by Lori Wilde
“Why didn’t she?”
Her smile faded. “Life has a way of changing your dreams. After she started writing the series, she became reclusive. She didn’t want to go anywhere outside of Bliss. She wouldn’t even do signings. When she got sick, all she wanted was to finish the last book.”
“And you think she did?”
She glanced at him. “Lucy could do anything she set her mind to.”
Mason paused for only a moment. “Except make Honey Bee fall in love with her.”
Ms. Marble’s eyes flickered with something before she looked back at the gravestone. She released her breath in a quivery sigh. “You can’t make someone fall in love. Either they do or they don’t. Although sometimes they do and they’re too stubborn to admit it.” She glanced at him, her eyes as intense and piercing as ever. “When I saw that urn in your kitchen window, I knew you had some unresolved issues with your mother. Otherwise you wouldn’t have been carrying her around. But now that you’ve put her to rest, it’s time to release her and move on. And I’m not talking about back to Austin.”
“Who told you I was going back to Austin?”
“I stopped by your house on my way here to drop off some cookies. I looked in the bedroom and found something very interesting on your bed.”
Mason didn’t even attempt to play dumb. “Becky and I have become friends. Since I won’t be coming back, I thought she should have the ranch.”
Ms. Marble’s almost invisible eyebrows lifted. “Deeding over an entire ranch seems like a pretty big gift for a friend.” When he didn’t say anything, she reached out and squeezed his arm. “I can’t keep you from leaving, Mason. But don’t take too long to figure out your mistake. Becky’s not the type of girl who’ll wait forever.”
“Valentine couldn’t have been more surprised when Lance waltzed into the boardinghouse, scooped her up in his arms, and carried her out. ‘I don’t care about the past,’ he said. ‘All I care about is the future. And mine is going to be bleak if you’re not by my side.’”
Chapter 14
Becky’s birthday party was a surprise. There were no pink decorations. No string quartet. No china or crystal. No seared salmon. And no exclusive hotel. The barn was decorated with twinkle lights that draped from the hayloft over a wooden dance floor. A long table ran through the center of the barn with covered hay bales for seats and groups of candles in mason jars as centerpieces. Barbecue smoke scented the air. And a country band was set up to the left of the dance floor and was playing “Happy Birthday” as she and her daddy rode up. Her daddy had worked hard at keeping her busy all day. It hadn’t been easy to slip away and see Mason.
Becky had known something was wrong when he’d left the ranch the night before without saying goodbye. And when she saw the suitcase, it didn’t take a genius to figure out why he was leaving. He didn’t do love. It was too bad that her heart hadn’t listened. It felt like it had been trampled by a hundred head of cattle, and it took everything she had to keep a smile on her face as Zane broke away from her family and friends.
“Happy birthday, baby sister.” He went to help her down, but stopped when he saw the cat draped over her lap. “A birthday present?”
She cradled the cat in one arm as she swung down from the horse. “Just a stray.”
She had kept the cat with her since leaving Mason’s, and Furball hadn’t seemed to mind. Once on the ground, she set the cat down and hugged Zane. She held on a little too tightly.
“Don’t tell me you missed me,” her brother teased as he hugged her back.
“Not even a little.” She drew away. “Now why did you leave your honeymoon early? Please don’t tell me it had to do with my birthday.”
“You know I can’t stay away from the ranch for long. And Carly wasn’t about to stay away from the diner. She fretted the entire time over Dirk screwing up her recipes.”
“I’m sure she didn’t fret the entire time.”
He grinned. “I refuse to talk about my honeymoon with my little sister. Now let me take this beast to the stable so you can go greet your guests.”
For the next hour, she ignored the gaping hole in her heart and forced a smile while she thanked people for coming to celebrate her birthday. Her mama was the only one who knew something wasn’t right.
“Please don’t tell me you got your monthly, Rebecca Elizabeth,” she whispered as she led Becky to the hay bale at the head of the table. “Your face is as pale as death.”
“I’m fine, Mama. I’m just a little tired, is all.”
“Which is exactly why I didn’t want you spending the day with your daddy. The man could work a farm mule into the ground. What happened to Mason Granger? Zane said he was going to keep you busy.”
Just hearing his name made Becky feel like bursting into tears. She swallowed hard. “Mason had to go back to Austin.”
“That’s a shame. Zane speaks so highly of him, I was looking forward to meeting him.” Her mama waited for her to sit down before she reached out and pinched her cheeks. “Really, Rebecca Elizabeth, you need to start wearing blush.”
The dinner passed in a blur. Becky took very little from the platters of ribs, chicken, and pulled pork that were passed her way. When the cake was brought out, she needed two breaths to blow out the twenty-five candles that blazed on top. She was only able to choke down one bite before she had to excuse herself. Inside her room, she finally gave in to the tears. Once they started, they were hard to stop. She was still sobbing in her pillow when someone tapped on the door.
She quickly sat up and grabbed a tissue. “I’ll be right out, Mama. I was just applying some blush.”
“It’s not your mama. It’s Ms. Marble. Can I come in?”
There was no way Becky could say no to the woman. She blotted her eyes and blew her nose before she got up and opened the door.
“Hi, Ms. Marble.” She plastered on a smile. “I wanted to thank you for the cake. Strawberry has always been my favorite.”
“You’re more than welcome.” Ms. Marble said. “But I didn’t come here looking for gratitude. I wanted to make sure you don’t give up on that boy.”
“Excuse me?”
Ms. Marble sent her a pointed look. “Don’t you play dumb with me, Becky Arrington. You tried that in first grade when you didn’t want to finish your math homework. It didn’t work then, and it’s not going to work now. You know exactly what boy I’m talking about. Believe me, I realize that it’s hard to love a stubborn man. But you can’t give up on them and leave them to their own bull-headedness. If every woman did that, there would be very few marriages and lots of lost men.”
Tears dripped down Becky’s cheeks. “But Mason doesn’t do love.”
“That’s flat-out nonsense. He tries to act like he’s tough, but that man is as sensitive and loving as the day is long. And spreading his mother’s ashes at the little white chapel proves it.”
“He spread his mother’s ashes at the chapel?”
Ms. Marble nodded, causing the brim of her summer bonnet to bounce. “He wanted to give his mother the perfect resting place, and a man who worries about his dead mother’s happiness is a man who loves deeply.”
“Maybe he just doesn’t love me.”
The look in Ms. Marble’s eyes was pure exasperation. “Why would he deed you the Reed ranch if he doesn’t love you?”
It was too much for Becky to absorb. She stared at Ms. Marble with shock . . . and hope.
“Just as I thought,” Ms. Marble said. “I figured you didn’t know about the deed when I saw you moping around the party. I would love to continue this conversation, but we don’t have a lot of time.” She took Becky’s arm and pulled her out into the hallway and toward the front door. “You need to get to Austin and convince Mason he can’t live without you.”
Becky grabbed her cowboy hat off the hook by the door. “But how do I do that? You’re right. Mason is stubborn and bullheaded, and he’s made up his mind that he doesn’t deserve love.”
> “I’m sure you’ll figure out something. You were named after your great-aunt and the same determined genes run in your body as ran in Lucy’s.” Ms. Marble pulled her out onto the porch. The party was in full swing, which presented another problem.
“What about my party?” she said. “Mama will kill me if I leave.”
“You leave your mama to me.” Ms. Marble gave her a hug and a pat on the back. “You just go get Mason and get him back to Bliss. I’ve grown quite attached to that boy.”
Becky drew back and smiled. “So have I.” She helped Ms. Marble down the porch steps before she headed for her truck. But once she reached for the door handle, doubt started to kick in. What if Ms. Marble was wrong? What if Mason had deeded her the ranch out of guilt? If that were the case, she’d end up making a fool of herself in Austin. But would she rather be a fool and know for certain, or would she rather stay here and never know the truth? The decision was an easy one.
She opened the door and climbed in. It wasn’t until she’d slammed the door and reached for the ignition button that she noticed the man crouched on the floor.
“Rich?”
He smiled a creepy smile as he pointed a wicked-looking knife at her. “And here I thought you had forgotten me, Becky.”
Mason should’ve headed to Austin right after Ms. Marble left. Instead, he went inside the chapel. The setting sun filtered through the stained-glass windows, casting a kaleidoscope of colors over the rows of pews. He sat in the same pew Becky had slept in, his mother’s urn sitting next to him. He didn’t pray. He just thought about what Ms. Marble had said.
Was she right? Did people make the choice to be happy? Had his mother wrongly blamed all her husbands for her unhappiness when she had been the one responsible—when she had been the one who had rejected happiness? Rejected love?
He should’ve realized the truth at the funeral when all his stepfathers had talked about their love for his mom. The love had been there. She’d just refused to accept it and be happy. And Mason had made the same mistake. He’d held women at arm’s length, using them only in sexual scenarios that he set up so there was no chance he could be hurt.
Until Becky.
Becky refused to be held at arm’s length. She slipped beneath all his defenses and wiggled her way right into his cold heart and filled it with joy. Now all he had to do was accept it. All he had to do was go after his own happiness and hold on tight.
It was dark by the time he got to the Earhart Ranch. It looked like the entire town had come out for Becky’s birthday. Couples shuffled around the dance floor while other people clustered in groups talking and laughing. Mason looked for Becky, but it was hard to spot anyone in the dim glow of the stringed lights. He finally found Zane standing by the fence of the paddock.
A big smile broke over Zane’s face when he saw him. “I thought you weren’t going to make it.” He grabbed Mason’s hand and gave it a welcoming shake.
“Sorry,” Mason said. “There was some business I needed to attend to.” He glanced around. “Have you seen Becky?”
“No, but I’m sure she’s here somewhere. I wanted to thank you for keeping an eye on her while I was gone. According to everyone I’ve talked with, she did a damn good job of keeping things running smoothly.”
“She can handle the ranch just fine by herself, Zane. I think you and your dad don’t give her enough credit for that.”
Zane looked surprised for only a second before he grinned and shook his head. “I didn’t think it would happen to Iceman Granger, but it looks like my sister has you under her spell.”
Mason didn’t try to deny it. “From the moment I met her.” He looked at the spot where her truck was usually parked. “Is her truck in the garage?”
“No. It was parked right there only a few minutes ago.” Zane laughed. “Only Becky would run off from her own birthday party. Mama’s gonna kill her.” He sent Mason a pointed look. “So you like Becky?”
It was still an uncomfortable subject, but Mason figured he needed to get used to it. “I love her.”
While Zane stared at him with surprise, an attractive middle-aged woman walked up. Her brown-and-gold-threaded hair was too much like Becky’s to be a coincidence. And her directness was a dead giveaway. “I’m going to make a guess and say you’re Mason. Would you like to explain why you couldn’t entertain my daughter today? Especially when it appears that you didn’t go to Austin.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. I planned to return to Austin, but then realized what a mistake that would be.”
Mrs. Arrington arched an eyebrow. “I admire a man who can admit when he’s making a mistake. Of course, from what Ms. Marble just told me, I don’t think my daughter would’ve let you do that. Rebecca left for Austin to bring you back.”
Mason couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. No matter what he said or did, Becky wasn’t going to give up on him. That was the best feeling in the world.
“If you’ll excuse me, Mrs. Arrington. I’d better call her. She’ll be fit to be tied if she gets to Austin and I’m not there.”
Zane laughed and slapped him on the back. “You do know my hellion of a sister.”
Mrs. Arrington shot a stern look at her son. “She’s not a hellion, Zane. She’s just strong willed. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to stop your father from eating any more barbecue or the spices will keep him up all night.”
Once she was gone, Mason was about to pull out his phone when Dirk walked up. “Hey, man, how’s that air conditioner working?”
“Great. Thanks for helping me out with it. I’d like your opinion on some other improvements I plan on making to the house, but right now I need to call Becky.”
“I just saw her in town.”
Mason lowered his phone. “In town?” That was the opposite direction from Austin.
“Yeah. We ran out of cake so Carly sent me to the diner to get some of Ms. Marble’s pies, and on the way back, I passed Becky and that guy she used to date. Ryan? Richard?”
A tingle of fear ran up Mason’s spine. “Rich?”
Dirk nodded. “That’s the guy. He was sitting right there next to her when she drove past me.”
“Something isn’t right,” Zane said. “I know for damn sure that Rich wasn’t invited to the party. And Becky wouldn’t leave with him willingly. She hates the guy.”
Mason was thinking the same thing and didn’t hesitate to dial 911. Both Dirk and Zane were listening when he gave the operator Rich’s address and the details about his stalking, and when he hung up and headed for his SUV, they were right there with him. By the time they reached Rich’s trailer, Mason had told Zane and Dirk the full story. Neither seemed happy that Mason had kept the information to himself, but he couldn’t worry about that right now. He was too worried about Becky. If anything happened to her, he didn’t know what he would do.
He turned off the lights and engine and rolled to a stop in front of the trailer. “We need to keep our cool,” he said to himself as much as Zane and Dirk. “I don’t want him getting upset and hurting Becky.”
“If he hurts her, he’s dead,” Zane said between clenched teeth. “But you’re right. We need to keep our cool. Then, after she’s safe, I’m beating the bastard senseless.”
“After me.” Dirk opened his door.
Not if Mason got to him first.
As it turned out, not one of the three men got a chance to beat Rich senseless. They stepped into the trailer to find Rich sprawled facedown on the floor in front of a dilapidated couch. Becky sat on the couch rubbing her knuckles. When she saw Mason, she smiled as if she’d expected him.
“It’s about time, Granger.”
While Zane and Dirk grabbed Rich’s arms and dragged him out the door to await the sheriff, he walked over and pulled Becky into his arms. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
“I’m fine.” Relief had him squeezing her a little too tightly, and she quickly added, “as long as you don’t crack a rib.” He started to release
her, but she tightened her arms around his waist and snuggled her head into his chest. “So are you ready to tell me why you deeded me the ranch?”
He breathed in her familiar scent of fresh-cut pastures and everything he’d come to love. “Because you wanted it.”
She drew back. “And since when do you give me what I want?”
“Since I fell totally and completely in love with you and realized that I want to spend the rest of my life giving you what you want.”
Her beautiful blue eyes glistened with tears. “Even if I want a small wedding in a little white chapel?”
He didn’t even hesitate. “Even then.”
A big smile spread over her face. He planned to work hard to keep that smile there always. “Okay, but it’s going to be pretty embarrassing to be married to a cat guy.”
“Deal with it.” He kissed her.
“It felt like a dream being married in a little white chapel to a tall, dark, and handsome man who promised to love, protect, and cherish her for the rest of his life. And if was a dream, Valentine never wanted to wake up.”
Chapter 15
Becky had escaped pink for her birthday, but her mama made up for it on her wedding day. The little white chapel was an explosion of pink flowers, pink tulle, and pink ribbons. Even Furball had a pink bow around his neck. But the cat didn’t seem to mind. He pranced down the aisle on the leash Carly held like he was the bride.
Becky’s sister-in-law looked like a fairy in her pink confection of a bridesmaid’s dress. And if Carly looked like a fairy, Gracie looked like a princess. A beautiful princess who was walking down the aisle on her own.
