Her Surprise Cowboy--A Clean Romance

by Claire McEwen

  His phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket. It was a text from Lillian, back in Shelter Creek. He looked up at his family, stunned. “Trisha and Henry are on their way here from California. They’re supposed to land in San Antonio in two hours.”

  “You’d better get to the airport, then.” His father stood, more energized than Liam had seen him since the surgery, and started barking orders like a drill sergeant. “Boone, you can work on cleaning up the kitchen. Tommy, run upstairs and put fresh sheets on the guest bed. Wyatt, you make sure the bathroom up there is clean as can be.”

  He paused, realized his sons were all staring at him in shock and raised his voice even more. “What are you all gaping at? We’ve got to get to work. We’ve got a baby coming to stay.”

  * * *

  THEY’D MADE IT. Trisha carried Henry down the airplane aisle, trying not to bump into anyone with her baby, his diaper bag or her purse. Thank goodness Henry had only cried during takeoff and landing, so overall, flying hadn’t turned out to be as difficult as Trisha had feared. Mostly Henry had slept, after he’d spent some time flirting with the woman seated next to them. He must have inherited his daddy’s cowboy charm.

  Henry’s stroller was waiting for them when they got off the plane. Trisha set him in and gave him his blanket and squeaky giraffe. It was ten at night, Texas time, eight o’clock California time, past Henry’s bedtime no matter where they were. But with his airplane nap, the little guy was in pretty good spirits. Trisha leaned over the stroller and blew him a kiss, making him smile. She set the diaper bag in the bottom compartment, settled her purse over her shoulder and started up the gate to the terminal.

  She’d get their baggage and then check into a hotel near the airport. Tomorrow she’d call Liam and tell him they were here to see him. Hopefully he’d think it was good news.

  This was so unlike her. She’d got caught up in The Book Biddies’ excitement and enthusiasm, and before she knew it, she was on a plane to Texas. She wanted to believe that this was the right thing to do, but spontaneous events outside her comfort zone had never ended as planned.

  She followed the signs to the baggage terminal, wondering if it would be smarter just to turn right around and fly back to California. What if Liam wasn’t happy to see them? Or what if he thought that her being here meant she’d caved, and was willing to give up her entire life for him?

  She stopped to read the message board that listed her baggage carousel, then followed the signs to the baggage area. And there he was. Liam. Standing there waiting, with his hat in his hand. Trisha’s heart sped up in her chest. He was as handsome as ever, but more than that, he was hers. She was sure of it now. Sure of them. Maybe because she’d been brave enough to fly across the country in pursuit of love.

  “What are you doing here?” She pushed Henry toward him. “How did you know we were coming?”

  “Lillian texted.”

  “Of course she did. My friends love to stir the pot.” But she wanted to hug her friend because this felt so much better than arriving on her own and heading to a sterile hotel room.

  Liam smiled that slow wide smile she’d come to love. “I appreciate the stirring, personally. I’m glad I could be here to pick you up.”

  “I was going to get a hotel. I didn’t mean to cause you any trouble.”

  Liam knelt down to get a good look at Henry and his whole expression beamed with fatherly pride. “This isn’t trouble. This is great.” Henry tossed his giraffe in excitement and Liam handed it back to him. “Hello, son, it’s good to see you.” Then he stood and surprised Trisha with a kiss on the cheek. “It’s amazing to see you.”

  She flushed, surprised at her own shyness. She was supposed to be brave. But that kiss, the love in his eyes... It was hard to find the right words. “I thought about calling you first but I was worried you were really mad at me. That you’d tell me not to come.”

  “I wasn’t mad. Disappointed. Sad. But not angry. I know you have your reasons to want to stay in Shelter Creek. I don’t blame you. I like it there, too.”

  She wanted to run into his arms. To hold on so tight, he’d never get away again. But that wouldn’t solve their problems. He had to choose her. He had to want to be with her. She had to decide if Texas was right for her.

  “How’s your father doing?”

  “Right now he’s barking orders at my brothers, who are getting the house all cleaned up for your arrival. He can’t wait to meet you and his first grandson. Honestly, I think it’s the best thing that could have happened. He was feeling a little listless, postsurgery.”

  “So you finally told them about me. Were they shocked?”

  “Of course. But, Trish, I didn’t just tell them about you. I told them I’m moving to California to be with you. I love you. I’d want to spend my life with you, even if I just met you tonight and we didn’t have amazing Henry here. I promise you that. And I’ll try to show you that, every day.”

  Trisha put her hands to her ears, as if she could capture his words and study them. It was hard to take it all in. “You want to move to Shelter Creek? Are you sure?”

  “I’ve never been more sure. I really thought about it and it became so clear. I was afraid, deep down, that I wouldn’t be a good enough father to Henry. Or strong enough to make my own life, away from here. But I know now that I can.”

  His words were her dreams come true. Still, she had to let him know that she was willing to make changes as well. “I came here to tell you that I’m considering moving to Texas. Now you’ve taken all the wind out of my big declaration.”

  Liam took her hands in his and pulled her close. “I know what your home means to you. How hard you’ve worked to build your community of friends. How much you love your work. I’m honored, beyond words, that you considered leaving all that behind for me.”

  “I guess I love you.” Trisha wrapped her arms around him and held on tight. “A whole lot.”

  “And I love you. You’re it for me, Trisha. You and Henry are my life, from now on.”

  If Trisha hadn’t been hanging on to him for dear life she’d have tipped over, she was so dizzy from relief. “If you’re sure...”

  “Trust me. I’m sure. I’ve thought it through and it’s what I want more than anything. I choose you, Trisha. Over everything else.”

  She was going to cry. Just lose it right here in the middle of the baggage area. “I...” She went on tiptoe and kissed him. Some feelings she didn’t have words for.

  “Dada.”

  They released each other and knelt down to see what Henry needed.

  “Here’s your dada,” Trisha said, catching her son’s little hands in her own. “Do you want to cuddle with him?”

  “Dada.”

  Trisha looked at Liam. The lines of his face were soft with love as he gazed at his son. “I think somebody has missed his daddy.”

  Liam unbuckled the straps, lifted Henry out and settled him in the crook of one arm. Henry whacked him on the nose with the rubber giraffe. “I missed you, too, son.” Liam put his free arm on the handlebar of the stroller and smiled down at Trisha. “Let’s go get your bags. I want to take my family home.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  LIAM TUGGED AT the unfamiliar suit jacket. “I can’t believe some guys wear these things every day.”

  “Hold still.” Wyatt was trying to pin the rose that Trisha had picked out onto Liam’s lapel. “Ouch. Got my finger.”

  “Some best man you turned out to be.”

  “A best man who flew all the way out from Texas to get stuck with a flower pin.”

  Liam glanced over at the guests making their way into the barn for the wedding ceremony. He spotted Monique picking her way carefully in very high heels. He waved frantically, and fortunately she spotted him and teetered over.

  “Do you gentleman need some help?”

  “Tris
ha wants me to wear this flower. How do you pin this thing?”

  Wyatt looked up from where he was trying to jab the pin back through the tape-wrapped flower stem. “Oh, hello, ma’am.”

  “That accent.” Monique fanned herself with the tiny handbag she carried. “Just keep talking to me and I’ll help you with anything you want.”

  Wyatt looked a little taken aback, and Liam laughed. “Monique, go easy on my big brother Wyatt. He doesn’t get off the ranch much.”

  “Okay, fine. Always glad to assist the handsome groom on his wedding day.” Monique took the flower from Wyatt and attached it in one quick motion to Liam’s lapel. She patted his chest. “All set.”

  “You made that look pretty easy.” Wyatt stared at her, astonished.

  “And I did it in heels, too.” Monique flashed him a sultry smile and teetered off.

  “Who was that?”

  “Monique. She’s part of that book group I told you about. And she’s much too old for you.”

  “I’m not sure she is.” Wyatt stared for a moment longer, then seemed to remember his best man duties. “So, is everything else ready?” He patted the pocket of his suit jacket. “I’ve got the ring.”

  “Good to know. Where are Boone and Tommy?”

  “Inside already. They want to know why Trisha’s bridesmaids are all married.”

  “Those are Trisha’s friends. And Emily’s not married. But she’s so smart, she’d run circles around guys like Boone or Tommy.”

  Wyatt looked mystified. “This town has a lot of smart people. It takes a little getting used to.”

  “That it does.” Liam glanced around the property. His property. The idea also took some getting used to. He’d bought the beautifully maintained ranch from Juan Alvaro just a couple months ago. Juan and Annie Brooks had finally stopped pretending they weren’t an item and eloped to Vegas. Now they lived together on Annie’s property.

  Trisha had wanted to have their wedding right here in their own barn, to celebrate the future unfolding before them. The Book Biddies had decorated the place so it looked like one of those photos in a wedding magazine, all golden lights and flower garlands.

  “You ready to go inside and get hitched?” Wyatt pulled his phone out of his pocket and glanced at the time. “I think Trisha will be arriving any minute.”

  It was hard to believe this day had finally come. About a year after Trisha showed up in Texas to tell him she was willing to move there, they were finally making it all official. Getting married, on their own land, in the town they loved—Shelter Creek, California. “I’ve been ready a long time. Let’s do this.”

  Wyatt led the way into the barn and Liam took his place next to his brothers, by the makeshift altar. Ranger lay near Boone, a flower garland draped around his neck. A harpist started playing the wedding march and the guests grew quiet.

  Henry came in first, with Liam’s father behind him, helping to guide his beloved grandson in his flower boy duties. Two-year-old Henry took his petal-throwing seriously, chucking the petals high in the air so they fell like confetti. Liam couldn’t contain his grin. “That’s my boy,” he whispered to Wyatt.

  When Henry reached the front of the room, he set down his basket and dashed for his daddy’s arms. Liam scooped him up, much to the audience’s delight, and kissed him on the cheek.

  Liam’s dad collected the tiny basket of rose petals and went to sit down in the front row.

  Next came the older generation of Book Biddies. Dressed in beautiful mother-of-the-bride dresses, they came down the aisle two by two, first Monique and Eva, then Priscilla and Annie, then Lillian and Kathy. They all waved at Henry as they took their seats in the front row.

  Maya, Emily and Vivian walked the aisle wearing matching silver dresses. They looked radiant, smiling at Liam and waving to Henry as they came to stand in the front, opposite Liam and his brothers.

  And then there was Trisha, walking down the aisle with her mother and father on either side of her. They’d come back to Shelter Creek for the wedding, and even if Liam thought they were a little odd, he knew that their presence here today was important to Trisha.

  She was beyond beautiful. She’d chosen pale pink for her dress, a color she’d called dusty rose. Whatever it was, it suited her. She looked like an exotic flower, moving gracefully down the aisle. His angel. So sweet and loving, he could only stare and marvel at his luck.

  “Mama,” Henry called, and folks in the audience laughed. Liam set him down and he ran to his mother on his stubby little legs.

  Handing her bouquet to her mother, Trisha scooped her baby up and carried him the rest of the way down the aisle. The two of them were the embodiment of Liam’s whole heart.

  “Let’s get married this way. With Henry right here with us.” Trisha’s wide smile warmed Liam like the California sun.

  “I’ll marry you any way you want.” Liam glanced at the minister. “Is that okay with you?”

  “Absolutely.”

  The ceremony began, and Liam tried to listen to the traditional words, tried to take in the guests and the decorations, and the importance of this special day. But all he could focus on was Trisha, with their baby in her arms, promising to spend forever loving him.

  Way back when, in Texas, a short straw had sent him to California. It had seemed like bad luck at the time, but now Liam knew that he was the luckiest man on earth. He intended to remember that, every day of his life.

  * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from A Soldier Saved by Cheryl Harper.

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  A Soldier Saved

  by Cheryl Harper

  CHAPTER ONE

  “HEY, PROF, HEADS UP!” At the shouted warning, Dr. Angela Simmons hurried toward the steps in front of Sawgrass University’s administration building. She brushed a bead of sweat off her forehead as she watched a group of rambunctious kids trot to their next target. The eternal game that raged in the center of campus, no matter how many students had already left for the summer, was similar to golf, but Frisbees hurled at a high rate of speed replaced dimpled golf balls.

  Benches, lampposts, the hydrant near the corner of campus...those were the targets, and pedestrians were the hazards. At some point, the university would have to put in a dedicated course, but the lack of official equipment didn’t slow down the game.

  Freshman boys were enthusiastic about it. And loud.

  Even at the end of May, when the heat should encourage more indoor games.

  This sidewalk, the shadiest spot on campus, was always littered with kids in flip-flops, and the Monday before the first summer term started was no exception.

  Since she’d fallen in deep, deep love with her job and the kids who came through her classes, Angela was happy there were plenty of students milling around the building that housed both the registrar and the campus bookstore.

  Did she sometimes wish for a helmet for her own protection as she crossed from her parking spot to her office? Yes. But this building, the wide, tree-lined walkway leading up to it, and her beautiful office inside had convinced her Sawgrass University could be home.

  “Play on, gentlemen,” she called as she trotted up the low, flat steps leading to the building that was all angles and glass. Instead of brick and ivy and academic architecture, Sawgrass University’s planners had gone all in on the mid-twentieth-century concepts of how the future would be built.

  It had taken some adjustment, but Angela had learned to appreciate the clean lines. The overwhelming white surfaces and the glint of sunshine blazing across the glass in the early afternoon could still stop her in her tracks.

&nbs
p; Angela covered her eyes as she took the last steps and watched an older woman swing open the door and make the “hurry up” motion to the guy following slowly behind her. He did not walk faster.

  “It’s good advice to hurry,” Angela said. “You never know when a stray Frisbee is aimed straight at whatever you’re standing next to.” She turned to encourage the man and stopped at his ferocious glare. It lasted only a second before all expression bleached from his face. Deep lines around his lips suggested pain or fatigue.

  “Right. Sorry.” He motioned to the older woman ahead of him and then waited patiently for Angela to follow her. Uncertain as to what she’d done to earn the hostile look, Angela hurried through the door and paused as the woman held out her hand.

  “I was wondering...” Her voice was overly cheerful, but she turned a distinctly cold shoulder to the man stepping through the door behind them. When he braced an arm on the wall, Angela wondered if she should offer him a seat. “Could you give us directions to the registrar’s office? My son needs to register for classes for the summer term. This stifling heat and that trek across campus have worn me out.”

  Angela would have bet all her money that the son was the one struggling. But she was happy to help. She pointed down the hallway and then noticed the scowl was back. Since he was pushing forty, she was certain she understood the source of some of the anger.

  Her own daughter was sixteen and she’d insist her parents never follow her to school if she could get away with it. Since someone had to pay Greer’s tuition, her ex still managed to tag along.

  Even through the door that had closed behind them, Angela heard muffled shouts. The guys throwing the Frisbee had done something worth celebrating. It didn’t take much.

  “That’s what I meant about hurrying. Disc golf gets pretty cutthroat around here. You don’t want to be a casualty of a Frisbee to the head.” Angela expected agreement or some kind of acknowledgment, but the woman gave her son a worried frown. He carefully straightened but did not speak.