by Emmy Eugene
She knew Russ fed the dogs in the morning, and she wanted to jump out of bed right now and get everyone rounded up and ready for the trip. At the same time, the man clearly needed time and space, and Janelle wanted to honor that.
So maybe she should start with a text. Maybe she’d taken too many steps yesterday, showing up to breakfast at his friend’s house.
She picked up her phone as Kadence started singing a nursery rhyme and typed out two texts.
One to Henry: We’re over. Please contact my lawyer for visitation arrangements.
Sent.
One to Russ: Would love to talk when you’re ready.
She read over it a couple of times, trying to decide if it was too pushy. In the end, she sent it and got out of bed with a sigh. “All right, baby. I’m going to shower, and then we have to get the dogs ready. Will you go wake up your sister?”
“All right, Momma.” Kadence slipped off the bed and ran out of the room, calling Kelly’s name. Janelle smiled at the thought of them, beyond grateful that she had these two little girls in her life. She wished Henry would choose them over whatever his flavor of the day was, but she couldn’t change Henry.
She couldn’t make Russ talk to her or respond to her texts either.
All she could do about that was pray.
A couple of hours later, she pulled up to the ranch in the truck Seth had left for her, glancing around as if Russ would come out the front door with that trademark smile on his face. She took a moment to imagine the scenario, but no one appeared.
She eventually got out and told the girls to get all the leashes. After dialing Seth, she waited while the line rang. “Hey, you here?” he asked, and he sounded out of breath.
“Yes,” she said as one of the dogs started barking. “We have the leashes and stuff, but I’m a bit worried about getting the dogs in the right place.”
“We’re heading your way,” he said, and the call ended.
Her chest vibrated in a strange way, because “we” could include Russ. Surely it wouldn’t though. Seth had been a witness to yesterday’s humiliation.
Winner came tearing toward her, barking every other second. She slowed and wagged her tail around all three of them as Kelly and Kadence giggled and squealed. Janelle just tried not to get knocked down as Winner looped around and around them.
The dogs in the back of the truck definitely got riled up, and Janelle was very happy to see four cowboys walking toward her, a couple more dogs with them. The girls passed over the leashes, and Seth took charge of the dogs as his three ranch hands got everyone secured.
“Thanks so much, Janelle.” Seth grinned at her and opened the tailgate. He handed his leash to Darren, and the ranch hands took the six dogs with them. “You kept King?”
“Yeah,” Janelle said. “The girls and I love him.”
“I’m glad.” Seth re-secured the tail gate and met her eye again. “Russ is inside.”
“Oh, I’m not doing that again,” she said.
“He asked me to send you in when you got here.”
Janelle frowned at Seth. Russ hadn’t responded to her text from only a couple of hours ago, an she didn’t believe him. “Uh, I…” She seized onto Kelly’s hand. “I have the girls with me.”
And she wasn’t ready with her apology like she’d been yesterday. Her entire explanation had fled completely.
“Come on, girls,” Seth said. “Pile in. My wife has fresh chocolate chip cookies at our house.”
“Momma?” Kelly looked up at her, and Janelle didn’t know what to say.
Seth swung Kadence into his arms, and she squealed as she laughed. “They’ll be fine,” he said. “Although, she might try teaching them the piano if you stay too long.”
“I want to play the piano,” Kelly said, much to Janelle’s surprise.
Before she knew it, Seth had the girls loaded up and was backing out of the driveway. Without a way to leave, Janelle faced the homestead. Had Russ really asked Seth to send Janelle inside?
The Christmas tree in the window and the wreath from the door were both gone now. The Christmas lights had been taken down, but the ranch and house still held a magic that Janelle really wanted in her life.
“You want Russ,” she told herself, and that gave her the courage to take the first step toward the house. She thought she saw the blinds flutter in the living room window, but she didn’t pause.
When she reached the top of the steps, the front door opened. Russ stood there, wearing the sexiest jeans on the planet, a brown leather jacket over a blue button-up shirt, his cowboy boots, and that delicious cowboy hat.
Janelle froze, because he stole her breath, just the way he had at the speed dating event where they’d first met. She’d had her eye on him for a solid half-hour before she’d been able to sit down in front of him and introduce herself.
He said nothing, and he filled the doorway so spectacularly. Janelle’s stomach quivered, and she imagined she was standing in front of the toughest judge in the county.
“Hello, Russ,” she said. “I want to start with a plea for understanding. I know you’ve never seen me argue in a courtroom or know much about me as a lawyer. In that, I always know what I’m doing. In that world, things make sense.” She drew in a breath, trying to remember her arguments.
She couldn’t.
It was time to go with her heart.
“But when it comes to men, I’m really bad at knowing what to do. I’m bad and slow at making decisions. But I know that I’ve been brilliantly happy with you when we’re together, and I’m nothing but miserable when I do this stupid thing and break-up with you.”
She lifted up her hands as if she could call down Texas magic from the sky. “I hope you can forgive me for a second time. You can take as much time as you need, obviously. But I want that hot tub installed, and I want you to come sit in it with me, and I want to find all the different ways I can to tell you I love you.”
Russ finally moved, and it was to take four strong steps toward her to sweep her into his arms. He still said nothing, but his actions had always been more powerful than his words. Janelle melted right into his strong embrace, her emotions shaking as they streamed from her.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
“I know you are, baby,” he said, his voice husky. He pulled back as suddenly as he’d come forward. “Is that true? You love me?”
Janelle exhaled as she nodded, her smile instant and finally feeling like it belonged on her face. “Yes, Russ. I’m in love with you. Please forgive me.”
Please, please, she thought, clenching her arms around her middle as she waited for him to say something.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Russ hadn’t slept hardly at all last night. Neither had any of his brothers, as they’d all sat in the living room while they talked Russ through every possible scenario with Janelle.
And no matter what the thread was, no matter where the path went, in the end, Russ wanted to be with Janelle.
“So you have to talk to her,” Rex had said.
“She’s coming over tomorrow,” Seth had said. “To bring the dogs back.”
Russ had wanted to help her with that. He should make sure she didn’t have a ton of clean-up to do afterward. But he’d needed a couple of hours of sleep, and then he had chores to do.
When Janelle had texted that morning, Russ had shown it to Seth, who’d been standing beside him as they watched Griffin work the horses. “When she brings the dogs,” he’d said. “You should tell her to come talk to me.”
“All right,” Seth had said, and that was that. He’d even taken the girls without specific instructions to do so.
“Russ?” Janelle reached up and cradled his face in one hand.
He leaned into her touch and sighed. “I love you, Janelle. And part of that is forgiveness. I’m sure I’ll do stupid things in our relationship.”
“I just need you to love me,” she said.
“I already do.�
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“And I need you to put me and the girls first.”
“I can do that.”
“And I need you to be faithful to me.”
“You’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted,” he said, taking a step toward her and leaning his forehead against hers. “Will you tell me what happened with Henry?”
She sighed and leaned into his body. “I will, but does it have to be right now?”
“No,” he said, his heart hammering. “Right now, I want to kiss you.” He pressed his lips to hers, glad when she melted into him. Russ definitely felt something new in her touch, and it certainly felt like she loved him.
He wasn’t going to rush into anything though—at least that was what he told himself. And right now, it didn’t matter, because Janelle loved him and he loved her and the rest would come as they worked to merge their lives.
January passed in a blur of ranch work, rain, and driving to town to see Janelle, Kelly, and Kadence. Russ had learned how to make the “best pizza ever,” as Kelly had taught him the proper kneading technique. He’d helped clean up Janelle’s stables and backyard. He’d hung more of Kadence’s paintings on the fridge at the homestead than it could hold.
But the little girl loved seeing them when she came out to the ranch. Janelle brought the girls out often, as they loved the horses and dogs and goats. All the same things Russ loved.
Travis’s house started to come together, and he and Millie were getting married in March. Next month, Russ told himself as he listened to Travis nailing something together down the lane.
Janelle’s firm had bought thirty tickets to Chestnut Springs’s Valentine’s Day dinner and dance, and she gave them away to clients and employees. But she’d reserved two for her and Russ, and Russ had thought perhaps Valentine’s Day would be a great day for a proposal.
So maybe he hadn’t slowed down any. Maybe he’d been thinking about getting married before Momma and Daddy left for their service mission at the end of May.
He and Janelle had talked about marriage, and she claimed to want something simple. “Simple” worked for Russ, who thought a wedding on the ranch would be beautiful. Janelle had said that would be fine with her, surrounded by friends, family, and co-workers, and Russ had started shopping for diamonds.
The engagement wouldn’t be a surprise for anyone. He and Janelle had even spent one of their date nights at the mall, looking at rings. He’d gotten a good idea of what she liked, and he maybe just needed a couple of hours to himself to get to town and find something she would like.
That didn’t happen until the following week, and Russ walked into a jewelry store in the mall after consuming the best cinnamon roll on the planet from the front seat of his truck.
“Good afternoon, sir,” a man said, and Russ met his eye.
“Afternoon.”
“What can I help you with?”
“I’m looking for an engagement ring,” he said, his voice catching on the last word. He was really doing this. And it felt right. Janelle would say yes. There wasn’t anything in between them anymore. Henry hadn’t contacted her about his visitation, and she’d told Russ that he’d disappeared before after one of their break-ups.
“Do you know what you’re looking for?” the salesman asked.
“Uh, let’s see.” Russ swiped to get his phone open. “She likes a round diamond. Something bigger in the middle. White gold band.” He read through his notes. “And something unique.” That was one of his requirements. “Do you have anything like that?”
“I’m sure we do.” The man led him to another counter, where literally dozens of engagement rings waited. “Here are some of our round-cut diamonds,” he said, lifting out a case of ten rings. “And you might consider a brilliance cut. They’re beautiful. That’s what we have here.” He set another tray next to the first.
Russ started looking at them, eliminating some instantly. In the end, he said, “I think these are all boring.” He looked up at the man. “No offense.”
The man smiled. “Of course not. Unique. Let’s see.” He moved down the case and pulled out another tray. “These are different. They have a classic white diamond for the center, which signals the purity. But diamonds come in other colors as well, and these all have colored settings with the white diamond.”
Russ looked at those, immediately seeing Janelle in them. “I like these.”
“The pink and yellow are highly popular,” the man said. “Red and blue are the most rare.”
Russ looked through the tray, finding one with a large white diamond in the center, in the cut Janelle liked. Several colored stones rounded it, like flower petals, in a variety of colors. “I like this one,” he said.
“All right,” the man said, taking the ring from him. “Do you know her size?”
“Yes.” Russ went back to his phone to check it. “Seven.”
“Sir, this ring is one of our signature pieces.” The man met Russ’s eye, seriousness in his.
“What does that mean?”
“It means our master jeweler hand-crafted it. It’s truly one-of-a-kind.” He looked a bit apologetic. “That means it’s quite pricey.”
“How much?” Russ asked, though it didn’t matter. His bank account could handle whatever this man threw at it.
“Fifteen thousand dollars,” the man said. “It’s one of our most expensive pieces in the store.” He studied Russ. “Do you still want it?”
“Yes,” Russ said, wondering if Janelle would be upset by the price tag. She doesn’t need to know it, Russ reasoned with himself. She’d accepted the hot tub, and they’d enjoyed several evenings together on her back patio.
The man said it would take an hour to size the ring, and Russ said he’d be back. He had no other reason to be in the mall, so he went to the food court and ordered a basket of fried chicken and biscuits. As he ate, he thought about how he could propose to Janelle.
In the end, he decided he couldn’t wait until Valentine’s Day, and he drove straight from the mall with the properly sized ring to her house.
She wasn’t there, and he called her as he sat in her driveway. “Where you at?” he asked after she’d picked up.
“The girls have Boys and Girls Club today,” she said. “We’ll be home in ten minutes.”
“Great,” he said. “I’m in your driveway.”
He almost drove away several times as he waited for her to pull in. But he held his ground, glancing at the ring box as her sedan came to a stop beside his truck. He grabbed it and got out before any of them could.
Kadence was the fastest getting out, and Russ had to dart in front of her and say, “Hold on a second, tiny tot,” to get her to stay.
In response, Kadence threw her arms around Russ and held him tight. “Are you staying for dinner? Momma ordered pizza.”
“I never say no to pizza.” He smiled down at the little girl. “I wanted to ask you guys something.” He waited until Kelly came around from the passenger side of the car. He faced the three of them and pulled out the ring box, his throat sudden as dry as sand.
“Russ,” Janelle said at the same time Kadence said, “What’s that?”
“This, little lady,” Russ said. “Is an engagement ring.” He cracked the box. “The center stone is a big white diamond. These other ones are colored diamonds, and I liked this one because it’s colorful and pretty and it reminded me of your momma.”
He showed it to Kadence and Kelly and then Janelle. “Janelle,” he said. “I love you. I want to be your husband, and Kelly and Kadence, I want to be your daddy. What do you think? Do you think your mom should marry me?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Kadence shrieked, and she started to dance around.
Kelly wore a big smile, and she nodded emphatically. “Yes, Momma. You should marry him.”
Russ looked at her and cocked his head. “Well?”
Her eyes looked like polished glass as she nodded. “Yes,” she said. “Yes, I’ll marry you.” She threw herself into Russ’s ar
ms as her daughters cheered, and he kissed her. Relief and love filled him, and Russ took the girls into a big embrace too.
“Do you guys think you can come live with me at the homestead? That place is so big, and I’m so lonely.”
“Yes,” Kelly said. “But I want that bedroom at the end of the hall.”
“Kelly,” Janelle said, but Russ only laughed. “You can have any room you want, Kelly. There’s plenty to choose from.” He beamed down at the girls, who headed into the house as they discussed which bedroom they’d each get.
“You know they’ll end up in the same room,” Janelle said. “Right?”
“Yeah,” Russ said. “I know.” He kissed her properly, right there in her driveway, and slid the ring on her finger. “Do you like it?”
“I love it,” she said. “Just like I love you.”
“I love you too,” Russ said, in awe that this was his reality. But it was, and he’d never been happier or more hopeful for his future.
“We should hire Millie,” Janelle said.
“And get married at the ranch,” Russ added.
“Deal,” Janelle said. She gazed up at him, and Russ wanted to be the best man he could be—for her. “I can’t wait to marry you.”
“I can’t wait for that either, baby. Are we still thinking the end of May?”
“Yes,” she said. “The end of May should work out just fine.”
Russ thought everything between them would work out just fine too, and he couldn’t wait to live his life with this woman at his side.
Keep reading for Travis and Millie’s wedding, as told by Travis’s brother, Rex! Then go read A COWBOY AND HIS DAUGHTER.
Or, if you want to read Russ and Janelle’s wedding, there’s another delicious cowboy billionaire brother romance for you in A COWBOY AND HIS BOSS, where you’ll get to see what happens with Griffin and his boss, Toni.
If you enjoyed this book, go leave a review for it! Thanks so much.
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