The look in those deep blue eyes left no room for doubt. He truly did love her. And she loved him so very much.
He let go of her hand then. “So if you’re willing to forgive me—” his hand reappeared, holding a velvet box “—I’d like to spend the rest of my life making it up to you.” He opened the box to reveal a beautiful diamond solitaire. “Will you marry me, Celeste? Will you be the mother my daughters deserve?”
Excitement, disbelief and love, so much love, welled inside her. She cradled his handsome face in her hands, the tears she’d been fighting now streaming down her cheeks.
“Love keeps no record of wrongs, Gage. And I do love you, so very much.” She kissed his lips. “Yes, I will marry you.”
Epilogue
Celeste followed Cassidy and Emma up the Purcells’ snow-covered sidewalk, carrying a large basket of slider buns and homemade barbecue sauce. In recent weeks, she’d heard all kinds of stories about Phil and Bonnie’s New Year’s Eve parties. How they’d been hosting them since their kids were babies and how the parties grew bigger each year. An evening of counting their blessings from the previous year and praying for those that lay ahead.
“Careful, Mom.” She glanced over her shoulder. “It’s kind of slick up here.”
“Did you remember the jalapeños?”
“And the pickles and the onions.”
“Good. Because brisket isn’t brisket without jalapeños. And I doubt that’s something Bonnie keeps in her fridge.”
“You’d be correct, Hillary.” Gage brought up the rear, holding a large pan of smoked brisket. “Anything hotter than black pepper will have my mom turning up her nose.” Coming alongside Celeste, he leaned closer. “Taryn’s bringing everything else, right?” he whispered.
“Yes.”
“There are my girls.” Bonnie held the front door wide as they climbed the steps of the beautifully restored Victorian house. “Happy New Year, everyone.”
Celeste pondered the evergreen garland and tiny white lights that adorned the porch rail. Oh, yes. It was going to be a happy New Year, indeed.
Inside, a mix of popular Christian music and holiday tunes drifted through the air, along with the fragrances of evergreen, cloves and vanilla.
“Everything looks divine, Bonnie.” Her mother took off her coat and handed it to their hostess.
The nine-foot Christmas tree still took center stage in the living room, while more greenery and lights adorned doorways, windows and just about any other space that needed sprucing up.
Over the next hour, the house filled with familiar faces, reminding Celeste of the closing scene in It’s a Wonderful Life. These were the people she had grown to know and love over the past several months.
“Ted!” Gage pushed through the foyer to hug his longtime friend. “So glad you could make it.”
“Are you kidding, buddy?” Ted sent Celeste a wink. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
His wife, Laura, leaned toward Celeste. “We have a lot to be thankful for this year, don’t we?”
“We sure do. I don’t know what we would have done without them.”
“Praise God we didn’t have to find out.”
Cold air filtered into the room as Trent and Blakely entered with Rose, Austin and Katelynn.
“She’s getting so big.” Celeste gladly held the baby while Blakely slipped out of her coat.
“Tell me about it.” Blakely adjusted the collar of her daughter’s pink velvet dress. “She’s almost nine pounds.”
Cash and Taryn arrived along with his parents and grandfather, followed by Pastor Dan, his wife, Lisa, and their daughter, Alyssa. The house was bursting at the seams with love, laughter and good food. Just the way Gage and Celeste had envisioned it.
“If I could have everyone’s attention.” Gage stood on a chair at the entrance to the living room.
Bonnie, Amanda, Taryn and Rose came in from the kitchen.
“Is everybody here?” Gage scanned the adjoining rooms.
“Son—” Bonnie perched a hand on her apron-clad hip “—what on earth are you up to?”
He reached for Celeste’s hand. “We’ve decided to get married.”
His mother sent him an annoyed look. “Gage, we all know that. We’re just waiting for you to tell us where and when.”
He grinned. “Right here. Tonight.”
The smile on Bonnie’s face right before she let out a squeal that probably echoed throughout the canyon was priceless.
“We’ve taken care of all the details. All we have to do is get ready,” said Gage. “So everyone continue to party and we’ll see you shortly.”
Stepping down, he kept hold of Celeste’s hand and pulled her to him. “Meet me at the altar?”
“I can hardly wait.”
Ninety minutes later, Celeste waited at the top of the oak staircase feeling like Cinderella in her cap-sleeve tulle gown. While notes of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” played in the background, Cassidy and Emma descended first, followed by Celeste’s mother, who was also serving as her maid of honor. Smiling guests watched from the living and dining rooms adjacent to the foyer. And at the bottom of the stairs, along with his best man, Ted, and Pastor Dan, was the man Celeste had trusted with her heart. The one she couldn’t wait to start a life with and create a happily-ever-after all their own.
They deliberately kept the ceremony short and when the pastor said, “You may kiss your bride,” the room erupted with cheers.
A smiling Gage cradled her face and pulled her to him. “Happy New Year, Mrs. Purcell.”
“Happy New Year, Mr. Purcell.” Filled with more joy and love than she’d ever imagined, she smiled back at her husband. “And many more to come.”
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from THE COWBOY’S SURPRISE BABY by Deb Kastner.
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed Gage and Celeste’s story, about two people who had planned their lives, yet suddenly found themselves heading in another direction. One they never imagined.
Have you ever done that? Laid out your plans, embarked on your journey through life, were well on your way toward your goal, only to have God set you on another path you hadn’t expected? I have. Actually, I suppose I could say that about writing. When my kids were young, I barely read, let alone wrote. But through all those years, God was giving me stories. Stories that played out only in my mind, until that day He called me to write for Him.
We never know what God has in store for us. Or how He might use our past mistakes to shape and strengthen us. We simply have to cling to His promise “to prosper and not harm us, to give us hope and a future.”
If you’ve read any of my other books, I hope you enjoyed revisiting Ouray as much as I did, seeing what’s happening with old friends and meeting some new faces along the way. In real life, Ouray is located in southwestern Colorado and is known by many names—the Switzerland of America, the Gem of the Rockies, the Ice Climbing Capital of the United States and the Jeeping Capital of the World.
As always, I would love to hear from you. You can contact me via my website, www.mindyobenhaus.com, or you can snail mail me c/o Love Inspired Books, 233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10279.
Wishing you many blessings,
Mindy
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.
You believe hearts can heal. Love Inspired stories show that faith, forgiveness and hope have the power to lift spirits and change lives—always.
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The Cowboy’s Surprise Baby
by Deb Kastner
Chapter One
Cole Bishop didn’t know who’d originally coined the phrase “Home is where the heart is,” but whoever it was, she should have been shot. Home was where the heartbreak was, and if it wasn’t for the fact that his whole world was in an uproar, Cole would happily have never set foot in his hometown again for as long as he lived. Except maybe to visit his family, and there were ways to get around that obstacle.
Serendipity, Texas, was too small even to warrant a dot on the map, and its residents had minds like elephants and considered gossip a national pastime. He must be out of his mind for returning. His worst memories would be dredged up, and fast.
A man’s got to do what he’s got to do. For his son.
Truth was, he had nowhere else to go.
“Much obliged for the job.” Cole nodded to Alexis Haddon of Redemption Ranch and curled the brim of his hat in his fist, tapping the dark brown Stetson against his thigh. He and Alexis had grown up together. When she’d heard he was back in town, she’d immediately contacted him to see if he wanted to work for her. And he was grateful. Now that he had a son, he needed steady employment more than ever, and wrangling sounded mighty good after years serving on an aircraft carrier in the navy. Less structure, more open space.
Alexis leaned her hip against the corner of her neatly organized desk and beamed at him with happy eyes and a white-toothed smile. Her husband, Griff, kicked back in the desk chair, lacing his fingers behind his head and admiring his wife.
“That’s my Alexis. Always thinking of others.”
Alexis laughed and waved him away. “Don’t be silly.” She turned her blue eyes on Cole and used the same hand to flick her long blond hair off her shoulders. “It’s a privilege. As soon as I heard you were out of the navy and moving back to Serendipity, I knew I had to snatch you up before some other ranch manager did.”
It wasn’t so much what Alexis had said, but something about the way she said it sent a ripple of forewarning down Cole’s spine. He might have been imagining the feeling, except for the brief, surprised jerk of Griff’s left eyebrow.
Cole swallowed hard. Something was brewing in Alexis’s crafty female brain. He could see it in her eyes.
Whatever it was, Cole wanted nothing to do with it. His whole reason for accepting this position was to lose himself out on the range, where his biggest problems would be livestock and not people. With his background in naval intelligence, he was way overqualified for the job, but that was the whole point. He could be working for the CIA or FBI, but all he really wanted to do was spend time on the back of a horse. He had more than enough of a challenge learning to be a single father to Grayson without adding additional stress—or a job that would take him away from home or put him in danger.
He might not like it, but Serendipity was the right place to be, if for no other reason than that he had the support of his family here. And the community.
Alexis shot her husband a warning look before turning a warm smile on Cole. “As I was saying,” she continued, sounding miffed, as if Griff had verbally interrupted her instead of merely questioning her with a look, “Griff and I both want to thank you for your military service and welcome you back home.”
Cole gave an affirmative jerk of his chin. He never knew what to do or say when folks thanked him for his service to the country. He appreciated the sentiment, but it made him feel uncomfortable.
“I—er—” he stammered and then cleared his throat. He lifted his hat until it hovered over the general area of his heart in a gesture of respect. “Like I said before, I’m grateful for the position.”
“And we’re blessed to have you.” Alexis glanced at her watch and then at the door as if she’d suddenly realized she had somewhere else to be.
Cole took that to mean they were finished. “I’ll be off, then.”
“Our first staff meeting of the month is tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. here at the house. It’s casual—we meet around our dining room table. It’ll be your first official shift.”
“Glad to have this afternoon off. That’ll give me a little bit of time to settle in at my dad’s house.” He nodded at Griff and Alexis. “He says he’s happy to watch Grayson during the days for me, but it’s a lot of change at once and a steep learning curve for all of us.”
“The Lord will bless your sacrifice, Cole,” Alexis said, patting his arm. “I can’t imagine how difficult this must be for you, but I believe a baby is always a good and perfect gift from God.”
Cole pressed his lips together and nodded. Difficult didn’t even begin to describe his life since the moment he’d discovered he was going to be a father.
“Now, let me just run down your job description for you and we’ll be all set,” Alexis continued.
Cole exhaled as stress eased off his shoulders. He’d be wrangling. How hard could it be?
“Honey, don’t you think we ought to mention—” Griff started to say, but he was interrupted by two sharp raps on the open office door.
Alexis’s eyes widened to epic proportions, and she caught her bottom lip in her teeth as if to stop herself from giggling. Griff’s chair slammed upright.
A chill raced down Cole’s spine and he turned on his heel.
“Alexis, I was looking over the background files for the incoming group of girls and it appears—” The auburn-haired woman’s gaze rose from the pile of manila folders in her arms, and she gasped audibly.
“Cole.” She frowned and raised the files in front of her like a shield.
Ice filled Cole’s chest. His lungs. His veins.
It would have frozen his heart if he’d had one—but the woman into whose enormous emerald eyes he was staring had stolen it from him long ago and had ripped it into shreds. It remained beyond repair even all these years later.
“Tessa.” Cole stiffened. He clenched his jaw and both fists.
He hadn’t expected to find her in Serendipity, much less at Redemption Ranch. Tessa Applewhite worked here? After he’d just signed on to do the same?
What kind of nightmare had he just stepped into? He hadn’t asked anyone about Tessa’s whereabouts, of course, and he had good reason not to. Broaching the subject of Tessa with anyone in Serendipity would have dredged up memories he most definitely wanted to forget. Not to mention it would likely have set tongues wagging again, no matter who he asked.
“I—uh—” Tessa stammered, her wide-eyed, questioning gaze flashing from Cole to Alexis and then back to Cole again. “What are you doing here?”
That was exactly the question he wanted to ask her. What had happened to becoming a lawyer? He never imagined she’d return home. There wasn’t much call for legal help in Serendipity, and the town’s one lawyer more than covered it.
But she had asked him first. Her eyebrows rose as she waited for his answer.
“Workin’,” he answered reluctantly, tapping his hat against his blue jeans.
“Here?” Her voice, which Cole remembered as soft and lilting, sounded scratchy and strained, much as he imagined his own voice did. “Alexis? W-what—”
“We’ve just hired Cole on as a wrangler now that he’s moved back to town,” Alexis explained, her tone overly bright. “Surprise!”
Cole cringed. Surprise? Seriously?
Is that what Alexis had been thinking when she’d offered him the job? That he and Tessa would be glad to see each other after all this time apart? That she’d be acting as some kind of matchmaker between the two of them?
That was the furthest thing from the truth, at least for Cole. And judging by the distress lining Tessa’s features, he guessed she was feeling the same way.
No need to prolong the agony.
He planted his hat on his head and adjusted the brim, then tipped it to both of the women as his mama had taught him to do when he was a youngster. He’d always shown respect to the ladies, although at the moment he wasn’t keen on being in the room with either one of them. “If you’ll excuse me, I have things that need attending to.”
Like his son. Even though every single part of being a new father, and a single dad at that, was excruciatingly difficult for Cole, it beat standing here eye to eye with the one woman in the world he least wanted to see right now.
Or ever.
He started toward the doorway, intending to slip past Tessa and be on his way, but when he started to go by her, her arm snaked out, her hand pressing against his chest.
“Cole, wait.”
Even through the cotton of his T-shirt, her palm felt blistering hot, and he wanted to jerk away. It was only a final, slim shred of dignity and pride that held him back. Or at least that was what he kept telling himself. In truth, he wasn’t certain he could have moved if he tried.
It should have been easy for him to keep walking. Tessa was a little wisp of a thing, and even had she given it her best shot, she could not have physically held him back. But when their gazes locked, no matter how loud his mind screamed for him to keep moving, his body refused to cooperate.
He couldn’t catch a breath. His chest ached and his throat burned. His pulse roared and thundered in his ears.
From the corner of his eye, Cole saw Griff come out from behind the desk and take his wife’s elbow. Clearly Alexis had schooled Griff on Cole and Tessa’s rocky past. “Why don’t we let these two have a moment alone together?”
It was more of a statement than a question, and although Alexis looked ready to argue, she wasn’t allowed the opportunity to do so. Griff herded her through the door, shooting an apologetic grin over his shoulder.
A Father's Second Chance (Contemporay Christian Romance) Page 19
