Spring in Snow Valley

by Cindy Roland Anderson

  “Kellen Richard Thomas, what are you doing?”

  He figured that was fairly obvious so he didn’t give his grandma a sarcastic reply. He did cut Jace a scathing glare when he saw the wide grin on his face. He’d totally set him up and Kellen had fallen for it.

  “Oh for pity sakes, Ilene,” Tillie Cooper said. “They’re making out in the pantry. Tell me you never did that?”

  Kellen watched his grandma’s cheeks go pink, and she didn’t deny it. Go figure.

  “Hurry it up,” she said, and started to close the door. “They’re announcing what the baby is in five minutes.”

  She shut the door and Kellen and Ivy looked at each other and started to laugh. But if they only had five minutes then Kellen didn’t want to waste any time.

  He lowered his head to kiss her, but Ivy turned her cheek. “I can’t kiss you knowing they all know what we’re doing in here.”

  “Okay. I’ll do all the kissing then.” He started by moving her hair to the side and pressed his lips to her neck.

  “That’s not fair,” Ivy said, but he noticed she didn’t push him away.

  He kissed his way to her mouth, and by then Ivy was fully engaged.

  Five minutes had never passed by so quickly. There was a knock on the door. “Time’s up,” he heard his grandma say.

  When they came out, the entire room erupted into applause. Kellen grinned and waved while Ivy looked like she wanted to hide.

  Jace whistled, drawing the attention away from Kellen and Ivy. He welcomed everyone and thanked the group for coming. “Caytie and I had different ideas about how to announce what we’re having.”

  “Jace was on Pinterest more than I was,” Caytie said, making everyone laugh.

  Jace patted his wife on the shoulder. “Thanks for that, honey.”

  After the laughter died down, Jace pointed to the large box in front of them wrapped in pink and blue polka dot paper with the words “It’s a …” followed by a big question mark. “My wife won, but next time we do this it will be with silly string.”

  “And that won’t be for a long time,” Caytie said, holding her stomach.

  That got a few laughs, but mostly sympathetic comments from those who knew how sick Caytie had been. The room quieted as Caytie pulled off the big bow. Jace sliced open the top and then together he and Caytie slowly opened the lid.

  Kellen got a little emotional when at least a dozen pink balloons with the words “It’s a Girl” stamped on a few of them rose up in the air. As the room erupted into excited congratulations, Kellen ducked his head and blinked back the totally unexpected tears.

  Ivy’s hand squeezed his, and she leaned in and whispered in his ear, “I love you, Kellen Thomas.”

  He lifted his chin to look at her, not caring if she saw the moisture in his eyes. She gave him a shy smile. “I just wanted you to know.” Then she reached up and brushed his mouth with a soft kiss.

  Since family and friends surrounded Caytie and Jace, Kellen knew it would be a while before he could congratulate them, so he led Ivy by the hand and slipped out the front door. Wordlessly he pulled her around the side of the house and stopped next to a small grove of Aspen’s.

  He’d never told a woman he loved her, and he wanted to be looking into this woman’s eyes when he did. “I love you, too, Ivy Baker. I think I have from the moment I first saw you watching me through the window.”

  Her brown eyes glistened, and she smiled. “I think you need to kiss me now.”

  Kellen had kissed her plenty of times over the past week and half, but this kiss was different. It was a declaration that they belonged to each other.

  “Isn’t this a cozy scene?” a deep, angry voice said.

  Ivy gasped and pulled back. Kellen took one glance at the intruder and knew right away he was looking at Corbin Spencer. Kellen wasn’t too alarmed. The guy looked like a city boy, and he figured he could take him, even with his bum leg. But what had him worried were the four giant-sized men standing behind Corbin. This wasn’t exactly how he planned to meet Ivy’s brothers.

  Chapter 17

  Ivy gasped when she heard Corbin’s voice. She and Kellen jerked apart to find not only Corbin standing there, but also all four of her brothers.

  “What are you all doing here?” she asked as mixed emotions battled inside of her. She wanted to knock the smug look from Corbin’s face, while at the same time she wanted to rush over and hug her brothers.

  “Before we start talking,” Morgan said in a rather scary voice. “I want Pretty Boy to get his hands off of you and then I want you and your pink boots to get over here.”

  Ivy heard Kellen make a derisive sound as he stepped slightly in front of her. “You might be her big brother, but I won’t tolerate anyone talking to Ivy like that.” Kellen’s voice was low and even. And he did not let go of her hand.

  Christian and Weston’s eyes widened. Ethan grinned and gave Kellen the thumbs up.

  Morgan continued to glower at Kellen for several long seconds. “You’re right.” His gaze shifted to Ivy. “I apologize for the way I talked to you.” His fingers flexed and then curled back into his palms. “Please move away from—”

  “Kellen,” Ivy said, before Morgan called Kellen a pretty boy again.

  “Please move away from Kellen. Now.”

  Kellen’s fingers gripped her hand tight. Ivy wiggled her fingers as if to tell him to stand down. He got the message and loosened his hold.

  Morgan’s scowl deepened when Ivy didn’t immediately obey him. The Ivy her brothers knew did whatever they said. This Ivy wasn’t going anywhere.

  “No, thank you. I think I’ll stay right here.”

  The lines in Morgan’s face deepened. Ivy could swear she saw both Christian and Weston’s lips twitch, like they were trying to hold back a smile, and Ethan outright laughed.

  “Enough.” Corbin pointed a finger at Ivy, or maybe Kellen. “Get your hands off of my fiancée.”

  “I’m not your fiancée.”

  “She’s not your fiancée.”

  She and Kellen spoke at the exact same time.

  “Yes you are,” Corbin said. “We had an agreement.”

  Uh oh. That was the wrong thing to say.

  “About that agreement,” Kellen said as he let go of her hand. His limp was barely perceptible as he started to move menacingly toward Corbin. “How about we give the Baker boys the details on that agreement you made with their father before he died?”

  All four of her brothers swiveled their heads to look at Corbin as he took a step back. “That’s not why we’re here,” Corbin said.

  “Why are you here?” Ivy said, hoping to distract everyone before the fists started flying. But she really wanted to know. “And how did you even know how to find where I was this evening?” She knew none of them had called her, and her aunt hadn’t talked to any of her brothers either.

  “What do you mean?” Weston asked, more to Corbin than to Ivy. “Corbin said you texted him your location, and that we shouldn’t contact you because it would scare off the creeper who’s been trying to seduce you.”

  It was Ivy’s turn to be incredulous. “I never texted him my location!” She stomped forward to Corbin, moving in front of Kellen before he could take a swing. If anyone was hitting Corbin it was Ivy. “The only time I contacted you, Corbin, was when I called you on Monday and told you the deal was off, and that I wasn’t marrying you.”

  Corbin swallowed hard and moved to a safer location, which meant he was out of hitting range of all five men.

  “You better start talkin’, Spencer.” Morgan tipped his head to the right and then straightened again, as if to align his spine. “First I want to know how you knew where Ivy was tonight. And then you better explain this deal involving my little sister.”

  “You should thank me,” Corbin said. “Do you know how often she was here, and how late it was before she went home each night?”

  “Answer the question,” Christian said.

  Corb
in’s eyes flickered to each man, like he was trying to figure out which one he should avoid first.

  “Now!” Morgan roared.

  “I… can track her location with my phone.”

  All of her brothers reacted to that. So did Kellen. And if Grandma Ilene had been present, her swear jar would have just increased by at least ten dollars.

  Ethan was usually the laidback brother, but he advanced on Corbin and gripped the front of his shirt. “Spencer, you got us all riled up by saying that Ivy was being railroaded by some smooth-talking cowboy and she was afraid to tell him to leave her alone. You have five seconds to tell us what this agreement was you made with our father.”

  Corbin spilled it all, and with every word Ivy started to fear for his wellbeing. The men in her life, including Kellen, had shown remarkable restraint up until now. But they were like the hairpin trigger on her dad’s old 357, and any second they were going to go off.

  “Whoa, there,” Jace said rushing down the porch steps. “Lynching was outlawed more than a hundred and fifty years ago.”

  Ivy was relieved for the intervention, but felt horrible about ruining Caytie and Jace’s beautiful party. The guests were emptying out of the McAllister’s house to possibly witness Corbin get a thrashing from five angry men.

  George Holbrook marched into the middle of the men, and ordered them to stand down. Kellen, the only military man among them, obeyed. It took George shouting the order one more time for her brother’s to obey.

  “Now,” George said, pointing a finger at Corbin. “I suggest you get your sorry behind off this property before you get hurt.”

  “Fine by me.” He cut Ivy a hateful glare and then straightened his shirt. He moved quickly to get into his truck, and the engine roared to life. Corbin peeled off down the road, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

  “Well, my friend,” Ethan said, patting Kellen on the back. “Now we get to talk to you and find out just exactly why our sister was spending so much time with you and why she was staying out so late.”

  “Not right here, you’re not,” George said in a tone that had all of her brothers saying, “Yes sir” and then asking politely where they could go talk.

  Within thirty minutes the four Baker boys were seated in George’s substantial family room. Also present were Ivy, Kellen, Aunt Tillie, and, of course, George, Ilene and the McAllister’s.

  Ivy was humiliated to hear the details of her father’s arrangement again, but it helped to sit next to Kellen, holding his hand.

  It was almost comical the way Morgan, Christian and Weston kept glancing at her hand in Kellen’s, like they’d never witnessed a girl and a boy holding hands before. The physical contact didn’t bother Ethan at all. He just couldn’t get over the fact that his baby sister was wearing such a frilly dress and pink cowgirl boots.

  “Ivy, why didn’t you tell us?” Morgan asked. “Especially after dad died?”

  “I was going to tell you, but then I heard you talking about how dad had lost so much money, and that getting the water rights back would be the only way to get the ranch out of the red this year.”

  “Ah, sweetie,” Ethan said. “The key word is ‘this year.’”

  “What do you mean?” Ivy tried to process the new information. “Corbin said the ranch is in jeopardy with all the cattle we just lost.”

  “Maybe you better clarify what you mean by all?” Ethan asked.

  Ivy gave them the number, which set off her brothers again. Grandma Ilene was getting a sweet little nest egg, although Ivy lost count of how much the dollar amount was when George added in his colorful opinion.

  “That little weasel,” Weston said. “We lost maybe a dozen head of cattle due to the harsh winter.”

  “So the ranch isn’t doomed for financial ruin?” Ivy asked again.

  “I’m gonna kill him,” Christian said.

  “Not if I get to him first,” Morgan murmured under his breath.

  “No, Ivy Girl,” Ethan said. “The BBR is actually doing pretty well. I’m so sorry you’ve been carrying that around for so long.”

  “If dad weren’t dead…” Weston said.

  “Well, he is,” Aunt Tillie said. “So please don’t let yourself become bitter.” She smiled at Ivy. “This is a happy time. Our Ivy is in love, and Kellen Thomas is a fine young man.”

  There was a marked silence, and once again Kellen was the recipient of hostile glares.

  “Okay,” Ethan said, rubbing his hands together. “Now that we’ve established our sister is an angel who would’ve sacrificed everything for her brothers, tell us how you two kids met?”

  Ivy giggled, and Kellen even smiled. Then they took turns talking about their whirlwind romance, and slowly she watched as her three oldest brothers softened toward him. Kellen completely won them over when he told them he’d be willing to come work for the BBR so he and Ivy could continue to date.

  “But you need to know I love Ivy, and when the time is right I plan on asking permission to marry her.”

  Morgan was the first to speak. “Not that we don’t appreciate the offer for you to work on the ranch, but you’ve got a nice place here.” He cleared his throat. “If Aunt Tillie doesn’t mind having Ivy stay with her a little longer, I think she should stay in Snow Valley so you two can keep…”

  “Dating?” Ivy said.

  “Yeah.”

  The rest of the evening went a lot smoother. Ivy couldn’t believe how unbelievably happy she was to have the financial burden lifted from her shoulders. It also helped that Kellen and her brothers were getting along, even after he’d declared his intention to ask her to marry him.

  They didn’t discuss everything about their future. Kellen still needed to make a decision about his education, and if the horse therapy program was a viable option. But without the fate of the ranch resting on Ivy’s shoulders, she and Kellen would have plenty of time to work through those things.

  George offered to put her brothers up for the night, and Ivy promised she’d come by bright and early to see them off. They weren’t very happy when Kellen said he was taking her home to Aunt Tillie’s. She could tell her brothers were tempted to follow them.

  Aunt Tillie must have sensed it too. “I do not want to see any one of you lurking around my house. I’m there to chaperone, and besides that I trust Kellen.”

  Ivy laughed when they arrived at Aunt Tillie’s and she bid them goodnight. “This is me chaperoning. I’m going to bed. Enjoy being together and lock the door when Kellen leaves.”

  The air had turned a little chilly, but Ivy wanted to sit on the bench swing hanging from one of the trees. She grabbed a blanket for them to wrap up in. They snuggled each other, cocooned in the warm blanket while the moon cast its soft light over them. They didn’t talk, just held each other and swayed back and forth. It was romantic, and reminded Ivy of the silly kissing list she’d lost.

  Although she wasn’t desperate to fulfill the kissing bucket list anymore, she knew that kissing on a swing under the moonlight had been on there, and she might as well check that one off.

  “I have a confession,” she said.

  The swing instantly stopped and Kellen glanced down at her with concern.

  “Okay.”

  “It’s not bad, just kind of silly.”

  “That’s a relief.” The swing started rocking back and forth again. He didn’t look away, but patiently waited for her to talk. “So, when I thought I was doomed to marry Corbin.”

  “Can we please not speak his name for a while?”

  “Yes.” Giving his hand a gentle squeeze, she moistened her lips and started over. “When I thought I was doomed to marry he who cannot be named.” That earned her a smile and quick peck on the lips. “I made up a kissing wish list of romantic ways I wished to be kissed before I married Cor… uh, he who cannot be named.”

  An uneasy look replaced the amusement in Kellen’s eyes. Ivy hurried so he’d know it wasn’t that big of a deal.

  “Anyway, I lost t
he list somewhere, but I remember wanting to be kissed under the moonlight on a swing like this.” She gave him a flirty smile, and waited for him to take the hint.

  His obvious discomfort was starting to worry her. He looked away and then reluctantly met her gaze. “I, uh, have a confession of my own,” he finally said. “I actually found your kissing wish list on the floor at Dove’s.”

  “You did?” She bit at her bottom lip, feeling a little embarrassed. “So you read everything on there?”

  “I kind of memorized it.”

  She stared at him in disbelief. “That was a long list.”

  “I know.” He smiled, and lifted one shoulder up. “I decided to see how close I could come to granting you some of your wishes, though they never seemed to work out quite like how I’d planned them.” He reached out and traced the curve of her cheek with his fingertip. “But it didn’t matter because I was already half in love with you when I started it, and completely in love when I forgot about the list, and just wanted to be with you.”

  The look of love that shone in Kellen’s eyes filled every part of her with a rush of emotions so powerful it left her breathless. But it was the hint of vulnerability she detected, like he wasn’t quite sure what she’d think about his revelation, that prompted her to let him know she’d never found a man more attractive then she did right now.

  “That, Kellen, is more romantic then any wish list that could ever be fulfilled,” she said softly. “I love you more just for that alone.”

  His lips curved up. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.” Her next move didn’t come from any book she’d read—it was spurred on by the need to be closer. Ivy pushed off the blanket, stood up, and repositioned herself on Kellen’s lap, slipping her arms around his neck. “But since you memorized my kissing wish list, how about making one more of my wishes come true?”

  Kellen’s blue eyes deepened in color. “Always,” he whispered and then pressed his mouth to hers and thoroughly kissed her.