Finally Forever

by April Zyon

  Evernight Publishing ®

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2014 April Zyon

  ISBN: 978-1-77233-013-7

  Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs

  Editor: Brieanna Robertson

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  DEDICATION

  To Elle, your continued support means so much more to me than I can ever express. Thank you for being in my corner, for being my friend.

  FINALLY FOREVER

  Massey, TX 2

  April Zyon

  Copyright © 2014

  Prologue

  July 16, 2004

  The sun was beating down over him and the landscape. Squinting up at it, he wiped an arm to his forehead before adjusting his Stetson. Some of the locals were saying they might just break the record with the heat wave that had hit Texas. He couldn’t argue with them given he was sweating buckets during his slow ride.

  He could go faster, but he wasn’t going to risk his stallion in the heat. Not that he was faring all that much better. Groaning, he dug out his canteen and took a swig of the lukewarm water. Nasty.

  Topping the rise, he drew the horse to a stop and squinted down at the herd of longhorns. Frowning, he leaned forward in the saddle as he tried to spot those that were out watching the herd. Or rather, were supposed to be watching the herd.

  With the number of thefts of late—cattle rustling, in other words—his family had put extra men out with the herds. Only he wasn’t seeing a single one of them.

  “Shit,” he muttered. Digging out the satellite phone, he called the main house. “Pops, it’s me. I’m out in the west field with the herd going to market next week and all our guys are MIA… No, no clue where they are. I don’t even see their horses.” He squinted as his father asked about the herd and did a quick, really rough count. “At a guess, and I do mean a guess, Pops, we’re down about three dozen.” Wincing at the swearing coming through the line, he let his old man keep on cursing. He and his family knew better than to interrupt their old man when he was on a roll. As he wiped his brow again, something glinted under the sun and caught his eye. “Pops, I just saw something. I’m going to keep you on the line, but I need to head down and see what it is. We’re going to get fuzzy here for a bit until I’m on the flats.”

  With a soft kick to his stallion’s flanks, he guided the horse down the hill. Keeping his eyes open, he checked his surroundings as he went. No one knew when the rustlers hit the herds, but they always went for the outlying ones. This would be the second time that the Carver Ranch had been hit in as many months, and he wasn’t ready to let them make off with any more.

  Settling the phone between his legs, he checked his old Winchester. It was loaded and ready to fire if he needed to. Not that he wanted to, not with a herd right there, but if it was him or the other guy, he was saving his own fucking hide.

  As he got closer to the herd, he began to ease around them. Much easier to go around than through the animals. Damn things weighed more than he did by a few times over. Pissing something off with that advantage, and a set of horns, was just bad news.

  “Pops, it’s Charlie’s buckle,” he said into the phone when he reached the spot. The shiny metal of the belt buckle had caught and reflected the sun to him. “No sign of him or the others. Nothing.” He nodded even though his father couldn’t see him. “Yeah, just make it quick, Pops. I have a bad, bad feeling.”

  With another look around, he slipped the phone back into his saddle bag. The back of his neck was tingling, and a chill eased down his spine. He had the feeling of being watched as he slowly turned his stallion around in a circle trying to see everything at once.

  The sound of the shot hit Joshua first, the chilling detonation of gunpowder as the hammer strikes it. Before he smelled the blood or felt the shot, he could have sworn that the chuckle of the shooter wafted on the air. In those precious milliseconds, Joshua was upon his horse, and when time caught up with him, there was a sensation of burning pain. The searing heat of the wound had him tumbling off the back of his horse as much as the sudden concussion from the weapon did. When he hit the dirt, knocking the wind out of his lungs, the pain started to radiate from his right shoulder down.

  Right about the time the cattle let out an angry moo, he heard the reverberation of the shot off the hills around him. The same exact moment, hooves started to move in a fast and frantic pace.

  He got kicked in his left arm, turning it nearly instantly numb, and knew he was fucked. His horse was gone, his gun was God only knows where, and he was in the path of a stampede.

  He had to move. It didn’t matter that he was in agony. He’d be a hell of a lot worse off if he didn’t get moving, which another kick of a hoof, this one to his ribs, reminded him of right quick.

  Rolling to his knees, he swallowed the scream of pain. His gut lurched at the wave of pain, but he had to get up. There was a creek not far from where he was. If he could get there and behind the rock outcropping, he’d survive the cattle.

  Whether he’d survive whoever shot him, well, that was a totally different story.

  His vision swam as he stumbled to his feet, trying to orient himself. Moving as quickly as he could, fighting through the herd, he aimed for the creek. Another shot threw a chunk of dirt into the air near his feet. The shooter had missed, though. That was the good news. The really bad news was that the shooter could see him, and the herd was even more agitated with the sound of the second shot coming at them.

  There, just ahead, he saw the outcropping. No more than twenty feet. He could do it, he could make it. Stumbling forward, he kept his eyes on the rocks, his goal. He was very aware that the shooter was out there. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything he could do about it.

  One thing at a time. Get to cover, survive, and wait for the backup his father was sending to him. Sounded like a grand plan. If only he hadn’t taken a second round to his back that threw him under some of the rocks.

  Well, at least he wouldn’t be trampled.

  Chapter One

  August 20, 2014

  Tipping his hat to one of the older ladies, part of the knitting club his mother belonged to, Joshua Carver stepped up into the local hardware store. Nodding to old man Thornton, he headed down the aisle after grabbing up a basket.

  He dipped his head in greeting to a couple of folks he knew. Stopping now and again, he quickly filled up his basket with various screws, some new tools to replace ones wearing out, and a few bolts to replace ones he knew were rusted.

  Once he had everything, he moved up to the counter and waited for George Thornton to finish with his conversation. No rushing in a little town like Massey, Texas. You just had to accept that and go with the flow.

  Sometimes, it was easier than others. Today was one of them. Joshua had nowhere he needed to be, not right off.

  “Josh, my boy, how are you doing?” George asked as he squeezed his pot belly behind the counter. For a man that resembled a scarecrow, he sure did have a gut on him.

  “Pretty good, sir. How’s the missus doing?” he asked since he knew how the game was played.

  “Good, good. She’s off visiting her sister right now. I love my Martha more than life, but Lord love it, her family is a bunch of whackos.”

  Nodding slowly as he stifled his laughter, he shrugged. “Sadly, you ca
n’t choose your relatives, or the relatives of the one you love, sir.”

  “Nope, you sure can’t,” he agreed as he kept ringing up the order. “How about your momma? How’s she doing?”

  “Pretty good, sir. She’s still got days where it’s hard to get going, but she knows that Pops wouldn’t want her to waste away. She’s getting back into the knitting and book clubs. She was even talking about helping out with the Christmas pageant this year.”

  They had lost his father three years ago. The man had always been healthier than a horse with the constitution of the most stubborn mule. Too much stress and too many long hours working the farm had taken their toll and he’d died of a heart attack. Alone, in a field, no one had known until he hadn’t come home that night. The loss of Daniel Carver had rocked the community, much like the loss of their neighbor had done so barely two months ago.

  Daniel Carver and Paul Hollister had been poker buddies, shooting buddies, and pretty much the best of friends. When Daniel, his father, had passed, Paul Hollister had made sure to come around the Carver Ranch often to check on everyone and ensure they didn’t need anything. Joshua personally couldn’t have thanked the man enough for all he’d done. He had truly gone above and beyond during that devastating and horrible time in his, and his family’s, lives.

  “Well, hot damn, boy, that’s great!” George declared at the top of his lungs. Not that the man really had to yell. He had a big, booming voice that just tended to carry no matter what the situation. “I’ll have to tell my Martha about that when I talk to her tonight. The pageant has surely missed your mother’s calm, guiding touch these last couple of years. We all fully understood, but it would be great to have her back again.”

  “Yes, sir, kinda why she’s thinking about it.”

  When the order was rung up, Joshua asked George to add on their outstanding balance so he could pay it all off. It was a bit of a doozy, but not as bad as it had been now and again in the years past.

  Signing his name to the slip, he pocketed his copy and hefted the bags.

  “Oh, before you go, Josh, Martha wanted me to pass along the invitation out to our place not this weekend but the next. We are having some of the grandkids coming in and we thought we’d show them how true Texans do a barbecue and shindig.”

  He thought about it and nodded. “I’ll mention it to the family, sir. I’m sure that a few of us will gladly come over and eat you out of house and home. I know the hands would welcome a few hours to let loose.”

  “Good, good. Well, anyone and everyone is more than welcome. We’ll be starting on Saturday around nine. We’ll do some riding, there will be swimming in the pool, so bring a suit, and of course, there’ll be plenty of food. Martha has already got her shopping list ready to go. I may need to take out a second mortgage, and I have no idea just how many counties she’s planning on feeding. I love that woman, otherwise I’d have to hide out in the hills,” George said.

  “Yes, sir.” Joshua chuckled softly. “I will be sure to pass all that along to the appropriate folks. I’m sure that you will see a good chunk of the Carver Ranch invading come Saturday, not this one, but the next,” he said with a bit of a smirk.

  With a few more words, Joshua managed to get out of there. Not the shortest trip to the hardware store he’d ever made, but not the longest either. Tipping his chin to a group of older ladies, he smiled, and when they went by with titters and whispers, he rolled his eyes. Women were weird creatures that never seemed to grow out of their odd mannerisms.

  After stowing the new goods in the box of his pickup, Joshua looked around Main Street. He could go straight back to the ranch, but he was feeling the need to fill his gut. As his mama often claimed, he was still a growing boy, even at thirty.

  With that thought in mind, he headed over to Milly’s—the best diner in Massey since it was the town hangout. No matter your age, you had eaten there if you grew up in or surrounding Massey, Texas. They had the best milkshakes in the world, some of the best damn burgers around, and no one could top their steaks. Of course, they were in Texas, where beef was very well-known.

  One rule with Texans—never fuck with their beef.

  Chuckling, he walked across the street and into the diner. Slipping his Stetson off, he nodded to a few of the patrons and looked for a booth along the front windows. The space was huge, had to be to fit entire football teams or school classes inside.

  Sliding into his seat, he set the hat aside and rubbed at his face. He’d been up too damn early and would be up way too late. Couldn’t be helped, though, he thought, looking out the windows to Main Street. With most of his brothers off living very different lives, he was the one that was handling all the day-to-day. It definitely took a toll, but he wouldn’t change it for the world.

  Chapter Two

  Life was a bear, at least today it was. Ali looked down at her watch and let out a sigh. She was late. Of course she was. What else was new? It seemed that lately, Ali couldn’t do anything without being late or frazzled. She couldn’t blame anyone, well, not really. She knew who she could blame, if she could figure out who it was.

  She looked back at her car and shook her head. Crap, she would just have to suck it up, go back to the ranch, and finally tell her mother and brother about the stalker she had. Fabulous. Not. She was so not looking forward to the coming explosion she understood that she would face when she finally told them. Granted, Rhys couldn’t be too bitchy because he had been out of the country and in the Marines until a few months earlier, and now he was spending every moment possible with Gwen. Not that Ali could blame him. Heck, she was happier than a clam that they had found each other and clicked like they did.

  Knowing that the time had come for her to come clean, she wanted to drag her feet. Maybe if she was lucky, Rhys would be at Gwen’s and her mom wouldn’t notice that she parked in the garage instead of just outside of it.

  Yeah. Right.

  Feeling her stomach cramping, she grumbled at herself once more, hating just how much she was being a coward, but dammit, there were times when she wanted to be just that.

  Shading her eyes from the Texas sun, she happened to see Joshua Carver walking into Milly’s, and she fanned herself. Goodness gravy, that man was a slice of handsome with a side of sexy. She had harbored a crush on him for years and years. Well, if she was honest with herself, she would say since the moment she met him, when she was three and he was seven. From that moment on, she had been smitten.

  Taking a deep breath, Alison decided that it was time she stopped running from her attraction to the man. What was the worst thing that could happen? She would be humiliated and then it would be hard to keep away from him in such a small town, but oh well. Life, right?

  Scrolling through the contacts on her phone, she dialed up her agent and left a message. Thank God his voicemail picked up. “Hey, Barry. It’s Alison. I won’t be able to make the conference today. I have something else I have to take care of. Give the shoot to one of the other girls. I am not feeling it and, right now, I don’t want to leave the country with just losing dad. If you have issue with it, then that’s too bad. Re-read my contract.” She could choose the shoots she wanted, and couldn’t be forced into taking on jobs when she didn’t want to.

  Hanging up, she turned off her phone and slipped it into her bag. After a mental pep-talk, she walked into Milly’s.

  ****

  Taking a seat at the table where Joshua was seated, Ali put a smile on her face to hide the nerves she was feeling. “Hi, Josh. I hope you don’t mind me joining you? I know that the place is pretty much empty, so it doesn’t make sense to make them work double hard, does it?” she asked hopefully. God, she hoped that he didn’t ask her to leave.

  He just stared at her for a moment before he blinked. “Alison, hi yourself,” he said. He went to say something more, but Donna, one of the best waitresses ever, arrived with his meal. She then turned to Ali to see what she wanted to get.

  Ali looked at the food in front
of Joshua and then to Donna. “I will have what he’s having, please. It looks delicious.” She glanced back to Joshua and added, “Are you good with me having lunch with you—dinner, whatever you want to call it?” Good lord, she was as nervous as a whore in a church.

  “Of course,” he said. Reaching out, he picked up his cup of coffee and took a sip. He didn’t touch his plate, though. She knew that he’d consider it bad manners to eat in front of someone else, especially when they had food on the way. “So, what are you doing hanging around town? I thought I heard tell you were heading out for a job or something of the sort.”

  “Well, you know.” She shrugged. “I decided not to take it. I wanted to spend some more time at home with Mama instead of going out of the country. Especially now that Rhys is spending more and more time with Gwen. I don’t want to have her alone completely.” She couldn’t stop running off at the mouth and bit her lower lip. “So, what are you doing around town?” Brilliant, idiot, she thought to herself. Ali was blushing, mostly because she had never really been alone with Joshua before now. Goodness, he was a big man.

  She watched him arch an eyebrow, and then his lips curled with a small show of the emotions he had going on inside. “Had to stop in and get a few supplies from old man Thornton. That and settle the account for the month before I completely forgot to do it. Since Mama has a gaggle of females out at the house today, I figured I’d kill a little extra time and feed myself—two birds, one stone.”

  Ali laughed and shook her head. “That’s right. Mama said that she was going over there for a book club or something.” She shrugged. “I’m glad to see your mom is getting back to herself and starting to do things again. I know that I’m very grateful to her because it means that my mom has someone to lean on.” She felt the emotion choking the back of her throat and wiped at the tears that had started to come unbidden. “Your mom is good for mine. Tell her that I said thank you, please?”