by Jean Oram
“I should have left that ring on you so you’d have to find someone to marry you.” Carly lifted her chin with that defiant smugness he adored. He slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her close as he nuzzled her neck, breathing her in.
“It was the wrong finger.”
“So? In Sweetheart Creek people don’t care about those kinds of details.”
“And who do you think might be interested in helping me out with something like a reputation-saving marriage?”
“I told you a long time ago that if you ever—”
He kissed her, then said, “We haven’t known each other that long.”
“—asked me to marry you I would punt you to the next county, and then some.”
“I don’t think that’s a direct quote.”
“Do I need to get my gun so you understand how serious I am about not marrying you?”
He laughed, rocking her in his arms. “Okay, okay. But so you know, I want to keep you on the right side of the law. The penitentiary visitation schedule doesn’t mesh well with teaching high school.”
“Seriously?” She tried to pull out of his arms at the teasing, but he held her tight and she melted into the embrace again.
“You could marry me. Two tainted reputations…” He let his voice trail off dramatically.
“Why don’t we start with first things first.”
“Okay. What’s number one?”
“I agree to take you back for a second chance.”
“That would be good. So today you become my girlfriend again.”
“Yes.”
“And tomorrow we get engaged, and the day after that we get married?”
“Let’s just take it one day at a time.”
“I thought I was.”
She gave him a sly smile he couldn’t quite interpret. But before he could puzzle out what she had in mind for their future, she gave him a kiss that obliterated all thought as her mouth angled over his. A perfect match.
Like Carly, the kiss was unrivaled and beyond compare. Simply the best he’d ever had, and he looked forward to a lifetime of many more of them, each one better than the last.
Epilogue
Christmas Day
Brant Wylder
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Brant stood in the middle of the Wylders’ ranch house living room. A fire was crackling in the fireplace behind him, Levi having stoked the flames. His brother sat shoulder to shoulder with Laura, whispering and laughing quietly.
Across the room Myles and Karen were slow dancing to an old record that Carmichael had put on. He’d been sipping eggnog but had his eyes closed now, no doubt remembering moving to the songs with his late wife, Ruth.
On the walkway above the sunken living room, Ryan and Carly were standing nose to nose, hands on their hips, chewing each other out. Brant knew that moments from now they’d have their hands tangled in each other’s hair and be kissing as though the world was about to end and the only way to save it was to keep doing so.
His mom was bustling about in the kitchen and the Christmas tree was twinkling merrily beside him, the gifts beneath it having been opened earlier in the day. He’d popped by April’s in the morning, delighting in Kurt’s excitement over Santa having come. April and Heath were officially divorced, and right now she was sitting on the love seat near the tree, looking more relaxed than she had in months as she watched Kurt play with some horse figurines Carmichael had given him.
Brant had helped her feel this way and his heart swelled whenever he looked at her. She was beautiful, a woman with a strength he admired, no longer that scrawny kid with messy braids tagging along behind him and his brothers on the ranch.
He’d always been her confidant, not the one she’d flirted with, not her first kiss, like Cole had been. Brant was more than that. He was her rock, the one she came to in heartbreak and crisis. And over the past several months, she had shown him he was still that person, not just for her, but for her son, too. Brant had given them a safe home and provided April with a job in his veterinary clinic. Now he was ready to offer her more.
But was she ready? Did she see him as someone to lean on in a crisis and nothing more? Or did she feel what he did? That undeniable connection, the arc of electricity that happened whenever they touched?
April noticed him watching her, and her expression warmed as she patted the spot beside her on the love seat. He took the invitation, crossing the room to sit beside her. With both Cole and Heath out of the equation, maybe it was his chance to finally show her how he’d felt for years. He was a stable man she could rely on and trust. A man who would do right by her now that she seemed ready to let go of her wilder side and settle down.
Her figure had rounded out after having Kurt, giving her lush curves that were feminine and erotic, sexy and welcoming.
“Hey,” he said, clearing a frog from his throat.
Her fingers clasped the simple locket he’d given her for Christmas. He’d asked the jeweler to place a photo of herself holding a newborn Kurt in it. She’d teared up when she’d opened it, then thrown her arms around him. Brant hoped it was the first of many pieces of jewelry he would give her on Christmases to come.
“Hey, stranger,” she said, her lashes fluttering down as though she suddenly felt shy.
He was tempted to tug on a lock of her hair and use her childhood nickname to highlight the fact that their histories were intertwined, one and the same when it came to the most important threads. He was more than just the caring boy she’d grown up with, more than the shoulder she cried on.
It was time to act on the heat that had been simmering between them.
He gently took her chin between his index finger and thumb, and turned her toward him. Her lips parted in anticipation as he angled her face to line up with his. He lowered his lips to hers, a soft kiss. It was innocent and sweet, and not the kiss he intended to give her when they had more privacy.
He jolted, realizing he’d kissed her where anyone there could have seen, including Kurt. No doubt she didn’t want to confuse her son, and Brant had just blotted out the entire world except for what he wanted. That kiss.
He wanted another.
April kept her lashes lowered and gently locked their hands together, sliding them between his thigh and hers, hiding the small embrace from view. Her palm was warm against his own. He gave it a squeeze, feeling as though he needed to look away before the moment vanished, a trick of the eye, a wishful dream, a fantasy.
Ryan and Carly were now cuddling, their arms around each other’s waists. He’d noticed Ryan had given her a charm bracelet earlier in the day as a Christmas gift, and the two were smiling. Ryan caught Brant’s eye and gave him a questioning look, his head tipped toward April. It was one of approval but also full of questions Brant couldn’t yet answer.
April gave his hand another squeeze, and he glanced back at her. Her cheeks were pink, her eyes bright, her smile sure.
She looked calm and at ease, not at all the way he remembered her around Heath. She’d always seemed as though she was waiting for the other shoe to drop, always braced for the wild side to come out and take her for a ride.
“Supper’ll be ready in less than five,” Maria called from the kitchen doorway. Bingo, the rescue dog Brant had given his mother a few days prior, sat at attention beside her, surveying the room before looking up at Maria with an adoring look. The two had bonded quickly, the neglected dog lapping up Maria’s love as her mothering instincts had kicked in upon seeing the skinny, dirty animal. The black-and-white pointer mix was already looking healthier.
“Can I help?” Laura asked, popping to her feet. She had become close with Maria, the two of them often working on ranch meals together, but half an hour ago Maria had shooed her into the living room as she put the final touches on the supper herself.
“Thanks, Laura. I’ve got it.” She wiped her hands on the apron around her waist, her cheeks rosy from the warmth of the kitchen.
The front door burst open an
d Maria glanced up, her entire being alert as though expecting Santa Claus himself.
It was Uncle Henry and Jackie.
“Hey, guys, sorry it took us a while,” Jackie said cheerfully as she slipped out of her coat.
“Jackie managed to hit the ditch trying to avoid Bill,” Henry proclaimed, leaving the door open a crack so the ranch dogs, who had nosed their way in, could exit again.
“I wish armadillos hibernated,” she muttered. “He’s such a menace.”
“Is your car okay?” Brant asked. Some of the Hill Country ditches were steep enough to take out the oil pan or smash a bumper on a car as small as hers.
She waved away his concerns. “Nothing a little duct tape and twine won’t fix.”
“Spoken like a true cowgirl,” Myles said with a laugh.
Henry harrumphed. “She darn near killed me with her reckless driving.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you wanted fresh armadillo for Christmas dinner,” she said, leaving Henry scowling and the gathered Wylders laughing.
Jackie’s gaze honed in on Brant and April, who were still on the love seat, holding hands.
“I saved you seats at the football games,” she said simply, blinking at them as though stupefied. “Am I four-for-four?”
All eyes turned toward Brant and April, and he felt his body heat as well as the desire to hide their clasped hands. He knew if he wasn’t careful about dating April it would look as though he had broken up her marriage. In a small town it didn’t matter if a union was obviously ready for Breakupville pretty much the day the couple had agreed to marry. He’d still be the one blamed.
The door swung all the way open again, and Brant felt the energy of the room shift as everyone gasped, Maria the loudest and happiest of all.
“Who did you save those seats for?” Cole asked, standing in the doorway. His build was stronger and more filled out, his confidence and appeal larger than when he’d left Sweetheart Creek almost five years ago.
Brant felt April’s hand slip from his and Carmichael’s record stopped playing.
While Brant had often encouraged his brother to return home, right now Cole was the last person on earth he wanted to see darkening the doorway of the Sweet Meadows Ranch.
Thank you for reading THE COWBOY’S SECOND CHANCE. I hope you loved Ryan and Carly’s story! Find out what happens to Ryan’s brother Brant in the next book as this cowboy falls for the single mom April in THE COWBOY’S SWEET ELOPEMENT.
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Brant is ready to give his heart away to April, but is this single mom prepared to give love another chance?
Click to start reading THE COWBOY’S SWEET ELOPEMENT!
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More Books by Jean Oram
New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author
Find a full, up-to-date book list at www.jeanoram.com/books
Discover all of the Sweetheart Creek books in the series:
The Cowboys of Sweetheart Creek, Texas
The Cowboy’s Stolen Heart (Levi)
The Cowboy’s Secret Wish (Myles)
The Cowboy’s Second Chance (Ryan)
The Cowboy’s Sweet Elopement (Brant)
The Cowboy’s Surprise Return (Cole)
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There are more Sweetheart Creek stories set in Indigo Bay! Their mom has her own special story, Sweet Joymaker. Their cousin Nick’s story is Sweet Troublemaker. And you can’t forget about the Wylders’ cousin Alexa! Her story is Sweet Holiday Surprise. (Links below.)
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Indigo Bay
Sweet romances set in a beach town—meet characters new and old in this spinoff series.
Sweet Matchmaker (Ginger and Logan)
Sweet Holiday Surprise (Cash & Alexa)
Sweet Forgiveness (Ashton & Zoe)
Sweet Troublemaker (Nick & Polly)
Sweet Joymaker (Maria & Clint)
Veils and Vows
Marriage of convenience romances set in one nosy little mountain town—you know things are going to get good!
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The Promise (Bonus prequel: Devon & Olivia)
The Surprise Wedding (Devon & Olivia)
A Pinch of Commitment (Ethan & Lily)
The Wedding Plan (Luke & Emma)
Accidentally Married (Burke & Jill)
The Marriage Pledge (Moe & Amy)
Mail Order Soulmate (Zach & Catherine)
Blueberry Springs
Sweet, fun small town romances.
Fall for your best friend. Your enemy. The wrong man… it all happens in Blueberry Springs.
Whiskey and Gumdrops (Mandy & Frankie)
Rum and Raindrops (Jen & Rob)
Eggnog and Candy Canes (Katie & Nash)
Sweet Treats (3 short stories—Mandy, Amber, & Nicola)
Vodka and Chocolate Drops (Amber & Scott)
Tequila and Candy Drops (Nicola & Todd)
Champagne and Lemon Drops (Beth & Oz) Also available in audio.
The Summer Sisters
Taming billionaires has never been so sweet!
One cottage. Four sisters. And four billionaires who sweep them off their feet.
Falling for the Movie Star (Finian & Hailey)
Falling for the Boss (Connor & Maya)
Falling for the Single Dad (Tristen & Melanie)
Falling for the Bodyguard (Evander & Daphne)
Falling for the Firefighter (Josh & Simone)
* Also watch for audiobooks, paperbacks, and special box set anthologies! *
For the Kids
1,001 Boredom Busting Play Ideas
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About the Author
Jean Oram is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author. Inspiration for her small town series came from her own upbringing on the Canadian prairies. Although, so far, none of her characters have grown up in an old schoolhouse or worked on a bee farm. Jean still lives on the prairie with her husband, two kids, big shaggy dog and persnickety cat, where she can be found out playing in the snow, hiking, or wondering what makes cowboys tick.
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Website & blog: www.jeanoram.com
Thanks for reading.
XO
Jean