ISABELLA HAD STOPPED crying. She lay on the bed, trying to make plans for the morning. She’d have to see if her car was ready. Russ had called someone after the blizzard stopped to have it towed and repaired. If it wasn’t ready, she’d buy a new car.
She certainly couldn’t hang around here. But she hated the thought of telling everyone goodbye.
A knock sounded on the door. She figured Janie was worried about her not eating. As if she could keep anything down. But she had to be polite. She slid off the bed and opened her door. Only to try to shut it again. She didn’t want to talk to Russ.
“Sweetheart, I want to apologize,” he pleaded.
“It’s not necessary. Just go away.”
“Not until I know you’re okay…and you’re still going to marry me.”
“I can’t.”
“Why? Because you’re afraid of horses? I shouldn’t have pressed you on that. You have lots of time to learn how to ride. Or never to learn if you don’t want to. And you have to marry me so I can take care of you and Angel. I promised.”
“But I don’t know if…I’m not ready to…”
“I know. We’ll give it a year, after things have had plenty of time to settle. I won’t pressure you in any way. We’ll work something out. Okay?”
“And if we don’t?”
“We will. Look, honey, I’ve been in the deep freeze for a long time. My life started changing so quickly I forgot things I’d learned. Like discipline, thinking about someone else’s feelings, giving instead of taking. Things got out of hand today. But it won’t happen again.”
“I told you I was taking advantage of you. Now you know it’s true.”
“No, it’s not,” he said. “Today I was taking advantage of you. Forgive me?”
Tears filled her eyes. “I’m sorry, too. I didn’t mean to be difficult.”
“Lord have mercy. You’re making me feel even worse.” He put his arms around her and pulled her close.
She immediately stiffened.
“No, honey, I’m not trying to kiss you. I just want you to know I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” She eased out of his arms. “Are you sure you want to go ahead with the wedding?”
“Yeah. It’s going to be a big social event in Rawhide. We can’t disappoint people,” he added with a chuckle.
“That’s not a good reason—”
“I was just trying to make it easier. We’re going ahead for the best reason in the world. For Angel. We’re going to take care of her, and we’ll be happy, too. I’m sure of it. Now come downstairs and have some dinner.”
“Russ, I can’t face all of them! What will they think?”
“They’ll think I’m a monster. But if you want to eat up here, I’ll go down and fix you a plate.”
“No. If you can face them, I can, too. I have to learn to be braver.”
“You set out on your own with a little baby, Isabella. I don’t think your bravery is in question. Come on.” He took her hand and turned toward the door. Then he reached out a hand to smooth her hair and led her downstairs.
“Any food left?” Russ asked as they entered the kitchen.
“Just a little,” Red answered, grinning. “Izzy, you make sure he serves you first. Otherwise, you won’t get much.”
Her cheeks were red, but Isabella held her chin high. “Russ will make sure I do. He’s very thoughtful.”
He squeezed her hand. “And she’s very forgiving. The wedding’s still on.”
Everyone cheered.
RUSS HELD HIMSELF together until he returned to his apartment. Then, alone, he had to face himself. He’d acted badly this evening. Because he wanted Isabella. He’d been lying to himself all along. Oh, he loved Angel and would enjoy being her daddy. But he’d felt an attraction to Isabella all along.
Once he’d kissed her, he’d felt an overpowering craving to touch her again. And the way he’d lived the past months had left him with no restraint. He was like a river breaking its banks and flowing wherever it wanted. He’d told himself he could never love again. But he was still alive. Very much so.
He’d thought Abby would never forgive him if he looked for happiness with another woman, but he’d been using her as an excuse because he was afraid of being hurt again.
Now it was too late. He wanted to be Isabella’s husband in every sense of the word. But he’d promised.
So, as his father wisely said, he’d have to give Isabella time to adjust to Rawhide and their lifestyle. He’d have to wait until she dealt with her father. What if she decided to go back to New York? That thought bothered him. He’d suffer again. Could he convince her to stay here?
He didn’t know. But he couldn’t act as he had this afternoon. That much he knew. He’d been given a second chance, and he wasn’t going to blow it.
THE NEXT FEW DAYS were busy. They moved a lot of the furniture out of the house Isabella had inherited from her great-aunt and hired some women to give it a thorough cleaning. Isabella discussed modernizing the kitchen with him. He voted for the same for the bathrooms.
It was a lovely old home, but it needed a lot of work. More insulation would be good, too. The furnace had a hard time keeping it warm. He packed some of his clothes the night before the wedding so he’d have changes of clothes there, but he left most of his things in the apartment.
Saturday morning Rich showed up on his doorstep.
“What are you doing here?” Russ asked.
“You haven’t forgotten you’re getting married today, have you?” Rich asked. “I’m your best man. I thought I should make sure you get to the ranch on time.”
Russ grinned. “I’ll be there. But since you’re here, come on in. I’ve made a pot of coffee.”
“Good. I picked up some cinnamon buns.”
“Now I’m glad you came!” Russ teased as he stood back for his twin to enter. Soon they were seated at the table, enjoying their breakfast.
“Are you doing okay?” Rich asked. “I thought you might be having a hard time this morning.”
“No, I’m okay.” Russ chewed on the bun for several minutes. “I know Abby wouldn’t have wanted me to live like I have. I certainly wouldn’t want that for her. I think I was indulging in a long temper fit. But now I’m okay.”
“Good. I wouldn’t want to miss you again.”
They shared a smile.
“I only have one other question,” Rich continued.
“What’s that?”
“You’re not going to move to New York, are you?”
“No. And I’m going to try to convince Isabella not to do so, either. I don’t think she and Angel would be safe there.”
“You really think her father would harm either of them?”
“She’s a stubborn woman. And their difficulty involves millions of dollars. Her father’s ego is involved, too. She can take away his income and his job if she wants to.”
“When will he know she has that power?”
“Probably Monday.”
“Okay, we’ll work out a schedule to stand guard.”
“I don’t think he’ll be vicious right away. He’ll try to talk her into giving in to him. We can wait and see how he reacts.”
“You sure?”
“I think so.”
THE TWINS STOOD at the altar beside their pastor in the same church where the two of them were married in the same ceremony two and a half years ago. This time, only Russ would be getting married. But it felt eerily similar.
Elizabeth had volunteered to be matron of honor, wearing the bridesmaid dress she’d worn for a friend’s wedding. The color was blue. It turned out to be Isabella’s favorite color.
When the music began, Jake, who’d volunteered to escort the bride down the aisle, entered the church with Isabella on his arm. She’d followed Russ’s wishes, wearing her hair down, the dark curls dancing on her shoulders under the veil.
She was beautiful.
Russ smiled at her, taking her hand as she and Jake reached
him. Jake took his place on the second aisle across from Janie and Pete.
Isabella had a questioning look in her blue eyes, and Russ squeezed her hand to reassure her. The minister led them through the ceremony. Russ was glad he’d cleared his mind about what he was doing. He could honestly repeat the vows now that he knew he wanted Isabella as his wife. Her fingers trembled in his as he slid the gold band he’d bought for her on her finger. But she managed to put his band on his finger. Her eyes had lit up when he’d shown her the matching bands.
Apparently she’d thought he wouldn’t be willing to wear a ring. She looked up into his eyes as she said the last of the vows. He smiled reassuringly. Then they reached the best part.
“Russ, you may kiss your bride.”
He slid his arms around her and his lips covered hers. The kiss was still as sweet as it had been the last time he kissed her, but he knew now it might be a while before he kissed her again, so he wasn’t in any hurry.
Some applause broke out and he reluctantly released her. Her eyes were wide and she continued to stare at him until the minister turned them both toward the audience. “Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Russell Randall. May God bless this union.”
The wedding march began again and everyone stood and clapped. Russ led Isabella down the aisle and out the church to the limo his father had hired from Buffalo. Isabella’s mink coat and his dress overcoat waited in the car for them. The driver closed the door, climbed into the front of the car and started the trip to the ranch.
“We did it,” Isabella said in a disbelieving voice. “I didn’t really think we would actually marry. Are you sure you aren’t sorry?”
“No, sweetheart, I’m not sorry. We’re going to do fine. And you don’t have to whisper. He can’t hear us unless I turn on the intercom.”
“Should we have gotten Angel from your mom?”
“No, she’ll bring her home to us.”
“Did…did your mom tell you she asked me to call her Mom?”
“Izzy, you act like that will make me mad. That’s wonderful.”
“Yes. She…she’s so sweet to me.”
“She always wanted daughters.” He wanted badly to kiss Isabella again, but he didn’t dare. He might lose control. “Did you know Samantha is an orphan, too?” He laughed and added, “I guess technically you can’t be called an orphan since your father is alive, but it’s sort of the same.”
“Yes, it is. I like Samantha. She told me all about her life until she met Rich. I wouldn’t be nearly as brave as her being out on her own since she was sixteen. That was so young. And I imagine a rodeo life can be hard.”
“Yes, it is, but you’d do what you have to do, like Samantha.”
She was contemplating his response when her stomach growled. “Oh, I’m sorry. I couldn’t eat before the wedding and suddenly I’m hungry.”
“There will be plenty of food at the ranch.”
“I know. Red and Mildred have cooked nonstop for three days, and the others have pitched in part of the time. I’m amazed at how well they work together. It’s so nice to see relatives living together and enjoying it.”
“I told you you were getting a good family for Angel—and you.”
“Yes, and you were right. You’re very lucky.”
He stared at her lips again. “I’m beginning to think so.”
When they reached the ranch, moving at a purposely slow speed so the family and guests could arrive ahead of them, everything was ready. The limo pulled up beside the arena, and Russ escorted his beautiful bride into it. They’d built a temporary stage in the corral and they had tables lined up along the wall behind the stadiumlike seats.
The wonderful food aromas had Isabella staring at the tables with longing as they walked past.
“Not yet,” Russ told her with a laugh. “First we have to greet our guests. Then we’ll lead the way down the tables. Since you get to go first, you’ll have first choice.”
“I can’t wait.”
He led her up the couple of steps to a microphone standing on the deck. “Good afternoon. Thank you all for finding your way through the snow to help us celebrate today. The blizzard brought me the best present I could ever ask for. Isabella and Angel.”
His mother stepped forward and handed Angel to him. He took the baby in one arm, the other around Isabella. “The two most beautiful females in the world. If you haven’t met them, you will. They’re going to be a fine addition to Rawhide.
“Now, Red and Mildred have been doing a lot of cooking, so I suggest you follow us to the buffet.” They stopped by the baby bed they’d brought down for Angel. Once Russ had her tucked in, he took Isabella’s hand and led her to the food.
Several hours later he stood leaning against the wall when Nick joined him. “I can see Sarah is having a good time. We’ve got too many bachelors in Rawhide.”
“You’re right about that. And I’m not into sharing when it comes to my wife,” Nick grumbled.
“I know. Me, neither. You’ll let me know when you talk to Izzy’s dad? And what he says?”
“Of course. Hopefully we’ll handle everything civilly. Tori says it’s a strong company. She said Isabella could sell out and have a lot of money.”
“I know. I’m going to try to talk to her about that.”
“Good idea. Might be a good idea if the two of you went on a honeymoon now, after her dad learns he’s lost controlling interest of the company. It would give him time to cool off.”
Russ looked at Isabella, doing a polka with one of the ranch hands. “I don’t think she’d agree to go. Besides, running away doesn’t sit well with me.”
“There are lots of Randalls available to fight for you.”
“I’m not a coward, Nick, but thanks for offering.”
The music ended and both men stepped forward to claim their women. Russ slid his arms around Isabella just as another cowboy stepped forward to claim her. “Sorry, pal, but she belongs to me,” he said with a smile, but his voice was firm.
“Yeah, lucky you.”
“You bet,” Russ assured the man. Then he dropped a quick kiss on Isabella’s lips and started moving to the waltz being played. “Good thing you had a big meal. Otherwise you’d waste away with all the exercise,” he teased Isabella.
“You’re right. We have to go cut the wedding cake Mildred made. Have you seen it? It’s beautiful.”
“How do you know we need to cut the cake?”
“Mom is signaling to me over your shoulder.”
Russ swung her around to see his mother waving to them. “You’re right.” He stopped dancing and took her hand. “Then, after we eat some cake, we can go home. Will you be ready?”
“Yes, I will. Those are wonderful words. I’ll be ready to go home with my husband and child.”
“So will I, Mrs. Randall.”
Chapter Eleven
After the events of the past two weeks, the rest of the weekend was extraordinarily calm. Russ settled into one of the spare bedrooms in Isabella’s new house. Together the two of them took care of Angel, shared the meals and the chores.
Russ trained himself to accept what he was given—Isabella’s company and the presence of Angel. He wanted more, but he was going to have to work for it.
On Monday morning he offered to stay home with Isabella, but she assured him it wasn’t necessary. She told him she was going to do some more sorting of Great-aunt Maria’s belongings. And she asked him to bring home some groceries.
Russ went to the office, opened it and had settled down to work when Nick walked in.
“Russ? Got a minute?”
“Sure, Nick. Have a seat.” He studied his cousin’s face. “It’s about Isabella?”
“Yeah. Her father called first thing this morning to ask when I would be sending Maria’s belongings. I had to tell him that I’d been in contact with Isabella. He wanted to know where to find her.”
“Did you tell him?”
“No. I told him tha
t I would have her in my office tomorrow morning if he wanted to call and talk to the two of us together.”
“I’ll be there, too. What did you think of him?”
“I think he has a nasty temper.”
“Did he ask about the shares?”
“Oh, yeah. He even threatened her via me. I told him it was illegal. He told me I shouldn’t interfere between a man and his child.”
“I will definitely come with Isabella tomorrow.”
“Do you want me to call her or will you tell her?”
“I’ll tell her. We’ll have to arrange for a babysitter.”
“Not necessary. Sarah would love to keep an eye on her upstairs while we take care of business. Would that work for Isabella?”
“Of course. And tell Sarah we appreciate it.”
Russ sat for several minutes after Nick left before he reached for the phone. So much for the peace they’d enjoyed over the weekend.
“Izzy, Nick just came over. Your father called. He wanted to know where you were. Nick told him he’d have you at his office tomorrow if he wanted to call and talk to you.”
“Oh. I guess I don’t have a choice.”
“You could put it off, but I think it would be better to get it over with. I’ll come with you.”
“But Angel—”
“Sarah volunteered to keep her upstairs while we take care of business.”
“That’s so nice of her. I met her sister, Jennifer, and the twins. Oh, and I met Nick’s twin, Gabe. They seem very happy.”
“Yes, they are. So tomorrow morning’s okay with you?”
“Yes, of course.”
“All right. I’m going to get to work. Oh, the garage called and your car is ready. Why don’t I come pick you up for lunch? After we eat, I’ll take you to the garage and you and Angel can take the car back home.”
“You don’t mind? Where would we eat?”
“The café across the street. The food’s pretty good. I’ll come get you at eleven-thirty.”
“Okay.”
Russ hung up the phone, but he had difficulty concentrating on his work. He didn’t think Isabella was strong enough to deal with her father. They needed to talk with Nick to determine what she should say or do. It wasn’t going to be easy.
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