by Joann Baker
“Get a room,” Ryder called out good-naturedly as the kiss went on and on.
Amelia blushed as Gabe lifted his head, a devilish grin splitting his handsome face.
“Okay, show’s over,” Gramps called loudly. “Everybody back to work.”
“No, not yet,” Gabe called. “There’s one more thing I want to do and, since you’ve seen everything else, you might as well stick around for this too.”
Amelia lifted her head from where she’d buried it against his chest, looking at him quizzically. Her legs threatened to buckle beneath her as he dropped to one knee. Taking her hand in his, he looked up at her with all the love she’d ever hoped to see shining in his dark eyes.
“Amelia Murphy, I love you more than life. There’s nothing I want more in this world than to spend the rest of my days with you and I don’t want to waste one more. Will you marry me?”
Everything Amelia had ever wanted was reflected in the face of the man looking up at her. In his eyes, she saw the assurance of a future filled with love and happiness. A future full of hope and promise. Yes, she knew that it wouldn’t be all roses and sunshine—life rarely was. But with Gabe, her heart would always full. Still, she couldn’t resist one last taunt at his previous lifestyle.
“You can really give up your Romeo ways?”
“Honey,” his hand tightened around hers, “there’s no other woman on this planet but you. You’re all that I’ve ever wanted.”
While she’d meant the comment jokingly, his answer brought tears to her eyes. “Oh, Gabe, you’re all I’ve ever wanted too.”
“So does that mean you’ll marry me?”
One brow lifted and the look on his face told her he really wasn’t certain of her answer.
“Yes, I’ll marry you,” she assured him through the tears that fell onto her cheeks.
Gabe shot to his feet. Using his thumbs, he gently wiped the moisture from her eyes. “When?”
“Whenever you want.” Amelia touched his face, seeing before her the man she’d known ten years ago and who, she realized joyfully, she would be spending the rest of her years with. The pleasure was almost too much to bear.
“Tomorrow? I mean, unless you want the whole church, white dress, and all of that.”
“No,” Amelia was quick to assure him. “I don’t need that. All I need is you.”
“But you’ll need this, son.”
Both of them turned to find Pops and Gramps standing behind them, a ring in Gramps’s hand. It was his Grandmother Alice’s ring. Ryder had received their Grandma Ruth’s ring and Cal had gotten their mother’s engagement ring. Looking at the ring gave Gabe a sharp stab of pain in the chest. He’d loved his parents and both of his grandmothers, but he was honest enough to admit that his Grandmother Alice had held a very special place in his heart. The ring was a brilliant square-cut diamond set in a simple white-gold band. “Got it out of the safe the other day and had it cleaned. Figured you’d need it.” The smile on Pops face was a mile wide.
Gabe took the ring with a grin of his own before turning a serious gaze on the woman who held him captive. “You are my life, Millie. I’ll love you forever.”
Fresh tears flowed as Gabe slipped the ring onto her finger, then pulled her close for a heart-melting kiss. Cheers from the cowboys gathered round brought smiles as they stood together in the middle of the corral.
EPILOGUE
ONE YEAR LATER…
“Never thought I’d see this day.”
“Me neither,” Pops nodded at Gramps. “Goes to show, it ain’t never too late for true love.”
“I guess,” Gramps smiled, looking down the pew at his family. Beside them sat Ryder and Georgia, with their now one-year-old son; then Cal and Kristen with their brand new two-month old, daughter. And last but certainly not least, Gabe and Amelia. The two were still deeply wrapped up in the newlywed glow even though they’d been married a year now and despite the fact that Amelia was seven months along with twins.
It certainly had been an eventful year; one that the two men wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. The occasion today only added to the happiness that had enveloped them, changing the lives of the people in their little town.
“Frank looks pretty smart in that fancy tux.”
“Yep,” Pops agreed, a sly gleam in his faded eyes. “And Nurse Betty looks almost girlish in that wedding dress.”
“Never thought I’d see the day ole Frank tied the knot.”
Both men turned as Otis whispered the comment from the pew behind them.
“That new knee made a new man out of him,” Gramps grinned.
“Shh. You two turn around. Otis, sit back here and show some respect.”
“Yes, dear.”
Pops grinned at Gramps as Otis did his wife’s bidding. From behind them, Prudence continued to scold her husband in her best librarian tone. Both men knew their old friend was a happy as a hog in a mud hole, just like the man at the front of the church.
Settling back, they watched with tear-filled eyes the exchange of vows at the front of the little church. Outside, the sun beamed down from a brilliant blue sky. Inside, love was a living, breathing thing, holding a breathless audience captive.
Yep, life was good.
A WORD FROM THE AUTHORS
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OTHER BOOKS BY JOANN BAKER AND PATRICIA MASON
Remember we always give you stand alone books with happily-ever-afters
MATCHMAKING A MARRIAGE (3 BOOK SERIES)
BY THE BOOK BRIDE: RYDER
Ryder Anderson loved women—short, tall, round, thin, blonde, brunette and redhead. Of course, the youngest of the three Anderson brothers couldn’t hold a candle to his oldest brother’s womanizing ways. Still, he’d had his share of relationships and then some, but he’d never known true love. Until Georgia.
Georgia Stevens moved to the quaint town of Devil’s Spur, Texas, to put some distance between herself and her younger, thinner sisters. She loved them, and they loved her, but maybe now that she was on her own, the dating gods would be kinder. Red-hot cowboy, Ryder Anderson, may seem like the answer to her unspoken prayers, but he’s a player. Will she be able to read between his lines and find true love?
BY THE NUMBERS BRIDE: CALHOUN
Calhoun Anderson kept his feelings in check and his emotions under control. The sudden and tragic death of his parents had hit him and his siblings in different ways. Ry, his younger brother, sought love with a variety of women while Gabe, his elder brother, found solace in women-even married ones-liquor and hard living. So he'd had to be the levelheaded one. He'd thought he was handling everything well until his grandfathers hired a CPA to help with the ranch books. From the first look, he knew his even-keeled world was about to turn upside down.
Kristen Thomas left home to escape an emotionally turbulent relationship with her mother and an ex-fiancé who had jilted her at the altar. Hoping to make a fresh start, she went to work for her uncle in his accounting office in the quaint town of Devil's Spur. How could she have known that one sexy cowboy had her number?
HEARTBREAK RIDGE (3
BOOK SERIES)
DAKOTA’S DREAM
Dakota Sanders was finally free to live the life he’d given up at an early age to raise his brother and sister after the untimely death of their parents. He was too old and too levelheaded to go wild, but he certainly intended to enjoy his freedom. Having his brother and sister married and on their own meant his only obligation was to keep the Double Heart Ranch running smoothly. The arrival of his new cook just might upset all of his carefully laid plans…
Curvy personal chef, Jesse Kincaid, needed one year of service in order to take her exam to be certified. Having grown up in New York, Wyoming certainly hadn’t been her first choice. However, after meeting her sexy new boss, she’s determined to make the most of her year.
Was the attraction cooking between the two a flash in the pan, or would the ingredients come together to make something lasting?
JERICHO’S PASSION
Marriage and Jericho Sanders went together about as well as oil and water. He was footloose and fancy-free, and he liked it that way. He just couldn’t imagine being shackled to one woman for the rest of his life. So why did the appearance of an old flame—“the one that got away”—make him see those chains in a whole new light?
Curvy girl Abigail Goode had left Heartbreak Ridge after graduation and never looked back. That didn’t mean she’d forgotten the young football hero that had almost broken her heart. She knew that coming home to partner her grandfather in his veterinary practice meant that she’d more than likely run into Jericho, but she’d had years to build up a good defense against his seductive charm. Besides, he had plenty of women to keep him occupied.
But resisting the grown-up Jericho turned out to be harder than she ever imagined, especially when the sexy-as-sin cowboy turned his roguish charm on her once more.
NEVADA’S PRIDE
In spite of losing her parents at a young age, Nevada had never missed a birthday celebration and her twenty-fifth was going to be life-changing. That is if she can convince her protective older brothers, Dakota and Jericho, to loosen the apron strings and let her claim her granny’s land. With it, she just might have a chance at her own life.
An ex-con, Tanner Jessup, needed a job—bad. Down to his last tank of gas, he has little option but to accept Nevada Sanders’ offer of work. Falsely accused of a crime he hadn’t committed once before by the daughter of a wealthy rancher he trusted, he planned to keep his distance from his new boss lady. But as he worked side by side with her through the long summer days, the attraction that sizzled between them was too hot to ignore.
With the vast differences between them, was it time to move on? Or could he come to terms with his past and find a future with the woman who had stolen the heart right out of his chest?
THE COWBOY’S HOMECOMING (3 BOOK SERIES)
LAST CHANCE
Chance Mooreland left home at eighteen to join the army. Somewhere out there—away from the 50-acre patch of land in nowhere Colorado—was the life he was meant to live and he intended to find it. Eight years later, he returned. A lot of things had changed in his absence—except for his feelings for the beautiful but untouchable girl next door.
Katherine Fordham, daughter of wealthy rancher Hubert Fordham, had a life that many envied. But what they didn’t know was that Katie had dreams of her own. She wanted to be more than the pampered only child of the richest family in the county. And she had a plan. But first, she’d have to convince the sexy cowboy next door to take one last chance.
LAST STAND
After his stint in the army, Traynor Paxton hadn’t found a reason to land anywhere long enough to put down roots. It didn’t matter. Everywhere he traveled there was always a willing woman who understood that his affection lasted only until the morning light. Haunted by things he’d seen and done, he never expected to find a job he actually liked—or a woman he just might be falling in love with.
Sara McKinley had been on the run when she’d landed in the quaint little town of Conifer, Wyoming. She’d found a decent job in a local bakery and made a new life for herself. She was content. At least until she laid eyes on the new sexy-as-sin sheriff. Something about the big man made her want… more.
When her past finally catches up with her, will it tear them apart or will they take their last stand together?
LAST HOPE
Former soldier and EOD specialist Kellon Granger had pretty much kept to himself since his last tour of duty ended. Drifting from job to job prevented him from forming relationships, and he liked that just fine. Guilt over his brother’s death plagued him, making him aware that for him, a bond with another human being was too fragile. What if he let someone else down? Still, when his former army brothers asked him to stay and help out a friend, he found himself agreeing.
Curvy baker, Emma Bowden had watched both of her best friends find love and happiness. Although she wanted that for herself, she had to keep her feet firmly planted in the Colorado soil she’d inherited from her grandparents. Between running a bakery and getting her organic vegetable business off the ground, she didn’t have the time for such romantic notions, even if her new employee was ruggedly handsome. In Kellon, she saw a kindred soul and her spirit ached to ease his obvious pain. Could she risk her heart on a man who wasn’t the staying kind?
COWBOYS OF COLTON CANYON (3 BOOK SERIES)
FALLING FOR HER COWBOY BOSS
After a military career that could have ended his life, Jacob McKay came back to his family ranch a different man—physically and emotionally. He was content with running the Triple M and building on the success his father had created. And, of course, the occasional no-strings-attached affair. What he didn’t want was to be attracted to his curvaceous secretary—a woman with emotional scars of her own and an issue with her abundant curves.
Carolyn Adams had suffered her own brand of personal hell after losing both of her parents in a tragic accident that had almost claimed the life of her brother as well. An accident that she had walked away from without a scratch. Taking a job as a secretary at one of the largest ranches in Colton Canyon meant that she’d be able to keep her brother in rehab. It also meant that she would be closer to the man who every day claimed another little piece of her battered heart.
Can two lonely people overcome their personal trials and find a way to heal one another?
After almost losing his left arm in Afghanistan, taciturn rancher, Boone Leland worked hard to make a name for himself and a success of Leland Farms. Sometimes he wondered why since there would be legacy, no children to carry on his name, for who would want to marry a crippled cowboy?
CLAIM ME, COWBOY
Plus-size model, Rebecca Morgan took one look at hard-as-stone rancher, Boone Leland, and knew she’d found her purpose. On his farm to do a photo shoot introducing his new organic vegetable business, the sparks start flying. When Becky realizes the rough-around-the-edges Boone isn’t going to make a move, she sets out to seduce him.
Will the heat be too hot to handle or will it mold their love into something lasting?
THE COWBOY’S CHRISTMAS PRESENT
A curvy girl gets her cowboy!
Quinn Sutton thought he was safe from the matrimonial fever that had ended his friends’ bachelor ways. Even if he did feel a little envious, as the virtual newcomer to town, he wanted nothing more than to concentrate on building the ranch he’d inherited from his uncle and attempt to keep his fledgling law practice afloat. But when his former boss asked him to keep his daughter safe, he found the request impossible to refuse. And once she arrived at his ranch, Quinn was beset with overpowering yearnings for the beautiful Faith.
Faith Greene had grown up trying—and failing—to be the son her father had always wanted. Having lost her mother at an early age, she’d spent her life attempting to find a way to earn her father’s love. When he took a case that put her life in danger, he sent her to the one man whose name she’d gotten sick of hearing—Quinn Sutton. The lawyer turned rancher that had received more of her
father’s affection in a few years than she had in a lifetime. She was set to dislike him, but once he touched her, she didn’t want to let go. Could she find a way to stop living her life for her father and learn to please herself? With Quinn’s help, she just might.
A BBW finds romance with a cowboy... what more could you want for Christmas?
THE LADY AND THE LAW
Emmaline Conway knew only one way to deal with problems and life in general, and that was to rush at them head-on. Dancing around a problem didn’t solve anything – it only made your feet hurt. And she’d had enough hurt to last a lifetime.
Sheriff J.C. Duvall hadn’t just been bitten by love once; he’d been chewed up and spit out. Now the by-the-book lawman wanted only to raise his daughter and live a quiet, peaceful life in the little town of Utopia County, Wyoming. But Emmaline’s constant shenanigans threaten his peaceful existence. Even if they can find a way to put their pasts behind them, can the solitary lawman and the fiery lawyer overcome their differences and build a future together?
THE RELUCTANT RANCHER
“Luke Tanner and women didn’t mix, plain and simple.”
Luke Tanner learned early on that no one cared enough to look past his roughhewed appearance and sour attitude to discover what lay beneath the surface - other than his wallet. When Mary Carter hits him up for a loan, he makes her a proposition she can’t refuse.
