In Bed with the Rancher

by Sara Orwig

  He leaned back to look at her and wiped her tears. “Why are you crying? We can have kids. I want to marry you.”

  He tightened his arms, leaned over her to kiss her and she knew that the love of her life was holding her tightly, kissing her, going to marry her and they would have the family she had dreamed about.

  “I’m so happy,” she said, sobbing with relief and joy and amazement as she clung to him and kissed him.

  She felt bereft when he stepped out of her embrace and went down on one knee. He dug something out of his pocket and looked up at her. “I love you, Ava Carter. I love you with all my heart. I can’t live without you. Marry me and let’s have all the babies you want. Ava, will you marry me?”

  She was crying and laughing at the same time and she couldn’t believe what he was saying, but she didn’t doubt that he meant every word. Her heart pounded with joy. “You’ll be okay with it if I want six kids?”

  “I’ll be overjoyed because I’ll be with you. I love you, my darling, and I’ll ask you again, will you marry me?”

  “Yes, I’ll marry you. I love you,” she exclaimed.

  He held out a box wrapped in white paper and tied with a pink bow. She took it and opened it, her heart drumming. She gasped and looked at him and then back at a gorgeous, huge diamond set in a gold band. “This is beautiful.”

  He stood and took the ring from her to slip it on her finger. She looked up into his dark eyes and she smiled. “I’ve missed you so.”

  “Not anywhere like I’ve missed you. I’ve been miserable. I was so scared I’d lost you forever. I love you with all my heart and want you in my life, in my arms always.” He tightened his arms around her.

  She looked down at her ring, then back up at him. “I’ve dreamed of this moment, I can’t tell you how many times, but I never expected you to change your opinions on marriage and children. Why, Wade?”

  “A man can change. Olivia has changed my brother, and you’ve changed me.” He told her about Wynn’s visit to the ranch and how he seemed like a different man when he left the Bar S. “I realize there’s truth to what you’ve been saying all along. Family is the most important thing. And our kids will be good people, just like you. I love you, Ava, and I’ll never tire of calling you my wife and the mother of my children.”

  He kissed her then, a long, passionate kiss that made her feel totally wanted and loved. She clung to him, her heart pounding with joy, with love for him, with happiness for their future.

  “I have one request,” she said when she could manage to speak. “I want a wedding soon.”

  He smiled. “We won’t interfere with the date Wynn and Olivia have picked—December twentieth—but I think we can make it a quick wedding. And I’ll take you anywhere you’d like to go for a honeymoon.”

  “How about a wedding in early November?”

  “That’s fine with me.” He chuckled. “That was easy.”

  “It’s easy for me to pick a date because I don’t have family to worry about.”

  “You do now, Ava.” He picked her up in his arms, kissed her and carried her to her bedroom.

  She clung to him as they kissed. He stood her on her feet and held her tightly. She opened her eyes to look at him and at her ring that glittered in the soft light. “Ah, I love you and you’ve made me the happiest woman on earth.”

  He laughed. “Have you stopped to think a minute about the future? Can you live on a ranch?”

  “If it’s with you, yes, I can. I might get that teaching certificate because I’ll bet there’s a little country school somewhere near your ranch where I could teach.”

  “As a matter of fact, there is. There’s a little town with a school. Great idea.”

  “I’ll keep my place near Persimmon for a retreat. A retreat that maybe we can fill with kids,” she said, smiling at him.

  He pulled her close. “I can’t wait to show you the Bar S.”

  “Do you have a guest house?” she asked as he showered kisses on her ear and neck and nape while his hands moved over her.

  “Yes, I have three guest houses.”

  “I want to invite Gerald and Molly to visit us.”

  “You can have anybody you want,” he whispered and leaned back to look at her. “You’re beautiful and I love you and you really have made me the happiest man on earth now.”

  “Wait until we have a family. You’ll really know happiness then. It’ll be good, Wade, I promise.”

  He laughed. “You can’t promise that. There are no guarantees in life like that.”

  “Want to bet? Watch me. You’ll be happy.”

  He laughed again until she pulled his head down to kiss him. She held him tightly while her heart pounded with joy. She would have the love of her life and she would have a family.

  * * *

  In the Return of the Texas Heirs series from

  USA TODAY bestselling author Sara Orwig,

  four rich ranchers return home to build

  a new rodeo facility.

  Look for all four stories!

  In Bed with the Rancher

  One Wild Texas Night

  (available September 2020)

  Luke’s story and Cal’s story,

  coming March and April 2021!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Sin City Seduction by Zuri Day.

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  Sin City Seduction

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  One

  Clear skies. Light breeze. Bright sun. Firm snow. Noah Breedlove stood near the summit of the mountain and felt he was on top of the world. He was one opponent and a council vote away from closing his first solo business deal in a city that detractors had deemed off-limits to CANN International. Had they missed the meaning behind the company name, to have the skill, power or ability to do anything? That Breedloves could and did, every single day? Just as he’d vanquished almost every obstacle in the boardroom, all save that one lonely holdout, he now stood ready to conquer this legendary mountain in Manning Valley, two hours away from Salt Lake City. Hopefully the adventuresome trip down the mountain would clear his head and help ease the stress he felt at trying to close the biggest deal he’d ever done.

  “You ready?”

  Noah looked at Cole, the friend who’d introduced him to skiing, with a trademark Breedlove smile—twinkling eyes, winking dimple, sparkling teeth.

  “Born that way.”

  “I know you’re a pro, bro, but be careful,” Cole said. “The speed of this mountain has felled lesser men.”

  Noah surveyed the terrain marked on maps by a double black diamond, a designation given to a resort’s toughest runs. Narrow slopes, wicked turns and a virtual obstacle course of tall pines and craggy rocks loomed before him. Noah wasn’t worried. He might look like a daredevil but really he wasn’t. It was confidence in skill level and preparation that fueled his desire. Okay, maybe a tiny part of it was due to the thrill. If life weren’t dangerous, it wouldn’t be fun.

  They pushed off, straight down the chute. Noah tucked his poles and flew like the wind. He slid around trees and jumped over rocks, his lithe, toned body soaring before landing with ease. Life was perfect! Couldn’t be better!

  They didn’t see the thin white rope until right up on it. Cole managed to ski around it. Noah jumped it but his ski caught, causing a forty-foot tumble. His world went black.

  * * *

  Damaris Glen looked up as a bustle of activity interrupted an otherwise quiet evening. She was already halfway out of her chair when her assistant nurse and new
found friend, Wendy, stuck her head through the office door.

  “What do we have?” Damaris asked, quickly checking for her stethoscope and stuffing a notepad and pen in her pocket as they sped toward the emergency department’s lobby.

  “Skiing accident. EMT’s en route.”

  “How serious?”

  “The patient’s unconscious.” Wendy’s voice was casual, but her cornflower blue eyes conveyed a concern that was anything but.

  “Dr. Noble?”

  “Left an hour ago,” Wendy continued at Damaris’s questioning glance. She shrugged. “Slow night. He’s on his way back now.”

  Damaris’s heartbeat quickened. This was the first week not shadowing Ella, her supervisor. Her first night in charge of the team. Though she’d been extensively trained in how to receive and perform the intake and treatment on trauma patients, it was something nurses did only when a doctor wasn’t present. Or on call. Like tonight. “Rarely happens,” was Ella’s answer when Damaris had presented this very scenario. Meanwhile “rarely” lay on a stretcher with an EMT beside him.

  A calm settled around her shoulders as Damaris approached. She made eye contact with the EMT and gave a quick nod, but her first words were to the man lying prone on the gurney.

  “Hello, are you awake? Can you hear me?” She placed a palm on his forehead, her other thumb on a wrist, taking his pulse. She was every inch the professional, but still, it registered that beneath the cuts and bruises was a very handsome man. Barely noted. Not acknowledged. Doing such was hardly a part of her job.

  She looked at the EMT. “Has he spoken at all?”

  The woman shook her head. “All of what we obtained came from the friend skiing with him. It’s all here.” She held out the report containing information gathered en route.

  Damaris scanned the paper. “Vitals?”

  “Stabilized,” the EMT said.

  “Do we know how the accident happened?”

  “The friend who called 911 said a line of some kind was obstructing the trail, too thin to see until they were right up on it. He was far enough behind our guy here to clear the obstruction, once he knew it was there.”

  “Where is this friend?”

  An obviously distraught man came around the corner and rushed toward them. “Is he awake? Noah!” He stepped toward the stretcher.

  Damaris placed a hand on his shoulder as she spoke to the EMT. “We’ll take it from here. Thanks.”

  She turned back to the harried-looking man still wearing skiwear and boots. “Are you the friend who called for help?”

  He nodded.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Cole.” His voice crackled with emotion as he looked over her shoulder. “Is he going to be okay?”

  “He’s stabilized and we’re doing all we can. The doctor is on his way. I know this is hard but, please, try to calm down. We’ll need you to tell the doctor everything you can remember,” she continued, her voice low and soothing.

  Cole nodded. “His name is Noah. Everything happened so fast! I called his family and they’re on their way but we live in Nevada so it’s going to take a while for them to get here. I’m the one who got him into skiing and if anything happens...”

  Working as a trauma nurse was understandably difficult and dealing with the patients’ loved ones was one of the hardest parts.

  “We’re going to do everything we can to help...Noah...right?”

  “Yeah.”

  Damaris watched the distraught man gain control of his emotions, almost angrily swiping tears from his face. She gave his arm a comforting squeeze.

  The sliding glass doors opened. A blast of cold air lifted the curls from Damaris’s face. “Dr. Noble.”

  A thin man with wire-rimmed glasses and a friendly face walked over, his eyes on the stretcher. “Any change?”

  Damaris quickly updated the doctor. The friend, Cole, now calmer, filled in the blanks not known by the EMT.

  Dr. Noble turned to Damaris. “We need a CAT scan and a complete set of X-rays stat.”

  “Right away, Doctor.”

  The doctor left to check on other patients. Within minutes a technician arrived. Damaris directed the move to another room, where the patient was transferred to a trauma X-ray stretcher so that his spine could be viewed and analyzed while lying down. Damaris stayed beside the man she now knew as Noah, explaining procedures and offering encouragement even though he’d not moved. The technicians finished their work. Cole left to contact the family and give them an update. Damaris stayed, monitored his vitals and kept talking.

  “Some believe that when our body shuts down and our mind closes out the rest of the world, it is so the body can protect itself, take an assessment of the situation and begin healing.”

  She watched his face for a twitch, a flutter, any movement to indicate he may have heard her. Nothing. Again, she was struck by the sharp, arresting features discernible beneath the bruising and scars. As she took a cursory examination of these facial wounds, she felt a stirring in her heart for this stranger that seeped into her soul, a stake so immediately and deeply invested in his recovery that it scared her. I’m a caring, compassionate nurse, passionate about healing. Healing, not heartthrobs, she told herself. Of course she’d care. It was her empathetic nature and when it came to the welfare of her patients she’d always felt this way. Hadn’t she? Not really, but she forced herself to ignore this fact. There was no point in developing feelings for someone outside her faith. She’d done that once before and it had cost her. Big-time. She was still weighed down by the guilt.

  “Noah, your friend Cole has contacted your parents. I’m sure they’re on their way. My name is Damaris but that’s a mouthful so most people call me Dee. I’m the lead nurse this shift and am here to keep an eye on you until the doctor returns and your family arrives. I hope you won’t mind that I say a little prayer that by the time they get here, you will have regained consciousness.”

  Like many citizens of the Beehive State, religion was a central part of Damaris’s family and very important to her. She believed in Western medicine and its power to heal, but felt it didn’t hurt to add a little faith. Closing her eyes, she whispered a quick prayer. A strong sensation caused her to open them before she’d said amen. Staring back at her was the most beautiful pair of eyes she’d ever seen.

  “You’re awake.”

  She watched him swallow, attempting to talk.

  “Do you remember what happened?”

  He shook his head.

  “You were skiing with your friend Cole and took a bad fall,” she said, answering the question in his eyes as she reached his bedside and rang the nurses’ station. “Your mouth is probably dry and you may be thirsty but I’m afraid I can’t offer you water right now.”

  The intercom dinged. “Yes?”

  “Wendy, can you tell the doctor that our patient is awake?”

  “Sure.”

  Damaris returned her attention to Noah. “The doctor will be here shortly.”

  She noted that along with the large cuts on his forehead and chin, his lips were dry and cracked. “You’ve got a couple nasty cuts,” she continued, crossing over to a set of drawers and retrieving several items. “I’ll clean them out and apply medication that I hope will make them feel a little better.”

  He watched her every move. She knew it. Not because she possessed eyes in the back of her head, as her mom did, but because the intensity in those dark brown orbs felt like lasers at her back. No doubt he was in pain, probably confused, too. Still, he hadn’t asked a question. Hadn’t made a sound. Shock? Calm personality? Who knew? She’d be distraught.

  After gathering cotton swabs, astringent and other medications, and a towel, Damaris filled a small paper cup with water and placed everything on a steel tray that she wheeled next to the bed. She dabbed a corner of the towel into t
he water.

  “This will help the dryness a bit.”

  She reached toward his mouth. His hand shot up. The move was quick, unexpected. His eyes, searching, lips, moving, trying to talk.

  “Is there pain?” Damaris asked.

  He shook his head.

  “Thirsty? Anxious?”

  No on both counts.

  She watched as he flicked his tongue against the lips she would have dampened, cleared his throat and uttered his first words since entering the hospital.

  “I can’t move my legs.”

  Damaris heard a mix of fear, panic and disbelief wrapped around those five words. She tried to address all three, simultaneously. “It’s okay. Try to—”

  “Nothing’s okay. Didn’t you hear me?” he continued, hoarseness coating the words he forced out with effort. “My legs. I can’t move them.”

  “I’m sorry. What I meant was—”

  “I hear we have an awakened patient,” Dr. Noble said as he entered the room. “I’m Dr. Noble. You took quite a fall, young man. We’re going to do our best to get you back up and running, okay?”

  Damaris was grateful for backup. She moved the tray away from the bed so that the doctor could move freely around the X-ray stretcher, then hurried back to his side, ready to assist.

  “My legs, Doctor. I’ve been trying to lift them, change positions, but nothing seems to work. I can’t really feel them, either.”

  “There can be many reasons for that.” Much as was Damaris’s manner, Dr. Noble calmly chatted as he worked, examining the image on the X-ray screen before folding back the sheet from Noah’s lower legs. “As I stated, you took a mean tumble. Your body is probably in shock, a state where the mind’s call and the body’s response have a hard time singing together, if you know what I mean.”

  A lover of music no matter the genre, Damaris understood the doctor’s metaphor. She smiled encouragingly at Noah, who’d shifted those laser beams he had for eyes in her direction. His expression remained serious, almost haunting. Somehow she understood that, too.