“Whoever said romance is dead hasn’t met you.” Emily opened the passenger door and pulled herself into his truck.
“Put your seatbelt on.”
“You’re grumpy tonight. Are you sure this can’t wait until tomorrow?”
Alex reached across and pulled her seat belt from the wall. He smelled wonderful, like a forest full of pine trees waiting to be explored. But she wouldn’t be doing any exploring. She needed to concentrate on building her boutique into a successful business. She’d already fallen in love with Alex twice. A third time would be downright embarrassing.
He clicked her seatbelt into place. “This definitely can’t wait until tomorrow.” And he kissed her. A short, sharp kiss that made her wonder if it was possible to fall in love with the same man three times in a row.
Alex put the truck into gear and started driving.
“Can you at least give me a clue? I’m not good with surprises.”
Alex shook his head. “You’ll have to wait.”
Emily tapped her fingers on the armrest. “Did Becky deliver the hanging baskets?” They’d ordered six pretty baskets for under the boutique’s front porch. Becky was going to hang them in the morning, but she might have changed her mind.
Alex looked straight ahead, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
His grin disappeared. He flicked a quick glance across the cab and Emily started to get worried. When she’d left the boutique, everything had looked amazing. The building had smelled of polish and perfume. The mannequins had been dressed in silks and satin, the designer clothes hung in color-coordinated rows. They’d been ready for opening day. Or so she thought.
As long as there hadn’t been another fire, everything would be okay. She glanced across at Alex. Bad mistake. He looked as though he was about to show her something she wasn’t going to like. Something that might mean the boutique wouldn’t be opening.
Emily thought about the tub of ice cream she’d forgotten to put in the freezer. She should have brought it with her. She had a feeling she was going to need it.
***
Alex parked his truck outside the boutique. Emily had given up trying to figure out what had gone wrong halfway across town. Only nothing had gone wrong. Not yet, anyway.
His hands slipped off the steering. He hadn’t been this nervous since his first bull ride. And just like that time he didn’t know what to do. Whenever he got ready for a competition, his dad told him to hold on tight and don’t let go. Maybe the same was true for tonight. And the rest of his life.
Emily grabbed the door handle and started to leave the truck.
“Wait.” He held onto the sleeve of her shirt. “You need to put this on.” He reached over his seat and picked up a silk scarf. It weighed next to nothing and felt like cool air slipping along his skin.
“Why have you got one of my scarves in the truck? And why on earth would I want to wear it tonight? What’s going on?”
Alex didn’t blame her for looking confused. He would have been exactly the same if she was the one doing the driving. “It’s a surprise, remember?”
Emily wasn’t impressed. She glanced at the porch, looking for the hanging baskets that Becky would deliver tomorrow morning. “I hope you’re not planning on doing anything too kinky with the scarf?”
He almost smiled, but the nerves crashing through his body didn’t have a sense of humor. He hoped that would come later, after the talking. After what needed to be said. He opened his door and jogged around the truck. It would be just like Emily to sprint ahead and see what all the fuss was about.
He waved the scarf in front of her nose. “I’m going to tie this around your eyes. You’re not allowed to look.”
“Did I tell you I’m tired?”
“Only about a thousand times,” Alex said softly. “This won’t take long.” He spun her around and placed the scarf over her face. “Hold still.”
“I’m not very good at following orders after eight o’clock at night.”
“You’re never good at following orders.” He tied a knot in the back of the scarf and took hold of her arm. They started moving forward.
Emily held back, sliding her feet slowly forward one step at a time. “Don’t forget to tell me where the step into the boutique is.”
“It’s about three feet ahead of us.”
Emily sighed. “I can’t see one foot ahead of me, let alone three. Just tell me to stop when we get there.”
“Stop.”
“Has anyone ever told you you’ve got a weird sense of humor?”
“Only the people that don’t listen to me and fall flat on their face.” He pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door. This was it. After more sleepless nights than he cared to remember, he was finally here, with Emily. He took a deep breath and pushed the front door open.
Her foot wiggled forward, then lifted when she felt the step. “We should have built a ramp. It’s going to be hard for anyone in a wheelchair or with a pram to get through the door.”
“Already done,” Alex said. “It’s a heritage building, so I wanted something that could be removed. I’ve got a wooden ramp arriving first thing in the morning that I’ll attach to the building.”
“You’ve thought of everything.”
He hoped so.
Emily stopped inside the front door and sniffed. “The boutique smells wonderful. What did you put in here?”
If he wasn’t so nervous, Alex would have been pleased that the first thing she mentioned was the roses. But for the life of him, he couldn’t relax enough to enjoy what he was about to do. “Wait here. Don’t peek. Don’t move one finger until I get back.”
He rushed across to the light switches behind the sales counter. He flicked one of the knobs and ran back to Emily. “You didn’t look did you?”
“Nope. I’m turning over a new leaf. I’m going to start listening to you.”
“You waited until the end of the remodel?”
“I’ve got ulterior motives.” Emily turned toward him and ran her hands up the front of his shirt. “I’ve decided I like being blindfolded. I know a few other things we could do with a silk scarf if you’re interested?”
Heat spiked in all sorts of uncomfortable places inside his body. His brain went into meltdown mode. If he wasn’t careful, he’d get distracted by the grin on Emily’s face and start bringing a few of her ideas to life.
He cleared his throat. He needed to focus. Hold on tight and never let go. “I’m going to lift the scarf off your face. Keep your eyes closed.”
Emily scrunched her eyes tight. “It’s just as well I’m not a high maintenance kind of woman or my mascara would be running. Ow, you’re pulling my hair.”
“Sorry.” He wiggled the scarf a bit higher, cursing himself for tying the knot so tight. With one last pull, he had the scarf off her head and a grumpy Emily standing in front of him. Her hair stood out all over the place, like she’d been zapped by electricity.
“Can I open my eyes now?”
“In a minute.”
She sighed, and he finally managed a smile. He took one last look around the boutique and hoped she was impressed. “Okay, you can open your eyes.” He watched Emily’s face as she stared at what he’d done.
“Oh-My-God,” she whispered. “It’s beautiful.”
Dozens of red roses filled every counter and table. From the entrance to the staircase, the floor was covered with a carpet of rose petals. And hanging above the staircase was the chandelier Emily had wanted to buy. With its satin gold finish and thirty-five lights, it filled the boutique with enough sparkle to dazzle half of Bozeman.
Emily’s mouth dropped open and her eyes filled with tears. “It’s my chandelier. The one I can’t afford.”
“It’s yours now. It’s my present to you.”
Emily wiped her eyes with trembling hands. “I don’t know what to say…it’s all so amazing. Thank you.” She walked towar
d the chandelier, watching a rainbow of light bounce off the walls and ceiling.
Even Alex had stopped and stared as the lighting contractor had carefully placed the crystals on the frame. It looked better than the picture on Emily’s mood board. Better than any light he’d ever seen.
She was getting close to the chandelier. Too close. He picked up a rose and held it out to her. “I want to tell you something. Something important.” She turned around and he forgot what he was about to say. Her blue eyes tore through his heart, reached out to his soul and connected with something he thought he’d never feel again.
He loved her more than life itself and he didn’t know how to tell her. He’d practiced everything, replayed what he wanted to say so many times that his head hurt from remembering. And now he’d forgotten.
“I…I um…I want you to have this.” He passed her the rose, then reached into his jacket pocket. His gold buckle, the last one he’d earned, glowed from the light spilling down from the chandelier. It was heavy, filled his hand and then some. He’d been proud to accept it after winning his third World Bull Riding Championship title. Proud to carry the Green name into the rodeo history books.
But he was prouder of Emily. She’d followed her dreams, worked hard, become a crazy, important part of his life. And he wanted more. So much more than he’d ever wanted or needed from anyone. He passed her the buckle.
She ran her hands across the embossed front, read the words carved into the gold. Tears slid down her face. “Why are you giving me your buckle?”
This was where his carefully planned words would have come in handy. He’d figured everything out, made sense of what he felt, what he wanted to know from Emily.
“I love you.” The words rushed out of his mouth, tumbled around the room and landed with a thud at Emily’s feet.
Her lips trembled. “Oh, Alex.”
He didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. Did it mean that she loved him? Maybe she did. But maybe she liked him as a friend and nothing more.
She stepped closer, wrapped her arms around his waist. “I love you too.”
His knees nearly gave way, his heart rate hammered. He felt like all the air had left his body in one gigantic rush. Emily loved him. Really loved him. He pulled her against his body, held on tight and didn’t want to let go.
“I never stopped loving you,” Emily said softly. “I tried so hard to blame you for what happened two years ago, but it was me. I didn’t want to listen to you because I’d have to admit I was wrong. I couldn’t trust anyone because I’d forgotten how.” She took a deep breath and stepped out of his arms. “I need to tell you something.”
A surge of adrenaline swept through his body. He didn’t know what she was about to say, but it didn’t look good.
“I contacted my dad. Tonight, before you arrived.” Emily lifted her chin. “I can’t forget about him. He’s part of who I am.”
Alex thought about the heartache, the disappointment and all the worry her father had caused. Then he thought about the man who’d stood in front of him. Emily’s dad wanted to try and fix what he’d broken, mend his daughter’s heart. And that was something Alex wanted too.
Alex wiped the tears off her face. “It sounds like we’ll have a full house at Christmas.”
Emily smiled. The slowest, sweetest smile Alex had ever seen.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
His eyes filled with tears. “I’ve got something to tell you, too.” He held her hands, tried to remember what he wanted to say. “I bought my ranch two years ago when we were still dating. Even then I knew you were special. I wanted you to be a big part of my future, but then you left and I lost my way for a while. I always thought the rodeo was the most important thing in my life, but it isn’t. The buckle is for you. It’s part of my past, but you’re my future. Will you marry me?”
Emily smiled. “I’ll marry you as long as you let me design your wedding suit.”
“You mean I’ll have to wear a tie?”
Emily’s eyes shone brightly. “Only if you promise to be creative with it on our wedding night.”
He spun her in circles, laughed at the way she buried her head in his chest. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Mrs. Green.”
He stopped below the chandelier, needing to do the next part right. When their grandkids asked how he’d proposed, he wanted it to sound romantic and perfect. A story to fill their heads with sweet dreams and hope.
“Do you like the chandelier?”
Emily glanced up, then frowned at Alex. “It’s lovely. The prettiest chandelier in Montana.”
He waited for her to see what he’d hidden. She looked at him with a blank look on her face.
“Take another look.”
Emily stared at the chandelier. Her eyes followed the crystals, jumped from light to light, then stopped. “There’s something…Oh, Alex. It’s beautiful.”
He’d tied a long nylon thread to the chandelier, with a paper clip knotted on the end. A diamond engagement ring sparkled from the middle of the clip. He unhooked the ring and turned to face her. “I wanted to give you something special to remember what we’ve done together.” He held Emily’s hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. The square cut diamond twinkled in the overhead light.
“I’ve fallen in love all over again.” Emily sighed.
“If I’d known it was that easy I would have proposed sooner.”
“Now was just right,” Emily said. “Welcome to the rest of your life, Alex Green.”
“I’m looking forward to it.” And he was. More than bull riding, more than the rodeo. Emily was the beginning, the middle and the end of his life, and it all began today.
THE END
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Forever Together
BOOK SIX IN THE MONTANA BRIDES SERIES
Kate’s nightmare began with a phone call. Three weeks later that nightmare brought her thousands of miles across the country to Montana to help save the life of a half-sister she’d never met.
She glanced at the crumpled piece of paper in her hands, then up at the red brick building. Bozeman Deaconess Hospital stretched out in front of her, ready to swallow her whole. If she ever made it through the entrance.
“Are you lost, ma’am?”
Kate looked at the unsmiling cowboy standing in front of the glass doors, then looked over her shoulder, expecting to see someone behind her. No one was there. “I’m not lost. I...” She stuffed the paper into her back pocket and squared her shoulders. She could do this. She could walk into the hospital and find her father. She could slap a smile on her face and pretend the last twenty years hadn’t mattered, that she didn’t care if Tom Jennings only wanted her here because a genetic fluke made her a perfect match for his eight-year-old daughter.
“Ma’am?”
“Sorry...I was...” Kate looked up into the man’s clear blue eyes. They stayed leveled on hers, steady and calm. For the second time in as many minutes, she forgot what she was about to say. Except this time her forgetfulness had nothing to do with why she was here, and everything to do with the man standing in front of her.
The last time she’d been this tongue-tied was when Billy Anderson asked her to marry him. Except Billy hadn’t cocked his head to the side, lifting one expressive brow. Waiting for her brain to catch up with her mouth.
“I’m going to the children’s ward. To see my half sister. She’s sick and I’ve just arrived in town. I live in San Diego.” She shut her mouth before any more Jennings’ family history sprouted forth. “Thanks for asking if I needed help. I guess I
’ll go in now and, well...thanks.” She rushed past his six-foot denim clad body before he thought she should be looking for the mental health clinic.
She ignored the heat of his gaze on her back, ignored everything but what she was here to do. The phone message from her father said to take the elevator to the second floor and keep walking until she reached the end of the corridor. The pediatric ward would be on her right. She couldn’t miss it, even if she wanted to.
She punched the elevator button, hoping Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome didn’t want to share a ride. She wasn’t capable of making small talk and he didn’t seem like the type to try.
“I hope everything works out for you, ma’am.”
He took his hat off and Kate stared at his jet black hair. It curled a little wildly over the collar of his white cotton shirt, not at all like the buzz cut she’d half expected. And why she’d thought that was beyond her. Except for the way he moved, he could have been anyone. But by the time he’d disappeared up the stairs she knew what set him apart. He had a don’t-mess-with-me attitude, a way of being that belonged on a soldier or someone that was as far removed from Montana as she was.
She took a deep breath and stepped into the waiting elevator, preparing herself for what would happen next. Her father would be waiting for her. His wife and her sister, too. A ready-made family waiting for her bone marrow.
She couldn’t remember what her father looked like and that worried her. If he was in the corridor, she might walk straight past him, ignoring him for the stranger he’d become. The only family photos her mom had kept were of Kate and her sister, Rosie. So she’d done what she did best. She’d spent the first few days after her father’s phone call trawling through the Internet, searching newspaper articles and whatever else she could get her hands on. Just to find something that would make her father real. Give her some idea of what she was coming back too.
But as hard as she’d looked, she hadn’t found anything. She could have called him back and asked him for a photo, asked him about his new family. About his life after he’d left. But talking to him would start to build a relationship and she didn’t want to go there.
Forever Cowboy (Montana Brides, Book 5) Page 18
