A Cowboy in Her Arms

by Mary Leo

  “Blue!” Emma shouted.

  This was news to Joel. He hadn’t had many conversations about Emma with Sarah, although she’d never wavered on Emma’s name.

  “Yes, and blond hair. She knew you would be smart and funny and love animals just like she did. Your mama loved, loved, loved animals of all kinds.”

  “I love, love, love animals, just like my mama.”

  He could tell that Callie’s words acted like a balm on Emma’s longing for Sarah.

  “Did my mama love bunnies?”

  “Most of all.”

  “Do you think she can find Wheezy up in heaven?”

  “When you say your prayers tonight, if you tell your mama all about Wheezy, I’m sure she’ll know exactly what he looks like and be able to find him.”

  “I don’t want to wait until tonight. Can I say my prayers right now?”

  “We can say them together. How would that be?”

  Joel couldn’t hold back the emotion that had built up inside him. Without giving it another thought, he walked into the room. “Can I join you in those prayers?”

  “Daddy!” Emma squealed and ran to greet him.

  He gathered her up into his arms, twirling her around and giving her the tightest hug ever. Callie stood as he walked over to her. He could see the tears welling up, which only made his love for her grow more deeply.

  “Wheezy died, Daddy,” Emma said as she stroked his cheek. He turned his focus on Emma as she gazed into his now-tearful eyes. “Don’t cry, Daddy. It’s okay. He was sick and Miss Callie said it was his time to go to heaven. Just like it was Mama’s time. Miss Callie says that Mama loved bunnies the best, like I do. She’ll love Wheezy, Daddy. He’ll keep her company up in heaven, like he kept me company. All we have to do is tell Mama all about Wheezy and she’ll find him. I want Mama to find him real soon, Daddy. Maybe if we all tell her about Wheezy, she’ll find him right now, and then Mama won’t be lonely anymore.”

  “I think that’s a great idea, baby.”

  He put Emma down, took Callie’s hand and gently brushed his lips against hers.

  “Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you for loving my daughter.”

  “Seems I always did,” Callie told him. “Once I shed the barriers, all that was left was love for you and for Emma.”

  They gently kissed again, her lips warm on his, his hand holding on to hers, while Emma tugged on his other hand.

  “Oh, Daddy. You’re kissing Miss Callie.”

  Joel moved away from Callie and glanced down at his sweet daughter. “Yes, I am, kitten. I hope that’s okay with you.”

  Emma looked up at her dad, then at Callie, then back to her dad. All at once a big smile creased her sweet lips, and Joel knew everything was going to be just fine from now on. “I think it’s superfantabulous! I love Miss Callie, Daddy. She’s my favorite.”

  “Mine, too,” Joel said, staring into Callie’s eyes. “I love Miss Callie with all my heart.”

  “All my heart,” Callie repeated.

  “Mine, too!” Emma said. “And I bet Mama does, too. Can we tell Mama about Wheezy now?”

  “We sure can, kitten.”

  “Miss Callie, do you think they have bunny hopping contests in heaven?”

  “I’m sure they do,” Callie told her, grinning.

  “Oh that’s good, then Wheezy will be happy, too. He loves to hop, hop, hop over everything!”

  “He sure does, kitten.”

  Then as they sat in a circle on the rug, and bowed their heads to tell Sarah about Wheezy, Joel knew in his heart that for once in his life, not only had he found true love, but he’d found a home.

  Epilogue

  The crowd inside the covered arena clapped and cheered as Callie walked Squeezy, the Holland lop-eared bunny, out into the colorful competition area. A large square of imitation grass held several hurdles lined up in two neat rows. Looking at them now, they seemed as tall as buildings compared to the hurdles Squeezy had been practicing with inside her classroom for almost six months.

  Doubt began to creep into Callie’s thoughts as she quickly recounted the previous competitors, two of which had nearly perfect scores.

  Tamping down her fears, she gently placed Squeezy on the grass and held tight to his leash. Gazing back at her entire kindergarten class, along with most of their parents, she couldn’t help but pull from their enthusiasm and make it her own.

  “You can do it, Squeezy!” came a yell from little Mary.

  “Go, Squeezy!” Frankie hollered.

  “Yay, Squeezy!” someone shouted.

  Callie glanced over at Joel, who gave her a thumbs-up and a wide grin, both of which reminded her to breathe. She immediately let out the breath she’d been holding, rolled her shoulders and shook out her hands. She’d been gripping the black leash coming off the H-style harness that wrapped around Squeezy’s midsection with so much force that her hand was beginning to go numb.

  “We can do this,” she told herself and Squeezy, just in case he was paying attention. “This is nothing you haven’t been doing in class for the past six months. Nothing new here. We’ve got this.”

  More cheers from everyone that surrounded the white picket fence encircling the compact competition area. In the last few years, the bunny hop had become one of the main attractions at the festival, and this year they had to add a row of bleachers to accommodate everyone. Even her family was there, along with Polly, Wade and the majority of the townsfolk.

  Which only heightened Callie’s stress level.

  Nellie Bent—a girl Callie would forevermore be beholden to, who was the new Miss Russet, thank you very much, and honorary queen of this year’s Hearts, Hops and Chocolate festival—called out the countdown.

  “On your mark, get set, hop!”

  Callie could hardly contain the ball of fluff from doing his thing. He cleared the first vertical jump with room to spare, then he made a dash for the second hurdle, the third and fourth without so much as a hesitation, clearing each one with the grace of a...well...bunny.

  A walk over the bunny-sized bridge was next and Callie knew he never really liked this part. He paused for a moment, as if the little darling was building up his courage.

  Callie could hear Emma’s voice above the din. “C’mon, Squeezy, you’re the best!”

  Without further hesitation, as if responding to Emma’s voice, the little guy took the bridge in a couple bounds, jumped over the next two hurdles, rounded the corner and jumped on the teeter-totter with all the confidence of a gold medalist. Callie had a hard time keeping up with him as he hopped just past the center, causing the bright blue plank to tilt and hit the ground. Then with three powerful hops he jumped off the plank and leaped over the final hurdle, where he waited for his much-deserved applause.

  “We did it!” Callie yelled, swooped up Squeezy and hurried toward her class and into Joel’s arms. Never in her life had she wanted to win something more than at that moment.

  “You two were amazing,” Joel told her as he held her tight. “But I never doubted you guys for a minute.”

  “Holy moly, Miss Callie! Holy moly!” Frankie said, in his deepest voice. “I was so scared I wanted to throw up.”

  “Me, too,” Emma agreed. “But I didn’t. I knew Squeezy could do it. I just knew it!”

  Callie handed Squeezy to Emma, who had become an expert at handling the bunny. She placed him on her left arm, with his head tucked into her side, with his butt resting in her hand so he wouldn’t get frightened. “Can you put Squeezy in his cage, Emma? He must be tired from all the excitement.”

  “I’ll help,” Frankie said. Then they worked together carefully to get Squeezy into his cage safe and sound.

  Within what seemed like mere seconds, Nellie Bent announced this year’s winne
rs, and Squeezy had, in fact, taken first place.

  “You know,” Joel said to Callie, “this means that Squeezy has to be a part of our wedding.”

  “Emma and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she teased, smiling.

  “Then you accept?”

  She chuckled, thinking he couldn’t actually be asking her to marry him...in the middle of all this bunny madness. “Was that an actual proposal?”

  “Yes, and I can’t think of a better time or place to ask you.”

  “Now? With all of this going on?”

  “Exactly, with all of this going on...it’s who we are, who I’ve always wanted to be...with you and Emma.”

  Then he pulled a small blue box out of his pocket, opened it and held it out for Callie. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw a sparkling pink stone nestled in the center of a silver rose.

  He knelt on one knee, and as soon as he did, all her kindergarten peeps must have spotted him, because the little guys swarmed them, giggling.

  “Callaghan Grant, I love you with all my heart. Will you marry me?”

  Callie could hear her own breathing. No one spoke or laughed. Everyone who had been watching the bunny hop from the stands was now waiting for Callie’s response.

  “I, um...” But her voice caught in her throat.

  “You gotta answer him, Miss Callie, or I’m going to throw up,” Frankie said.

  “Me, too,” Emma chimed in.

  Clearing her tight throat, Callie quickly shouted, “Yes! For heaven’s sake, yes!”

  A collective whoop of joy went up that was so loud Callie was sure she saw Squeezy dance around in his cage.

  “Whoo-hoo!” Joel yelled and scooped her up, held her tight and twirled her around. Then he kissed her.

  It was during that passionate kiss that she once again realized how everything she’d ever wanted was right there in her arms.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from THE TEXAS VALENTINE TWINS by Cathy Gillen Thacker.

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  The Texas Valentine Twins

  by Cathy Gillen Thacker

  Chapter One

  “When were you going to tell me?” Wyatt Lockhart demanded. He was obviously furious.

  Adelaide Smythe looked at the ruggedly handsome rancher standing on the front stoop of her Laramie, Texas, cottage and tried not to react. An impossible task, given the way her heart sped up and her knees went all wobbly any time he was within sight.

  Purposefully ignoring the intent look in his way-too-mesmerizing smoky blue eyes, she picked up both duffel bags of baby clothes, blankets and burp cloths and carried them to her waiting SUV.

  Aware he was still waiting for an answer, she stated coolly over her shoulder, “I wasn’t.”

  Wyatt moved so she had no choice but to look up at him.

  He looked good, but then he always looked good in the way of strong, tall and sexy. Radiating an impressive amount of testosterone and kick-butt attitude, he stood, brawny arms folded in front of him, legs braced apart. Back against the rear corner of her vehicle.

  His gaze drifted over her, as if he were appraising one of the impeccably trained cutting horses that he bred and sold on his ranch. “You didn’t think I would find out?”

  Adelaide tensed. Of course she had known.

  She shrugged, her carelessness in direct counterpoint to his concern, and slid the duffels into the cargo area next to the boxes of diapers and formula.

  Finished, she lifted her chin defiantly and looked into the piercing gaze that always saw way more than she would have preferred. “I knew your mother might mention it, eventually.” Just as she had intuited that the most cynical of the Lockhart sons would be more than just a little unhappy when he heard about the arrangements.

  Wyatt stepped back as if to ward off a punch. “My mom knows?”

  It was her ranch. Of course Lucille Lockhart knew Adelaide and the twins were moving temporarily into the Circle H bunkhouse the following week!

  Wondering how Wyatt imagined she could manage this without the matriarch’s explicit permission, Adelaide favored him with a deadpan expression. “It was Lucille’s idea, obviously.” As was the notion that Adelaide start bringing over the things she was going to need now, instead of waiting and trying to do it and transport her six-week-old twins all at one time.

  Again, Wyatt shook his head as if that would clear it. His sensual lips compressed into a thin, hard line. “I know the two of you have always been close.”

  An understatement, Adelaide thought. In many ways Lucille Lockhart had been the loving maternal force her life lacked. Even before her father had betrayed everyone they knew and taken off with a gold-digging floozy. “Yes. We have.”

  Wyatt took off his hat and shoved his fingers through the thick, straight layers of his wheat-colored hair. Frowning, he settled his Stetson square on his head and met her gaze head-on. “I still find it hard to believe my mother talked you into this travesty.”

  Adelaide didn’t see what was so difficult to understand. If Wyatt had a single compassionate bone in his body, he would have extended a helping hand, too. If for no other reason than their two families had once been very close. “Lucille knows how I’ve been struggling to manage in the six and a half weeks since my children were born. She thought some assistance...” Some help feeding and diapering and rocking...

  His brow lifted. He cut in sharply, all harsh male judgment once again. “Financial, I suppose?”

  A mixture of embarrassment and humiliation filled Adelaide with heat. She’d never imagined needing a helping hand. But since she suddenly did...she would accept it on behalf of her twins

  Adelaide marched back to the porch, tension shimmering through her frame. Aware only a small part of any of this was her doing, she picked up the large monogrammed designer suitcase that held her own clothing. The one that, unfortunately, had been given to her as a high school graduation gift. And had accompanied her on another, fortuitously ill-begotten, trip.

  The way Wyatt was eyeing it said he remembered, too.

  Refusing to think about what he might be recalling about their hopelessly romantic—and
ill-fated—adventure, she continued, “If you consider being guests at her ranch for a couple months so I won’t have to pay rent on top of my mortgage and new construction loan...”

  He definitely did.

  She squared her shoulders and admitted reluctantly, “Then yes, I do need some financial help, and in many other ways, as well. Things have been hard for me, since my father left Texas...”

  Seeing how she was struggling under the weight of her bag, Wyatt reached over and took it from her. In two quick strides he carried it to the cargo area and set it next to the two smaller duffels. “Don’t you mean since he embezzled funds from my family’s charitable foundation and then fled the country?”

  Her shame over that fact only increased as time passed. Adelaide tossed in a mesh bag of soft infant toys. Figuring she had done enough packing for now, she slammed the lid on the cargo hold. “I’ve apologized every way I know how for that.” A fact that Wyatt very well knew, gosh darn it.

  She stomped closer, determined to have this out once and for all, so they’d never have to discuss it again. “Everyone else in your family has forgiven me,” she reminded him.

  He remained where he was. Which was...too close. Far too close. He leaned down, inundating her with the scent of sun-warmed leather and soap. “So they’re more foolhardy than I am,” he said.

  Adelaide glared at him. She knew Wyatt was still angry with her. And that his anger was based on a lot more than the sins of her father. The thing was, she was grief stricken over their failed romance, too. The knowledge that their dreams were never going to come true.

  Ignoring the heat and strength radiating from his tall body, Adelaide stepped around him and headed wearily for the porch. Unable to help the defeated slump of her slender shoulders, she asked, “When are you going to let our last mistake go?”

  He caught up with her and joined her on the small porch. Hooking his thumbs through the loops on either side of his belt, he murmured silkily, “I never said making love with you bothered me.”

  It had sure as heck bothered her! To the point she barely slept a night without reliving that reckless misstep in her dreams. Refusing to admit how many mornings she had awakened hugging her pillow as if it were the answer to her every wish and desire, Adelaide challenged him with a smile.