Doing his best to keep his distance, Samuel got the directions and a phone number from her and drove over there straightaway. By the cows in the paddocks next to the farm’s driveway, he knew it to be a dairy farm. He came to a stop behind another parked vehicle and got out.
He got another text from Chris. Bran’s happy. Be prepared for a party or something. Bring me some energy when you come back. Only fair since you took it all away last night.
Before he could knock on the massive wooden door, it swung open to reveal who Samuel assumed was the owner. The graying man wore shorts and a singlet with wooly gumboot-style socks on his feet.
“Hello. What can I do for you?”
As Samuel watched, a beautiful larger version of the puppy on the advertisement came to sit down by his master’s feet.
“Hello. My name is Samuel. The lady at your vet clinic gave me this”—Samuel showed the pamphlet to the man—“and I was hoping you would have some puppies left?”
The man smiled. “I sure do. In fact, they’re all still available, because I left those in the shop only yesterday. Let me grab my boots and we can go around to the back deck. The mum is lying there in the sun with her babies.”
Samuel’s excitement was almost uncontrollable as he followed the man to where they were going. They rounded the house to display a large timber deck, climbed up the few steps, and there was a huge soft dog bed with the blue heeler female and her pups.
“Hey, Sheeba, we may have found a home for one of your kiddos.” The man spoke to her affectionately. He turned to Samuel. “Have a look at them. She won’t mind as long as I’m around.”
Samuel went down on his knees a few steps away from where the puppies played with each other. They noticed him almost immediately, but two continued wrestling and growling as they bit each other’s ears. The last one, however, came running to him, and it surprised him that it was the puppy he had singled out on the photo. Well, it seemed it had chosen Samuel too.
He sat still as the little dog climbed all over his arms and tried to lick his face. He started scratching the tiny ears, and it lay down and rolled over. It was a girl, and he thought she was perfect for Chris.
The man chuckled above him. “She has been the shyest of the lot, but she isn’t shy with you at all.”
Samuel scooped the little ball of mischief up in his arms as he got up. “Because she knows I want her.” He smiled at her persistence to try to reach his face.
“Well, she’s eight weeks old, so all yours if you want her.”
Samuel gave the little puppy over to the man to hold while he pulled out his wallet and paid for her.
Twenty minutes later he left the vet store with Blue, as he called her for the moment, in one arm and a bag with all the necessary goodies for a new puppy, from a food and water bowl to a bed and blanket, plus toys, in the other.
In the truck he placed the blanket on the passenger seat and placed Blue there, where she sniffed a bit and lay down. He pulled out his phone.
Where are you now? Samuel texted him.
Chris’s reply was nearly instant. Watching some singing show on the couch. This kid is Maori too. Decent voice, not a clue what he’s singing about.
I’m heading over.
Good.
It took him nearly an hour to get back to Chris’s little white house with the blue trim, while the puppy lay on the seat next to him the whole time. Chris’s door was unlocked again, and it was something Samuel wanted to talk to him about. But not when he had a squirming puppy in his arms.
He didn’t see Chris at first, but the TV was on, so he let the puppy go play so he could look for him. He didn’t get far before he heard sharp puppy yips and the sound of Chris laughing.
“Hey, cutie. How’d you get in?”
Samuel came around the side of the couch where he’d been lying so that Chris could see him.
“Hey. When did you get a puppy?”
Samuel smiled at him and joined him on the couch. “I didn’t. She’s a present for you, now that you’re staying here for good.”
Chris looked shocked for about two seconds before he sat up with the puppy held tightly in his arms and gave Samuel a soft kiss. “Thank you. She’s perfect. A fluffy little cloud. That’s what I’ll call her. My little Cloud.”
Samuel smiled as he watched Chris love on the speckled blue ball of fluff.
“I’ve never had my own pet before.”
“I know. I wanted you to start here.”
Chris shifted around on the couch so that he was sitting beside Samuel with the puppy bouncing around on the couch too. “She’s adorable. Seriously, thank you. I love you.”
Samuel wrapped his arm tightly around Chris’s side, holding him as close as he possibly could. “You’re welcome. I love you too.” Chris laid his head on Samuel’s shoulder, and Samuel smiled, knowing everything would be all right now.
Epilogue
IT WAS a perfect New Zealand day as Chris stepped into Samuel’s arms and said his vows as he promised to love him forever. There was rain expected later, but the breeze was warm and it carried Samuel’s rich scent all around him.
And there, all around them, were their friends. They’d chosen to go without best men, simply having everyone they knew and loved standing with them as they stood on the beach with the water quickly coming in around them.
Samuel’s kiss was warm and gentle, exactly what Chris had needed on a day that could have been stressful, but had ended up being anything but. Bran had handled it all beautifully, with Kaden’s help to keep him in check when he’d started talking about something ridiculous. At one point there had been mention of a new car or a parade or something. Chris really hadn’t been sure actually.
Misha was the first to come up and give him a hug as soon as he’d stepped out of Samuel’s arms.
“I’m so proud of you. For everything,” he whispered.
Chris gave him a watery smile. “Thank you. I’m glad you decided to completely retire, and for good this time. Trent seems really happy.”
Misha chuckled. “He makes me happy too.”
“Stop hogging him!” Bran called out, and Misha gave way to Bran, who hugged him with such intensity that he was sure his bones would be bruised later. “Love you,” Bran said.
Chris hugged him back just as tightly. “I love you too. Thank you for settling here and bringing us all together.”
Bran said nothing and Chris held him for a long time. They’d been reckless and foolish before coming to Montana and now, with their friends all around them, Chris knew that they were right where they should be. It had taken them moving across the fucking planet, as Bran liked to say, but they’d found their way home.
More from Kara Nash & Caitlin Ricci
Dare: Book One
For successful businessman Bran Wilson, selling the large Montana dairy farm that has been in his family for generations is an easy decision. He hates the farm, the land, even the cows, and wants nothing to do with any of it. But there’s a glitch in his plan: a stubborn cowboy from New Zealand who is as sexy as he is aggravating.
Kaden Barker loves the Wilson farm, and respected Bran’s grandfather up until the day he died. With his two best friends, he’s taken over working the farm and caring for the cows, and he’d happily spend the rest of his days doing it.
When Bran charges into his life, telling him he’s selling the farm and there’s nothing Kaden, or his friends, can do about it, the animosity between them is instant. But so is the attraction, and only one extreme can win out.
Readers love Dare to Risk by Kara Nash & Caitlin Ricci
“Thanks, Kara and Caitlin, for a whirlwind story. I’m looking forward to see what happens next.”
—Rainbow Book Reviews
“…an exciting, emotional roller coaster with a great set of unique characters.”
—Three Books Over the Rainbow
“I had really good fun with this story.”
—Prism Book Alliance
“Dare to Risk is a really enjoyable start to a new series with a bunch of interesting characters.”
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KARA NASH makes her home amongst the stunning islands in the South Pacific. Writing is a passion, but so is reading, a good cup of steaming coffee, and the love and company of friends and family. While life carries on around her in a bustle, her mind is filled with the voices and antics of the characters in her next creation. Kara is an absolute romantic at heart and happy endings are precious, which is why she chooses to tell stories of couples fortunate to find and hold on to love. And cats! Kara adores these furry creatures and the sense behind “too many” escapes her when it comes to them.
CAITLIN RICCI was fortunate growing up to be surrounded by family and teachers who encouraged her love of reading. She has always been a voracious reader and that love of the written word easily morphed into a passion for writing. If she isn’t writing, she can usually be found studying as she works toward her counseling degree. She comes from a military family, and the men and women of the armed forces are close to her heart. She also enjoys gardening, hiking, and horseback riding in the Colorado Rockies she calls home with her wonderful fiancé and their two dogs. Her belief that there is no one true path to happily ever after runs deeply through all of her stories.
Website: www.CaitlinRicci.com
By Kara Nash
With Caitlin Ricci
DARE
Dare to Risk
Dare to Hope
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
By Caitlin Ricci
Blood Slave
Country Strong
Cuddling (Dreamspinner Anthology)
For the Asking
His Lion Tamer
Marked by Grief
Reckless
With Cari Z: Worth the Wait
A FOREVER HOME
Rescuing Jack
Of Monsters and Men
A PLANET CALLED WISH
To the Highest Bidder
Fantasy for a Gentleman
THORNWOOD
One More Time
About Last Night
With Kara Nash
DARE
Dare to Risk
Dare to Hope
Published by Harmony Ink Press
Crush
First Time for Everything (Harmony Ink Anthology)
Weathering the Storm
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Dare to Hope
© 2016 Kara Nash & Caitlin Ricci.
Cover Art
© 2016 Anna Sikorska.
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
ISBN: 978-1-63477-412-3
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63477-413-0
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016913066
Published November 2016
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
Dare to Hope Page 28