Devoted to Love

by Shayla Black

  “I will. But first, you need to stop distracting me,” she chided, dragging her lips over his hard, wide shoulder. “We’re not done negotiating.”

  “What do you want? We can’t get married at the ranch. It’s too dangerous.”

  As much as she wanted to argue with him, he was right. What would stop someone from Enlightenment Fields from heading to the edge of their property and setting up for a kill shot as she or Josiah—or worse, her grandparents—walked to the barn? Nothing. Sure, she wished she could get married in the same place that her sister, her grandparents, and Papa’s parents before them had officially joined hands and hearts. But that wasn’t a deal-breaker. They could renew their vows at home as soon as possible. Right now was about keeping everyone alive.

  “Agreed. But as soon as we’re married, you and I will both be returning to the ranch to deal with Enlightenment Fields. Together.”

  Josiah stiffened and backed away. “No. Absolutely not.”

  “That’s my condition. Take it or leave it.”

  He released her, gritting his teeth. “You know you can’t get married in the barn but you insist on living there when an entire cult is trying to kill you?”

  “You want to protect me. I get that. But you have to understand that I want to protect my family. They shot my grandmother—the closest thing I have to a real mom. I want my grandparents to be able to return to their ranch safely and live there happily for as long as they wish. If I’m not there, will Enlightenment Fields really make a move?” She cocked a hand on her hip. “Realistically, what does killing you alone get them? They’ll still have to contend with me. I’ll still have to return to Comfort to take care of the issue, this time without you. And if you die on the property, that will cast a giant shadow of suspicion over Enlightenment Fields. The bullet that hit Granna might be written off as a hunter’s shot gone astray, but if it happens again . . . No one will buy that story twice. And if they resort to offing you on the property, too, law enforcement will start digging deeper, especially after everything else that’s gone down in town lately. They’ll start finding facts those cultists would rather keep buried. So I don’t think they’ll risk making a move unless they can solve the whole ‘problem.’ They’re too smart not to understand they’re only going to get one chance. And it had better not look like foul play.”

  “Exactly. If we’re together, we’re only making ourselves an easier target for them.”

  “If we’re apart, this will drag out and it will be more dangerous. You think they won’t find me in San Antonio? Hell, I could go to Paris—France, not Texas—and they’d still hunt me down. We stand or fall together. Safety in numbers and all that—especially with Zyron and Trees at the ranch. If you want me to marry you, that’s the deal.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not budging.”

  A scowl thundered over his face. “Goddamn it, woman. I’m trying to keep you out of this mess.”

  “Too late. I’m already in deep,” she pointed out. “See reason. In Adam Coleman’s shoes, you wouldn’t so much as twitch unless you knew damn well that you could eliminate every single stumbling block to acquiring the property. Otherwise, the heat would be too hot and their years of work could come crashing down. So we give them a seemingly good target and be as prepared as possible.”

  “I don’t know if I can handle this if you’re in danger. Believe me, I’d love to have you by my side but . . .” He shook his head. “But I don’t know how I’d function with the terror and struggle your grandfather has endured today. I’ve always had respect for him, but now it’s mad. He’s made of fucking steel. I already love you more than I could have fathomed, but how would I live with this tragedy? He’s loved her through decades, kids, ups and downs. How is he coping tonight? I don’t even know.”

  Tears pricked Maggie’s eyes. Just when she wanted to be really angry with Josiah, he had to say something wonderful. She swallowed a lump of emotion and tried to slow the mad racing of her heart. But she couldn’t deny the truth anymore. “I love you, too.”

  With a groan, he grabbed her and rolled her to the bed. “Really? I feel like I’ve waited forever to hear those words.”

  “Really.”

  “If it weren’t for your grandmother’s shooting and the need to keep the ranch safe, would you marry me? Would you say yes right now?”

  Maggie didn’t even have to think. “Yes.”

  “Baby . . .” He bent to her, his lips covering hers.

  They melted together. The impersonal hotel room with its industrial carpet and starched sheets fell away. Only the two of them existed as the rest of their clothes disappeared. His lips traveled her body, exploring. A brush along her collarbones, a lingering graze over the swell of her breasts, a nip at her shoulder. Maggie absorbed him in return. That musky scent she knew so well, the feel of his arms so strong around her, made her feel secure. He enveloped her, surrounded her. With only a kiss, he filled every space inside her, especially her heart.

  Josiah Grant had come into her life in a whirlwind of desire and danger, but she already knew he wasn’t going to blow back out. She was meant to be with this man. In fact, she couldn’t imagine her life without him anymore. She’d dated enough to know exactly how she felt and why he was different from all the others. Long ago, she’d resigned herself to never loving deeply enough to justify getting married. But now . . . she’d love to be Mrs. Grant. Love to share a future with him. Sure, they had a lot to work through. Where they’d live, what life would look like, how many kids they’d want . . .

  First, they had to figure out how to stay alive.

  They made love like they both knew there might not be a tomorrow. He worshipped her with his hands and mouth, with every touch, every look, every silent promise of forever. She answered, opening herself up to give him every part of her body and her heart as she’d never done with another man. The room might have been dark, but she swore they basked in a glow of love and devotion, backlit by the fireworks of a passion that surpassed anything she’d ever felt. Josiah was it for her.

  In the back of her mind, a voice of caution tried to raise its head. What if he’s not everything you think? What if he’s duping you? What if he leaves you, too? Maggie shoved the doubts aside. She’d rather endure a broken heart than half-ass their relationship. If he left her . . . well, that was on him. She’d know that she had given them her all.

  With her reservations on mute, she answered his every touch, lips mapping his body, learning again where he was hair-roughened and where he was hard-bodied. She drank in his reactions and loved seeing how much she affected him. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t getting off on her ability to turn a man inside out. Right now, she simply marveled at how connected she felt to Josiah. They were one. She swore she could hear his thoughts and understood the language of both his joy and desire, even though they didn’t speak a word.

  Together, they were unstoppable. She had to believe that.

  They sprawled across the room’s king-size bed, rolling and entwined, exchanging hearts, needs, and promises for the future. He wrung from her body the sort of pleasure that made her gasp and scream, yes. But he also made her cry with the joy of being this close to the man she could probably live without . . . but didn’t want to.

  Josiah scrambled to find a condom, then joined her on the bed again, eyes serious, face solemn. “I look forward to the day we don’t want to protect against pregnancy.”

  For the first time, she did, too. “We’ll make beautiful babies.”

  He smiled and smoothed the hair back from her face. “We will if they look like their mama.”

  His words lit her up from the inside. “You’re pretty handsome yourself. If our boys take after you, they’ll be heartbreakers.”

  His face turned. “I’m worried.”

  “I am, too. But like everything else for the rest of our lives, we need to do this together.
”

  Josiah frowned, worry knitting his brows. “My parents, who have been married for thirty-eight years, say that’s what marriage is about.”

  “My grandparents say the same. They’re clearly doing something right. We’ll get through this together . . . or not at all.”

  He held her tighter, his gray eyes suspiciously damp as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I love you, Maggie.”

  “Will you show me how much if I promise to show you back?”

  His face softened. “Always.”

  They shared a night full of passion, understanding, and connection. When they fell into an exhausted heap of arms and legs and curled up together in the wee hours of the morning, Maggie knew there was no turning back. Either they would take down Enlightenment Fields and spend the rest of their lives together forever—or they’d die trying.

  CHAPTER 17

  The next few days were a flurry of activity. Friday morning, Maggie visited Granna, who had been released from the ICU. Josiah was by her side when they told her grandmother they planned to get married. She sent them a loopy, ear-to-ear grin before drifting off to sleep again. Then Maggie and Josiah had obtained a marriage license and found matching wedding bands. Zyron was kind enough to deliver her grandmother’s wedding dress from the ranch, which had been heirloomed and stored away years ago. With a last-minute nip and tuck from a local tailor, Maggie had something lovely to wear for her nuptials. Josiah found a ready-to-wear tuxedo rental in his size. Then he called his family, who were thrilled about their wedding . . . but disheartened to get an impossible forty-eight hours’ notice before the big event.

  The call to his bosses at EM Security didn’t go quite as well. Maggie didn’t hear the whole conversation, but the fact that Josiah had blown right past the no-no of mixing business and pleasure—granted, she wasn’t exactly a client—and straight to putting his life on the line by getting married and refusing more backup didn’t set too well with the brothers who owned the business. Through the closed door, she heard Logan’s shout, Joaquin’s rapid-fire questions, and Hunter’s deadly calm logic. Josiah refused to be swayed. His bosses could come to the wedding or not. As for his future at EM, they would talk about that after Enlightenment Fields had been crushed. And if he was dead . . . well, there was nothing to say.

  Maggie tried to shove that worry away.

  Sunday finally rolled around. From Maui, Shealyn and Cutter had connected to San Antonio through Los Angeles. They looked exhausted after flying nearly twenty hours across five time zones, but her sister refused to miss her wedding. Neither she nor Cutter were thrilled with this plan and had argued vociferously. But Maggie and Josiah hadn’t budged. It was as if their night together, wrapped in one another’s arms in that impersonal hotel room, had forged their bond into unbreakable steel.

  As sunset approached, Shealyn hugged her in the single-stall ladies’ bathroom across from the hospital chapel, wearing a pretty off-the-rack cocktail dress they’d managed to find at a nearby department store. “You ready?”

  Maggie nodded, despite all her concerns about their safety. “Beyond. I want to marry this man.”

  Her sister’s face softened. “He’s ridiculously eager to marry you, too. I’m not surprised he loves you, Mags. I’m shocked by how much you love him. I see it all over your face every time you look at him.”

  She blushed. “I know. I never saw it coming . . . I thought you were crazy when you fell for Cutter so fast, but I get it now. It just happened. I braced against it. I fought it. I told myself I didn’t need or want it.”

  “And in the end, none of that matters. What’s that saying?” her sister asked. “The heart wants what it wants. Lots of people think I’m crazy to have married a ‘nobody.’ Cutter can’t promote the album I signed on for long before Hot Southern Nights ended. He can’t bring me more readers for the book I’m writing about my experiences on the tumultuous set of the show and the loss of Tower. He won’t get me more viewers for the movies I’m negotiating to film. But he can support me and he can love me with his whole heart. At the end of the day, there’s nothing I want more.” A cloud of concern passed over Shealyn’s golden features. “I don’t like you putting yourself in danger, though.”

  “I’m at peace with it. I need to do this. Granna and Papa have given me everything my whole life, even when I behaved less than gratefully.”

  “If Granna weren’t on so many pain meds and she heard this scheme, she’d bless you out.”

  Maggie smiled fondly. “I know. But she doesn’t need this now. She needs to get better. I need to get married. We need to put all this behind us.”

  “Cutter and I—”

  “Have been through enough. Let me do something for once. You and our grandparents have always looked after me, but I’m a woman now. I love and appreciate what y’all have done, but Josiah and I, we’ve got this.”

  Shealyn clearly fought tears as she brought Maggie in for a hug. “Just . . . stay safe. I want to be able to hug you when this is all over.”

  “I will. Now don’t you make me cry and ruin my makeup,” Maggie protested with a sniffle.

  “You look beautiful.” Shealyn pressed a tissue to her nose. “Somehow, Granna’s dress is so . . . you.”

  “Despite it coming from a totally different era, it is.” The delicate cream-colored lace wrapped around her slender throat and fell in soft ruffles to the tips of her toes. Gathered gypsy sleeves and simple lines accentuated her slender waist. It was modest and classic and somehow exactly what she would have chosen to forever tie herself to the man she loved.

  “I’m proud of you, you know. I’ve worried about you,” Shealyn admitted. “When I went to California, I prayed I wasn’t leaving you at the worst time, when you were at your most vulnerable. But you’ve bloomed.”

  “You and the grandparents had a lot to do with that.”

  “Maybe. But I think Josiah had a lot to do with it, too.”

  “He did.”

  “So no texting your groom to break things off, then diving into your wedding cake and champagne with me this time?”

  “Nope. I don’t even know what this cake tastes like—and I don’t care. We couldn’t bring booze into the chapel, so we’ll bring some to the hotel tonight and have a toast of our own. Honestly, I don’t care that we don’t have any hoopla.” Well, that wasn’t totally true. “I mean, in my heart of hearts, I wish we were getting married in the barn back home with our friends and family around us.”

  “I know.”

  “But . . .” Maggie forced a bright smile. “If all turns out well, we’ll renew our vows in the barn and have a great big bash with everyone as soon as it’s safe.”

  Shealyn hugged her. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  “My phone is tucked into my Spanx since I don’t have anywhere else to put it.” Maggie grimaced. “Can you find yours and tell me how much longer I have to wait?”

  Her sister fished hers out with a laugh. “Fifteen minutes. You’re actually ready early. For the girl who was even late to her own birth, this is shocking. That’s how I know you’re eager.”

  “Stop messing with me, will you?” Maggie pressed a hand to her stomach. “Lord, I’m so nervous. Will you find me something carbonated before I throw up? Then give Josiah this gift from me?” She reached into her bag to pull out a gift wrapped in elegant silver foil paper and a delicate white bow. “Tell him to open it when he’s alone.”

  Maggie blushed just wondering what he’d think of her unconventional gift.

  “Sure. I saw a vending machine at the other end of the hall. Be back in five minutes. It will give me a chance to sneak a peek at my husband in a suit.” She winked. “And I’ll make sure Granna is doing okay.”

  “Thanks.” She squeezed Shealyn’s hands. “Thank you for everything.”

  Her older sister brought her in for a hug. “I love you. Y
ou know that.”

  “I love you, too.” Words she’d never returned to her sister, and that made Maggie feel vaguely ashamed.

  But today was about looking forward, not looking back. She couldn’t change yesterday; she could only do her best to shape tomorrow by being the most loving woman, sister, granddaughter, and wife possible.

  “Mom is sorry she couldn’t get here quickly enough.”

  “I know. We talked.” Maggie had heard the heartbreak in her mother’s voice and now understood that she truly mattered to the woman who had birthed her. They had even shared a long, honest talk about the past where they’d begun to patch up Maggie’s hurts. “It’s okay. Really. Her traveling here from rural Costa Rica in less than forty-eight hours would require her to defy physics. She promised to visit in the spring. I think it will be good for all of us.”

  Shealyn squeezed Maggie’s hands again, then withdrew a manila envelope from her bag. “I almost forgot. I picked the papers up from the attorney this morning. This outlines the transfer of property and all the conditions, along with what happens to the land should the worst befall you two.” Her sister teared up again.

  Maggie soothed her with a squeeze to her shoulders, then put the papers in her tote. “Hey, let’s not think about that. Today is for happiness.”

  The peril would come soon enough, she had no doubt.

  “You’re right. Papa looked them over. He and Granna will sign them after the ceremony. It’s exactly the way you and Josiah asked the conditions to be laid out.”

  “Thanks. I really don’t want to know how much you had to pay that lawyer to draw up the papers this quickly.”

  “It’s not important.” Her sister waved her away. “What matters is that he came highly recommended and it’s done. Unless I can talk you out of this?”