by Cora Seton
Somehow, Ethan had captured that fantasy and made it real.
Or maybe not Ethan, she thought when she saw a smiling woman with an almost ethereal quality descending a sweeping staircase that led to the upper floor. “Hello again, Liam. And you must be Tory.” Autumn embraced each of them in turn when she reached them. “Feel free to look around. I’d show you to your room, but I suppose you won’t be needing one.”
“I thought we were staying the night.” Tory looked to Liam, who exchanged a cryptic smile with Autumn.
“We are,” he said.
When she couldn’t get anything else out of him, she put it out of her mind and focused on enjoying the evening. They lounged on the patio, taking in the gorgeous views while Autumn served them drinks. They went for a short ride along a trail that followed the winding course of Chance Creek and had a picnic dinner Autumn had prepared.
“This is heaven,” Tory told Liam as they headed back.
“Everywhere you are is heaven.”
When they got to the stable, Ethan was waiting for them. “I’ll take care of the horses. You go on inside. Autumn’s waiting for you.”
“So are we staying here or not?” Tory whispered to Liam as they walked hand in hand to the large back deck.
“Maybe,” he teased.
“I don’t have any clothes with me.”
“Don’t be too sure about that.”
Tory had to laugh when she saw a familiar suitcase just inside the door.
“Olivia helped,” Liam admitted with a smile.
She’d have to thank her sister for that. Olivia was becoming more than a sister—she was a good friend.
“Here are more provisions in case you get hungry tonight. There’s a storage locker out there so no critters get into it,” Autumn said, handing Liam another picnic basket.
“You’ve thought of everything.”
“That’s my job. And it’s my pleasure, too. Sounds like your families worked really hard to put out the fire at the Ridley property. I’m glad you’re getting some time off.”
As they made their way out again, Tory sighed at the colors of the setting sun and the splendor of the faraway mountains silhouetted against darkening sky.
Liam led her along a path between the trees to a wooded area where Chance Creek formed the border of the spread. The chirping of crickets and the quiet gurgle of the creek filled her with peace and reminded her of the first night she and Liam had spent together.
This place was amazing, but she thought she would have been as happy with another camping trip, somewhere out in the woods, just her and Liam—
Tory’s breath caught in her throat when they rounded a bend and found themselves in a small clearing lit by fairy lights hung from branches. A large tentlike structure made of mosquito netting enclosed a plush king mattress on a wooden frame. They’d get unobstructed views of the stars from there.
Joy welled inside her. “Liam, it’s—”
Her breath caught once again when she turned to find him down on one knee.
“Liam?”
“I know I already asked and you said yes, but I need to do this right. Tory Cooper, you know I love you, and I always will. I plan to spend my life doing everything I can to keep you safe and happy. I will work to build bridges between our families and create a home for you and any children we might decide to have. So I’m asking you—again—will you marry me?”
He opened the tiny velvet-covered box he held in his hand and took out a beautiful silver ring set with a princess cut diamond.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed. “Liam—it’s perfect.”
“Just like you. What do you say?”
Tory thought of the days—and nights—she’d spent with Liam. How easy it was to be with him—and how wonderful when they made love. She thought of how lonely she’d been in Seattle and how much she’d missed Olivia, Lance and Steel.
She thought of the way her family and Liam’s had worked together to battle the fire at the Ridley property and the way they were all working to better Chance Creek, even if they were doing it to win the Founder’s Prize.
She’d said it before, and she’d say it again for the rest of her life. “Yes. I love you. I’ll marry you. I’ll stay right here in Chance Creek with you forever.”
Liam surged to his feet.
“Then you’ll make me the happiest man in the world.” He picked her up and swung her around. When he set her down again, he slipped the ring on her finger.
“It fits perfectly,” she said.
“You like it?” Liam asked.
“I love it.” She turned to him, went up on tiptoe and kissed the underside of his chin. “Now how about that bed? I want to see if all that netting really keeps out the mosquitos.”
“We’ll have to get naked in order to give it a proper trial.”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Chapter Fifteen
August had drawn to a close, but the sun still beat down. Liam, getting ready for the wedding, was glad to be inside for the moment. They had scheduled the ceremony early in the evening, hoping to avoid the worst of the heat, and had chosen their outdoor location carefully to maximize the shade.
The prolonged drought had stretched everyone in town to their limit, and when he and Tory had discussed the wedding, they’d decided to arrange it for maximum ease and comfort. They told their guests to dress casually, planned the ceremony outside in the same area they would hold the reception, and chose salads and finger foods to serve with a basic barbecue meal. When the time finally came, Liam headed to the small grove on the edge of Thorn Hill. Tory and the other women had done a fantastic job transforming the place with lights and greenery into something magical.
Liam took his place by a simple makeshift altar, joined by Noah as his best man. Reverend Joe Halpern stood with them while the guests took their places in rustic wooden chairs arranged amid the trees.
He smiled when he saw a favorite local band stealthily setting up off to one side. It was almost time. When the band started an acoustic version of the wedding march, everyone’s eyes turned to the path leading into the grove.
“Here they come,” he heard someone say. Olivia led the way in a pretty light-blue sundress, but when he caught sight of Tory, Liam forgot about everyone else. She had made one concession to traditional extravagance, and Liam thought her elegant white wedding dress had been worth every penny. Lance walked her down the aisle, and while Liam knew Tory wished Steel could be here, he could see the joy shining in her eyes and knew even her brother’s absence couldn’t ruin the day for her.
“Take care of my sister, you hear?” Lance said when he put her hand in Liam’s.
“Will do. You can count on me,” Liam assured him.
“Good.” Lance leaned closer. “Because I know where you live.”
Liam and Reverend Halpern were both a little shocked, but beside him Noah laughed. “That was a pretty good Steel imitation,” he told Lance.
“Been working on it.” Lance took his seat, and Liam and Tory turned to the reverend.
“I’m a little afraid to ask if anyone has just cause to stop this wedding,” Halpern joked.
“If anyone was going to object, it would have been me,” Virginia spoke up from a nearby seat. “Get on with it.”
“Of course, Virginia.” Halpern suppressed a smile, cleared his throat and intoned, “Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today…”
Tory couldn’t keep her eyes off Liam. She was clinging to his hand so hard she was probably giving him a cramp. She couldn’t help it. All she could think about was how close she’d come to stubbornly sticking to a plan that would have eventually taken her far from Chance Creek.
Now she knew this was her home for good, which meant a change in her field of study. She wouldn’t get to specialize for several semesters anyway. When she did, she wanted to learn everything she could to help the residents of this small town. She’d already spoken to Jonah about joining his practice fu
ll-time when she was ready. Like her mother had said, he was thinking of slowing down soon, and he liked the idea of having an understudy, as it were, waiting in the wings to take on his clients.
She’d thought her mother would open a practice of her own or be the one to partner with Jonah, but Enid surprised her by saying she was going into consulting and also might partner with Mary and Leslie on a venture. What that would be seemed up in the air at the moment, but the three women were having a blast scheduling business lunches at DelMonacos and filling pads of paper with ideas.
She and Liam had decided to settle at the Flying W but to work together to get both ranches certified organic. Doing the publicity for the cookout fundraiser had taught Tory she had a knack for such things, and she was already researching ways to brand their beef to make it stand out from the crowd.
When Liam slipped a wedding band on her ring finger, Tory’s heart soared. To her it symbolized more than their love. It symbolized the choices they were making together. To stay here in Chance Creek, to care for their families’ land, to commit to bettering this town.
This was the meaning she’d always wanted in her life.
And this was the man she’d always longed to spend her future with.
“You may kiss the bride,” Reverend Halpern said, but Liam was already bending to take her into his arms. Tory wrapped hers around his neck and answered his kisses with her own.
This was exactly where she wanted to be—now and forever.
“Happy?” Liam asked when he pulled away a moment later.
“Very,” she said. And kissed him again.
Steel slipped away between the trees, satisfied his sister was safely married and would be cared for by the man she loved. He would have liked to tell her how happy he was for her, but it would be a long time before he could walk openly in Chance Creek again. He’d worked too hard to get to this point in his investigation. A killer was on the loose. Had been for over thirteen years. It was up to Steel to stop him.
It took him more than an hour to make his way across several ranches to the place where he was camping in a ramshackle barn on a property whose owners were much too old to ever make it out to this neglected corner of their land. In the morning he’d get back to work searching for Rod Malcom. The man had answers to some of his questions.
He was sitting in the doorway of his makeshift home shortly after midnight, idly stargazing while he marshalled his thoughts, trying to calm his mind in preparation for sleep, when the wind shifted and a cool breeze ruffled his hair.
Steel straightened, but it took him a moment to realize what had roused him.
A smell. A certain heaviness to the air.
He looked to the sky again—to the west where already clouds obscured the stars. A storm was gathering. He watched it come his way.
And smiled as the first drops of rain began to fall.
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Other books in the Turners v. Coopers Series:
The Cowboy’s Secret Bride (Volume 1)
The Cowboy’s Outlaw Bride (Volume 2)
The Cowboy’s Hidden Bride (Volume 3)
The Cowboy’s Forbidden Bride (Volume 5)
Read on for an excerpt of The Cowboy’s Forbidden Bride.
The Cowboy’s Forbidden Bride
By Cora Seton
Chapter One
Steel Cooper was sick of hiding. Sick of hanging out with criminals. Sick of playing a part that had no bearing on who he really was or what he wanted from life. Sick of watching everyone else live out loud, unfettered by their pasts or their obligations. He’d spent half his life hiding. More than that, really, if you counted all the years he ran cover for his father’s petty crimes, the way children do when their parents skirt the law.
As he stood in the shadows of a grove of trees that skirted Thorn Hill, spying on his sister’s wedding reception, he vowed that all the secrecy in his life would end soon. He’d finish the job his father, Dale, had started, would catch the killer that had preyed upon Chance Creek, Montana, for far too many years, and would finally—finally—take his place in the sun.
He wasn’t sure when he’d hit the wall. Maybe it was witnessing each of his siblings marry this summer, one after the other, finding a kind of happiness that seemed out of his grasp.
Maybe it was knowing that no one but him even believed the rash of overdose deaths in Silver Falls were anything but accidents. He’d been trying to prove them wrong since he’d come back to town with his family several years ago, and so far he’d made little progress.
Or maybe it was realizing Stella Turner was falling for someone else.
Steel looked over the celebration in front of him. Trees had been festooned with fairy lights. A local band played popular dance tunes. Despite the intense heat that had plagued Chance Creek all summer, it was a perfect night—
For everyone but him.
His chest tightened as Stella danced in the arms of another man. Her dark hair had been caught up in a loose bun for the occasion, tendrils coming free and curling in the heat. He wasn’t close enough to see her hazel eyes, but he had them memorized, like the sweet shape of her face and her tantalizing figure. If his life hadn’t become so damn complicated thirteen years ago, maybe he’d be the one dancing with her. Holding her close. Taking her home.
Getting married—
Steel squashed that thought—hard. He wouldn’t be marrying anyone anytime soon. Certainly not Stella, who worked at the Chance Creek county sheriff’s department fielding calls. She was smart as a whip, cool under pressure, and damned pretty to boot. Much too good for the likes of him—at least the way he was living his life now.
But a man could dream, and he’d been dreaming about Stella since the day he’d come back to town and caught sight of her walking down main street, the girl next door all grown up.
Completely out of his reach.
Since then he’d done his best to stay out of her way, but that was impossible in a small town, especially since her family’s ranch lay across one small creek from his. He saw Stella all the time.
Craved seeing her. Wanted to do a hell of a lot more.
So far he’d managed to keep himself in check, but if he had to watch her in Eric Holden’s arms much longer, he was going to lose control.
It had taken him nearly an hour to creep close enough to the festivities tonight to be able to see them clearly without being seen himself, and he’d only managed it because the hot summer days had convinced Tory and Liam to situate the party among a grove of shade trees on his family’s property. Once the sun set, he’d slipped from tree to tree from the deeper arm of forest that bounded their pastures.
If he was caught, he’d have the excuse of wanting to congratulate his sister, but it would be for the best for all concerned if he wasn’t. Everyone, including his own family, thought he’d returned to Chance Creek to help his siblings on their ranch. Thirteen years ago, when their father’s checkered past had caught up to him and Dale had landed in jail, their mother, Enid, had moved the rest of his siblings to Idaho. Steel, already eighteen, had lingered in Chance Creek just long enough to clean up Dale’s mess, then had headed even farther west, to Washington. They’d all assumed the ranch had been sold as part of their parents’ divorce settlement and hadn’t expected to ever get the chance to come home, so when Dale died three years ago, and Steel, Lance, Tory and Olivia found themselves named as owners of Thorn Hill, their surprise was absolute.
Lance and Olivia had jumped at the opportunity to go home. Tory had held off for several years but had joined them recently. Steel wouldn’t have come at all if it weren’t for the killer.
He wasn’t sure if he’d come at all if he’d known how hard it would be to live in the same town as Stella, so close and yet inexorably out of reach of her.
He’d been able to create a new life for himself in Washington, one in which the people who mattered knew who he was and why he di
d what he did. He’d had a tight group of friends who’d had his back—something he didn’t entirely appreciate until he gave it all up to come home.
Still, it would all be worth it if he could just finish this job and put his undercover days behind him—make the kind of life that would give him a chance with a woman like Stella. Until then he needed to keep his distance from his family. He’d made a mistake thinking he could live with them and still penetrate the seamy underside of the area. He found it ironic that all the good people of Chance Creek assumed from the start he was a criminal like his father was, while the criminals who populated Silver Falls viewed him with too much suspicion for him to make any real progress tracking down the killer.
On a night like this one, that irony got under his skin and made him wish he’d never taken the job in the first place.
He’d taken too long, and now he was losing Stella to another man.
Steel chanced another look and bit back a curse when he took in the way Eric had pulled her in tight against him. Steel knew Eric—or knew of him. He was a sheriff’s deputy here in Chance Creek county, a powerful, stocky man, fifteen years older than Stella, his dark hair going gray at the temples. He’d been a mainstay at the department for as long as Steel could remember.
Steel kept track of all the law enforcement officers from Billings to Bozeman. Not because he was a criminal, like he’d been trying to make everyone think—but because he was a deputy, too—in Silver Falls, a scruffy hill town a short distance down the highway in the next county over. Silver Falls was a little smaller—and a little wilder—than Chance Creek. He’d expected to fit in there just fine.
He took some small pride in the fact that no one attending this wedding knew what he did for a living. You could say a lot about him—and people did—but he knew how to run an undercover operation. He’d been forced to learn—fast—over a decade ago, but he’d taken to it like a duck to water.
