“Thelma, I know I don’t deserve you. I’ve been a jerk, self absorbed, focused on everything else except for what’s been in front of my face all along. From the first time I met you when we were still in grade school, I knew there was something special about you. I was stupid to let you go then, and I was stupid to almost let you go now. Well, I can’t let you go. And it’s not just the baby either.
“From the first time we made love, I knew something was different. It just took me until now to see it. You have the kindness of my father, and the brains of my mother. You’re considerate and thoughtful, and you’re willing to call me out on my bullshit. And that’s okay, because it keeps me honest and will make me a better man. What I’m trying to say is, will you marry me?”
Thelma’s body trembled. He foot tapped uncontrollably on the floor. She had to step on it with her other foot to make to it stop.
“Yes. Yes, Cannon, I’ll marry you.”
Thelma took the ring from Cannon and slipped it on her finger.
“This thing is huge. How did you pay for it?”
“It was my mother’s. A family heirloom. She told me a long time ago that whenever I found the right woman, she wanted her to have it. That woman is you.”
Thelma smiled. Her cheeks were flush, and a warm sensation covered her entire body. She had to sit back down and take another sip of water.
Later, Thelma stood with Cannon, holding hands among the crowd of soldiers at the cemetery listening to Buck speak after a full military salute to Ace’s passing.
“Ace was a good soldier. He was a hero, fearless, and a better man than any one of us. I know that every one of his brothers in arms, anyone who knew him personally, feels it should be us in this grave instead of him. He never had the chance to start a family and have kids, but he died so that we could. And I promise, we promise, that we’re going to find those cowards who took him away from us and we’re going to bury them in the ground.”
After the ceremony, Thelma spent time talking with Buck and several other soldiers who knew Ace. She listened to their stories about how funny he was and all the times he lifted their spirits when they were tired or bored out their minds. She listed to each of the different times Ace had saved their lives, and how his good luck charm gave him an extra pair of stones. Afterwards, she understood why Cannon and his friends felt as strongly as they did. She still didn’t want to see him go, but she never said another word about it after that.
Several months later, Cannon found himself in a fire fight.
“Over the hill. The sniper’s over the hill,” Buck shouted.
Cannon raced across the ground the moment the bullets let up. His several months’ journey came to an end. One bullet to the head, and his enemy was on the ground. Buck came around and confirmed the kill.
Over the next week, Buck and his select group of SEALs were able to secure all the intel they needed to find the location and targets of the planned attacks. The general was able to get boots on the ground in the overseas operations and FBI back in the homeland. Cannon was headed back to west Texas.
A week later, Thelma stood by the baggage claim at the airport, waiting for Cannon to appear. Her stomach had a noticeable bump, and her face gave off a motherly glow. She kept her eyes fixed on the escalators until she saw the familiar face.
“Cannon!” she shouted once she was sure it was him.
Thelma ran over, and Cannon caught her in his arms and gave her a passionate kiss.
“I told you I’d come back safe.”
“Did you get him?”
“I got the sucker. We got ‘em. If we have a boy, I want to name him Ace.”
*****
THE END
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The Navy SEAL Cowboy’s Baby
Winter came early to Ashley, North Dakota the year that Mellie Corbin’s husband died. Mellie was in Bismarck trying to negotiate a deal on a new horse for their farm, the Hickory Pond Equestrian Center, when Emery decided to meet his friends for a beer at the local bar. No one noticed that the temperature had dropped so suddenly, or that the roads had iced over. Emery had taken his Harley to the bar, and after two beers, it hadn’t even occurred to him to check the road conditions before heading back to Hickory Pond.
It was 2am when Mellie’s cell phone lit up as she slept in the hotel in Bismarck. She figured it was just Emery calling to check in, to let her know he’d arrived safely at home, as he’d done every night since they started dating in high school. She didn’t need to answer the call; it was more for his benefit than hers. But then her phone kept going off, until she couldn’t ignore it anymore. And when she heard her father-in-law Ulysses’ voice instead of Emery’s on the other end of the line, she knew her life would never be the same again.
Mellie never imagined that she’d be running a horse farm by herself at twenty-eight, but Ulysses had insisted she stay on even after Emery was gone. Hickory Pond wasn’t just a stable; it was a full-service riding center that taught classes, offered kennel space and grooming for pets of all sizes, and once a month, gave learning disabled children the chance to work with the horses. Mellie loved her life and she loved Hickory Pond, but running things without Emery was proving to be impossible.
Mellie had always run the business end of the farm, taken care of the marketing, finding new horses, and when she was able, the grooming. Emery had done the field work, taught the riding classes, and rustled up new clients. Ulysses did what he could, when he could, but he had his own place on the other side of Ashley that was more of a traditional farm, and he was getting on in years. So Mellie knew it was up to her to find help, someone who could do the things Emery had done without getting in her way.
It was the first day of spring a year after Emery when Mellie walked into the local newspaper office. She’d written up an ad that she hoped would attract the right kind of person, someone trustworthy and honest, but most importantly, someone who could just do their job and make her life easier. The ad ran in the paper and online the next day.
Wanted: Stable hand
Must have at least 5+ years experience
Will be responsible for upkeep, as well as riding, training,
& other duties to be discussed upon inquiry.
$600/week + room & board
Contact Hickory Pond Equestrian for more info
* * *
A knock on the door of his hotel room stirred Ransom Carrigan from an unpleasant sleep. He thought maybe if he just ignored the knocking, whoever it was would go away eventually, but the knocking continued just the same. With a frustrated groan, he crawled out of the bed and grabbed his shorts from the floor. When he peeked through the peephole, he saw the manager standing on the other side, his face locked in a scowl.
Ransom rested his forehead on the door and called out to the manager,
“Yeah? Can I help you?”
Even through the wood of the door, he could hear the manager clearing his throat uncomfortably.
“Mr. Carrigan, I’m sorry to do this to you in light of your… because of your… I’m sorry. But your deposit ran out days ago and we’ve let you stay for free as long as possible, but the branch manager is going to be on our case soon. I’m afraid we’re going to have to ask you to vacate before 2pm.”
Ransom banged his head against the door. He had no idea what he was going to do. His money had totally run out a week ago and he was living off of vending machine food. His last deployment as a Navy SEAL had ended when he’d been injured in the field. Now, he was home in North Dakota with a Purple Heart, an irreparably wounded leg, and not much else. Ransom had no family, and all of his friends had moved on years ago, so he’d been bouncing around his h
ome state looking for work, without any luck. He was just about to go flop back on the bed when the manager knocked again.
“I’ll be out, I swear. I just… need to pack.”
“No, Mr. Carrigan, it’s not that. I just saw an ad in the paper about a local horse farm looking for help, and room and board is included in the salary. I thought you might be interested. I’ll just slide the ad under the door, okay?”
The paper popped under, and Ransom grabbed it. He’d grown up around horses, and he loved them, but it had been years since he worked with them. He didn’t know what his odds were of getting hired when he’d spent the last ten years of his life doing anything but take care of animals. Yet, it was worth a shot, and anything was better than sleeping in the streets, which is where he was going to end up if he didn’t figure something out soon.
Ransom opened the door to the manager, who was still standing nervously on the other side, bouncing from foot to foot. With a soft smile, Ransom reached out his hand.
“Thanks, for everything, man. This means a lot.”
The manager returned his firm handshake and nodded. “Thanks for your service, Mr. Carrigan.”
* * *
Mellie sat at the desk in the office of Hickory Point, banging her head against the wood for what felt like the tenth time that day. No one who had come in was remotely qualified for the job; one woman had shown up with a suitcase and thought she was going to be taking care of children. Mellie just stared at her until the woman turned around and walked back out. It was only when the phone rang that she lifted her head from the desk.
“Hickory Pond Equestrian Center, this is Mellie.”
Her father-in-law’s gruff voice was on the other side. “Hey, Melinda. How is the cattle call going?”
Mellie sighed, “Not great. I’m about to close up here and go back to the house. We don’t have any riding appointments scheduled today and I fed the horses in between train wrecks, so I’m going to take a bath and put this rotten day behind me.”
“Well, tomorrow is a new day, angel. If you need help tomorrow…”
Mellie couldn’t let Ulysses help any more than he already had. Running the farm on her own was impossible, but she’d rather wear herself out than let her father-in-law do the same to himself.
“No worries, pop. I got it. You let me know if you need anything, you hear? Otherwise, I’ll be over Sunday with some meals for you.”
Mellie and Ulysses said their goodbyes, and Mellie grabbed everything she needed from the office before she made her way back to the ranch house for the night. She was locking up the door when she heard someone clear their throat behind her, startling her so completely, she dropped all of the files in her arms to the ground.
“Damn it all to hell!” she shouted as she bent down to start picking everything up. Suddenly, another pair of hands were helping her, and Mellie looked up to see a set of soft blue eyes looking back at her.
“Sorry about that,” he whispered as he handed her everything he’d gathered. They both stood at the same time and she tried not to stare. Mellie was almost six feet tall, and he still towered over her, which caught her off guard. He was lean, but muscled, and his face was chiseled, with a little dimple in his chin. His sandy blonde hair caught the sunlight, as did his eyes. Mellie was tongue-tied for a moment, and he picked up on it.
“Really, I’m sorry I snuck up on you like that. I’m here about the job… The stable hand?”
Mellie shook her head, trying to regain her faculties.
“It’s fine. I was just closing up but… Come inside. We can talk.”
Mellie unlocked the door and gestured for the man to follow her. He walked in behind her, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. Once they were in the confines of her work space, she suddenly noticed that the office was a mess, and felt self-conscious about it, but there was nothing to be done now. She sat behind the desk and pointed for him to sit down in the chair across from her.
“How did you hear about the job?”
He shifted uncomfortably in the seat. “A uh, a friend knew I was looking for work and showed me the ad in the paper. So I thought I’d come out here and see if you were still hiring.”
Mellie made a few notes on her pad. “And where are you living right now?”
“I’m new to the area, so I’m in between places, I guess you’d say.”
Mellie looked up at him curiously. There was something so unusual about him, but at the same time, she had a feeling there was something he wasn’t telling her. She looked back down at her notes and realized she was missing a crucial piece of information.
“Shit… I’m so sorry, I didn’t ask your name. I’m Mellie Corbin. This is my ranch. And you are?”
He reached out his hand, and when she took it, hers practically disappeared. He shook her hand but didn’t look her right in the eyes.
“Ransom Carrigan, miss. Pleasure to meet you.”
Mellie nodded with smile and tried to focus back on her questions. “So, you have experience?”
“Yes, miss. I grew up on a horse farm further north from here. It’s been a while since I worked on a farm, though. I spent the last ten years in the service, and I just got out.”
“For good?” Mellie asked. She’d known her share of military men and they had a tendency to re-enlist when you least expected it. Yet, she couldn’t help but notice when Ransom reached down absent-mindedly and rubbed his leg.
“Yes, miss, for good. I’m just looking for honest work and, hopefully, a warm bed. And I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help you out here. If you want to keep the money and pay me in room and board for the first month until I prove my mettle, I’m fine with that.”
Mellie softened, and grabbed a ring of keys out of her desk. “No, no, that’s not necessary. To be honest, I haven’t meant a single candidate since I posted that ad that had the sense God gave them. So if you have experience, you’re happy with the pay, and you understand you’re caring for horses and not kids, you’ve got the job.”
Ransom raised his eyebrow, “Kids, miss? I don’t…”
“Never mind. Follow me and I’ll show you to the guest house. That’s where you’ll be living. It’s right near the stables, so it’s easy in the mornings, and there is a communications system with the main house, so you can always get me if there is an emergency. I keep the food stocked as part of your pay, so just let me know what you like, and I’ll pick it up when I go into town.”
Mellie was just unlocking the door to show Ransom where the guest house was she felt his hand on the back of her arm. She turned around and he was right behind her, which made her heart beat fast, though she didn’t know why.
“Miss…”
“Mellie, please.”
“Mellie, I can’t thank you enough for this. Really. This means everything to me right now.”
Mellie nodded, unable to say anything for fear her voice might crack. Instead, she just handed him the keys, and smiled.
* * *
Ransom followed behind Mellie as they walked from the offices to the guest house, and he had to fight every natural inclination he had to just stop and stare at her. She was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, tall and strong, with legs longer than a North Dakota winter. Her wavy, sun-kissed brown hair hung down almost to her curvy hips, and her jeans hugged every inch of her like she’d been born in them.
But it was her face that echoed through his mind even as she walked a few feet in front of him: her full lips, her rosy, chubby cheeks, and her huge hazel eyes, that were so very sad. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss away her pain, but he knew that she wasn’t the kind of woman who welcomed such gestures. She was as independent and wild as the winds that blew across the plains.
After a short walk, they reached a small house just off the side of the stables. In fact, it wasn’t a small house… it was a tiny house. Ransom stopped just short of walking in, and looked awkwardly at Mellie as she unlocked the front door. When she turned aro
und and saw him standing there, she laughed.
“I know it looks small, but I promise, it’s perfect. My hus… Two people lived in here with a dog while the ranch house was being renovated and it’s bigger than it looks.”
Mellie opened the door and Ransom followed behind, ducking in the small doorway, but when he stepped inside, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. A cathedral ceiling gave him more than enough room to move around comfortably. A small kitchen took up the front entry way, and behind, there was a built-in couch that looked on to a window with a flat-screen TV underneath. A ladder against the wall led up to a lofted bed, and a door off the side opened up into a bathroom.
It was the first place Ransom had had that was entirely his own in his entire life.
“This is perfect, Mellie. More than I need. Thank you.”
Mellie gave a little bow and then made her way back to the door.
“I usually head over to the office around 7am. But the horses start rustling between six and seven, so you may want to plan on being up. We don’t have any dog hotel guests this week, so it’s just the horses. There are two riding lessons scheduled for the afternoon, but I have a feeling once word gets out that you’re working here… lessons will pick up.”
SEALing The Victory Page 12
