by Elle Linder
He sniffed her hair, wiggling his nose in her silky locks. He was smitten—more than smitten. But saying the L-word after five days was off-the-charts fast. It shouldn’t bother him. He was a grown man of thirty-three, not some overemotional teenager with whacked-out hormones. Duke knew what he wanted. If he revealed his heart to Cherish, would it scare her off?
Probably. Because falling in love after five days was insane.
He growled in frustration as Cherish jerked in his arms. He’d been spooning her all night.
“What’s wrong?” She yawned.
“Nothing, cupcake. Sorry I woke you.” Nice going, Duke.
“It’s okay.” She turned to face him. “Merry Christmas.”
He dropped a kiss on her swollen red lips. He may have kissed her too much last night. She surely never complained and matched his hunger in every way. “Merry Christmas, cupcake.” His lower region stirred as she molded her warm, naked body to his.
“Why’d you growl?”
“I’m not looking forward to leaving you tomorrow.” A half-truth but still the truth, right?
“Oh.” She stared into his eyes. “You’re going to call or text, right? I mean, if you have time.” She pressed her cheek into his chest and wrapped her arm around his waist, hugging him tightly. “Unless…” She stopped herself.
“Cherish, don’t even think it.”
She raised her head, eyes hesitant. “Think what?”
“That I won’t call. That this thing between us will end tomorrow. Not happening.” The mere thought of never seeing her again made his chest tighten and his stomach twist. This wasn’t the end of them. It couldn’t be.
“What is this thing?” She stared into his eyes, this time with a hopeful glint in them.
“The start of a beautiful, long-term relationship.”
A smile appeared on her beautiful face. “I like the sound of that. I like it a lot. How do you see us working?”
“Excellent question. One I don’t have an answer for. How do you want it to work?” He would do whatever she wanted—anything to be with her.
She thought for a moment. “I don’t have an answer either. I just know I’ll miss you like crazy. I worry the distance between us will be too much.” Her eyes filled with emotion. It put a lump in his throat.
“I feel exactly the same.”
“You do?” The surprise in her voice gave him hope. Maybe she was still holding back a bit because she thought he wasn’t all in.
“Yes, ma’am.” An idea jumped into his head. It might be outright crazy to even mention it, but at this rate, nothing about Cherish and him was normal. “I have an idea, but you might think it’s rushing things.”
She perked up in his arms. “I’m listening.”
Duke inhaled a deep breath. He’d never know if she’d agree if he didn’t take a chance. “Don’t return to Nebraska yet.”
She raised her eyebrows. “You want me to stay in Piper Ridge? For how long?”
“However long you want.” His heart thumped in his chest wildly. This could go one of two ways. She could be thrilled or run for the hills.
“Duke, I need to work. I have bills. And I couldn’t impose on my aunt and uncle long term.”
“Stay with me.” It was what he wanted. Her with him, always. Not at her uncle’s ranch.
She blinked her eyes as if she wasn’t sure she heard correctly.
“I’m serious, cupcake. Stay with me so we can give us a fair chance.” He touched his nose to hers. “I want you, Cherish, with every cell in my body. I feel it in my bones, darlin’. We’re meant to be together.”
She exhaled and placed her hand on his chest. “Wow, this is huge.”
He nodded. “It is.”
“Can you give me a little time to think it over? Don’t misunderstand.” She cradled the side of Duke’s face with her hand and stroked his cheek gently with her thumb. “I want to see where this might go.”
“Will go.”
She smiled. “But you should know, I’m not sure about having kids.” Tears pooled in her pretty eyes.
“What do you mean?” Duke wanted a family. He was under the impression Cherish did too. His gut twisted, fearing this could be a dealbreaker for one of them.
“I’m afraid of dying… like my momma during labor.” A tear rolled down her cheek.
Emotion bubbled in Duke’s chest. He held Cherish for a long spell, processing what she said. Granted, they hadn’t spoken much about her mother’s death. He hadn’t wanted to push Cherish about the details. Maybe he should’ve… a little.
“I understand how you feel, cupcake. Was it something hereditary that caused your mother’s death, like a condition?” His arms tightened around her. Was she ill and hadn’t told him? Would their time together be short term?
She shook her head. “No. Not that we know of. She went into cardiac arrest. As far as I know, my heart is healthy. I must sound silly, fearing something I’ve been assured wouldn’t happen.”
“Not at all. Your feelings are important to me. I want you to know, I want you more than kids.” The way his heart raced anxiously, he knew it had everything to do with the possibility of losing her. Kids would’ve been terrific, but they didn’t mean more to him than his heaven-sent Cherish.
“Duke, don’t say that. I saw you with Zeke’s kids. You would make a wonderful father.”
He pinched her chin between his fingers. “I’m thirty-three, Cherish. You’re the first woman to make me think of the future. Marriage and children. If we got married, we could adopt.”
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You’re open to adoption?”
“Absolutely. If it means getting to have you in my life, I will adopt in a heartbeat.”
She rolled onto her back. “Make love to me, Duke. I need to be close to you.”
“Does this mean you’ll stay?”
“I still need time, but you make me want to stay.”
“That’s good enough for me. I’ll change your mind.” He wiggled his eyebrows as he kissed down her chest. Duke was on a mission to make Cherish his.
And later on at Hart Ranch, he’d make his intentions known to her family. He only wished her father would be there.
Eleven
CHERISH’S FACE HURT from smiling. Christmas at Hart Ranch was unlike anything she had experienced back home. There were twice as many people in the house, for starters. Even with Tanner and Bailey missing. Dawson and Piper too. Holiday music played, and a pile of boxes and wrapping paper filled a corner of the living room after gifts were open. There was so much food, she probably gained ten pounds.
Lyla played with the Labradors, Smoke and Lace. Her infectious giggles were precious. The best part of the day was Duke by her side. This Christmas might go down as Cherish’s best one ever.
She leaned into Duke on the sofa. “We can go whenever you want.” They’d finished dinner an hour ago, and she wanted to be alone with Duke.
He kissed her temple.
“Check out the lovebirds,” Dylan said in a teasing voice. “So what’s up with you two?”
The room quieted, all eyes falling on Duke and her.
“Oh great,” she muttered. Darn Dylan always putting her on the spot. One of these days, she’d do the same to him. Of course he loved the attention and thrived on it. It would be futile to even try to knock him off-kilter.
“I’m glad you asked,” Duke replied and stood.
“What are you doing?” Her stomach flip-flopped.
He winked. “It’s all good, darlin’. Since most of Cherish’s family is present, save for her dad, I wanted to make my intentions known regarding Cherish.”
She blushed as all the women awwed. Granddad Merle and Uncle Conway crossed their arms over their chests at the same time. What was Duke going to say?
Duke reached for her hand.
She placed it in his and was helped up from the sofa. Duke wrapped his arm around her and gave her a chaste kiss. Being in his arms chased all her anxi
ety away. Amazing.
“You’re not going to propose to my cousin, are you? Don’t do it, man. You hardly know her.” Dylan shook his head as if utterly shocked.
“Dylan,” Auntie Elise hissed.
Cherish buried her face in Duke’s chest. “Please don’t do this,” she whispered. If Dylan had it right, and Duke was about to propose, she’d have to say no. She and Duke would both be embarrassed. This would go down as the worst Christmas ever.
“I’m not going to ask you to marry me after five days, cupcake,” he whispered back.
“Oh good.” Relief washed over her and her racing heart normalized.
Duke chuckled. “Dylan, relax, man. I’m not proposing.”
Granddad and Uncle Conway grunted to each other. Cherish suspected they were relieved like her. They didn’t know each other well enough. She would have refused, no question. Then everything would have been incredibly awkward.
Duke cleared his throat. “What I meant by intentions was, I’ve fallen hard and fast for this beautiful woman beside me. I’ve asked her to stay in Idaho… with me at my place. She’s considering it, but I wanted all of you to know I’m serious about Cherish. I care deeply for her, and I’ll do right by her.”
Well, Cherish’s heart swelled ten times the size, or it felt like it did. She also wished her daddy were here to meet her Duke.
“Holy crap, Duke!” Dylan gasped with an exaggerated facial expression. “You might as well have proposed. The folks here don’t take kindly to people living in sin.”
Duke paled. “I… oh,” he stuttered.
Sofie elbowed Dylan, who started laughing. “Stop. It.”
“Dylan Michael Hart, don’t be a brat,” Auntie Elise said in a chastising voice. “Duke, you and Cherish are free to live your lives as you please. Don’t listen to a word my youngest son says.”
“Sorry, Duke. Couldn’t help myself. It’s all good. Live in sin all you want.” Dylan smirked and wrapped an arm around a scowling Sofie. Those two. Would they ever give in to their feelings?
“Let me speak for my family.” Granddad stepped forward. “I am the head of it.” He issued Cherish a reassuring wink.
He was quite the rancher. Even into his seventies, he still worked every day. When her daddy wasn’t himself, Granddad had made sure Cherish wasn’t neglected. She was his sidekick. Always had been, even when Chance and Cady came into the picture. All these years later, she was still his sidekick. If she moved to Idaho to be with Duke, she would miss her grandparents most.
The family watched wide-eyed as Granddad extended a hand to Duke, and they shook. Merle Hart wasn’t a big talker. Not one to “waste words or oxygen,” as he liked to say, so when he spoke, everyone listened.
“My Cherish is the apple of my eye. Since the day she was born, her sunny face brightened my life. If she chooses to move to Idaho, I’ll miss the hell out of her, but I’ll support my girl.” He tapped the tip of her nose with his finger like he had a million times before. A love tap, he called it.
Tears burned behind her eyes. The scene squeezed her heart, seeing Granddad face-to-face with the man who’d swept her off her feet. The man who felt like home when in his arms and calmed her anxious spirit. The man she saw as her future.
“Make her happy, Duke, and you and I won’t have any problems. Break her heart, and the whole Hart family will have a problem with you—her daddy especially.”
“Sir, I promise to make her exceedingly happy.” Duke smiled at her.
“I’m absolutely delighted.” Grandma Peggy appeared, dangling a mistletoe ball from the wedding. “Now, Duke and Cherish, seal it with a kiss in front of all of us.”
“Yeah, lovebirds, give us a show!” Dylan clapped and several laughed at him.
“Come on, cupcake, you heard them. Let’s give your family a show. Mrs. Hart, please hold that kissing ball over Cherish’s head.”
“My pleasure, son.”
Duke pulled Cherish into his arms, smashed his lips to hers, and dipped her. He didn’t hold back, kissing her passionately. She enjoyed every bit of it.
“Y’all better be recording this so we can send the video to Hudson,” Grandma Peggy told the group.
“I got you covered, Grandma,” Dylan replied. “Uncle Hudson will shit bricks when he sees it.”
“Dylan!” Auntie Elise exclaimed.
Cherish and Duke laughed into each other’s mouths but didn’t end the show. She had her arms securely wrapped around his neck, wholly enjoying the moment.
Tori giggled. “Sofie and I are taking pictures, Grandma.”
“Mercy, I need a beer,” Uncle Conway mumbled. “Who else wants one?”
“Me!” was shouted from around the room.
For the entire kiss, Cherish’s family made silly and sweet comments. Leave it to Dylan to influence the others.
“Do you think they’ll need oxygen when they finally stop?” Dylan asked.
“This is a movie-worthy kiss,” Sofie said, snickering.
“They are precious, so precious,” Grandma Peggy swooned.
Granddad grunted. “Too loud for my taste. Conway, hurry up with that beer,” he grumbled. “And bring the whiskey too. Mercy, kids today.”
“We have no sense of propriety, Granddad,” Dylan cut in, amusement in his voice. This aught-a be good. “We’re heathens going straight to hell, especially Duke and Cherish for their lascivious conduct in front of the family.” Dylan snorted, rousing chuckles in the room. “And on Christmas no less. Oh, the shame. The Hart family name is ruined…”
“Dylan!” all the women shouted through their laughter.
His comment made Cherish giggle. “Are you sure you wanna get mixed up with a girl who has a crazy family?”
Duke pressed his forehead to hers. “More than anything, cupcake.”
She pulled back to stare into his glittering blue depths. “You’re a brave one. Dawson and Piper aren’t even here. Neither is Tanner and Bailey.”
“Nah, I’m smitten.”
It truly was the best Christmas of her life.
Twelve
One year later, Christmas Day…
HUDSON HART STARED into Duke’s eyes with a severe glint. Duke had just asked the serious rancher for his blessing to marry his daughter and had yet to get an answer. He admired that every Hart man had an intimidating side. They loved fiercely and were loyal and well-respected in their families and communities.
Duke and Cherish had flown out to spend Christmas with her family. It’d been his suggestion because he wanted to propose to her after getting her dad’s blessing. He and Cherish had been talking about getting married for a few months. He was confident she’d say yes, but Duke was an old-fashioned fellow. That meant asking for Hudson’s permission to marry his daughter.
“I can see how much you love her.” Hudson swallowed, blinking back his emotion. “Hell, every time I talk to her on the phone, she sounds the happiest I’ve ever heard her. It’s because of you. She’s madly in love with you, so she tells me.”
Duke’s chest warmed, knowing all too well how much his cupcake loved him. “I feel the same way, sir. Cherish is it for me. I want it all with her.”
They were in the stables where they’d have a little privacy. Duke had told Cherish he had something to talk to her dad about. He suspected she had an idea what he was doing. She could read him like a book. Goes to show what being with the right person was like. He was the luckiest man on the planet.
Hudson nodded, gripping the back of his neck. “I haven’t always been the best father. I pushed her away at times. I’m damn sorry about it too. She reminds me of her momma. It’s not her fault I haven’t dealt with my feelings very well. All these years later, I still miss Mary Beth.”
Duke swallowed. Observing Hudson get emotional and owning his shortcomings wasn’t easy. “I understand. I miss my parents. It’s not the same kind of loss, I know. If I lost Cherish… I don’t want to imagine it.”
Hudson dragged his hand across hi
s face. “I used to watch my little girl tiptoe around me. She stayed out of the way. Kept to herself. I’ve seen her do a one-eighty over the last year. It makes me happy about as much as it hurts my heart.”
“Sir, I don’t understand.”
“It took thirty-one years for the right man to make her light up like a Christmas tree. My baby girl should’ve been smiling the way she does with you her whole life.” Hudson gripped Duke’s shoulder firmly, tears brimming in his dark eyes. “You asked for my blessing to marry my baby girl.” A tear slipped out of the corner of his eye. “Son, you have it, along with my respect and gratitude.” Hudson hugged Duke.
Relief washed over Duke. “Thank you, sir. I promise to take care of her and make her happy.”
“I know you will. I’ve seen it all the way over here. Now go ask her. Grandma Peggy has two bottles of champagne chilling in the fridge out here.” He chuckled, wiping under his eyes.
Duke laughed. Peggy never ceased to surprise him. “Is that right?”
“Yep. When I asked about it, she blew me off, saying she liked to be prepared.”
“Amazing. Well, I have the ring, right here.” He patted his coat pocket.
“Then let’s get inside. I’m sure they’re wondering what’s taking so long. I’ll grab the champagne.”
A few minutes later, Duke was down on one knee in front of the woman of his dreams, with her family surrounding them. Cherish beamed with happy tears.
“Yes, Duke Landon, I will marry you.”
He slid the three-carat diamond solitaire on her finger, stood, and wrapped his arms around his fiancée.
Clapping filled the room as he kissed Cherish under the mistletoe. When Cherish and Duke arrived two days ago, Grandma Peggy had pulled him aside and said, “If you’re planning to propose to my Cherish, make sure you do it under the mistletoe. I hung it in the entry just for the two of you. She’ll love it.”
Well, Duke loved the special meaning that little kissing ball meant to Cherish and him. It only seemed fitting he proposed under it.