Back in the treatment area he found Rex’s bed. Someone had shoved it in the supply closet, and Wes put it back on the floor in Rex’s favorite spot. Rex rolled over for a belly rub, and Wes obliged. When he’d gone to London he’d left Rex with Maya and Caleb. According to Maya, Rex had slept by their front door every night, waiting for Wes to come get him.
It was good to be back at work. Everything in the clinic was well stocked and neat as a pin, a tribute to Molly’s and Dan’s constant cleaning and organization. The air smelled like disinfectant. A peek into the hospital area showed Wes that they’d had no overnight visitors.
Once Rex was relaxed and flopped on his bed, Wes pulled up Fancy’s veterinary file. Emily had managed to resolve the colic within about five hours, according to the notes she’d written down. Still, guilt kicked Wes in the stomach, making it impossible to drink the coffee he’d purchased for himself. He should have stayed and helped.
“You’re here.” Emily stood in the doorway to the reception area, holding the coffee cup and pastry bag. “You’re here and you brought food.”
She was beautiful in her usual jeans and sweatshirt, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. So simple, so natural, so perfect. “It’s just a token,” Wes said. “An apology. I should have stayed to help with Fancy. I was wrong to go to London when you needed me.”
She regarded him with a wary expression in her big eyes. “Your brother needed you, too.”
“My brother is a grown man and can take care of himself, as he informed me several times. He doesn’t want me trying to rescue him anymore.”
“I see.” Rex came to greet her, big tail wagging, and Emily knelt to cuddle him.
Wes tried to explain. “I’ve always worried that the time we spent with my parents, who were pretty unsteady, or the years Jamie spent with my aunt and uncle, would have a lasting impact on him. So when he quit his new job with no warning like that, I panicked. I thought maybe it was a symptom of a breakdown or something.”
Emily nodded, still holding on to Rex.
“Turns out I was the one having the breakdown, jumping on a plane for a wild-goose chase in another country. My brother is fine. He simply hated his new job, and for good reason. He’s already got a new one that I think he’s going to be much happier with.”
Emily stood, giving Rex one last pat on the head. “I’m glad that all worked out for you.” There was a careful distance in her voice that made him nervous.
“Jamie reminded me that he’s a grown man and his choices are really none of my business. I have to let him go. But worrying about him, caring for him, it’s all I’ve ever done.” Wes reached for his own coffee, relishing the warm cup in his cold hands. “It’s a strange feeling. I don’t really know who I am without him to look after.”
Emily flipped idly through the file he’d left on the counter. “There are plenty of animals here in Shelter Creek that need looking after.”
His heart did a small backflip of hope. “Are you saying you’d hire me again? Because I’m pretty sure I failed my trial period at the end there.”
“Maybe I had you on trial for the wrong reasons.” She met his gaze then. “I’ve been holding on to so much old hurt about when you left before. It clouded my judgment when you needed to leave this time. It felt so emotional and so huge, when of course you had to go to your brother if he needed you. Family is important, and he’s all you’ve got.”
Wes swallowed hard. He hadn’t known what he’d find, coming back here today. He hadn’t expected her compassion.
“I’ve been seeing everything in terms of how it affects me. Or how it affected me when I was seventeen.” Emily’s mouth tilted into a rueful smile. “I’m not that girl anymore. I can stand on my own a whole lot better now.”
“But what if you didn’t have to? Or at least, not all the time?” Wes held out his hands, palms up, inviting her to come to him. “I want to stay, Emily. I want us to pick up where we left off. I want to work with you. I want to be with you. Is it possible? Or did I do too much damage?”
She pressed her lips together, looked down and away. Wes dropped his empty hands. He wasn’t going to like her answer.
“I’m really glad you came back. I missed you. A lot. So much. But I think I need some time, Wes. One of the things I realized while you were gone is that I have to learn to trust you. I have to believe that I matter to you more than anything. If I don’t believe that, and if I can’t trust in what we have, it will never work.”
It wasn’t exactly what he wanted. She wasn’t rushing into his arms. But she was being honest about what she needed. This love between them hadn’t broken overnight. It had eroded slowly, year after year, all those years he’d stayed away. Maybe he’d have to build it back up slowly, too. Word by word. Action by action. “I’m glad we can still work together. And maybe still walk Rex sometimes? And work with Fancy?”
She nodded. “I’ve missed that.”
“Me, too.”
She looked at him then, and their gazes held. Warmth sparked. There was a promise there. He’d hang on tight to that for now.
Wes took another sip of his coffee. “What’s on the schedule today? I’m ready to get to work.”
* * *
EMILY TUGGED AT the bandanna Wes had tied over her eyes. “This is silly. I’m going to get carsick.” The window next to her rolled down and the warm spring air blasted her face. It was one of those May days where California decided it was done with spring and ready for summer. “Where are we going?”
“We’ll be there in one minute, I promise.”
Rex’s cold nose found her ear. “Ugh, Rex, no fair.”
“Sit,” Wes told his dog, and the nose was gone.
This was supposed to be a normal Saturday. Wes had come over for breakfast on her porch. She liked to make him pancakes. Then they were going to work with Fancy. If there were no emergencies, and their schedule stayed clear, they’d hike with Rex. Maybe after, they’d head over to her parents’ for dinner, or meet up with friends.
Wes had been so respectful of her wishes in the month since he’d been home. He was always there, always her friend and colleague, but never asked for more.
Lately she’d been wishing he wasn’t quite so respectful. The guarded feelings she’d had when he came back to Shelter Creek were long gone. She wanted more and she thought he still did, too. Sometimes she’d catch him watching her with an intense look in his eyes and wonder if his love and trust had grown as hers had. Or if he wanted to kiss her again as much as she wanted to kiss him.
But how could she move forward? She’d insisted on this distance between them. Did she just sit him down and announce that she trusted him now? That she wanted to date again? That was so unromantic. And what if he didn’t want her kisses anymore?
Emily gripped the door handle, grateful to feel the car turning off the road onto gravel. “It’s not my birthday and it’s not a holiday. I can’t figure out why we’re taking this mysterious journey.”
“You’ll find out in a moment. Hang on.”
Wes stopped the car. They were in shade, Emily could feel the cool shelter of something, a tree maybe? Wes got out and came around to her side to open her door. He gently helped her out of the car. Turning her around, he untied the bandanna from her eyes. “Here it is.”
Emily blinked, trying to adjust to suddenly having vision again. In front of her was a pretty farmhouse that she’d driven by many times, just on the way out of town on the road to Bobby’s ranch. She’d pointed it out to Wes once, telling him how much she’d loved the huge porch and the grove of ancient oaks that shaded the house from the summer sun. The property had been empty for a few years now, the owners caught up in some kind of financial problem with the banks.
“What are we doing here?”
“I just thought we’d take a look around.”
Look around? It was private p
roperty. “Do you know the person who lives here?”
Wes nodded. “Yeah, he said it would be fine.”
Rex was already exploring, running in and out of the oak trees, his nose to the ground.
Maybe Wes was thinking about buying it? Emily followed him to the front door. There was a big red bow attached to it, like a wreath. Most likely a leftover Christmas decoration. The thought saddened her for a moment. Someone had loved this beautiful house, spent their holidays here, and now it was empty.
Wes pushed open the door. “It’s unlocked,” he said.
The inside was gorgeous. Craftsman columns framed the entrance to the living room and dining room. Built-in cabinets awaited someone’s china collection. There was a rustic stone fireplace in the living room. The kitchen was simple, with white cabinets and walls.
“What a great house.” But it felt strange to be here, on someone else’s property. Emily walked through the mudroom behind the kitchen and out the back door. Beyond the garden she could see a barn and corrals. “There are stables here?”
“Want to check them out?”
“I guess so.” Emily turned to Wes suspiciously. “Are you thinking of buying this house?”
Wes grinned, looking a lot like the eager boy she’d known before. “I bought it already. It’s mine. What do you think?”
Emily stared at him, struggling for words. “You bought this house?”
“It was a surprise. Are you surprised?”
She clapped her hands to her mouth. “Of course I am. Oh, my gosh, Wes, you know I’ve always loved this house. But this is a big investment. Are you sure?”
He took her hand. “More sure than I’ve ever been. Come on. Come see the stables.”
Still holding hands, they made their way along a gravel path until they came to the barn. It was modern, with cement floors and sliding stall doors. “This is gorgeous,” Emily exclaimed. “You have room for a dozen horses here.”
“I’ll need a place for my clients to stay while I work with them.”
He’d mentioned the other day that he might want to train horses in his free time, but she hadn’t realized he was this serious. Wes stopped at a door at the far end of the barn. “This is the tack room. Check it out.”
Still stunned that this beautiful property belonged to Wes, Emily peeked through the door at the tidy racks for saddles and bridles. There were cabinets for medicines and blankets. “This has everything.” Then she paused as something caught her eye. By itself, in the corner, almost hidden by the door, was a saddle on a wooden saddletree. Goosebumps prickled her skin. “Wait a minute, Wes, how did this get here?”
It was her saddle—the one from the tack shop that she’d been admiring for months. The exact saddle, with its beautiful tooled flowers and the silver thread. “My saddle.” She turned to Wes for an explanation. “Did you buy this?”
His smile carved creases around eyes that were lit with warmth and emotion. “Lloyd told me your heart was going to get broken if someone else bought it. I figure thanks to me, your heart has been broken enough. I wasn’t going to let it happen again. Plus, Fancy is going to be ready for a saddle soon. You might as well be ready, too.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
Wes dropped to one knee in front of her. “Say you’ll marry me. Say that you and Fancy and Rosalind and Beatrice will come live here with me and Rex and we’ll make a home together. A life together.”
Tears, hot silent tears slid down her cheeks. Emily’s hands covered her chest as if she could somehow calm the pounding of her heart.
“I love you, Emily. I’ve loved you for so long. I’ve never loved you more than I do today, but I’m going to love you more tomorrow. I know you’re learning to trust me. Can you trust me enough to be my wife?”
Emily went to her knees, as well, put her fingertips to the stubble on his cheek and kissed him with all the love she’d kept tucked away behind caution and fear. His mouth was warm, his kiss firm, and he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back the way she remembered. The way she’d been dreaming of. A kiss that left no questions, no doubts, as to how much he loved her.
Some moments later his lips softened on hers and he pulled back gently. “Was there a yes in that kiss?”
“Yes.” It was hard to get words out when there were so many tears. “There was definitely a yes in that kiss. I love you, Wes. I think I always have. But I love the man you’ve become more than I could have possibly imagined.”
He stood, lifting her gently to her feet with him. “Then accept this?” He took something out of his pocket. It was a platinum ring covered in tiny diamonds that sparkled in the sunlight flooding in through the tack room window. Two loops of the diamond band crossed through each other. “They’re supposed to be horseshoes. For Fancy. For luck.”
The cool metal slid onto her finger. Emily held her hand out, gazing at the sparkling band. “It’s absolutely beautiful, Wes. But it’s a lot. A house, my saddle…this ring? You didn’t have to do all this.”
He pulled her in close and wrapped his arms around her. “I’ve dreamed of a life with you since our first kiss. I need you to know that I’m not leaving you, ever again. This town is home. This house can be home. But most of all, you’re my home, Emily. And you have my whole heart. You always have.”
Emily held him tight and let the happy tears slide down her cheeks. He was strong and sturdy and he was Wes. Her love. And he was home, to stay.
* * *
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ISBN-13: 9781488074486
Second Chance Cowboy
Copyright © 2021 by Claire Haiken
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Brisa was prepared to smile, wave and slowly fade away.
Watching father and daughter caused that weird ache in the center of Brisa’s chest to return.
Thea stood and wrapped her arms around Brisa’s waist before squeezing. “You didn’t have to take me to see the stars. I really appreciate it.”
Brisa had to clear her throat before she could answer. “I enjoyed every minute, Thea.”
When she stepped back, Thea tilted her head to the side. “Think about what I sa
id. About my dad.” She waggled her eyebrows before picking up her bag. “I’m going to pack my stuff for tonight, Dad. Daylight’s wasting.”
She disappeared into her room before Wade turned back to Brisa. “Are you exhausted?” he asked. “I’m sure she’d be happy to arrange more sculling practice if you’d like.”
If Brisa didn’t get away from the McNallys soon, she was going to make a fool of herself. Apart, they were great; together, they were devastating to her emotions.
Dear Reader,
I’ve enjoyed writing sisters. Do you have a sister? I don’t, but my two older brothers are smart and much cooler than I’ve ever been.
My heroine, Brisa Montero, is the youngest in the family, just like me. Catfishing surgeon Wade McNally on behalf of her older sister, the Montero family’s superstar, is a small mess that Brisa has to clean up before anyone else finds out.
Wade has his own knot to untangle—a daughter he loves but doesn’t know. They’ll learn that life can be messy and confusing and so sweet when they’re figuring it out together.
To find out more about my books and what’s coming next, visit me at cherylharperbooks.com.
Cheryl
The Doctor and the Matchmaker
Tanya Agler
Cheryl Harper discovered her love for books and words as a little girl, thanks to a mother who made countless library trips, and an introduction to Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books. Whether the stories she reads are set in the prairie, the American West, Regency England or Earth a hundred years in the future, Cheryl enjoys strong characters who make her laugh. Now Cheryl spends her days searching for the right words while she stares out the window and her dog, Jack, snoozes beside her. And she considers herself very lucky to do so.
Harlequin Heartwarming March 21 Box Set Page 22
