by Anna Sugden
“If what was all right?” She finally remembered to snatch her hand back and then clasped her fingers behind her back so that she wouldn’t touch him.
“If I could talk to you for a few minutes.”
“I’m at my sister’s wedding.”
“I know. I need some... A minute. Five. Please. She said it was okay.”
He seemed so perplexed, so wonderfully, perfectly Wes. If Mia had said it was okay...
“Oh, come on,” she grumbled. She didn’t want to do it but didn’t see another way to get out of here effectively. She took his hand. Tried to ignore the way his fingers linked with hers, or how adorable it was that his palms were kind of sweaty.
If she was finding palm sweating adorable, she needed to get her sanity checked. She led him out a little side entrance of the barn. She was still amazed at everything Dad had done to make this a wedding venue. Once deemed unsuitable for the cows, it had been his office, hardly resembling useful space.
Now it was gorgeous. And Mia was gorgeous, and the wedding had been perfect and everyone was so happy.
And Wes was here, and she was holding his hand, leading him away from a crowd of people.
He can’t give you what you want—remember that.
Once they were safely tucked away behind a tree, she dropped his hand and crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn’t at all pleased with herself when his gaze lingered there for a second or two.
Oh, so he was staring at her boobs?
“So? Five minutes. You better start now.”
“I love you.”
Her arms dropped to her sides. “What?”
“I love you.” He said it slower this time, clearer, his eyes never leaving hers. All earnest, honest Wes.
“Why are you...?” She shook her head, not sure why her eyes were filling with tears. That wasn’t enough. An I love you wasn’t enough, so she should not want to throw herself at him and hold on for dear life. She should not want that at all.
“I scheduled my surgery for next month. Admittedly, my mom kind of made me because of what you said, and I was going to cancel, but I’m not going to now. I’m going to do it, and if you’ll forgive me for needing some time to get here, I would very much appreciate your help.”
“My help.” She had to lean against the tree to keep herself upright. What was happening?
He cleared his throat, his eyes still steady on hers. “And, um, I want to come to dinner with your family the next time you do that. And I wanted to say how proud I am of you for getting the full-time pie deal, and if that means you don’t have time to work for me, I understand. But your help is invaluable, and if you have time to do both, I would very much appreciate that. I like having you be a part of it.”
“What is all this?”
“You were right. I wanted to pretend. Or ignore. Or whatever. I didn’t want to deal with this stuff, and there’s still a part of me that doesn’t.” He stepped forward and gingerly took her hand in his. “Cara, having you in my life is one of the best things that ever happened to me, and I would do anything to keep you there.”
All she could do was stand there, her hand limply in his, staring at him, because this had to be a dream. It was all so perfect and lovely and wonderful. Possibly a million other good adjectives, too. She swallowed, trying to find her voice. “I, um, are you sure that... I don’t want you to say that just because it’s what I want? You should be okay with all those things before you promise them.”
“I am. I wasn’t at first, but thinking you’re not in my life anymore is worse than facing the things that are hard and awkward. And they are things I should face. You’ve made me face a lot of things, and it’s always made everything better. I went after you, called you out when you were scared, and it all got better. So much a life I never thought I’d have. So, why not? If it means loving you and having you, it’ll always be worth it.”
She went with what had been her first inclination when she’d seen him all clean shaven and suited. She flung her arms around his neck and squeezed as hard as she could. “You couldn’t have figured this out two weeks ago?”
He chuckled against her shoulder. “I’m slow on the uptake sometimes.”
“I’ll say.” But she didn’t let him go. He was here, wanting her back, wanting to give her whatever it took to make them okay. “You made me face some things, too. I think that’s why I was so angry. We’re good for each other, and I knew we were, but I couldn’t keep—”
“I know. I do. It might have taken me a few kicks in the butt from you and from my mom, which was weird, but I do know. That’s why I’m here. I want us to keep being good for each other.”
She blinked away a few tears. “And oh, you’re ruining my makeup, too. You need to work on your timing.”
“Let’s work on not breaking up again.”
She wasn’t sure there was any piece of her heart left to melt, but if there was, that completely did her in. “Yes. That sounds like the perfect plan.”
They should get back to the reception. Cake cutting would start soon, and she didn’t want to miss Mia and Dell’s first dance.
But this was so nice, too. Her own little moment. She held on for a little bit longer and then finally loosened her hold on him. “Will you grow the beard back?”
“Immediately. I hate this damn scar.”
She pulled back enough that she could rub her thumb across it. Then she kissed it, and he smiled.
“Okay, it’s growing on me.”
She grinned. “I want you beardy and flannelly again. It is fall, after all.”
“Consider your wish my command right now.”
“Ooh, such power you give me. I wish you would stay for the rest of the reception, help with cleanup, then take me home. Your place, I mean, because I miss your babies.”
“Dogs. They are dogs.”
“And I miss you.”
“I miss you, too.”
She didn’t want to cry anymore, so she took his hand and started pulling him back to the barn. “Oh! I also wish that you would dance with me at the reception.”
“If you don’t mind me possibly breaking your foot.”
“You’ll have to follow my lead.”
He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it, stopping her in her tracks. “I will.” He said it very, very solemnly.
She grabbed his face and looked him right in the eye. “I love you, you slow-on-the-uptake mess of a man.”
“And I love you, you beautiful, amazing, perf—”
She shut him up with a kiss, knowing there would be a lot of kiss shutting up in her future and looking forward to every second of it.
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781488006531
All I Am
Copyright © 2016 by Nicole Helm
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, 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 hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, ch
aracters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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www.Harlequin.com
It’s never too late...right?
Kayla Anderson is never going back to Montana. At least, that was the plan. But when her teenage son runs away to meet his great-grandparents, she ends up back in Schuyler...face-to-face with her high school sweetheart, rancher Jackson McGregor. It’s complicated doesn’t quite cover it, especially since Alex happens to be Jackson’s son, too. Alex and his dad couldn’t be more different, but Jackson will do anything to connect with his boy. And suddenly old wounds pale beside the possibility of a second chance under the wide Montana sky...
No wonder Kayla disliked him.
And it was true that his parents hadn’t been happy he was dating her. So even if they’d known about Alex and supported her financially, she might have resented taking the money. On the other hand, she might have felt it was owed to her.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured.
“I did okay.”
“You did better than okay,” he told her.
They fell silent again, but it was more comfortable this time. After exactly sixty minutes, DeeDee came running downstairs. “Can we swim now?” she pleaded. “There’s a neat pool house where we can change.”
“Sure,” Kayla told her. “I’ll go with you.”
Jackson went to his bedroom to put on his swim trunks, then headed outside.
Kayla stood next to the pool in her bathing suit, chatting with Morgan. She looked like a model in one of those “vacation paradise” magazine ads—long legs, hair fiery in the sun and a body that nearly made him howl.
He was in deep trouble.
Dear Reader,
Because my parents were older when I came along, camping was rarely a part of my childhood. The last time we went was before I turned five. I remember the family picking berries and my mom making a batch of jam from them. Having made jam myself, now, I know she was a little insane for doing it over a camp stove.
When my hero in Kayla’s Cowboy is struggling to find a way of connecting with his rebellious teenage daughter, as well as with the son he’s just met, sending everyone camping at Yellowstone seems like a good idea. Besides, Yellowstone is an amazing place, and it felt as if I got a vicarious visit to the park along with them.
But they have to return to reality—and one of Jackson McGregor’s realities is his attraction to his son’s mother, Kayla Anderson. That’s a big problem with their painful history, a mutual struggle to trust and the fact that he’s from Schuyler, Montana, while she lives in Seattle, Washington.
I enjoy hearing from readers. Please contact me c/o Harlequin Books, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, ON, M3B 3K9, Canada.
Callie Endicott
Kayla’s Cowboy
Callie Endicott
Callie Endicott often wishes her life would slow down, but so far it doesn’t show any sign of cooperating. There aren’t enough hours in the day for everything she likes to do, whether it’s writing stories for her readers, hiking on a mountain trail, or walking on the beach. Reading is another passion for Callie, along with her cats (Myna and Winston), cooking and travel. Luckily, Myna and Winston are getting along better than they did in the beginning, but Myna remains stubbornly jealous of Callie’s guy.
Books by Callie Endicott
HARLEQUIN SUPERROMANCE
That Summer at the Shore
Until She Met Daniel
Other titles by this author available in ebook format.
To Teddy Roosevelt and the other visionaries who set aside the US National Parks.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER ONE
KAYLA ANDERSON STARED at the sign indicating she was still more than a hundred miles from Schuyler, Montana. After driving all night from Seattle, she was exhausted. And scared.
A hitchhiker caught her eye and she leaned forward to get a better look. She sagged with disappointment. It wasn’t her son.
Had Alex gotten this far?
Fifteen-year-old kids couldn’t rent cars, though they could take a train or bus without raising too many questions.
She shuddered at the idea of her son hitchhiking. Surely he had better sense. Of course, she’d never dreamed he would run away during his two-week visitation with his dad and head for Montana on his own. And how could Curtis have waited all day to let her know Alex was missing? She’d rushed home to see if Alex had come back, only to find a note explaining where he’d gone. Despite that, Curtis still hadn’t been concerned, certain Alex was just “exerting his independence.”
Her smartphone sounded with a chime indicating she had a voice mail. Could it be Alex? She’d gotten a signal off and on the whole night. Pulling off the road, Kayla checked her messages.
“Kayla, this is your grandfather. Don’t worry, Alex is here and he’s all right. I imagine you’re on your way. Travel safe, and we’ll see you soon.”
Kayla let out a shaky, relieved breath. She still had dozens of questions, but the most important one was answered. Her son was safe, instead of lying in a ditch or kidnapped, or any of the other terrible things her imagination had conjured. She debated calling her grandparents but decided to wait until they were face-to-face.
Glancing into the rear seat, she saw her nine-year-old daughter was asleep again, the wrappers from her fast-food breakfast scattered on the floor. Curtis had said it was ridiculous to bring DeeDee with her, but he hadn’t been that upset to have his time with the kids cut by a few days. As she’d learned during their marriage, Curtis Anderson had a short attention span. Since their divorce he’d slid from one relationship to another. His work history was the same.
Kayla’s mouth tightened and she tried to remember that her ex-husband wasn’t a terrible father. And he had wanted to adopt Alex from the very beginning. He’d just never grown up. He adored romance and falling in love and playing daddy, but relationships were beyond him. He was now on his third marriage since their divorce. Kayla no longer cared, but it was hard on the kids.
Before getting on the road again, she called Curtis to tell him Alex was safe. Two hours later, they passed the Schuyler city-limit sign. Her terror had subsided, but other anxieties had surfaced; the last thing she’d ever wanted was return here.
It wasn’t that she’d hated Schuyler. In fact, she’d had high hopes when she and Mom had moved into her grandparents’ home. Though it was the first time Kayla had met them, she’d thought the Garrisons were nice and she had started making friends at high school. But less than a year later Mom had been hitting the bottle even harder and they were on the road again. As far as Kayla knew, her mother hadn’t spoken to her parents since then.
Kayla pulled up in front of a three-story house that hadn’t changed since the day her mother had driven them away from it. As she hurried up the walkway, the front door opened and a familiar figure emerged—like the house, Elizabeth Garrison also appeared unchanged by the years, except that her brown hair was now shot with gray.
“He’s all right,” Elizabeth assured quickly.
“I know, I got Granddad’s message.”
“Good. We called the home phone as well but figured you were already on your way.”
“Where’s Alex?”
“He’s gone to the office with your grandfather to clean and organize the supply room.” Elizabeth’s eyes crinkled with a gentle humor. “We decided it was a suitably mundane thing for a kid to do after running away.”
Kayla agreed with a shaky laugh. “What’s the number?” she asked, taking out her phone. “I need to hear his voice.”
She punched in the numbers and the secretary put her through to her grandfather, who told her how much he loved her before passing the phone to Alex.
“Uh, hello?” her son said cautiously.
“Are you all right?” Kayla demanded.
“I’m fine, Mom, just dusty from some boxes that haven’t been moved in, like, forever.”
“We’ll talk later. We’ll talk a lot,” she warned.
“I kind of figured.”
After hanging up, she couldn’t keep the tears from stinging into her eyes.
Elizabeth gave her a quick hug before drawing away to gaze at her intently. “Oh, honey. It’s so good to see you.”
“I’m sorry it’s been so long,” Kayla managed to say.
“You’re here now, that’s what matters.”
Kayla still felt bad. She’d had little contact with her grandparents herself over the past sixteen years—just Christmas and birthday cards. That was fine for distant relatives, but the months she’d spent with the Garrisons as a teenager had been the happiest of her childhood. They’d even invited her to stay instead of leaving town with her mother. But Kayla hadn’t been able to bear the thought of Mom being alone. Besides, she couldn’t have stayed in Schuyler, not after Jackson had declared that he’d always used a condom, so the baby couldn’t possibly be his.
