Stone Cold Cowboy

by Jennifer Ryan

  Ford and Colt gasped, staring at her. Grandpa Sammy smiled like he’d won the lottery. Rory spun around, his eyes wide when he realized he’d forgotten about her, lost in the moment.

  “Why do we need more time? Either you love me or you don’t. Either you want me or you don’t. If I do and you do and you want it and I want it, then why can’t we have it? Why can’t we just make it be? I’m tired of waiting for everything I want in my life.”

  She looked him right in the eye and gave him everything he needed and deserved. “Yes. Yes, I love you. With everything I am, every breath I take, every beat of my heart, I love you. I have wanted to tell you that for so long, but held it back because of one stupid thing or another, but I can’t do it anymore. I won’t do it anymore. I loved you before we made this baby. I will love you every day for the rest of my life.

  “I look at you and see only one thing. You’re my everything. You’re the one I want to be with always.

  “So yes, I will marry you. I will be the best mother I can be to our child, but more than anything, I want to be your wife.”

  “You do? Just like that?”

  “Why not? I fell in love with you just like that.”

  Rory slid his hand around her neck and drew her in for a soft kiss. He pressed his forehead to hers and gazed into her eyes. “I love you more than I can possibly say.”

  “I know.”

  He stepped back, flipped open the lid on the velvet box, and pulled out the diamond engagement ring. He held the ring up for her to see. Two pear-shaped diamonds sparkled in the light, their round sides touching in the center, the points out to the sides. Beautiful. Unique. Perfect.

  She held Rory’s intense gaze.

  “I can’t live a single second without you by my side.” He glanced at the two-stone ring, then back at her. “You and me?”

  “You and me.”

  He slid the ring on her finger. Tears spilled down her cheeks, but she smiled so big her face ached. He kissed her softly, wiping away her happy tears. He leaned back and repeated, “You and me.”

  Rory picked up the sliced apples and stuffed them inside the peanut butter jar. He handed it to her and picked her up right off the countertop. She locked her legs around his waist and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held on. He spun around and walked straight past his brothers and grandfather.

  “Night, sis,” Colt called.

  “See you in the morning, pretty girl,” Grandpa Sammy added.

  “We’re going to be uncles,” Ford said, making all the men laugh. The joy she heard in their voices made her smile.

  “Uh, Rory, what are you doing?”

  “Taking my fiancée to bed.”

  “Okay.”

  “I hope you’re this easygoing for the next sixty years.”

  “We’ll see.”

  Rory slammed the door to their room, walked to the bed, laid her out on top of the already rumpled sheets, and leaned down and kissed her softly. “Yes, we will.”

  EPILOGUE

  Sadie stood in the living room of her old house and stared at the transformation. A coat of paint, new carpet, the old wood furniture polished and rearranged, a brand-new dark brown leather sofa to set off the neutral cream walls. She’d finally finished working her way through the house, cleaning out the clutter, discarding what needed to be trashed, moving the things she wanted to keep to Rory’s, now their, house. She’d removed all the personal items and redone the bedrooms and living spaces with only the best pieces of furniture and decorations to make the place feel spacious, but still lived in. Comfortable.

  She walked down the hall and stopped outside Connor’s old room. It stood empty. The walls had been patched and painted the same cream as the rest of the house. Rory had repaired the door and the cracked window. All of Connor’s furniture needed to be tossed, too damaged, dinged, or destroyed by his many tirades. His personal items she’d packed into boxes and stored in the garage, including the picture album she’d found filled with photos of him and her as kids with their mom and dad. She kept several of the pictures of her alone with her mother and father to go with the photo she kept in her and Rory’s room of her with Connor on the steps when they were young and she’d held on to him. It hurt to let him go. She hoped to one day mend that relationship, but right now, she needed to find her way with Rory and their baby to the life she’d always wanted.

  Luna walked out of what used to be Sadie’s bedroom. The pretty navy and white quilt lay over her bed. Oversize antique keys hung on the walls on opposite sides of the bed above her old nightstands they’d repainted white to match the dresser. “Hey, you ready to go?”

  They’d spent several hours putting the finishing touches on the house and organizing the kitchen. “All set.”

  They walked down the hall to the kitchen to grab her purse off the counter. Luna stood between the kitchen and living space, looking around like she hadn’t just spent the last few hours rearranging things so they were just so.

  “I wish I had the money to rent this place from you. Whoever gets it is very lucky. It turned out great.”

  “Thanks for all your help. You’ve got a great eye for knowing what’s worth keeping and how to set it up so it’s functional and pleasing to the eye.”

  “Whatever family rents it, they’ll love it.”

  “It’s not for a family. It’s for Ford.”

  “Really? You never said he wanted to move out of the Kendrick place.”

  “He doesn’t know about this yet. Rory and I want to surprise him later. We think he’d like his own place, his own ranch.”

  “It’s the perfect setup. I assume you’d earn part of the profits from the ranch since it’s your land now.”

  Sadie nodded. “Plus I’d like to put a little something away for Connor.”

  “For when he gets released?”

  “Money for a fresh start—if he wants one.” Sadie glanced around the house again. It didn’t feel like home anymore. That had been the point of making the changes. A fresh start for Ford—and her. “Do you think I’m crazy to hope that Connor will be different, even better when he comes out of jail?”

  Luna hugged her close. “No. I think you’re sweet and kind and generous. I think if he wants even half of what you want for him, he’ll have a good life.” Luna leaned back and stared her in the eye. “Ready to go?”

  They were supposed to go to town and catch a movie. After four days home with Rory after the whole DEA drug raid and him hovering, she needed a night out with her best friend.

  “Let’s go.”

  “Are you sad to leave this place?”

  She thought of Rory and the life they were just beginning but that felt so right and comfortable and so full at the Kendrick ranch. “I’ll carry my memories with me, because that’s all that’s left here. I’m ready to go. I want to be with Rory and start a new life with him.”

  “He adores you. The kiss he laid on you before we came over here, man, you’d have thought I was taking you away from him forever.”

  Sadie smiled. “After all we’ve been through, he wants to hold on. He loves me.”

  “We need to stop by there before we go to town. I left my purse in their kitchen.”

  “Oh, uh, okay. I can pay for the move and dinner and bring you your purse tomorrow.”

  “I kind of need it. It won’t take long.”

  They walked out and locked up the house. Sadie went down the new porch steps Rory put in yesterday. She turned back and smiled at the pretty bushes and flowers she’d planted along the porch.

  “It’s a really great house.”

  Luna draped her arm over Sadie’s shoulders and stared back at the freshly painted house with her. “Yes it is. Sure you wouldn’t rather live here with Rory?”

  “No. His place is the home he’s worked his whole life to hold on to. Mine is with him.”

  “Fair enough. Let’s go.”

  They chatted about school, diner gossip, and Sadie’s plans to reveal her surpri
se to Ford. They pulled into the driveway behind several cars and trucks she didn’t recognize, except for Dane’s.

  “What is going on here?” Sadie glanced at Luna, who valiantly held back a smile. “Luna, what is going on?”

  “Just come with me.”

  “Who’s here?”

  “You’ll see. No more questions, just come on.”

  They hopped out of Luna’s Jeep and walked through all the cars and trucks to the front porch. Luna led her inside, through the house, and out to the open back door. Luna whistled to get everyone’s attention. The crowd gathered on the back patio turned as Sadie stood in the doorway, staring out at everyone, the pretty lights strung over the patio, casting a soft glow as the sun set, the barbecues lined up along the back, the picnic tables set with pitchers of wildflowers, lemonade, beer, and champagne among the pretty white and yellow dishes. A huge sign hung at the back of the patio. The crowd was filled with familiar faces from the diner, the entire Bowden family, including Rory’s buddies Gabe, Blake, and Dane with their wives and children. Everyone yelled what the sign said, “Congratulations!”

  Sadie pressed her hand over her racing heart. Rory stood with Dane and Bell, Kaley sitting on his arm against his chest, her arm hooked around his neck. He spotted Sadie and handed Kaley off to Bell and made his way through the crowd and up the steps to take her hand and pull her close. “Surprised?”

  “Rory, honey, what is this?”

  “Our engagement party.”

  “You did all of this for me?”

  “I had some help.” Rory tipped his glass of beer in the direction of his brothers and grandfather, and Luna standing as far away on the opposite side as Colt.

  Luna rushed forward with a glass of champagne for her.

  “Um . . .” Sadie didn’t take it. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it, not knowing if she should say anything about the baby in front of all their friends.

  Colt moved in, holding out a glass of lemonade.

  Luna narrowed her gaze on Colt. “A celebration calls for champagne.”

  “She can’t have that,” Colt whispered, handing Sadie the glass of lemonade and withdrawing back to Ford and Grandpa Sammy.

  Luna’s eyes swept over her and landed on Sadie’s belly. Sadie stared up at Rory. He smiled like a lunatic.

  “Oh my God, you’re pregnant.” Luna slapped her hand over her mouth after blurting that out. A hush went over the crowd. Everyone stared at her, waiting for her to confirm Luna’s words.

  Rory took over. “Thank you everyone for coming tonight to celebrate this very special occasion. Yes, Sadie and I are getting married. That’s reason enough to celebrate. I mean, she said yes. To me.” That earned a laugh from everyone. “That alone made me the happiest man alive.” He bent and kissed her softly, then pulled back, smiling like she’d never seen. So bright. So open. So filled with love. “So you can imagine how I felt when we found out we were expecting a baby, too. I mean, a guy like me doesn’t get that lucky. But with a woman like Sadie in my life, man, I’ve got happiness, the blessing of a child on the way, a long and happy life to look forward to, and love like I never thought possible.” Rory stared her in the eye. “I love you so much.” He kissed her again, and they lost themselves in the moment.

  Everyone cheered and sipped their drinks. Luna mouthed a silent apology for outing her about the baby. Sadie only smiled. After all Rory said to her, she didn’t care that everyone found out about the baby before she had a chance to announce it herself. After all, these were their friends, the people who shared their lives and were the happiest for them.

  Rory hugged her close and she whispered in his ear, “Thank you for this. I love you.”

  “You and the baby are the best part of my life. I wanted everyone to know and see how happy you make me. How happy we are together.”

  Before the barbecue got under way and she greeted all their guests, Grandpa Sammy stepped forward, held up his glass, and toasted them. “Welcome to the family, pretty girl. Welcome home.”

  Need more of bestselling author

  Jennifer Ryan’s Montana Men?

  Get ready for the next thrilling installment

  in her acclaimed series!

  Colt Kendrick knows one thing about a small town, you can’t avoid anyone for long—especially a girl he crossed the line with and who just happens to be best friends with his brother’s fiancée. Luna could have been the one if he hadn’t done her wrong. Now, Colt’s intentions are nothing but honorable, but his thoughts about Luna sure aren’t. Can he convince the one who got away that he wants her forever?

  Luna Hill thought she lost her shot with the sexy cowboy, but with one scorching kiss, she’s convinced that lightning just may strike twice. When she’s offered the opportunity of a lifetime, but one that could have terrible consequences, Luna must decide what her heart desires most.

  Colt will do anything to keep Luna safe, including put his life on the line, because nothing is more important than the woman who showed Colt he has a heart—and it belongs to her.

  Coming October 2016

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  JENNIFER RYAN is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Hunted series and the McBrides series. She writes romantic suspense and contemporary small-town romances featuring strong men and equally resilient women. Her stories are filled with love, friendship, and the happily-ever-after we all hope to find. Jennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and three children. When she isn’t writing a book, she’s reading one. Her obsession with both is often revealed in the state of her home and in how late dinner is to the table. When she finally leaves those fictional worlds, you’ll find her in the garden, playing in the dirt and daydreaming about people who live only in her head, until she puts them on paper.

  www.jennifer-ryan.com

  www.avonromance.com

  www.facebook.com/avonromance

  Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.

  ALSO BY JENNIFER RYAN

  Montana Men Series

  STONE COLD COWBOY

  HER LUCKY COWBOY

  WHEN IT’S RIGHT

  AT WOLF RANCH

  The McBride Series

  DYLAN’S REDEMPTION

  FALLING FOR OWEN

  THE RETURN OF BRODY MCBRIDE

  The Hunted Series

  EVERYTHING SHE WANTED

  CHASING MORGAN

  THE RIGHT BRIDE

  LUCKY LIKE US

  SAVED BY THE RANCHER

  Short Stories

  CAN’T WAIT

  (appears in ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A COWBOY)

  WAITING FOR YOU

  (appears in CONFESSIONS OF A SECRET ADMIRER)

  COPYRIGHT

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  STONE COLD COWBOY. Copyright © 2016 Jennifer Ryan. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  EPub Edition MARCH 2016 ISBN: 9780062435309

  Print Edition ISBN: 9780062435323

  FIRST EDITION

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