled chin. “It feels so good to be back home.” The wind flowed more briskly up here, swaying the smaller branches overhead. “And didn’t we used to climb higher than this?” she asked.
Cole peered up. “Yep.”
“Guess we were more agile then.”
“Or had less sense.”
She laughed. “True. But I like this spot. Let’s carve our initials in it. Leave our mark.”
He swept her hair from her shoulder and dropped his chin to it, snuggling her close. The warmth of his body seeped through the thin cotton of her shirt. “You’re so beautiful. I haven’t been able to think of anything but you since you came home.”
Her cheeks flushed as he lowered his lips to her neck and trailed kisses to the sensitive skin just beneath her ear.
She ran a hand through her hair. “I’m sure I look a mess. I didn’t have a chance to brush my hair, put on makeup—”
“You look like heaven to me, Katlynn.”
The sound of his deep, raspy voice sent her heart careening in her chest. She closed her eyes and gripped his knees. “You called me Katlynn.”
His mouth was working magic on the curve of her neck, sending goose bumps down her arms.
“Watching you at work, seeing your professional side,” he murmured against the hollow at the base of her throat. Her pulse throbbed. “It’s impressive. You’re good at your job. Guess I’m getting used to Katlynn.”
“Can you care for her?” She twisted around to better see his face.
“I love her,” he said simply. He looked down at her with a smile so genuine and full of emotion that it stole her breath.
“I—I love you, too.”
Joy exploded on his face. “You make me so happy.” He took her in a needful kiss, leaving her weak-kneed and giddy. Her mind spun a dozen ridiculous what-if fantasies.
What if they got married like she’d wanted? A big wedding, full of friends and family, one where they’d broadcast their love, not keep it only to themselves like he’d wanted... And then what if they had kids? Two. No. Three. And a dog... Cole would ranch and she—she’d do what? Her happy thoughts wobbled. Raise children? Keep house? Those were important responsibilities, and extremely rewarding, but somewhere, deep down, a sense of claustrophobia squeezed the thought. Would such an insular world be enough?
“God, I missed you,” Cole murmured against her temple when their lips drew apart. “Every day you were gone was a drop down a dark well.”
Years of longing and regret brewed in her belly. “I missed you, too.”
“We’re soul mates.” He rested the side of his head atop hers when she faced forward again. “Destined to be together. The only question is how?”
She opened her mouth to say she’d quit, move home, but only silence, soft as bats’ wings, flew out.
“You can say anything here,” Cole prompted, the vulnerable note entering his voice squeezing her heart. “Remember?”
She nodded. “No judging.”
“No arguing,” Cole added, listing another rule for their special spot.
“No repeating what we say to anyone else.”
Another wind gust ruffled their hair and Cole pulled her closer still, shielding her. “And always telling the truth. Even the hard ones. So, say anything...Katlynn.”
She stared out into the glowing valley. “The problem is I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what the answers are.”
“Could you be happy here?” Cole cleared his throat. “You said you didn’t care about being a star anymore.”
“I don’t—but I still love my work.”
“And you’re good at it.”
“Maybe I’ll be better at loving you.”
“But would you be truly happy?”
She hesitated, and his leg muscles clenched beneath her hand.
“Katie-Lynn,” he prodded. “Say anything.”
“This is where we broke up.” She forced the words over the lump rising in her throat. “Where I gave you back the ring.” The pretty, heart-shaped diamond flashed in her memory then winked back into darkness. How it’d hurt to give it up. “That was the worst day of my life.”
She felt Cole tense behind her. “Mine, too.”
“I don’t want to leave you again.”
“Then don’t.”
“It’s not that easy. People depend on
me. Plus, I still have twelve months on my contract. What if I asked you to give up the ranch and move to LA to be with me?”
“My family’s here. There’s nothing for me in California.”
She gasped. “I’d be there.”
“But...” His voice trailed off.
“That’s not enough,” she finished for him, sadly.
“It’s just different. You’d be coming back to your home. To your family. I’d be leaving those things. I can’t quit the ranch when it’s on the verge of bankruptcy, not when we finally have a chance to turn it around and save it.”
“I’d be leaving a career I’ve worked hard to build,” she countered. “I don’t care about being a star anymore, but I still love journalism. It’s selfish to ask me to make all the changes.”
He drew in a harsh breath as if she’d slapped him. “I only want to make you happy.”
“But on your terms. What would you be giving up?”
Silence swelled between them, filled with unspoken words, unnamed emotions and incomplete thoughts.
“What do you want me to do, Katie-Lynn?” Cole’s voice broke. “You want me to be a concrete cowboy? Maybe I could be an extra in a Western movie? A stuntman?”
She dropped her head in her hands. “I don’t know,” she groaned. “I just want to make this work between us.”
Cole gently pried her fingers from her face, tipped her chin up and kissed her cheek. “Then we will. I don’t want what happened to Pa and Joy happening to us. They refused to compromise, and it ruined their happiness. To lose the love of your life is bad the first time... A second time means losing everything. Even hope.”
“We won’t let that happen,” she whispered.
He stood, grabbed on to a branch above them with one hand and helped her to her feet. She tucked herself against him as his free arm wrapped around her. “We’ll find a way to compromise,” he vowed, fierce.
“Love always does. Or should.” The vision of Boyd and Joy, cuddled on the couch during the interview, returned to her, sharp and sweet. “And we need to figure out how to get Joy and your dad back together. A grand gesture...”
Cole stared out at the yellow-rose sky. “We could get the siblings and the Cades together and call a truce...a permanent one this time?”
A short laugh escaped her as she climbed down the tree. “Middle East peace would be easier to negotiate.”
Once on the ground, they trekked through shadows to Cash.
“Ouch!” Cole hollered beside her, grabbing his foot.
“Did you hit something?”
“That old spring cover.” Cole rubbed his toe. “Remember it? I should have been on the lookout considering how many times one of us tripped over it in the past.”
“Cole.” She dug her nails into his arm, a hunch seizing her. “Covers are put on springs when they dry up, right?”
“Right. Why?”
“This could have been a natural spring back in Maggie and Everett’s day, right?”
In the weak light, she discerned scarred rocks and younger tree growth, evidence water had once run here.
Cole’s eyes glittered. “That’s a possibility...and since it’s capped, it wouldn’t have been marked on our survey map. Are you thinking this could be Maggie and Everett’s spot?”
“Columbine’s growing here.”
“There’s mulberry bushes.”
“And Scotch pines over there.”
Her heartbeat drummed in her ears as they edged toward the bluff and stopped beneath the towering trees.
“Feel this!” Cole pressed her hand against grooves cut into a scaly trunk.
She traced the faint marks, four letters and a heart. Her mouth dropped open.
“You feel it?” Cole asked, urgent, his voice electric.
“E.L. and M.C.... Everett Loveland and Maggie Cade! This is their tree.” For some crazy reason, tears sprang to her eyes and she laughed, not from amusement, but from pure, unadulterated joy. This. These moments of incredible discovery were why she loved her job. And sharing it with Cole made it all the sweeter. “It’s their Say Anything spot. All this time...they were right here with us. It’s got to be a sign.” She threw her arms around Cole’s neck. “It also says forever.”
“Where? I didn’t feel that...”
She pressed his hand to her heart. “Yes, you do. Right here.”
He captured her lips then in a brief, electric kiss, his mouth curved in a smile when he pulled back. “Now I feel it.” Then he nearly yanked her off her feet. “Come on!”
“Where?” she gasped, hustling.
“Back to the ranch for shovels.” When they reached Cash, Cole lifted her effortlessly into the saddle, swung himself up behind her and directed Cash back down the path.
“Can’t it wait until I get my crew? A backhoe?” she asked.
“Not if we’re going to find Cora’s Tear in time.”
“In time for what?”
“To make a grand gesture.” Cole lightly kicked Cash, urging him on. “We’re going to save the wedding...”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“WHAT ARE YOU doing here?” Justin Cade snarled through his screen door three hours later.
Perspiration trickled down Cole’s cheek beneath the intense noon sun. He counted backward from ten and relaxed his grip on the hat he mangled in his hands. He was on enemy territory... “My pa’s come to speak to Joy.”
Justin snorted. “Ain’t happening.”
Cole laid his hand on the doorjamb and leaned close to the wire mesh separating them. “You’ve got two choices, Cade. Open the door or get out of the way when I open it for you.”
“Or what?”
“You’ll be flattened,” Cole calmly vowed. Justin was scrappy, but Cole had him by three inches and twenty pounds.
“Go on.” Justin propped his shoulder on the door, crossed his arms over his chest and cocked an eyebrow. “I need a good laugh.”
“Who’s here?” Joy’s worried frown eased into a faint smile when she spied Cole. “Oh. Cole. Morning. Would you like some coffee?”
“Thank you.” Cole shot Justin a triumphant grin and strolled inside. A pouch holding Cora’s Tear burned in his pocket. Finding it with Katie-Lynn an hour ago, buried beside Maggie and Everett’s Scotch pine, hadn’t fully sunk in yet. “Brought someone else with me, if it’s not too much trouble.” Boyd and Katie-Lynn mounted the stairs behind him.
“Not at all...” Joy’s voice trailed off when she turned from the coffeemaker, spied Boyd and dropped an entire bin of ground beans on the tiled floor. “Oh!” she gasped and crouched to clean up the mess.
“Let me help,” Boyd said softly, joining her.
Joy flicked red-rimmed eyes his way then down again, nodding. With quick, efficient strokes, Boyd scooped up the mess as Joy mopped the last remaining bits.
“Thank you,” she whispered when Boyd held out a hand for the mop.
“Joy, I—”
Her head shake stopped Pa’s entreaty. “There’s nothing left to say.”
“Outta here, Lovelands,” Justin growled. “Ma doesn’t want to talk to you.”
“Boyd’s not the only one who’s got something to say,” Cole stated, firm. “Katie-Lynn and I have news.”
“You’re getting married?” Sofia, James’s wife, asked as she strolled into the kitchen holding Javi’s hand. His hair stuck up every which way and his eyelids drooped at half-mast.
“No,” Katie-Lynn answered, fast. Too fast... They’d vowed to find a way to work things out. To compromise. Was she having second thoughts?
“Pregnant, then?” teased James as he entered the kitchen, his pink-clad daughter in his arms. His smile disappeared when he spied Cole and Boyd. “What are you doing here?”
“Yeah!” Jewel stomped into the room. “Ma’s been c
rying all night because of you.”
“I’m sorry, darlin’.” Boyd squatted beside Joy’s chair. “I never meant to hurt you.”
Joy nodded but refused to lift her eyes from her lap.
“Let’s all take a seat.” Cole pulled out chairs for Katie-Lynn and Sofia. Jewel spun hers around and straddled it, glaring up at him.
“I prefer to stand.” James jiggled his fussing child. “Unless you’re dropping the lawsuit, we don’t want to talk.”
Joy looked up sharply. “Are you, Boyd?”
He shook his head wearily. “Cole and Katlynn said they uncovered something important, but they’d only share it with both of us.”
“We’re not leaving Ma alone.” Jared crossed to the fridge and grabbed a carton of eggs.
A knock sounded on the screen door.
“Who is it?” James called.
It creaked open and a stampede of boots clattered on the floor. The sight of Cole’s siblings in the kitchen’s archway filled him with exasperation and pride. He’d told them to stay at the ranch. Clearly, they’d had other ideas. Lovelands always stood with each other. Through thick and thin.
“Don’t recall inviting you inside,” James drawled.
“Door was open.” Heath, ever the peacemaker, gazed briefly in Jewel’s direction then tipped his hat before doffing it. “Morning, Joy.”
She returned his smile, looking a tad stronger. “Morning.”
“You’re trespassing.” James nodded at a uniform-clad Travis. “You should know that.”
“I’ll report it to the proper authorities,” Travis intoned, sardonic, his lips twitching.
Cole’s siblings guffawed as the Cades advanced, their faces dark.
“Enough!” Joy cried. “I can’t take any more senseless fighting.”
Jewel hurried to her mother and wrapped an arm around her. “It’s not senseless, Ma. We’ve got reasons to hate the Lovelands going on over a hundred years.”
“Yeah. About that.” Katie-Lynn held up Maggie’s journal in one hand, the stack of letters to Everett in the other. “My show’s about to dispute that claim.”
