by Seton, Cora
She didn’t think she could love a man more than she loved Colt right now. “Yes.” She held up her hand and let him put her ring back on, erasing all that had gone before. “What time is it?”
“Are you serious?”
“Just tell me!”
Colt made a face but checked his watch. “About one.”
She fished around among their clothes until she found her phone. Colt raised an eyebrow while she dialed work but when she told Susan she wouldn’t be back today, he grinned. She clicked off her phone and tossed it aside.
“That gives us four more hours before you have to take this car back. Come here.” She tugged him down to her, and as he wrapped his arms around her she knew she didn’t care where they made their home as long as they could be together.
Chapter Twenty
‡
“You again,” Rose said when Colt walked into Thayer’s Jewelers the following day.
“Me again,” Colt agreed. He handed her a small velvet box. “I need to return this.” Melanie had handed him back her ring at breakfast. He had a feeling she’d get another one soon enough, judging by the way Eric looked at her whenever she was near.
“Came to your senses?” Rose asked. She accepted the box and moved to the cash register. He figured Mia had broken the news to Rose already since they worked together, but Rose obviously hadn’t forgiven him yet for buying Melanie the ring in the first place.
“Something like that.”
“Glad to hear it. Are you in the market for another one? I’ll need your credit card to process the return.” She took his card, pressed a few keys, opened the cash drawer and shut it again.
“I already bought one for Heather weeks ago, but I do need a ring re-sized.” He held out another box, this one containing the wedding band he’d bought for himself alongside Heather’s engagement ring back in Billings.
Rose handed him a receipt, opened the box and pulled out the ring. Holding it up, she looked off into the distance a moment and broke into a dazzling smile.
Colt’s heart lifted. “Is it good?”
“It’s so good.” To his surprise Rose came around the counter and hugged him. “I’m so happy for you and Heather. You’ve got a terrific future together.”
“I know.” He did know, but it was good to get confirmation, even from such a strange source. “You’ll get your wedding invitation soon.”
“Glad to hear it! I’ll have the ring ready in plenty of time.”
“Sounds good.” He turned to go.
“And Colt,” she called after him. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
Colt couldn’t wait to get home.
When Heather entered Fila’s restaurant a few days later, she was surprised to see many of her friends grouped around a central table. She’d thought she was going to meet Mia for an update on wedding plans. Instead, Mia, Camila, Fila, Regan, Ella, Storm, Rose and Autumn all looked up to greet her.
“What’s going on?”
“This is an intervention,” Camila announced. “A business intervention. I know Renfree’s is doing much better than it was just a month ago, but there’s a lot more for you to do.”
“You need to change the name, for one thing,” Storm said.
“And redecorate, for heaven’s sake,” Mia said.
“And expand your online advertising. I like the newsletter you sent out,” Autumn said.
“I think you should throw a party after you redecorate, too,” Storm said.
Heather sat down between Camila and Mia and joined in the conversation. Fila left the table and came back with platters of Afghan nachos and then dug into the food along with the rest of the women.
“What are you going to name the store?” Ella asked.
Heather thought about that. “I’m not sure.”
“Heather’s!” Camila and Mia said in unison.
“Seriously, it has to be Heather’s,” Camila said. “You have to stop being afraid to put your stamp on that store.”
Regan waved a chip. “Heather’s is a place that serves contractors, but also works with people who’ve never done a reno project before.”
“Especially women,” Mia put in. “From what I heard, making your demonstration like a party was genius.”
“That was all Susan and Allison,” Heather said.
“But they had you for a boss and knew you wouldn’t shoot down their ideas. That’s good management.”
Heather smiled at her friends’ enthusiasm. “You’re right; it is time to roll up my sleeves and get to work. I’ve got a few ideas.”
“Colt, can you come up here?” Heather called down the stairs a week later.
Just in from the barn, he heard the urgency in her voice and shucked his outer gear off quickly before taking the steps two at a time.
“Where are you?”
“In here.”
He strode down the hall to his bedroom and found Heather pacing inside. She handed him the plastic applicator of a pregnancy test and suddenly he found it difficult to breathe.
“Are you…?”
“Look!”
He did, and whooped a second later when he saw the answer. “We’re going to have a baby?”
“Yes!” She laughed when he scooped her up and swung her around in a circle.
“Girl or boy?”
“Colt—we won’t know for months!”
“I don’t care. I’ll take one of each.”
“Bite your tongue!”
Colt carried her to his bed, laid her down gently and kissed her all over. “You are amazing.”
“All I did was get pregnant,” she protested and giggled as he kissed her behind her ear.
“But you did it better than anyone else.” He kept on kissing her and soon Heather relaxed with a happy sigh. “You sure you don’t want to move the wedding up?”
“I wouldn’t dare. Mia would kill me.”
“Can’t wait for our wedding night.”
“Neither can I.”
They’d booked a cottage on the California coast near where Storm’s family had once lived. Five glorious days alone together. Colt doubted they’d even make it to the beach.
“What’s wrong?” Heather asked. “You’re staring at me.”
“Nothing. I was just wondering what would have happened if you hadn’t answered my ad.”
“Don’t even think about that.”
“Thank you for being so brave.” He lowered himself down on top of her.
“Thank you for being so horny.”
“You know, I’m feeling kind of—”
“…horny again?” she supplied for him. “Why am I not the least bit surprised?”
Chapter Twenty-One
‡
“It’s not Crescent Hall,” Colt said several days later. He stood with his brothers on a property twenty minutes to the west of town and surveyed the large, plain clapboard house in front of them.
“No, it’s not,” Mason said, “but it has nearly the same square footage and we could always add a porch.”
“The barn’s smaller,” Austin pointed out.
“But the stables are bigger,” Zane said.
“Not as many acres,” Colt said.
“The terrain is more varied, which would be good for my training camps. Not that I expect to have a say,” Dan said.
“Your input is welcome.” Mason paced around to the side of the house and the rest of them trailed after him. “With ten of us and friends to help, we’d make a home out of this in no time.”
“Where would we build the course? No woods close by.” Zane scratched his head.
“We could build it out in the open.”
No one said anything as they tramped on. Colt knew what they were thinking: out in the open wouldn’t be the same.
“The realtor will be here any minute,” Zane said, “and if this isn’t the place, we’ll find one. We have time.”
“I’m a little surprised Heloise hasn’t kicked us out of the
Hall yet,” Austin said as Mason stopped again. They took in the main building from the back. Colt wondered if the rest of them were as disappointed with it as he was.
“It isn’t April first yet. Maybe she thinks Colt might change his mind.”
“No way in hell.”
His brothers laughed. “We’re just kidding you,” Austin said. “No way we’d let you. I figure we’ve got until April second.”
“Until your wedding day,” Mason echoed.
They were all quiet as they thought about that.
“Then we’d better keep looking,” Colt said.
“You look stunning,” Audrey said nine weeks later.
“Just beautiful,” Julie agreed. Colt’s mother had flown in the night before for the wedding, and she and Audrey were already fast friends.
“Doesn’t she?” Camila agreed. “Like a picture.”
Heather smoothed her hands over the fitted bodice and flounced skirts of her gown. The last few weeks had been a blur of activity. Camila and Storm had organized a raucous bachelorette party at the Dancing Boot and a bridal shower hosted at Fila’s, complete with fantastic food and silly games. They still hadn’t found a ranch to buy, but at the wedding rehearsal dinner the night before, the talk centered on a ranch Austin had spotted north of town that was for sale. The others all planned to go and view it in the days after the wedding. If it was worth seeing, Heather and Colt would take a look when they came back from their honeymoon.
The only thing that bothered Heather was that Heloise hadn’t spoken to them since the day Colt broke the news they were getting married. While she hadn’t kicked them out of Crescent Hall yet, they knew she could do so at any time and they had begun packing. Colt had refused to invite Heloise to the wedding, which didn’t sit well with Heather no matter how much trouble the old woman had caused, but she didn’t push him to change his mind. Heloise couldn’t expect a warm welcome from the men she’d manipulated for so long.
Since they couldn’t hold their reception at the Hall, they’d chosen the Cruz ranch’s Big House as the next best thing. With its furniture removed, its huge living room would accommodate their guests. Autumn would cater the affair from the bed and breakfast’s stunning kitchen and all their friends had helped decorate the house beautifully.
She tried to release her worries and focus on the present moment. Today was her day. Their day. In just a few minutes she’d walk down the aisle on her mother’s arm and marry the man she had loved for most of her life. No matter what they faced next, they would face it together.
Mia popped her head in the door. “Everything is all set. Colt’s waiting for you at the altar. Are you ready?”
Heather grinned. Was she ever.
“Nervous?” Mason asked Colt over Richard’s head, as he took his place with the rest of his brothers at the end of the aisle in the Chance Creek Reformed Church. Richard had agreed to be Colt’s best man, as long as the rest of the Hall men joined him at the altar. Colt had gladly acquiesced.
“Nope.” He was lying. He was nervous. Nervous that Heather would change her mind at the last minute. Nervous that he’d mess up during the ceremony somehow. Nervous that they’d never find a ranch, or that he wouldn’t be the father his children needed.
“Yeah, you are.” Mason grinned at him. Richard smiled, too. Austin and Zane chuckled.
“Shut up.”
Behind them, Reverend Halpern cleared his throat. Mason muttered, “In trouble, as usual.”
“Bite me.”
Halpern cleared his throat again as all of them laughed, but a swell of music from the organist covered it up. Camila appeared in a peach-colored dress followed by Regan, Ella and Storm in similar gowns. Ella’s strained over her very pregnant belly, but Regan’s accentuated her now svelte form. Julie held her new grandbaby, Aaron, in her arms as she sat in the front row. Colt’s gaze slid past all of them to Heather, who’d just appeared on her mother’s arm at the head of the aisle.
“You got this.” Mason straightened. Colt took a deep breath. Yeah, he had this. At least, he’d do his best, but as Heather progressed toward him he knew he was shaking. He hoped like hell he could be the man she deserved. He never wanted to let her down again.
When Heather reached his side, Colt met her gaze and knew that for all the love that shone in her eyes, more must be shining in his. He would always regret the thirteen years they’d lost, but now they’d spend the rest of their lives together.
“Dearly Beloved,” Halpern began and Colt took Heather’s hand.
“Just as I thought.”
Several hours later, Heather nearly tripped and dropped her glass of faux champagne when Heloise walked into the Big House and put her hands on her hips.
“It’s a fine how-do-you-do when your nephew gets married and doesn’t even invite you!”
“Heloise, this isn’t the time.” Mason tried to intercept her. She jabbed at him with her cane until he held up his hands in surrender and backed off.
“This is exactly the time. Everyone’s here; I won’t have to repeat myself.”
“Heloise, don’t make a scene,” Julie said, stepping forward. Heloise waved her cane at her, too.
“I’ll make a scene if I want to.”
“You actually thought you’d get an invitation to our wedding after what you did?” Colt pushed past the others and faced his aunt.
“I don’t see why not, seeing as how I practically arranged it.”
“Are you out of your mind? You told me you wouldn’t stand for a fake wedding!”
Heather stepped forward, afraid Colt might take a swipe at his aunt. Heloise stood her ground. “Are you saying this is a fake wedding?”
“Of course not!”
“Exactly my point. I wouldn’t have stood for it if you’d married that Melanie woman.” Heloise raised her chin smugly. Melanie, who stood nearby with Eric, frowned.
Colt sputtered. Heather watched him fight for words. She was eager to say a few choice ones of her own.
“But—”
“As for who’s responsible for this wedding, I am—just like I’m responsible for each and every one of your brothers’ weddings, too. Not one of you would be married before fifty at the rate you were going. If I hadn’t made it a requirement to get your ranch, you all would still be single!”
“Heloise, that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard you say,” Julie said.
“But it’s true, ain’t it?”
Nobody seemed to know how to answer that. Finally Colt said, “You know what, Heloise? You’ve had your say. I think it’s time you left.”
“Why?”
He stepped closer to her. “Isn’t it enough to kick me off my property? You have to ruin my wedding, too?”
“Who’s kicking you off your property?”
“You are!”
“Says who?” She put her hands on her hips.
“Says you,” Colt bellowed, clearly at the end of his patience. “When I went to tell you I planned to marry Heather, you said you wouldn’t stand for a fake wedding—”
“And since all of your weddings have been real,” Heloise interrupted, “I’m going to give you this.” She thrust the package into his hands.
“What is it, a letter bomb?” Colt held it at arm’s length.
“It’s a gift. Open it! Imbecile,” she muttered.
After a long moment, Colt did. When he’d torn off the small silver bow and the white and silver wrapping paper, he held up a packet of papers. “What is this?”
“It’s the deed,” Mason said in a shocked tone, coming to stand next to him. “It’s the deed, isn’t it, Heloise?”
“You all have eyes. Use them.” But Heather noticed Heloise watched avidly as Colt, his brothers and their wives crowded around the document.
Colt handed the deed to Mason and came to take Heather into his arms. He lowered his mouth to hers and tightened his arms around her. For a moment Heather forgot everything else and she melted in her husband’s emb
race. “I love you,” Colt whispered into her ear. “No matter if we’d landed in a tent in Siberia, I would still love you.”
“Forever?”
“Forever.”
“I’m the one who just gave you a ranch. Why don’t you sweet-talk me?” Heloise humphed.
“Under all that vinegar you’re as sweet as shoe-fly pie, aren’t you, Heloise?” Zane pulled her into a bear hug and planted a loud kiss on top of her head.
Heloise whacked him with her cane. “Enough of that!” But Heather glimpsed the smile that flitted across her face.
Chuckling, Zane let her go and swept Storm into his arms.
“Thank you, Heloise,” Mason said, still reading the document. Regan clung to his elbow, reading it, too. Austin held Ella, who had buried her face in his neck, her shoulders shaking.
Heather knew how she felt; her relief threatened to overwhelm her, too. They would have made a good life anywhere they went, but Crescent Hall was their home and it meant the world to her to know they could remain there. As Cheyenne and her daughters enveloped Storm and Zane in an embrace, Colt tightened his grip on Heather. “Thank you, Heloise,” she managed to call out over Colt’s shoulder before he kissed her again.
“That’s more like it,” Heloise said. “Now, I have some ideas for the place…”
Julie groaned. “Really, Heloise. Don’t you think you’ve—”
“Uh-oh,” Ella said. She pulled away from Austin and clutched her belly.
“Honey? What’s wrong?”
“I think it’s the baby. Oh…” Her focus went inward. Regan sprang into action.
“Zane, pull Austin’s truck around close. Mason, call the hospital and let them know we’re on our way. Austin, do you have the number for your doctor?”
Heather stepped back and let the others do what they needed to do, trailing after them when they began to make their way to the front door, Austin half-supporting, half-carrying Ella. Camila, Maya and Stella came to stand near Heather, and she appreciated their unspoken support.
“I’m sorry, Heather,” Ella called over her shoulder as Mason threaded her arms into her coat.
