Liam's Invented I-Do

by Liz Isaacson

  “That’s it?” Callie asked. “What do we do…with him?”

  Dr. Bellamisi glanced at Daddy and back to Callie. “I’m going to put him on a low-dose aspirin and some post-heart attack medication just to be safe. He should follow-up with his regular doctor immediately, and every couple of weeks for the first few months.” He looked down the row of sisters. “Can I talk to you outside?”

  “I’m not a child,” Daddy said. “You can say what needs to be said right here.”

  Gran snorted, but she didn’t wake up. Callie honestly couldn’t believe she could sleep through such ruckus, and she shook her head while Simone giggled.

  Callie laced her fingers through Liam’s again and said, “It’s okay to just tell us, Doctor.”

  “Your father was lucky,” he said. “A lot of people who have silent heart attacks never come in and they never know it. Then, the next attack is huge, and they then don’t have a chance to come in.” He held up his hands quickly. “I’m not saying that’s going to happen, but your father needs to be careful, and he needs to come to the emergency room the moment he feels anything abnormal.” He looked at Daddy. “A lot of the pain you described as indigestion or a pulled muscle in your back was the silent heart attack. Those pains can’t be ignored.”

  “All right,” Daddy said. “I won’t ignore them.”

  The doctor looked back at Callie, Evelyn, and Simone. “It’s my understanding he lives with his mother.”

  “No, she’s my mother’s mother,” Callie said, her voice tight.

  “He says she sleeps a lot,” Dr. Bellamisi said.

  “I’m sure she does,” Evelyn said. “She’s ninety-two years old.”

  “Ladies,” the doctor said. “The Good Lord must need your father here on the Earth a bit longer, then. Because it’s double lucky he had this attack while your grandmother was awake and could call the paramedics.”

  “I called emergency,” Simone said, her voice deathly quiet.

  “What?” Callie asked in tandem with everyone else.

  “Gran called.” Simone looked around, her eyes wide. “And she didn’t know what to do, and she wanted me to come take Daddy to the hospital. When she finally told me he had chest pains, I told her to call nine-one-one, but she didn’t want to. So I did.”

  Callie knew at that moment what the doctor was saying. “So they’ll come live at the ranch with me and Liam.” She turned to him. “Right, baby?”

  “Of course,” he said instantly, and Callie loved him even more for that. “We have plenty of room on the main floor.”

  “Right across the hall from your bedroom,” Evelyn said, her point silent but there.

  “It’s fine,” Callie said. “I’m not working the ranch anymore, and I can keep an eye on Daddy and make sure someone is there if he has another heart attack.” She switched her gaze back to the doctor and then Daddy. “Daddy, did you hear that?”

  “I’m not movin’ back to the ranch,” he said, his voice set on stubborn.

  No wonder the doctor wanted to talk to them in private. Her father could be a bit crotchety sometimes. Callie stepped over to him and covered his hand again. “Dad, yes you are. Gran can’t take care of you, and you might have another heart attack.”

  “We live about twenty minutes from the hospital,” Callie said. “They’re much closer here in town. Maybe they should just stay in the farmhouse.”

  “Ma’am,” the doctor said. “If your father has an attack that goes undetected for a few hours, he could suffer major damage.”

  Helplessness filled Callie. Gran definitely slept for a few hours every day. But Callie couldn’t be chained to the homestead either. And what if he had an attack in the middle of the night? She’d never know then.

  “There are options for in-home care, or even an assisted-living facility.”

  “Oh, boy,” Liam muttered at the same time Daddy nearly shot out of the bed.

  “I’m not goin’ into an old folks home,” he practically bellowed. “I’m only sixty-seven, for crying out loud.”

  “All right,” Callie said, putting one hand on his shoulder and pressing him back into the bed. “Do we have to talk about this right now?”

  “No.” The doctor backed up. “No, we don’t. I’ll have the nurse bring you some literature, and I’ll be back in a couple of hours to check on you again, Mister Foster.”

  Her father looked like he could make the young doctor poof into a cloud of smoke with just his eyes, and the awkwardness in the room didn’t lessen after the doctor left. Callie looked at her sisters, and then back to her dad.

  None of them were going to be the decision-makers. They’d always looked to Callie for such things.

  Yeah, and look how you ran the Shining Star into the ground.

  She hated the thought, and she did her best to silence it.

  “Okay,” she said, trying to find her confidence. “Evelyn, you need to get home to Rhett.”

  “Oh, he’s just outside on the phone. Something about a new case.”

  “Fine, whatever,” Callie said. “I think you should take Gran and your family home. There’s nothing any of you can do here.”

  Evelyn stepped next to Callie. “We’re fine.”

  “I know,” Callie said, smiling at her. “But you’ve been on your feet for a while, and I can see the exhaustion in your face. Go home. Take Gran with you. Make sure she’s okay.”

  Her sister nodded and moved around the bed to wake Gran.

  “Simone,” Callie started, but Simone silenced her with a glare. Callie’s thoughts switched quickly. “Will you stay with Daddy tonight? I’ll come spell you in the morning.”

  “Yes,” Simone said, nodding as her expression softened. “Y’all go on back to the ranch. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  “You didn’t,” Liam said, stepping next to Simone. “If you need something, call me. I have a million brothers who can bring you whatever you need. And Jeremiah never sleeps.” He grinned, and Simone smiled back at him.

  Callie looked at her father. “Okay, Daddy. Simone is going to stay with you tonight. We’ll all be back in the morning to see what the doctor says about going home.”

  Her father looked up at her, worry in his face. “I don’t want to make life harder for you, buggy.”

  “Daddy.” She pressed her forehead to his. “You aren’t. But you really need to think about coming back to the ranch, at least for a little while.”

  “I’ll think about it,” he said, and Callie straightened. She met Liam’s eye, and they left Simone in the room with her.

  Rhett had just joined Evelyn and was helping Gran shuffle along. He waved over his shoulder to Callie and Liam, and a measure of gratitude for the good neighbors the Lord had blessed her with filled Callie from head to toe.

  “Ready, sweetheart?” Liam asked.

  “Yes,” she said, looking at the man who had literally saved her life. Maybe his proposal had been convenient. Maybe their I-do had been invented in the beginning. But it sure wasn’t now—not for her. And she knew it never had been for Liam.

  She tucked herself into his side, hoping he knew she was as committed to him as he was to her. “Let’s go home.” She could show him then, and they could finish their conversation about having a family and building a life together.

  And the things that used to scare Callie suddenly held so much potential, so much hope.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  “All right,” Liam said. “That’s the last of it.” He looked around at the farmhouse where Callie’s father had been living for the last twelve years. It would need a good scrubbing from floor to ceiling, but Liam wasn’t going to let his wife lift a single sponge. She was already going to have her hands full with her father and grandmother, and Liam still had miles to go on his current leg of the movie he’d been working on steadily for the past month.

  But Simone lived on the ranch too, and Evelyn wasn’t due for another four months. Callie wasn’t alone, and that was the important thin
g. Her bees wouldn’t be here for a while either, and she’d spent the last month learning as much as she could about how ranch operations—and how to adopt a baby.

  Liam’s heart sped every time he thought about building a family with her, of becoming a father. They were still very early in the process, but the hope they both had seemed to double with each passing day.

  “Ready?”

  He blinked his way out of his thoughts to find Callie standing in front of him. Just like the first time he’d met her, she took his breath away. Her spirit was so full and so kind, and he wanted to do whatever he had to in order to be the best man he could be…for her. Because she deserved the best.

  “Yes,” he said, moving toward her.

  “Good, because Daddy is already complaining about how hot the homestead is.” She shook her head, though a smile graced her face. “I keep telling him I’ve upgraded the air conditioner since he left.”

  He reached her and gathered her into a hug. “Whatever happens, it’ll be fine.” They swayed together, and he adored the way Callie clung to him like she needed him. The way she pressed her face to his chest like she wanted to hear his heart beating.

  “I’m sorry about this,” she whispered, and it wasn’t the first time she’d apologized.

  “Baby.” He stepped back. “It’s going to be great.”

  “You don’t know my father all that well,” she said.

  “Cal.” He swallowed and put a smile on his face. “I’d do anything for you. It doesn’t matter if it’s easy or hard. Because me and you, we belong together. And we’re stronger together than we are apart. So whatever happens, it’ll be okay. Because we’ll still be together.”

  Her chin wobbled. “Do you really believe that?”

  “Absolutely I do.” And there was nothing invented about those two words. For him, there never had been.

  She nodded and tipped her faced back so Liam could kiss her, which he did. “I love you,” she whispered. “So much.”

  “And I love you, Callie, with my whole heart.” He kissed her again. “Now, did you order pizza on your app so we can pick it up on our way out?”

  She smiled at him. “I sure did. It’ll be ready in five minutes.”

  “Great.” Liam turned her toward the door. “Let’s hope my brothers don’t give your father another heart attack.”

  She giggled and snuggled into his side. “I’ll text Miah and tell him to tell everyone to take themselves down a notch.”

  “Do you think that’s possible?” Liam asked, and Callie shrugged as she continued laughing. “Because I’m not sure we Walkers know what quiet means.”

  “Hey, I’ve seen the lot of you be quiet…in church.”

  He chuckled and led her outside, thanking the Lord above for everything this woman had brought into his life—and that there was absolutely nothing invented between them.

  Keep reading to find out if another Walker brother can get his happily-ever-after in Three Rivers! Why has Whitney Wilde gone cold? And will Jeremiah actually do anything about it? Chapter one and two of JEREMIAH’S BOGUS BRIDE is next! Keep reading!

  I’m so happy for Liam and Callie! They really were made for each other. If you liked this book, please leave a review now.

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  Sneak Peek! Jeremiah’s Bogus Bride Chapter One

  Jeremiah Walker ignored Stony’s snuffle of displeasure as he strode past. “I have to get to town, Stony,” he said over his shoulder, wondering when his life had been reduced to talking to horses.

  Oh, that was right. When Whitney had gone completely cold and silent on him. When Liam and moved in with his wife next-door. When Micah had gone back to Temple and was still tying up loose ends.

  “Skyler’s coming home in a couple of days,” Jeremiah yelled to the horse, happier about his brother returning to Seven Sons than he dared to admit. Wyatt had gone back to normal, and he still hadn’t told anyone who he’d been sneaking off to see in the evenings. Jeremiah, of course, didn’t ask. He was just glad he didn’t have to spend his evenings alone anymore. Those couple of weeks in January had been dark, dark days for him.

  But with Skyler home, and Wyatt, Jeremiah had something to look forward to again. Rhett and Evelyn had taken a springtime trip to the Texas Hill Country to see the wildflowers bloom, and they’d be home by the time Skyler was too.

  Jeremiah had been planning a feast for the past week, and he needed to get to town to get the groceries. Orion and Dicky, Simon and Wallace, would handle all the chores on Wednesday, and Jeremiah would spend the day in the kitchen.

  Excitement ran through him—another indicator that his life had reached a low point. Who was actually excited to spend the day laboring in the kitchen?

  It wasn’t his lowest point ever, and for that, he was grateful.

  He showered quickly and swiped his truck keys from the peg by the door leading to the garage. He was the only one who parked in the garage, as he seemed to be the only permanent resident at the homestead. Wyatt had been there for a year and a half now, though. Jeremiah wondered if he’d spend the rest of his life alone. When Laura Ann had left, he’d thought he would.

  But now, with some time and distance between where he was now and that terrible moment when he realized his fiancée wasn’t going to come out and become his wife, he’d changed. Healed. Well, at least a little bit.

  His thoughts automatically betrayed him and went to Whitney Wilde. He may have put the truck into gear a little bit too hard with that woman in his mind, and he pressed his teeth together to get her to leave.

  Four months. That was how long it had been since he’d heard from her. And her sudden disappearance from his life made no sense. She’d called him for a solid six months before he’d allowed her onto the ranch to shoot.

  “She was using you,” he told himself for probably the hundredth time. But she hadn’t ever brought one of her brides. Or a family. Or anyone. She’d merely wandered the ranch with him, taking a picture for Liam, and poof. Disappeared.

  Jeremiah was still trying to figure out what he’d done wrong. He’d held her hand that night. Bought her dinner. Been a perfect gentleman, with great conversation, and laughter, and he’d even thought about kissing her.

  A scoff came out of his mouth, and he really wished he could get Whitney out of his mind. Funnily enough, when she’d been harassing him about shooting at the ranch, he never gave her a second thought. Even after he’d hung up on her.

  But now?

  Now she tormented him in his quiet moments and haunted him at other times. Even after four months, Jeremiah was still hung up on her.

  “That’s because you fall too hard, too fast,” he told himself as he caught sight of the outskirts of Three Rivers. He’d just get to Wilde & Organic before they closed, get everything he needed for the feast, and get back to the ranch.

  He went to town quite a bit, actually. Besides Wyatt, he was probably considered the most social. He was the public face of the ranch, and he went to ranch ownership meetings every other week. He attended church, though he still felt somewhat removed from the Lord. He did the shopping. He went to all the town celebrations. In fact, attending them had become somewhat of a family tradition.

  No, he didn’t go to the summer dances, which would be starting up again in about a month.

  “Maybe you should,” he told himself. But he couldn’t imagine finding someone his age at a dance in the park. That felt more like something people in their twenties did, and Jeremiah would be forty-three in August.

  Nope, he wasn’t going to go to the summer dances.

  He pulled into the parking lot at Wilde & Organic, thinking it would be darker than it was. He reminded himself that May had dawned last week, and maybe he hadn’t had to rush into town so quickly.

  Wilde & Organic was only open until eight o’clock, though, and he’d taken to shopping in the late afternoon or evenings to make sure he wouldn’t run into Whitney. She’d told
him once that she worked in the morning, stocking the produce before the store opened, so he wouldn’t see her if he shopped later in the day.

  Plus, he knew this was the perfect light she liked for shoots. “Golden hour,” he muttered to himself, sick of talking to horses or thin air.

  Determined not to say another word unless it was to a human, he headed for the store. He had a long list that included premium cuts of meat and at least twenty produce items. He loved everything about Wilde & Organic, and he wasn’t surprised to see Molly working the only register open. She didn’t look toward Jeremiah, but she’d chat him up as she rang him out.

  He liked Molly a lot, and she hadn’t acted differently toward Jeremiah in the last four months. Of course, no one had known about their relationship, if it could even be classified as such.

  He selected his honey whole wheat bread, a round of sourdough, plenty of cheese and lunch meat, a huge rack of lamb, pounds and pounds of organic chicken and ground beef, and then moved over to the produce section.

  “Shoppers, Wilde & Organic will be closing in fifteen minutes. Please make your final selections and make your way to check out four.”

  Jeremiah glanced up at the sound of the female voice, and he wondered how many people were still in the store. He hadn’t seen many people, and he was the only one left in the produce section.

  Working quickly now, he finished up his list, adding a bottle of mayonnaise last, and heading for the check out.

  “Jeremiah,” Molly said, that warm smile on her face. “How are you, darlin’?”