Taylor’s brows pinched into a tight V. “So it’s been a few days? She’ll understand.”
“I wish it were that easy. I’ve already made lots of mistakes with her. Not sure I can afford one more. And even if she does agree to give me the time of day, look at me. The man she fell for was a stud. Now I’m just some useless cripple on bed rest. I don’t deserve her.”
“The fact that you don’t think you deserve her shows you actually do. It shows you’re ready, Rhett.” Taylor reached over and squeezed Noah’s hand, her eyes dancing with happiness. “I know I just met you, but if you’re anything like your cousin here, then love is what you need to figure out the rest.”
“The rest of what?” He liked Taylor, but she didn’t know the first thing about his relationship—if you could even call it that—with Cassie. Heck, she didn’t even really know him beyond whatever Noah had told her.
“Your life,” she answered without missing a beat. “Whatever comes next. Don’t run away from this, Rhett. You’ll always regret it.”
“First, I have to get out of here and go to her, tell her what happened, provided she’ll even talk to me.”
Noah shot Taylor a conspiratorial glance before dropping his voice to a whisper. “Don’t you worry about that, Rhett. Taylor and I have got you covered.”
“What you need to worry about,” Taylor added. “Is finding the perfect grand gesture.”
Rhett laughed, but the others didn’t join in. “A grand gesture? What are we? In some kind of chick flick? I mean, who does that kind of thing in real life?”
Noah coughed. “Um, me. Remember?”
“And it worked, did it?”
“When Noah showed up at my doorstep, I knew I would never say goodbye to him again. So, yeah, it definitely worked.” Taylor leaned in and gave her fiancé another kiss on the cheek.
“Okay, so what do you expect me to do? Want me to propose to Cassie on the Jumbotron? Tell her I love her with skywriting? Run off and elope in Vegas?
Taylor shook her head vigorously. “Don’t do what everybody else does. You need to do something that will speak directly to Cassie’s heart. Got any ideas?”
“Actually…I know exactly what I need to do.” It came to him all at once, and he grew more and more excited as the pieces began to click into place in his mind. “Noah, think you can make a couple of quick phone calls for me? Maybe find a way to get me out of here for the afternoon?”
The wheels in his head were turning so fast, he didn’t have time to second guess himself. Taylor was right, he needed to make the grand gesture. If his football days were over, he had the perfect idea for what he wanted to come next. But first he’d need Cassie to agree to walk into that future with him, hand in hand. If he had her by his side, he would have it all.
Now he just needed to put his plan into action.
When Cassie woke up that morning, she went about her chores as usual, knowing deep down that this may be the last time she ever got to do them. The realtor had made it perfectly clear that she could sell the land in a heartbeat but that it would involve splitting it up into smaller chunks rather than selling as a whole.
Saddleback’s legacy had come to an end.
In fact, Cassie had already made arrangements to have her vet friend Judy find buyers for the animals. All were spoken for except Maybel, Baybel Cheese, and Susie Ann. It would be the hardest to say goodbye to them, and Cassie hoped that whoever took them in would still allow her to visit sometimes. She wasn’t just losing her livelihood here, but also some of her best and most faithful friends. What more could Cassie lose? Hadn’t life already taken enough from her? Her parents, her ranch, and even the one man she’d finally allowed herself to fall for.
She was foolish to have gone against her instincts when it came to Rhett. She never should have agreed to sit with him in the bed of her truck that first night and look up at the stars. Never should have let him work beside her on the farm. Never should have allowed herself to fall so quickly for a man she’d only just met.
Cassie wasn’t surprised when May Genet called early that afternoon to announce a buyer. “Great news! I have a gentleman who’s interested in purchasing Jenny’s entire half, but you have to come out to sign the agreement.”
Cassie’s heart sank. While she was happy that the ranch wouldn’t be split up into teeny tiny pieces, it still wouldn’t be hers. Besides, she had no idea what the new owner would do to the land, nor who would swoop in to buy out her own half. She just hoped he wouldn’t turn it into some hideous commercial development—that would be too painful to see after all she and her family had given to the land.
She sighed, realizing that she still hadn’t given May an answer. “Can’t I just electronically sign something for you?”
“I’m sorry, he’s very insistent that he get the chance to meet with you first. Think you can swing by my office?”
“Fine. I’ll be there in twenty.” Now she was just plain angry. Who was this buyer to make such demands of her? She’d wanted to spend every moment she had left with the ranch on her own terms, but now it was as if she’d already signed it away, already lost everything.
Of course, when she pulled up to the office, the buyer was nowhere to be found.
“He’ll just be a minute,” May promised. “Go ahead and make yourself comfortable in the conference room. I’ll finish drafting up the papers and join you soon.”
And so she waited…and waited.
Half an hour passed with no sign of this demanding buyer. Occasionally, May would pop her head into the conference room to offer her reassurances that he would be there any minute, but Cassie had already waited long enough. She was done.
“Call me when he gets here. I’m sorry, but I’m not spending my whole afternoon waiting around. He’ll have to wait for me to come back.” She gathered up her things and rushed out of the tiny real estate office before May could try to convince her to stay. As soon as she pushed through the door and back into the outside world, she noticed a familiar figure leaning up against her truck in the parking lot.
Tall and muscular, though slightly less tall, less muscular, he was certainly no less handsome than when she’d last seen him. Rhett stood with the help of a metal cane, clutching a vase of flowers to his chest and staring right at her with a huge smile on his face.
She reached up to touch her cheeks and realized she was smiling, too. “What are you doing here?” she asked striding over to him. “I thought…”
“That I had run? No.” He took a couple slow, pained steps forward, so they were standing chest to chest. One hand remained on the cane for support, and the other continued to hold up the flowers. “I wanted to see you, Cassie, but they wouldn’t let anyone through. I was asleep for days and the moment I woke up, I could only think about getting back to you. I’m sorry it took so long. These are for you by the way.”
He handed her a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers similar to those that bloomed on her property, then put his newly freed arm around her waist and tugged her into him.
“They’re beautiful, thank you. But, Rhett, what happened? Are you okay? I was so worried, I tried to get to you and I tried to wait, but—”
“I know, I know. I tried, too, but security was just as insistent as keeping me in as they were in keeping you out. Anyway, none of that matters now. It’s over.” His eyes sparkled with untold mischief, and she realized that this was one of the things she liked best about him—how every situation had the potential to be so much more than what it seemed on the surface. How even the hardest day’s work could be a perfect moment in paradise.
“Read the card.”
She flipped open the tiny card and laughed when she saw the ten digits scrawled onto its stark white background. “Is this your phone number?”
“About time you had that. Could have saved us a world of trouble this past week.” He laughed. “I also want you to have this.” He reached into the messenger bag that hung from his side and pulled out a thick file fo
lder which he then handed to her.
“What’s this?”
“Take a look.” He pulled back a step to give her the space she needed to flip the file open, and…
Oh my goodness!
“Did you…?” She couldn’t finish the sentence. This was too extraordinary, too perfect to have happened in her life.
Rhett smiled bigger than she’d ever seen him smile before and wrapped his arms around her again. “You see, according to my trainers, I’m going to need a lot of physical therapy if I ever want to play ball again. And I thought to myself, where do I know with big, open spaces to run?”
“You didn’t.”
“I did, but I want you to have it, Cassie. That’s why I had May call you here today. Just sign the papers, and Saddleback is all yours. You never have to worry about losing it again. All I ask is that you let me help in whatever way I can.” Here, he kissed her, and it was as if no time had passed at all, as if they were back at the ranch glimpsing up at the stars.
When at last they parted, she tried again to wrap her head around what the papers he’d just handed her truly meant. “But what about you? This is a lot of money to just give away, Rhett.”
“My investment isn’t in the ranch, Cassie. It’s in you. I want you to have the best possible life, and I know you need Saddleback to do that. And I’m hoping you need me, too, because…” He paused a moment, drew her even closer, made sure she was looking directly into his eyes as he said, “I am so in love with you.”
“I’m so in love with you, too.” For a few moments Cass said nothing else. They just stood with their arms around each other, basking in the moment with the man she loved and who loved her right on back. Then she knew exactly what else needed to be said…
“You know I really could use some help around the ranch. Maybe you’d like to take a full-time staff position? It comes with an honest salary and lots of benefits like health insurance, a retirement plan, my heart…”
Rhett didn’t miss a beat. “Sounds perfect. I’ll take it. Does that mean you’ll be my boss?”
“Yup.”
“Even better.”
“Well, it’s official. You’re a cowboy now, and as long as you want to stay, you’ve got a home at Saddleback.”
He responded to that news by giving her a deep kiss that left them both weak in the knees. “As long as I want, huh? How about forever?”
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Must Love Mustangs
Brady & Louise
Author’s Note
2018
Hey, new friend! Where do you live?
Me? I live in Michigan. I grew up here and have been in the mitten state most of my life.
So naturally I write romances that take place in Alaska, Texas, and South Carolina…
Okay, so maybe that's a little weird!
You may be wondering what all these places have in common, other than that I don’t live in them. Well, they’re among the many places my very own Mr. Storm grew up during his childhood as an Air Force brat.
With his help, I'm able to create true-to-life settings in each of these places, despite not having spent much time there myself.
And the very first romance I wrote?
It’s the one you now hold in your hands.
Yes, I realize that may be hard to believe since it’s number seven in the series… but sometimes love—and life—is a bit crazy like that.
I hope you’ll enjoy your journey through the pages!
All my love,
Melissa S.
Chapter 1
Louise's cell phone buzzed. She glanced at the out-of-area number and groaned, then sent the call straight to voicemail. But then it rang again, and again.
She hated when her assistant piped business calls to her personal line. Still, she could either answer or let it buzz for the rest of the day.
"Louise Gordon,” she snapped, hoping her irritation showed.
"Louise? Sorry to bother you like this. But I'm calling about an urgent matter."
"Sorry, who is this?"
"This is Bill Ringstead of Ringstead and Associates, here in Anchorage.”
Anchorage, her former hometown, the city she'd vowed to forget when her family relocated to New York during her sophomore year of high school.
But now her past was calling. Literally.
This couldn't be good.
Mr. Ringstead continued, his voice friendly even though hers wasn't. "My firm represented your late aunt, Madeline Gordon. She's just passed on, but before that she instructed that no one was allowed to handle her estate but you. So how soon might you be able to make a trip out our way?"
Unbelievable.
She hadn't even spoken with her great aunt Madeline for more than fifteen years, and had only met her a few times before that. Louise had never belonged in Alaska and had been all too happy to escape it when her father's company relocated them to Manhattan. No way she'd be going back.
"Can't you just handle the estate in my place? I'll sign off on whatever you need."
"I'm sorry, but your aunt's instructions were very clear. It can only be you. Think you can make it out next week?"
Louise wracked her brain for an excuse. This did not come at a good time. The hunt for her firm's next partner was well under way, and she'd been pulling out all the stops to make sure that partner would be her. Randomly disappearing to handle an out-of-town family matter could only hurt her case.
But still family was family, and she'd hate to let her parents down by not at least making some effort to follow Aunt Maddie's wishes. She sighed, feeling her resolve crumble into dust.
"I'll need to move some things around, but fine. I'll see you in a week."
"We'll expect you then. You take care now. Bye."
Click.
What had she just agreed to? Her client roster was already filled to the brim, she was right in the thick of doing everything she could to land that new partner position, and besides, estate law wasn't even her focus.
A nagging feeling tugged at the back of her mind. Would she run into him? Her thoughts drifted back to his warm, chocolate eyes and confident smirk.
Stop being crazy. He must have moved on by now. Too much time had passed, and besides, he'd never been able to stay in one place for too long.
Well, good riddance. One less thing she'd have to deal with on her big return to Alaska.
The sun beat down on Brady's shoulders. Beautiful day for a ride, he thought, slipping his cowboy hat onto his shaggy dark hair.
Fair-goers crowded into the stadium and watched the between-act clowns dance and tidy up. He knew the growing crowd was really here for him, though. He'd had some truly amazing rides, earning the high score almost every time he saddled up. Wherever he went, the crowds followed, especially around these parts where everyone wanted to root for the local boy.
Of course, they came to see him for other reasons, too. Years of riding had given him strong arms and an even stronger torso. It was too bad he had to stay covered up for safety reasons, because he loved showing off the body he'd earned through so much hard work and dedication.
Besides, the ladies just couldn't get enough of him—and he couldn't get enough of them.
A trio of gorgeous, leggy women—buckle bunnies, his absolute favorite rodeo perk—made their way over to where he stood outside the stables, checking over his harness and tie to make sure everything was set for his ride. This personal attention to detail was part of what made him so successful in work and elsewhere.
"Hi, Brady," they trilled in unison. Confidence. He liked that in a woman. He liked it even better in three of them at once.
"Ladies." He tipped his hat in their direction. Man, they were gorgeous—especially the one with curly ringlets and large, cobalt eyes.
"What are you doing after the show?" she asked, pouting her lips seductively.
He was just about to answer that he'd be g
oing out with them, of course, when a figure in the distance caught his eye. He shifted his gaze just to the right of his girls' heads and studied the gorgeous creature on the horizon.
Weezy.
Wow, it was really her. He hadn't seen her since she'd moved away in high school, but she'd stopped talking to him years before that. Of course, he'd never stopped trying to get back on her good side. As attractive as he found confidence, he needed a challenge every once in a while, too. And he'd never found another that rivaled Weezy.
He watched as she strode across the fairgrounds as if she owned the place—confident and hard-to-get—the perfect pursuit. Wasn't it just like her to turn up right as he was settling into his old, familiar rut? He grinned, remembering their last exchange, the one in which he'd shown up at her parents' place right before the cab that would take her away toward her new life. He begged her to give him another chance, to at least write him or call, but she just shook her head and got in the cab with her parents and drove out of his life—although not for good, apparently.
The girls turned to follow the path of his eyes as he studied Louise from a distance. “Who’s that?” one of them asked with a sneer.
But Brady didn’t have the time or heart to answer. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from this gorgeous blast from his past.
Louise had grown up nicely. He loved her out-of-place pencil skirt and purple blouse. Showed how different she was from every random beauty queen that paraded across his path. Those legs, those hips, that short, striking haircut that perfectly contrasted her creamy skin. Clearly, she hadn't spent much time outdoors since they'd parted, and he intended to fix that straight away.
Only…
"You're up next, Rockwell,” the show's lackey came up and slapped him on the back. "Let's get goin'."
The Alaska Sunrise Romances: A 9-Book Sweet Romance Collection Page 42
