These days if anyone dared tell her she wasn’t a part of this family, she wouldn’t believe them. The proof was all around her. The Cortez men had actually let her plan a party at their ranch, and even though they’d grumbled about it, they sure seemed to be having a great time.
She gazed out over the white party tents they’d rented, then over to the prefab stage, where a local bluegrass band played. Okay, so it was possible that she’d gone a bit overboard. She couldn’t help herself. A while back, they’d received word that Lance was being inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, just like his father, and right away she’d started planning the celebration of the century.
It had turned out perfectly, if she did say so herself. “Come on, Ilsa,” she said, tugging gently on her not-so-little piggy’s leash. They ambled down the steps and into the crowds. She almost couldn’t believe how many people had turned out to honor him. She smiled at each one as she passed, saying hello, even to Hank Green, though she didn’t dare get too close to him.
On the outskirts of the tent, she spotted Evie Starlington standing alone, sipping a glass of Darla’s special white sangria. Still being considered a newbie in town, the poor woman wouldn’t know many people, so Jessa hurried toward her.
Ilsa grunted. She didn’t like hurrying. Over the winter, the pig had fully recovered and was quite a bit wider than she’d been when Jessa had found her. Wider and happier, especially when there was a party and there were plenty of scraps on the ground. “Come on, girl,” she prompted. “A little exercise will do you some good.” Even with Ilsa’s protests, they finally made it to the tent.
“Evie! I’m so happy you could make it. Come with me.” She took her hand warmly before the woman could answer, and guided her to the tables she’d happened to see Luis sitting at earlier.
Sure enough, the man was still there, chatting with Deputy Dev Jenkins about the unusually warm weather. She hated to interrupt but this was important.
“Hey there, Luis,” she said, pulling out the chair next to him. Ilsa plopped down at her feet and started munching on a stray carrot that had rolled off someone’s plate.
Evie took a seat across the table. “You remember Evie, right?” Jessa said, presenting the woman grandly.
“Of course.” He tipped his hat to her. “Nice to see you again.”
“Evie is an artist,” Jessa informed him. “You should see her stained-glass work.”
“That so?” The man looked at her with interest. “How’d you get into that?”
It seemed her work here was done. “Oh!” Jessa jumped out of her chair. “I completely forgot. I need to check in with Darla. Make sure she has everything she needs.”
Luis squinted at her with a small smile as though he knew exactly what she was doing. But that wouldn’t stop her. She waved and tugged Ilsa away to give them some time alone. To keep up appearances, she headed straight for the catering tent, even though Darla clearly had everything under control.
“This is all amazing,” Jessa said to her friend as she approached what had become the food and drink control command center.
Her friend straightened her apron proudly. “Everyone seems happy and properly drunk, which means I’ve done my job.”
“Everyone definitely seems happy.” Even Cassidy was out on the dance floor letting Levi twirl her around. “She must be really tipsy if she’s dancing with him.”
“I think she lost a bet,” Darla answered drily. She looked toward the corral. “Naomi’s the only one who doesn’t seem exactly thrilled to be here.”
Jessa peeked over to where Darla was staring. Both Naomi and Lucas were mingling with a group of their old high school friends. Lucas knelt on the ground and said something that made Gracie laugh, but Naomi simply turned and wandered away alone.
“Is he still leaving tomorrow?” Darla asked, fiddling with the chocolate fountain, then dipping in a plastic spoon.
“Yes.” Jessa sighed. She’d done her best to convince him to stay. “He says he has to get back to the McGowen Ranch, that they’ve given him long enough.” He also said he’d be back and forth as much as possible, but who knew how often they’d see him.
Her friend licked the melted chocolate off her spoon and dipped in another one, handing it to Jessa. “Naomi sure avoided him the last couple of months, huh?”
“Avoided him? She pretended he didn’t exist.” She taste-tested the sample Darla had given her. Their friend had taken Gracie to Florida for a month to visit her parents. When she had been at the ranch, she’d kept herself busy with running her daughter to camps and volunteering at the school. The only time Naomi and Lucas seemed to politely chat was when they all had dinner together, but the woman always begged out early. Before they built a fire. Before Lucas played his guitar. As far as Jessa knew, they hadn’t spent one second alone all winter.
A wave of panic washed over her, making her feel the heat of the evening more intensely. “I wish I could make him stay.”
“Guess it’s not up to us,” Darla said, turning back to the chocolate fountain to refill the plates of strawberries.
“I know, it’s just—”
An arm slid around her waist. “I need you,” her sexy cowboy breathed into her ear. “Alone.”
Those words were all it took to restart her heart. She swore it beat only for him these days.
“You can have me whenever and wherever you want me.” She turned to him, and he pulled her into a scandalous hug.
Behind them, Darla made gagging noises. “Not near the food, you two!” she scolded. “And don’t get any ideas about the melted chocolate.”
“I already have ideas,” Lance said, eyeing the fountain.
“He does,” Jessa agreed. “He has a lot of good ideas.”
“Okay. That’s it.” Her friend shooed them away. “Get out. Out of my tent.”
“Fine.” Jessa held out Ilsa’s leash. “But would you mind holding on to her for a while? And don’t give her any chocolate. I have her on a diet.”
“Of course. I’d love to babysit your pig while you go off and get some.” Darla rolled her eyes, but she smiled as she took the leash.
Laughing, Lance swept Jessa up the hill toward the corral. “I have a surprise for you,” he murmured, drawing her close to his side.
“Ohhhh. A surprise for me? But this is supposed to be your special day.”
Just outside the old barn, he stopped and faced her. “The surprise is for you. But I’m hoping it’ll benefit me, too.”
“Huh?” That didn’t make any sense…
Wearing a mysterious grin, he urged her to the barn’s entrance, which as far as she knew, stored their old tractor parts and animal feed.
As they stepped inside, he covered her eyes with his hand. She saw nothing but darkness, but that was okay because she’d blindly follow this man anywhere.
After a couple of steps he stopped, pulling his hand away.
Bright lights lit up the space, and this was no barn. It had been transformed into something else. Something sophisticated and clean. The walls had been dry-walled and were painted a lovely soft green. Ceramic tiles covered the once dusty floor. A long counter and desk sat at the front of the room and kennels lined the back.
Jessa gaped at him.
“Welcome to the new Helping Paws Animal Shelter,” he said, spreading out his arms in grand presentation. “And don’t worry. We’ll get the outside fixed up as nice as the inside.”
“What?” She gasped, turning herself in a slow circle, trying to take it in, but the blinding tears made it difficult. He’d thought of everything. Everything. From the brand-new computer sitting on the desk to the framed animal posters dressing up the walls. There were kennels and examining tables and supplies…
A happy sob squeaked out.
She turned back to him, ready to throw herself at him in a hug, but he’d taken a knee. And he was holding up a small black velvet box.
“Yes!” she blurted before he’d even said anything. Her whole
body trembled with a yes. He didn’t have to ask.
His exaggerated expression of shock teased her. “I haven’t said anything yet.”
“Oh. Right.” She did her best to rein in her excitement so she didn’t steal this moment from him. Knowing Lance, he’d planned out exactly what he wanted to say down to the syllable.
He took her hand in his. “You taught me how to love, Jessa,” he began. “Showed me it was possible.”
Tears snuck into her eyes. The man definitely knew how to write a speech…
“I know we haven’t been together long,” he went on. “But I’ve never been as sure of anything as I am of us. You brought me to life and now I want a life with you. Always. I hate it when you go home. I want the ranch to be our home now. Together. You and me and a whole bunch of kids.”
The words warmed her through. Kids. A family…
“Marry me, beautiful,” he uttered, tears filling his eyes, too. “Please marry me.” He opened the box, revealing the most delicate ring she’d ever seen. It was a solitaire diamond, inset into a wide band, rose gold to match the necklace her father had given her. The last gift he’d given her before he passed away.
“I can answer now?” she whispered, crying softly.
He grinned and rolled his eyes up to the ceiling as though thinking about it. “Sure,” he said. “I’m done.”
“In that case…” She tugged him to his feet. “I can’t wait to marry you. Obviously.”
He slipped the ring onto her finger and pulled her close. “I’ll make you the happiest woman in the world. I promise you.” A wicked gleam lit his eyes. “And not just in bed, either.”
“You already make me happy. In bed and in everything else.” She embraced him as tightly as she could, holding happiness in her arms. “Oh my God, I’m getting married!” she sang, letting it soak into the deepest parts of her. She gazed up into Lance’s tender eyes. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan had nothing on them.
“I can’t believe you did all of this.” She looked around the room again, at all of the details, the months and months of work he’d kept secret from her. “It’s perfect. The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
“I’m gonna give you everything.” He leaned down to kiss her, and she savored it, the feeling of belonging to someone again. She’d always miss her father, but for the first time since he’d passed away, her heart felt whole.
He danced her to the window and together they peered out. “Look at that. It’s all ours. Yours and mine.” His palms cradled her stomach. “And someday it’ll belong to all of our little buckaroos, too.”
She stared out at the snowcapped mountains that sheltered the houses all lined up in a row farther down the hill. “I love this place.” It would be their place—a haven for their family and friends, a place where they gathered and celebrated and built a life together. All of them.
Lance drew closer behind her, wrapping her up in his arms. “Let’s go out and share the news,” he murmured against her neck. “Then we’ll kick everyone outta here so I can try to get you pregnant.”
Eyeing him seductively, she slipped out of his embrace, backed to the main door, and clicked the lock into place. “We don’t have to kick anyone out. No one’ll miss us.”
“In that case, come here.” Her fiancé made his way to her, those breathtaking bluish eyes focused and intent. He slid his hands down her body, and she loved those big manly hands, loved how they made her feel so petite. “I love you,” she whispered, kissing him again and again.
“I love you, too,” he said, easing his arms around her. “And I love that you’re going to be my wife.”
His wife! A burst of happiness could’ve carried her straight to the clouds.
She’d finally found it, what her heart had so desperately craved. Love. And it was braver and bigger and deeper than she ever knew it could be.
Fall in Love with Forever Romance
LUCKIEST COWBOY OF ALL
By Carolyn Brown
This special 2-in-1 edition features an all-new book from USA Today bestseller Carolyn Brown plus Hometown Cowboy by Sara Richardson! Carlene Varner’s homecoming isn’t going to plan. Within days of her arrival, her house burns down and she and her daughter have no choice but to move in with Jace Dawson, the father Tilly has never known. Jace is so not ready to be a dad…Yet the more time he spends with Carlene and little Tilly, the harder it is to imagine life without them…
ZERO HOUR
By Megan Erickson
The Fast and the Furious meets Mr. Robot in USA Today bestselling author Megan Erickson’s thrilling new romantic suspense series! Hacker extraordinaire Roarke Brennan will avenge his brother’s murder. His first move: put together a team of the best coders he knows. Only Wren Lee wants in, too. The girl Roarke once knew is all grown-up with a sexy confidence and a dark past…and, when years of longing and chemistry collide, they discover that revenge may be a dish best served blazing hot.
MORE TO LOVE
By Alison Bliss
Max Hager isn’t exactly who he says he is. Pretending to be a health inspector is (mostly) an innocent mistake. A mistake made way worse by Max’s immediate, electrifying attraction to a sexy, redheaded chef. Throw in a whole lot of lust, and things in Jessa’s little kitchen are about to really start heating up. But can Max find a way to come clean with Jessa before his little deception turns into a big, beautiful recipe for disaster?
SCANDALOUS DESIRES
By Elizabeth Hoyt
Rediscover the Maiden Lane Series by New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Hoyt in this beautiful reissue with an all-new cover! River pirate “Charming” Mickey O’Connor gets anything he wants—with one exception. Silence Hollingbrook has finally found peace when Mickey comes storming back into her life with an offer she can’t refuse. But when Mickey’s past comes back to torment him, the two must face mounting danger, and both will have to surrender to something even more terrifying…true love.
Luckiest Cowboy of All--Two full books for the price of one Page 56
