by Caroline Lee
Ellie winced, remembering her words from the clearing. “I can’t believe that you would do something like that, Will.”
He made a little defeated noise, and looked away. She twined her fingers through his hair and tugged his face back towards hers.
“You gave up your share of the ranch—you gave up your river—for me. Me. I think that’s the dumbest, most romantic, most incredible thing I’ve ever heard.”
Slowly, something dawned in his eyes. Something that looked enough like hope that Ellie finally allowed herself to smile. She didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, but for now, this was good enough.
“I’ve spent a month with you, Will Weston, and I know what this place means to you. Because, in that month, you’ve shown me. Thanks to you, I’ve fallen in love with a slice of Idaho—Idaho, for goodness’ sake—I never knew existed. I don’t want to leave it, and I don’t want to leave you.”
He grabbed her hand and pulled it around to his lips, planting a skin-tingling kiss to her palm. She wanted so much more, but knew that the middle of the road wasn’t the place for it. “Now,” she took a deep breath. “Get us to the boathouse, and let’s see about saving your future.”
Will dropped another kiss to her palm, and didn’t release her hand when he turned back to the road and gave the truck some gas. “It might’ve been dumb, but it worked. I showed you what you mean to me. You love the ranch, and you want to stay with me, Ellie. No matter what else I screwed up, today, that’s a wonderful future.”
As Ellie clutched his fingers tightly, her heart hammering at his words, she smiled. He might think it was enough, but she wanted more. She wanted Will to understand how amazing he was, and have the chance to prove that to everyone. She wanted to fix this mess—this glorious, stupid, romantic mess he’d gotten them into—so that he still had a share in the ranch.
Of course, she had no idea how to go about doing that. Maybe she could figure out a way to hide the truth from his parents. Maybe they could talk the guests into all accepting a rain date tour. Maybe… she had no idea, but with Will—and his declaration of love—beside her, they could do anything.
The boathouse parking lot was full when they pulled up. “Guess the tourists decided to stick around,” was all Will said, but to Ellie it was a positive sign. Maybe she could talk to them.
Indy bounded happily out of the truck bed, and Will was at her door before she had a chance to climb out. Instead of helping her down, though, he grasped her around her waist, and slid her down his own body until she was pressed between the open truck door and him.
The twinkle in his eyes and the surge of electricity across her skin meant that she didn’t very much mind the delay.
“I love you, Ellie Redfern,” he murmured, right before his lips met hers. She sighed against him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and reveled in the feel of his strength and passion.
I love you. She’d get around to telling him, just as soon as she caught her breath. Eventually. Maybe.
Indy’s happy yowling broke through their—ahem—distraction, and Ellie blinked when Will slowly straightened. His eyes were a little unfocused, but he was smiling, and she had to imagine that she looked as thoroughly kissed as he did. They probably could’ve stood like that forever, in each other’s arms beside his sister’s truck, except for the shout.
“Raft return!”
Will blinked, and then whipped his head around towards the river. “What the—?”
And then he was striding for the dock, his fingers laced with hers, as Ellie struggled to keep up. When they reached the river, he kept going, pulling her up onto the wood and as far out as they could stand. Sure enough, there was a bright green raft running the last rapid of the tour.
Will muttered another curse under his breath, and Ellie—holding her own breath—knew what he was thinking. “Would Zack have taken them out alone?”
“That’s a huge liability.” Will shaded his eyes with his free hand, as if trying to guess what had happened. “I’ll skin ‘im alive if he tried it. One of those guests goes over, and—”
He bit off his rant mid-sentence, and Ellie saw why. There, coming from behind the last big rock in the river, was a small green kayak. Zack hadn’t violated any rules; he’d gone out with a kayaker for backup.
Both of them stood on the dock in their completely unsuitable clothing and peered upriver, straining for a glimpse of who the person in the kayak was. Who it was who’d saved Will’s future. Made sure that the tour hadn’t been cancelled. Kept his share of the ranch intact.
The two new hires—Josh and Stumpy, as Marvin had been asked to be called at his interview—rushed towards the take-out ramp, hurrying to get everything prepped for the returning raft. She opened her mouth to call to them, to ask who the kayaker was, when Will squeezed her hand almost painfully.
She followed his gaze, but couldn’t see anything special about the figure in the small craft, other than the fact that it was a man wearing a helmet. She didn’t care who it was; she planned on giving him a big hug of appreciation.
Because thanks to him, Will had not only shown her how much she meant to him, but he wouldn’t have to give up his home.
One glance at Will, and she knew he understood. His jaw was as tight as his grip on her hand, and there was an emotion she couldn’t identify in his eyes.
“Will? Who is it?
Still not looking at her, he swallowed. “Wade.”
Wade? The kayaker beat the raft to the dock, and he pulled to a stop nowhere near as elegantly as Will had done all those weeks ago. Ellie instinctively glanced at Indy to make sure the dog wouldn’t throw herself overboard again, but she was happily panting in the shade.
Sure enough, when the kayaker unstrapped his helmet and pulled it off, smiling up at them, Ellie recognized him. “Whew! I don’t know how you do that every day, little brother!”
Wade was wearing a button-up shirt that had been completely soaked, and it wasn’t hard for Ellie to imagine him still in his jeans inside the small craft. He’d obviously arrived at the boathouse, and done what he could to make sure that the tour wouldn’t be canceled.
Ellie’s eyes actually welled up in gratefulness. “Thank you, Wade. I…” She wasn’t sure how to apologize for her bitterness over the phone that morning. “Thank you.”
She squeezed Will’s hand, willing him to say something. Anything. When she glanced at him, he was staring down into his brother’s identical eyes. “You saved my butt, man.”
“Yeah, I did.” Wade’s smile wasn’t one from a self-assured big-shot manager. He smiled like an exhausted man who’d done something for his family. “I got here and realized that—according to Ellie—there was something I could do to save your share of the ranch. I’d figured out why you did what you did.” He shifted his gaze to their locked hands. “And I kind of even admired the reason for it. Glad it worked.” Wade shrugged. “I wasn’t going to let them cut you out of the will without a fight.”
Will’s grip on her hand was still painfully tight, but she didn’t begrudge him. “Thank you.” She felt him take a deep breath, and then slowly let it out. “I didn’t know you could still run the river, old man.”
Wade bristled, but in doing so, almost lost his balance. She watched him shift uneasily in the kayak, and then smiled sort of self-consciously. “Well, I guess I’m pretty out of practice. Been a few years.”
Will had told her about his younger years, about rafting with his oldest brother, and about how they’d all used to go fishing together. Before they’d grown up and ranch responsibilities had gotten in the way. It looked like maybe Wade hadn’t forgotten that either.
“At least you wore a helmet.” It was all she could think of to say to break the tension between the brothers.
Both of them looked at her, and both of their faces eased into identical grins. “There’s that,” Will agreed, and Wade chuckled.
“Now, since I managed to save your butt and not drown on my first rapids run in yea
rs—please don’t tell Mom that, by the way—I’m going to need some help with this stupid kayak.” Wade balanced the helmet on the skirt in front of him, and began to paddle towards the ramp. “I don’t think I can get out of here without soaking my jeans.”
Will’s grip loosened as they watched Zack splash into the river to help pull Wade ashore. “I can’t believe he did that.”
“I can.” When Will turned back to her, she smiled. “He’s your brother, and no matter what you think your differences are, he loves you. Loves you enough to climb into a kayak, boots and all—” sure enough, Zack was helping a still-booted Wade climb out of the tiny craft, “—to make sure that you’ll still be giving him grief here at the ranch for a long time to come.”
She watched Will’s face slowly transform into a huge smile. He glanced once at his brother, and then back to her. “You’re pretty smart, Ellie Redfern. I’d like to keep you around, if you don’t mind.”
Ellie smiled back. “I think I’d like that a lot, Will Weston. You see, sometime during the last month, something completely unexpected happened.” She dropped his hand, and stepped towards the edge of the dock, peering up at the mountains that stretched into the distance. “A Lowcountry girl fell in love with Idaho.” Stealing a peek at him, she felt her heart hammering as she tried to word her declaration as perfectly as he had. “And a certain man.”
“Who is he? I’ll beat ‘im up.”
Ellie laughed, and a moment later Will joined in. “And although I still think what you pulled today was ridiculous, I can’t fault you for it, because it worked. I was ready to get on that plane tomorrow, and fly away from here—from you—without understanding how you felt.” She stretched her arms out towards the river, and took a deep breath of perfect mountain air. “The fact that you were willing to give this all up for me made me understand.”
She turned back to him, and put her hands on her hips. “I love you, Will Weston. I have for a while, but wouldn’t let myself admit it, because you were my boss and I was leaving. Thank you for convincing me to stay.”
A slow grin crept across this face, and he shoved both his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans, rocking back and forth in those lavender boots. He looked exactly the way she’d imagined a cowboy would look, but now she knew that she didn’t need a cowboy. The real Will was flipflops and swim trunks and water-speckled laughter. That’s who she needed.
“Well, now that I’ve convinced you to stay, I guess I better give you a good reason.”
He whistled Indy’s distinctive two-toned whistle, and the dog came bounding over. “If I’m going to keep control of the aquatics program, I’m going to need a full-time partner.” He met her eyes, and pulled something from his right pocket. “A real partner, in every sense. Someone who complements me, and who understands me. Who loves me like I love her.”
He held his fist to the dog. “Go on, girl. Bring that to Ellie.” Indy clamped whatever it was in her teeth, but cocked her head at Will. “Ellie. Bring that to Ellie.”
The Border Collie let out a little wuff and then hesitantly trotted towards Ellie. Curious now, Ellie bent to pick up the little black box, and ignored the slight stickiness from the Border Collie’s mouth. Indy sat down patiently, so Ellie gave her a distracted pat and “Good girl” as she opened the box’s lid.
Inside sat a perfect diamond ring.
She looked back up to see Will grinning that wonderful little half-grin of his. “Well?” he asked with a shrug. “How about it? Wanna get married? Be my partner?”
Ellie couldn’t help herself. She squealed, and threw herself into his arms. In between kisses, she managed to choke out, “That…is the worst… proposal…I’ve ever heard… Will Weston.”
His arms still around her, he pulled back just enough to smile into her face. “But you’ll say yes, right? Only because someone has to stick around and reform me.”
Rolling her eyes, she stretched up and kissed him lightly on his chin. “I think that if you get any more romantic notions, you’re going to pauper the entire ranch. So I’d better marry you just to keep an eye on you.”
They were both grinning so hugely that they had a little trouble when he tried to kiss her again. But they managed.
Just like they’d manage their future. Together. On the shores of Roiling Rapids River.
Keep reading for a sneak peek at the next River’s End Ranch book!
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SNEAK PEEK
Honest Horseman
River’s End Ranch, Book Five
Wyatt Weston stood slowly, shaking his head as he turned from the magnificent view across River’s End Ranch that never ceased to amaze him, even after a lifetime of looking at it. Snowmelt tumbled down from the mountains on the other side of the lake and he chuckled, thinking of his brother, Will, and the tourists that would be rafting today down the water that looked refreshing but could still take your breath away at this time of year.
He scuffed his boots across the dirt, careful to douse any remaining embers of the small campfire he and Glen had lit earlier to ward off the chill—and make coffee. Always coffee.
Glen hopped off the boulder he’d been perched on to watch the sunrise and poured out the last drops of coffee from his tin cup. “So, what are you going to do about this, Wyatt?”
Wyatt ran his hand through his sandy blond hair before he pulled his Stetson down over his forehead and turned up the collar of his flannel jacket. He cupped his hands together and blew into them, his breath warming his fingers only slightly.
He took one last look around the glade he and Glen had found the night before on their scouting trip for the upcoming season’s spot to take tourists on an overnight ride. River’s End Ranch had made quite a name for itself in destination resorts, and Wyatt’s overnight trail rides were a big part of that. Wyatt made sure to give their guests the best possible experience they could have. They were mostly city folk, though, so they also had to be pretty careful when they picked a spot. Couldn’t be too rough or remote. As much as it pained him, he knew they mostly looked forward to the gourmet cowboy cookout that Kelsi coordinated from the cafe, but he always made sure they got there safe and sound.
“It’ll be fine. Good view of the river and the lake. I prefer the one we found higher up, but I think for the resort guests, this would be best this summer.”
Glen shook his head and groaned. Wyatt turned slowly and raised an eyebrow at the tall, dark-haired man he’d recently gotten to know. Wyatt had reluctantly agreed to take him on as an intern after many raised-voice conversations with Wade. He still wasn’t certain what he was supposed to teach him, but he knew him well enough to know what he was probably thinking.
“Wyatt, you know darn well what I’m talking about,” he said as he nodded his head up toward the glade he and Wyatt had scouted the day before. Wyatt crouched by the remnants of the campfire, ensuring there were no stray embers, just as his father had taught him, before he reached to gather his bedroll.
Glen waited, shuffling from one boot to another before he let out a deep breath and turned toward the horses. He saddled up his horse, pulling the cinch tight under her belly, and waited. And waited.
“Want me to saddle Belle?”
“I got it,” Wyatt said as he slowly made his way over to his horse, the only one in the stables that nobody got to ride but him. He’d had her a few years now, and if Glen would just be quiet he could think. Well, more quiet. He’d rather talk to Belle about this without Glen in earshot.
“You know, you’re a hard man to talk to, Wyatt Weston,” Glen said as he sat back do
wn on the boulder and watched as Wyatt saddled his horse.
Wyatt sighed. “So I’ve been told.”
Glen chuckled as his horse tapped his hooves in the dirt. “I know, I know,” he said as he leaned over. “I’m trying to get him to hurry. Or say something.”
Wyatt squinted in Glen’s direction and Glen raised his eyebrows but clammed up, which is what Wyatt wanted.
The trip up to the higher country last night had been something he’d been looking forward to for weeks. Since he was a kid, it had been where he could breathe better, think better. He’d never in a million years thought that what they’d find would be less than great. Far less.
He and Glen had stopped stock still when they’d come upon the clearing, the horses backing up a step or two on their own. His father’s voice rang in his ears as he surveyed the pile in front of them.
“Son, this land is a gift, and a big responsibility comes with it. Other creatures need to live here, too, and we are their guardians.”
Wyatt understood hunters and the need to do it, either for food or for population management, but he’d never understood it just for fun. And when he and Glen came upon a family of foxes, dead, shot for sport and scattered around the glade, he winced. It never failed to turn his stomach.
Not only was it not fox hunting season, but whoever did this hadn’t even taken the pelts, just left the carcasses to rot. He hadn’t seen anything quite like this for—well, at least a few years.
“Poachers,” Glen had said solemnly as he pulled his hat further down his forehead and his eyes clouded. Now, he reached down for the lifeless family of foxes he’d gently piled against the tree and covered with canvas for the night. When they’d come upon them, they’d been scattered all over, willy nilly, and Wyatt and Glen had slowly gathered them up.
“Wyatt, you still with me?” Glen said as he folded his arms over his chest.