Always A Will And A Way_Western Romance

by Barbara Gee

  “Tell them the money is just too good to turn down.”

  “Hmm, they wouldn’t buy that either,” Will replied, reaching for her waist and effortlessly lifting her into his lap so he could wrap both arms around her and nuzzle his face into her neck. “Actually, Kel, I should probably tell you that money really isn’t much of a problem for my family, thanks to my great grandfather.”

  “Hmm,” Kelly murmured. “Ranching must have been really good to him.”

  “It wasn’t the ranch. When he was seventy or so, he invested his life’s savings in about five hundred acres of land southeast of here, because he was sure it had lots of oil on it. It was the early 1900’s, when the Texas oil boom was just starting, and he wanted to get in on it.”

  “Really?” Kelly asked a little skeptically. “The Connors don’t seem like oil barons.”

  “We aren’t. Turned out there wasn’t any oil on the land. Not enough to invest in wells anyway. But fortunately, the land was close to Dallas. Great Grandpa held on to it, and as the city grew, the land become a lot more valuable than it would have been even if it had turned out to be oil rich. My Grandpa was an only child, and he inherited all the land and held it until the time was right, then sold the whole thing. As a result, he and my dad were able to double the size of the Triple Creek, and the ranch is debt free. The rest of the money went into trust funds for my brothers and me. I’ve never touched mine, but it’s there if I need it. And I’m pretty sure it’s more than I could make in a whole miserable lifetime of being a freaking model, so if you had your heart set on living with the paparazzi in Hollywood, you’re gonna be disappointed.”

  “No paparazzi wishes for me,” Kelly assured him. She sat up and propped an elbow against his chest, smiling. “I’m happy for you, Will. You’ve been very blessed, and I’m glad you don’t have to worry about money. And the fact that you haven’t been reckless with your inheritance says a lot for the way you boys were raised. I admire your parents for that.”

  “Just so you know, I wasn’t trying to keep the trust fund thing a secret from you, Kelly. It just never came up.”

  “Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t change anything.”

  Will smiled and nibbled her ear lobe. “I knew it wouldn’t, not for you. That hasn’t always been the case, though. I think our friend Lindsay’s lasting obsession with me has been fueled more by the trust fund than by any real feelings for me.”

  “Don’t sell yourself short, Will C. You’re one incredibly great guy, with or without money. Pretty much irresistible, in fact. I would know. I tried, and failed miserably.”

  “Thank God,” Will murmured. “You’re pretty great too, baby. You’re wicked smart, a fantastic mom, a caring friend, and drop dead gorgeous in both body and spirit.” He nudged her nose with his. “You know, if I’d written down a checklist for my dream girl and the list came to life, it would’ve been Kelly Matherson.”

  The green of her eyes deepened behind a sheen of happy tears. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Will, but my checklist wouldn’t have been you. But that’s only because I didn’t know a man like you existed, and even if I’d known, I probably wouldn’t have aimed so high.” She framed his face in her hands and lightly kissed his lips. “I’m glad God was in control, because I’m afraid I would have ended up settling for a lot less. Instead, I have you.”

  His arms tightened around her. “So you’re really done with all that crazy worrying about things that don’t matter?”

  She smiled and nodded. “You make me happy, Will. I thank God for you at least a dozen times a day.”

  He lowered her to the couch and followed, drawing their legs up so they were lying prone, facing each other, their bodies touching from shoulder to ankle.

  “I hate saying goodbye to you, Kel. Lie here with me for a while. Just let me feel you close to me.”

  Kelly settled her head against his shoulder and relaxed against him. “My pleasure,” she breathed.

  “I might doze off,” Will warned. “It’s been a long day.”

  “Go ahead. I’ll wake you after a little while.” Kelly snuggled closer. “This is nice.”

  “The best,” Will agreed sleepily.

  A few minutes later, his breathing deepened and Kelly realized that just like that, he was indeed asleep. She smiled and just enjoyed the moment.

  Chapter 35

  The next week proved a challenge for Will and Kelly to find time to spend together. He was even busier than usual with his horses, as he had a couple at both ranches that were close to being finished with their training, and owners who were anxious to take them home.

  Will worked from dawn to dusk Monday through Friday, and although he came over to see her every day after dinner, he was so tired that Kelly always insisted he leave early to get some sleep.

  On Friday evening, as she walked him out to his truck, he told her he had to go into Dallas the next day to take care of some things.

  “How about I go over to your place and fix dinner for when you get home?” Kelly suggested.

  His face lit up. “Having you and dinner both waiting for me would be great. I probably won’t be able to head out until almost noon, but I should be back by seven.”

  “That works. I’ll take care of getting any groceries I’ll need.”

  “Okay. And I was kinda hoping I could take James with me. Do you think he’d want to come? I’m just going to be running some errands that I’ve been putting off. Nothing real exciting, but if he wants to tag along I’d love to have him.”

  “My guess is if it means spending time with you, he’ll be all for it. Are you sure he won’t be in the way?”

  “I’m sure. See what he says, and if he wants to go I’ll swing in and pick him up right after lunch.”

  “Okay, I’ll let you know. Thanks, Will. It means a lot to me that you want to hang out with him.”

  “I love him, Kelly. And I love you.” He kissed her. “I’m sorry about the crazy week. We’ve got four horses going out tomorrow morning, so next week will be better.”

  “Ranch life isn’t a nine to five job. I get that, and I’m okay with it.”

  “You sure you want to cook tomorrow? I could pick something up for us on the way home if you’d rather.”

  “No, I miss cooking, and I like doing it for you.”

  “And I like when you do it.” He kissed her lightly. “Mmmmm,” he said, hugging her. “You smell so good and feel so good. I hate to leave but it’s gonna be another early morning.”

  “I’ll text you tomorrow morning and let you know about James. Good night, Will C.” Kelly rose up on her toes and pulled his head down so she could kiss him goodnight. “I love you.”

  “Words I’ll never get tired of hearing,” Will murmured. “Night, baby.”

  As expected, James was thrilled to go off with Will for the afternoon. Kelly waved goodbye as they pulled away, so full of love for the man and boy in that truck she thought her heart might burst. She closed her eyes and said a prayer of thanksgiving for them, wiping away tears of gratitude before she turned back to the house to plan her menu for dinner.

  Soon after she got to his house and unloaded her groceries, Will texted her to say things were going good and they should have no problem making their target time of seven o’clock. Kelly stuck her iPod into Will’s dock and hummed and sang as she started cooking. First she mixed chili sauce, onion soup mix and brown sugar to make the sauce for her mom’s famous pot roast, then put it in the oven to slow roast for three hours. Then she sliced and boiled red potatoes and stirred them into a mixture of mayonnaise, sour cream, bacon, cheeses and seasonings, to be put into the oven an hour before dinnertime. A green bean casserole was soon ready, which would go into the oven with the potatoes.

  While she still had space in the oven, she mixed up a batch of biscuits and baked them to crispy, golden perfection. She had decided to make cream puffs for dessert, as they were one of James’ favorites and one of the few things Sarah hadn’t made during
their stay so far. Kelly was pretty sure Will would enjoy them just as much as James did. She stirred up the eggy dough for the pastry, dropped big blobs of it onto a cookie sheet and baked them, pulling them from the oven just in time to put the potatoes and green beans in.

  As everything baked and bubbled in the oven, she started on the vanilla pudding that she hoped would take the cream puffs from good to great. She had to stir the pudding constantly to make sure it didn’t burn, and she’d had to beg some real vanilla off of Sarah, because using extract just didn’t taste the same. The extra work was definitely worth it, Kelly decided as she tasted the finished product. The pudding was creamy and vanilla-y and to die for. The final touch was a thick chocolate sauce, which she would drizzle over the puffs once they were filled and ready to serve.

  As she was setting the table, she heard the familiar rumble of Will’s big Diesel engine. Before she could get to the door to greet them, James bounded inside, running to wrap his arms around her.

  “Hey, Mom. We had the best time. It smells good in here. Did you make pot roast like Gran?”

  “I gave it my best shot,” Kelly replied. “Where’s Will?”

  “He’s getting all the bags. He had to buy a bunch of stuff.”

  “Well maybe you should’ve helped him carry them in.”

  “He said he’ll get it. I’m starving, Mom. I wanted to stop for a snack on the way home but Will said if you’re going to all the trouble of cooking for us, we should make sure we’re good and hungry.”

  Kelly smiled and ruffled his hair. “It’s ready, so go wash up.”

  Will walked in carrying some shopping bags.

  “Looks like I missed a productive trip,” she said as he dropped the bags in the breezeway and smiled at her.

  “You did. Man, it smells wonderful in here. What did you make?”

  “You’ll see in a minute. It’s ready to put on the table, and not dried out or burnt, thanks to your good timing.”

  “We aim to please, sweetheart,” Will told her. “Especially when there’s food involved.”

  The meal was definitely a success. Will and James stuffed themselves on the main course, but still found room for dessert when Kelly carried in the cream puffs drizzled with chocolate, some powdered sugar sprinkled on top for good measure.

  “Sarah’s got nothing on you, Kelly,” Will told her sincerely, rubbing his stomach after polishing off his second cream puff. “I think that might have been the best meal I’ve ever had. What do you say we handle clean up, James, since your mom worked so hard on the food?”

  “Do you have a dishwasher?” James asked hopefully.

  “Sure do, so it won’t take us long.”

  “I don’t mind cleaning up,” Kelly said, but Will insisted that she relax and let them do it.

  After the kitchen was sparkling clean once again, the three of them played card games until James’ and Will’s yawning got to be too much.

  “Time for you sleepyheads to turn in,” Kelly announced, gathering the cards after Will had once again trounced them in a game of war.

  “I’ll be at church tomorrow morning, but I have a little work to do after that. I should be done around 3:00. Can I have you from then on?” Will asked. “I thought maybe we could go for a ride if you’re up to it.”

  Kelly smiled up at him as James crawled into her car. “A ride sounds great. I’ll be ready whenever you get there. James has a long standing Sunday afternoon play date with his grandpa, though, so it’ll just be you and me.”

  Will grinned. “Guess I’ll have to suffer through it. See you tomorrow.”

  Chapter 36

  Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day for riding. Will had seemed a little stressed at church that morning, which was unusual for him, and Kelly had assured him they could put off their ride until another day if he had too much going on. He wouldn’t hear of it, although he did say it would help him out if they could meet at the Triple Creek and ride there, instead of the Wild Rose, saving him the trip. Kelly was a little unsure about riding a strange horse, but since she trusted Will, she readily agreed.

  When she joined him at his ranch that afternoon, she found that the mare he had chosen for her, named Puddin, was sweet natured and obedient. The mare also seemed more than happy for the chance to hang out with Will’s big, beautiful stallion.

  “I think my horse has a crush on yours,” Kelly observed, laughing as Puddin tossed her head and hurried to keep up with the larger horse’s long legs.

  “They’ve had two foals together,” Will said. “It’s good Puddin’s not the jealous kind, though, because Stony here gets around. He’s one of our best studs, but we sell most of his offspring to the Wild Rose, since we don’t raise many here anymore.”

  “Soon you won’t have time to raise any at all, since your reputation as a trainer is spreading far and wide,” Kelly said proudly. “At dinner the other night, Eli told me you’re either going to have to build another stable and training ring, or start turning people away.” She grinned over at him. “You’re amazingly humble, but I think you’re kind of a big deal, Will.”

  “Eli’s no slouch at the training himself. I think he’ll move into that full time and let Emmet and Trav hire another hand to take over what he does on the cattle side of the operation. I’m not quite ready to give up working on the Wild Rose, so hopefully that will prolong me having to make that decision. I know it’s going to have to be addressed sooner or later, but I’m hoping for later.”

  “I hope so, too. Chad and Senior would be devastated to lose you.”

  Will nodded. “I hope it doesn’t come to that, but my brothers don’t quite understand my ties to the Rose, so eventually they’re going to pressure me to faze that out.” He looked over at Kelly and smiled. “But we don’t need to worry about that today, so…….I’ll meet you at the water hole!”

  Will and Stony took off, and Puddin immediately followed without any urging from Kelly. The smaller mare couldn’t begin to keep up, but she was game to try and managed to at least keep the guys in sight. Kelly was pretty pleased with herself for feeling secure in the saddle as her horse galloped smoothly along, and when they finally caught up to Will, who was waiting on a hilltop overlooking the water hole, she was smiling hugely.

  “I think I might be getting the hang of this riding thing,” she said happily.

  “I know you are, I wouldn’t have left you in the dust otherwise,” Will teased. “And you look pretty dang good doing it, too.” He smiled and smoothly dismounted, then walked over to her. “Let’s walk for a bit,” he suggested, reaching his arms up to help her down.

  “Is it okay to leave the horses untied?” Kelly asked uncertainly.

  “They’ll be fine for a little while.” Will took her hand, walking her across the crest of the hill to a high spot in front of a grove of trees, instead of down to the water hole as she had expected.

  “Wow, what a beautiful view,” Kelly breathed when they stopped and looked out over the green fields, with the blue sky above and the tumbling creek below. She admired the view for a while, then sank down and sprawled out on the soft grass.

  “It’s so peaceful here. I understand why you love the ranch so much, Will. I can picture what it must have been like growing up here. You and your brothers doing your chores and then racing all over on your horses, splashing in the water hole, tagging along after your dad and the ranch hands and learning how to do everything. What a great way to grow up.”

  Will stood over her, his hands on his lean hips, his eyes in the shadow of his Stetson. “Yeah, it is beautiful, it is peaceful, I do love it, and yes, it was a great place to grow up. But babe, you’re lying in the middle of the kitchen floor right now, don’t you think that’s kind of strange?”

  Kelly frowned and reached up a hand to shade her eyes from the sun. “The kitchen? Um, okay, I’m pretty sure I’m not the strange one here,” she teased.

  Reaching out a hand, Will drew her to her feet. “Come on. The master bedroo
m is over here.”

  Laughing, Kelly let him tug her along. “Are we playing house, Will? And all this time I thought you were mature for your years.”

  Unfazed, he stopped and spread out his arms. “This is the bedroom, at the back of the house where it’s nice and private.”

  Kelly arched a brow. “Ooooo-kay,” she said. “It’s, uh, a beautiful house, Will.”

  He looked at her, smiling gently. “It could be.”

  She shook her head slowly, confused. “Are you saying you’re thinking of building a house on this hill?”

  “I’ve always thought it would be a perfect place for a house. The fields and the stream in front, the woods in the back, and you can see for miles. It’s totally private, but not completely isolated. There’s a road not too far behind those trees that the lane could connect to. Ten minutes one way and you’re in town, and three minutes in the other direction takes you right to the main entrance of the Triple Creek. And Emmet and Travis live about a half mile away, toward town.”

  Kelly spun in a slow circle, considering the surroundings from the whole 360 degrees. She stopped when she was back to facing Will and grinned up at him. “I can definitely see you here, Will. It would be a great place to come home to after a long day of work. Your little cabin is great, but it’s not exactly getting away from it all. The stable is practically in your back yard.”

  Will pushed his hat back so she could see his eyes. “What about you, Kelly? Can you see yourself living on my hill with me?”

  “Me?” Kelly met his gaze and then her smile become shaky and her heart started thudding in her chest. “Um, I don’t—I guess I don’t really know.....” Her voice trailed off and she gasped when Will took both of her hands in his and lowered himself to a knee.

  His eyes were vividly blue in the sunlight as he looked up at her, and Kelly completely forgot to breathe.

  “I love you so much, Kelly,” he said softly, intently. “I knew you were special from that first moment I walked out of the stable and saw you standing there. My whole life changed that day and now I can’t imagine ever being without you. I want you to stay here. I want to build you and James a house here on the hill, with a big yard and a porch and a hammock and a whole bunch of dogs. I want to come home to you every evening, go to bed with you every night right here in our bedroom, and wake up to your beautiful face every morning. I want to give James a brother or sister or maybe both. I want to be his dad and have him grow up here on the Triple Creek, like I did.” He squeezed her hands, his fingers trembling slightly. “I love you and James more with every single day that goes by. I believe with my whole heart and soul that God brought you to me, and we’re meant to be husband and wife. A family. Kelly. Will you marry me?”