Wade dangled the key chain in front of J.J. “Welcome home.”
****
Later in the afternoon, Addison left Nell and Emmett chatting with Brenda at the café and strolled to the sheriff’s office. She wasn’t surprised to see Millie alone at her desk, reading a romance novel. They chatted for a few minutes about the welcome home party for J.J. and how much Millie looked forward to spoiling the twins.
Addison’s voice filled with disappointment. “I suppose Wade is on a call?”
Millie closed the book. She gave a woeful sigh. “No, I guess having Gracie showing up out of the blue, and first thing this morning watching LAPD haul her off in cuffs, followed by the twins’ excitement over seeing their mother—it all kinda wore him down a little.”
“Did he go home?”
Millie answered in a melancholy voice. “No, he went to visit Meadow. He does that sometimes when life gets him down.”
Addison walked to the double doors and gazed toward the quaint church. “I thought being abandoned in a bus station was horrible.” She shook her head. “What Gracie did was execrable.”
She zipped her jacket, pulled on her gloves, and adjusted her knit sweater cap. “Enjoy your book, Millie.”
“Shall I tell Wade you were here?”
Addison shook her head. “It isn’t necessary. He’ll know.”
Tears balanced on her lashes and dropped to her cheeks. She blinked to clear her vision as she crossed the street and turned toward the church. It took but a few minutes to walk to the rear of the building and through the wrought iron cemetery gate. He stood, hat in hand, his spine stiff, head bowed. Even from this distance Addison was certain the pain he suffered had pierced her own heart.
He felt her arms come around him, and he completed the circle of her embrace. They stood silent. No words necessary.
“Even though she wasn’t mine, I loved her.” He heaved a deep sigh. “I think a part of me knew I wasn’t the father. There’s no one in our family with blue eyes and blonde curly hair. Not even in Gracie’s. I just didn’t want to believe what was right in front of me.”
Addison laced her fingers in his. “In time there will be other children.”
He looked down at her, his eyes filled with hope. He leaned in closer. Their lips fit perfectly together, and neither hesitated to open to the other. He tightened his hold on her.
Her heart murmured, You love him—what are you waiting for?
Addison pulled away and looked up at him. Her breath created wispy vapors as she spoke. “The children will be ours—yours and mine.”
****
Wade dropped to one knee. He held Addison’s gloved hands. Suddenly he had no sense of time. All he knew was the sky was blue and cloudless, and that he loved this woman with all his being. He saw a life for them here in Meadow Creek.
“I’m certain a cemetery isn’t the proper place to propose marriage, but before God and baby Meadow Lark, I want the simple joys of sharing life with you, raising our children together, spending a lifetime of making memories to tell our grandchildren, and doing everything within my power to make you happy always. Addison James, heart and soul—I love you. Will you be my wife?”
She knelt in the snow and cupped his face with her hands. “I don’t want courtship, Wade. I think we’re old enough and with enough life experiences that we’ve moved well beyond those days. I’m ready to move forward with no looking back. I’ll treasure growing old with you, and helping you make those memories. I don’t want to waste another day. I love you, Wade Grey. Yes—a thousand times—yes.”
He pulled her close so that she molded against him. A sudden gust of snowy wind swept through the cemetery and swirled around them like a spinning top, then continued wending its way through the headstones until it disappeared.
Addison smiled. “I believe Meadow Lark just gave us her blessing.”
Wade covered her mouth with his. A strange sensation of peace engulfed him. “I’m ready to get this marriage under way. Is tomorrow soon enough to visit the justice of the peace, or do you want a big wedding?”
Her lips hovered closed to his. “I’ve had enough glitz and glamour to last almost the rest of my life. The justice of the peace is perfect. All I want is a simple wedding.”
Wade smiled against her lips. “Your wish is my command.”
Her long agile fingers caressed the back of his neck. After a moment of silence, her voice was deep and husky with passion. “Would you think badly of me if I suggested we go to your house and engage in a little pre-honeymoon celebration?”
He could hear his own breathing against hers. “It’s like you just read my mind.” He clasped her hand in his and led her from the cemetery to where he’d parked his pickup truck.
****
Waking came with a brightness that seemed almost painful. Addison’s mind became slowly aware of the disturbing glare. Light filled the entire room, and although she lay with her back toward the windows, it still intruded, shining through her closed eyelids, penetrating into her brain. She stirred sleepily as a hand began to caress the small of her back, kneading away the stiffness that she sensed more than felt. Lazily she stretched like a contented feline and rolled to her stomach to let the strong fingers do their work. She released a throaty moan and arched her back against the gentle massaging as it soothed her achy muscles. The hand plied her back and shoulders, sending waves of weakening pleasure up and down her spine.
Languidly she rolled toward the source of her enjoyment until her bare breasts pressed against a firm, hairy chest. She lifted to allow her head to loll against his shoulder. Her eyes came open, and all memory of last night flooded back as she stared into Wade’s smiling gray eyes. She heard the gentle voice with a hint of laughter behind it. “Good morning. I trust you slept well.”
She crooned. “I had the most luscious dream. It was about a naked man and woman making wild passionate love. If only dreams came true.”
Wade inclined on his side, head propped casually in his hand. His eyes played with hers, glowing devilishly, his arm curled warmly around her, until he leaned down, a soft breast crushed against his lean, hard chest, their thighs caught together, and Addison became aware that he was more than willing and certainly ready to make her dream come true.
She smiled softly into his eyes. Her silken thighs opened to his seeking hand, and his wandering caresses brought soft, breathless cries of trembling joy. She closed her eyes as his kisses devoured her, fierce with love and passion, then traced lower to spread their heat over her throbbing nipples, which thrust forward in eager anticipation. Addison savored the bliss as his greedy mouth swept her every nerve with intense excitement. She felt the bold urgency of him as he entered her, consuming, searing, setting fire to her until the rippling, molten waves of ecstasy flooded her with almost unbearable pleasure. She heard his rasping breath and the sweetly whispered words of love. His heart beat wildly against her naked breast, and beneath her hands the hard muscles of his buttocks flexed with manly vigor. They were caught together in a shimmering, surging, swelling tide of bliss.
In the aftermath of their storm, Addison lay wrapped in Wade’s arms. Their voices were hushed and lazy, yet seemed to echo in the silence of his bedroom. The room had chilled, and he reached to cover them with a blanket before they gently entwined fingers in a knot of love. Wade’s lips nibbled at the soft flesh of her shoulder and sank warmly against her creamy throat, then paused to taste an ear lobe. She moaned as his lips moved to leave a trail of burning kisses down her throat between her breasts and further to the blonde apex between her thighs.
He placed his hand to the small of her back and lifted her, allowing his tongue to work its magic. She arched her back, grasping a handful of sheet in one hand. “Wade,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, trying to draw him closer. “Please…” She let her eyes drift shut and moaned with pleasure. She felt as if she were drifting on a cloud and barely realized when he entered her, his manhood full and th
robbing as he thrust his hips forward and she rose to meet him. She found herself laughing and crying at the same time she found fulfillment.
A heartbeat later, Wade moaned and fell forward, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Both lay there panting for a moment, and then he withdrew from her. She curled in the crook of his arm and allowed him to cover them with a blanket.
“Addison?”
“Hmm.”
“I just realized I didn’t use protection. Are you angry?”
She pushed him to his back and then straddled him. She could have sworn she saw moisture in his dark stormy eyes when she said, “I guess you’d better make me Mrs. Wade Grey as soon as possible.”
He gave her a wry grin, and her stomach tumbled when he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to his chest, kissing the top of her head and then each breast. He rolled her onto her back, lowering over her and gazing into her eyes. He whispered, “Mrs. Wade Grey. I like the sound of that.”
She smiled, so happy, and wondered if she was dreaming. If so, it was the longest and best dream she had ever experienced.
Epilogue
The first day of June arrived. Horses grazed in the pasture, and in the freshly cultivated tree farm the blue spruce trees grew in neatly manicured rows. It seemed the entire township of Meadow Creek had gathered around the newly constructed gazebo overlooking the Kootenay River at Hope Ranch. Wade and Addison stood in the middle of the beautifully decorated summerhouse. They held hands as they stood behind a long table laden with food and an extra-long sheet cake decorated in pink, blue, yellow, and green flowers, set in the table’s center.
Wade welcomed everyone. “Today is a special day in more ways than one. Hope Ranch is officially an event and vacation destination resort.” He extended his hands toward the crowd. “My lovely wife and I extend our appreciation to all of our friends and welcome you, the first of our guests.”
A large easel covered with a baby blanket stood behind Wade.
Nell yelled, “The suspense is killing us. How long are you going to keep us waiting?”
A round of cheerful disgruntlements hooted.
Ruby Raye stood with her arm looped through Nell’s. She beamed up at Addison. “Come on—is it a girl or a boy? We wanna know.”
Wade held up his hand to quiet the crowd. He turned to Addison and smiled as he nodded. He said to their family, friends and guests, “Give us the count down.”
Voices rang out, “Five…four…three—ˮ
When the count ended with one, Wade and Addison each grabbed a corner of the blanket and folded it over the easel to reveal a poster-sized hand-crafted baby announcement that read:
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
We are due with
Not one, but
TWO!
Sadie and Sawyer
Expected to arrive
Christmas Day!
A proud gleam flashed in Wade’s gray eyes. Addison gave him her own proud gaze in return. His laughter was warm and rich as he wrapped her in his arms.
Aunt Nell’s Gingerbread
with Rum Whipped Cream
Ingredients:
½ cup butter (1 stick of butter)
½ cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup molasses
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 cup hot water
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp lemon extract
½ tsp salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan.
In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, and mix in the molasses.
In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water. **(See Aunt Nell’s secret ingredient.) Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan before serving.
**Shh! Don’t tell anyone, but here is Aunt Nell’s secret ingredient: add ½ cup chopped crystallized ginger.
Rum Whipped Cream
Ingredients:
1 cup (1/2 pint) cold heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon dark rum (substitute: rum extract)
Directions:
Whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar, vanilla, and rum. Continue to whip until it forms stiff peaks. Serve cold large dollops on warm gingerbread.
German Glühwein
Part of my ancestry is German. Each year at Christmas my grandmother made her Glǖhwein, just as Aunt Nell does in this story. Because the alcohol cooks off and leaves the flavor, the children were permitted to have a small cup (minus the rum or amaretto) to celebrate after the gifts were open.
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients:
Juice of 1 medium orange (strain to avoid seeds and pulp)
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
10 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
2 whole star anise
1 (750-milliliter) bottle dry red wine
1 shot of rum or amaretto, for serving (optional)
Instructions:
Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the orange in wide strips. Avoid cutting in to the white pith; set aside. Juice the orange and set the juice aside.
In a large sauce pot, combine the sugar and water. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Reduce the heat and add the cloves, cinnamon, star anise, orange zest, and orange juice. Simmer until a fragrant syrup forms—about 1 minute.
To avoid a flare-up, remove the pot from the stove. Add the wine. Reduce the heat to low, gentle simmer. Return pot to burner. Let liquid barely simmer for at least 20 minutes or up to 1 hour. Stir occasionally.
Keep an eye out that liquid doesn’t come to a full simmer.
Strain and serve in small mugs.
Optional: add a shot of rum or amaretto; garnish with orange peel curls if desired.
If you enjoyed this book you may want to read Loretta C. Rogers’ book WHEN COMES FOREVER…
Jesse Starr, son of a Kiowa princess and an English lord, was raised in England but constantly persecuted by his jealous half-brother, who eventually had him shanghaied. Now on his way home, Jesse determines to find the mother he never knew, then return to England to avenge his father’s death at the hands of the half-brother. When he finds beautiful and very pregnant seventeen-year-old Rebecca Throckmorton abandoned in a remote cabin deep in Oklahoma territory, his plans go awry. Rebecca rues the day she eloped with a con man. All she wants is to return to Chicago, hoping her family will welcome her and the baby. Yet despite her vow never to trust her heart to another man, she can’t help being attracted to Jesse, the rugged adventurer who rescues her. If her society-conscious family won’t forgive her, what will she do? Jesse, drawn to Rebecca but intent on his revenge in England; has no thought of her accompanying him…until he must rescue her and change his plans again.
~
Available online now wherever books are sold.
A word about the author…
A native Floridian and proud of her Scots-Irish heritage, Loretta C. Rogers is a bestselling author. She writes in all sub-genres of romance. There is always a little bit of mystery and suspense in her novels. Her books are in libraries throughout the USA and Europe. When not writing, she is an avid traveler, and enjoys researching her family genealogy.
~*~
HAPPY!
If you enjoyed reading Christmas at Hope Ranch,
your review is highly appreciated.
Visit Loretta at:
www.lorettacroger
snovels.com
Thank you for purchasing
this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
For questions or more information
contact us at
[email protected].
The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
www.thewildrosepress.com
Also available from The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
Bitter Autumn
by Loretta C. Rogers
Flame-haired Birdie Mae Dix has no idea what tomorrow will bring. Kidnapped by the Pawnee and traded to the Comanche, she is now in the custody of the US Cavalry. After eighteen years of loss and cruelty, she trusts no one, not even the handsome captain whose piercing blue glare fills her with apprehension…and unwanted desire.
Years of war have hardened Captain Ford Thackery. Pledging his life to a military career, he has sworn never to consider married life—until he rescues Birdie. He knows he must earn her trust as well as find a way into her heart.
When she is abducted by a renegade Pawnee cavalry scout, Ford embarks on a dangerous journey of rescue, but he and Birdie must still bridge the gaping chasm of hatred that separates their worlds.
Also Available
Today, Tomorrow, Always
by Peggy Jaeger
Lawyer Cathleen O'Dowd wants to break free from her boring image. Widowed young, she's toed the good-girl line but now wants a little fun and laughter in her days…and nights. Living in a small town, though, she can't do anything that would tarnish her professional reputation.
Mac Frayne's tragic past has turned him into a sullen loner. In town to write a book on the city's founder, his plan is to get it done, then head home to his solitary existence.
When circumstances force them to work together, their opposing personalities clash, but the sexual attraction between them is palpable.
Can a simple affair with an end date be just the thing to brighten up their lives?
Christmas at Hope Ranch Page 22
