He sighed resignedly. “Get it all out of the way,” he said. “I’m planning to marry her as soon as we’re done here, so she might as well know the worst there is.”
Catherine grinned. “You were an adorable little cowboy.”
He grinned back and they looked over the photo album together.
Of course, they couldn’t get married right away. The license had to be applied for and there was a short waiting period. It didn’t really matter. Catherine loved the ranch. She worked almost as hard as Scott had when he was trying to forget her, but she did it because she loved the work.
She was good at it too. She had good instincts with animals and she’d done some research on crops. She talked Eric into planting some soybeans. The market for them was enormous, according to her.
Scott had known that his parents would like Catherine, but she admitted that she’d been terrified of them. Her own parents were furious with her, texting and calling so frequently that she’d shut her phone off for good the day after she’d arrived.
The next Monday, they went to town hall and said their vows in front of his parents. Scott had been worried that Catherine would be disappointed, but she had smiled.
“Everyone I care about will be there. What more could I want?”
They left the courthouse arm in arm and ran right into her father.
“Where have you been?” Andrew asked angrily.
“With me,” Scott said, standing just slightly in front of Catherine.
“Why haven’t you answered your phone?” Andrew continued.
Catherine raised her chin and pushed out from behind Scott. “I didn’t want to talk to you. You should be happy. I got married.”
Her mother approached in time to hear that last sentence. She sighed. “More things to reshoot. At least you’ve gotten the legal issues out of the way, I guess.”
“Thanks for the congratulations,” Scott said dryly.
“And I’d like that transfer,” Catherine said. Her voice only wavered slightly. Scott put his hand on the small of her back. She’d chosen a pretty floral print sundress that he couldn’t wait to get off of her. “Right now. I know you can do it from your phone.”
“Why so impatient?” Andrew asked. “You’re not...”
“No,” she said. “I’m not pregnant. But there are some things I want. And now that I’ve given you what you want, I think I deserve them.”
“I am happy that you saw sense,” Mavis said. “One little assault charge doesn't matter much.”
“It ended my entire career,” Scott said tightly.
“But now you’re rich,” Mavis answered with a knowing smile. “I’m sure you figured that out for yourself.”
Catherine’s phone beeped. Money had appeared in the joint account her parents had set up for her. A few presses of the buttons and the money disappeared again. Andrew stared at her.
“Where--”
Catherine smiled. “We had a contract,” she reminded him. “The money was going to an account that you had no access to.”
Color flooded Andrew Cargill’s cheeks, but he didn’t speak.
“Fine,” Mavis said, obviously displeased. They’d never thought that Catherine would set up an account that they couldn’t access. Especially before they could put a freeze on the joint account. “Let’s go over the wedding--”
“No,” Catherine said easily.
Everyone stared at her. Even Scott. He’d figured he was stuck in that reality show.
“What?” he asked.
She looked up at him. “You don’t want to do that show do you?”
“God, no!” he said firmly.
“Good. Then, sorry, we’re not doing it.” She watched as her father tried to figure out what to say. “You should have gotten a contract.”
Eric, who was standing behind Scott and Catherine, laughed. Andrew Cargill turned his glare on him.
“What’s so funny?” he demanded.
“My new daughter’s a real spitfire,” Eric said proudly. “Now, you’re not gettin’ what you want, so maybe you could get out of our way. We’ve got a ranch to run.”
Chapter Ten:
Catherine stretched and rolled over. Scott was already getting dressed, or trying to. It was still dark.
“You’re already up?” she asked unnecessarily.
“Yeah,” he said, going over to kiss her on the cheek. “Thought I’d put in a few hours on the house before I hit the fields.”
She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him back down into the bed with her. “Not yet.”
Scott laughed and kissed the side of her neck, deliberately tickling her. She squealed and pushed against his chest. He let her gain the upper hand for the pleasure of having her on top of him.
They’d been married for three months and, other than the stuff that got under every couple’s skin, he knew it wouldn’t have mattered if he married her after a month or after ten years. Catherine Cargill...now Catherine Lawson, was his soul mate.
She raised her arms in victory and then kissed him on the cheek. “If you’re going to the house, I’m going too,” she said when she’d untangled herself from the sheets that had wrapped her up in their wrestling match.
“You could get a few hours of sleep,” he said. “They’re working on the roof today, but they won’t start for a little longer.”
In addition to building their own house at the other end of the ranch, Catherine had started repairs on the farmhouse. The roof, the siding, some new appliances and other things that had fallen through the cracks with the weight of larger repairs over their heads.
Eric and Linda had tried to protest, but Catherine had asked for a share in the ranch. That had surprised them, but she explained that she wanted to buy half of it for herself and for Scott so that she’d have something to call her own. In return, she’d help bring things up to date since she wasn’t exactly the greatest at raising crops.
She was selling herself short, but it had worked in the end. Scott pulled a jacket on. The fall weather was chilly until the fog burned off in the morning sunshine. He put his arm around Catherine’s shoulders and they walked to the frame of what would be their house in a few more months.
“It’s coming along so well,” she said. She helped most days, but she hadn’t seen the latest additions. “So this is the porch?”
“Yeah. It’s gonna run the length of the house,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee. “Plenty of room for a porch swing and some rocking chairs for our old age.”
She bit her lip. She had news and she wasn’t exactly sure how he’d take it.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, sensitive as always to the changes in her expression.
“Nothing,” Catherine said quickly. “So...with rockers and a porch swing, do you think there’d be room for a baby swing?”
“Yeah, I’m sure we could--” Scott stopped, realization dawning. He stared at her for so long that she was chewing her nails before he managed to put words into a sentence. “A baby?”
She nodded. “I know that we didn’t exactly plan this, but you know, we haven’t been quite as careful as we could have been and--”
Scott wrapped his arms around her and spun her in a circle. Then he set her gently back to her feet, grinning sheepishly. “Sorry. I’ll be more careful.”
She laughed in relief. “I was afraid you’d be mad.”
“Mad?” Scott looked down at her, framing her beautiful face with his hands. “I love kids. And I love you. Seems natural to me.”
“It’s kind of fast,” Catherine ventured.
“That’s just how we do things,” Scott said, kissing her until she flung her arms around him.
The sun came up to their east, but neither of them noticed it. They were too busy planning the life they couldn’t wait to lead. A life of their own with no secrets and no restrictions.
*** THE END ***
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