by Kadie Scott
Sounded exactly like something her father would do.
“Where is he?” she asked. She prayed he wasn’t already flying home to Texas.
Her father clicked through until he located the truck. “Interesting spot to choose.”
Rusty frowned. Why would Will be in the center of Cheyenne? Then she got a better look at the names of the cross streets and gasped.
“I know where he is,” she said. Then she ran out of the room.
“Don’t come back unless it’s with Will,” her father shouted after her.
But for once, she didn’t take that as a threat and laughed. Though she sobered as she scooted behind the wheel of her father’s truck. She flipped down the visor and the keys fell in her lap, then she gunned the vehicle, and took off, tires spitting up dirt and rocks behind her.
She had not one damn clue what she was going to do when she got to Will, but she had to try. An idea came to her suddenly. Her father wouldn’t like it, but he could stuff it. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed.
“Dad? I need to meet with your lawyer. Right now.”
*
Will lay on top of the white bedspread on the iron bed in the room where Rusty had stayed at the Nagle-Warren Mansion. He’d been surprised both his room and her room had been available. What prompted him to take her room, he had no idea.
In fact, this walk down memory lane was pointless. But part of him felt closer to her in here. Maybe this way he could say goodbye before he went home.
Alone.
Then he had to explain everything to his family.
Arms tucked behind his head, and feet crossed at the ankles, his boots on the floor, he stared at the ceiling. He’d been here for hours, just staring. The sky had turned dark, and at some point he’d flipped on the antique lamp on the bedside table. Then he’d gone back to staring. He should probably get up and have dinner, but he couldn’t make himself.
A knock at the door made him jump. Will propped himself up on one elbow. “Yes?”
No one knew he was here, so it could only be hotel staff.
“Sir,” a female voice called through the door, “I have a delivery for you.”
“Are you sure it’s for Williams Hill?” he called back even as he scooted off the bed and moved to answer the door.
“Very sure,” she answered.
He swung the door open to find the gray-haired woman who’d checked him in standing there with a manila envelope. Scrawled on the outside of it was his full name. Including his middle name. What the hell?
Slowly he reached out for it. “Thanks,” he murmured, even as he turned to close the door.
Then he dug into the envelope to pull out a small stack of what appeared to be legal documents. These couldn’t be for him. He went to stuff them back in, but paused as he saw his name, and one other that had him grunting.
He pulled the papers back out, skimming them quickly.
Then his frown deepened to a scowl. It appeared as though Rusty was putting her inheritance in his name, but only if he agreed to stayed married to her.
Will stalked to the door and took the stairs practically two at a time. He had no clue how she’d found him, but it didn’t matter. This was a low blow, and he wasn’t going to take it lying down. That was for damn sure.
He found the woman who’d brought him the papers behind the front desk. She lit up with a smile when she saw him.
Will held up the papers. “Where is the woman who brought these?”
“She’s waiting for you in the dining room, sir.” She pointed.
Will burst through the closed French doors, and pulled himself short at the sight of Rusty standing there. Her dress registered, even through his anger. Some kind of soft velvety material smoothed over her curves. The striking shade of blue looked incredible against her creamy skin and dark red hair. The low V-neck showed off her cleavage, even as the long sleeves and knee length gave it a buttoned-up appearance that only made her sexier.
He’d never seen her dress like this.
He gave himself a shake. Just because she looked like his idea of heaven didn’t make him any less pissed.
Will held up the papers. “What the hell is this supposed to mean?”
She did a rapid blink, and her shoulders sagged. “I was hoping—”
“What? That you’d test me?”
Her head jerked back, her eyes wide. “No, that’s not what I—”
“I know your father made you stop trusting men, but when have I ever given you reason to doubt me—”
“You haven’t.” She shook her head, her long hair, loose for once, spilling over her breasts.
“Then what is this?” he demanded.
“It’s me showing you that I trust you,” she snapped.
She looked away, wrapping her arms around her waist and taking a deep breath. Will paused, the anger burning out of him as what she said combined with her body language told him to pay attention.
“What do you mean?” he asked softly, having to consciously hold himself back from touching her.
She glanced back at him, searching his face for a heartbeat. Then she dropped her arms to her sides. “Those papers are about proving to you that you mean more to me than the ranch.”
He shook his head. “How does it do that?”
“Well… I had Dad revise his will to give you the ranch if we don’t stay married. And I’m giving it to you if we do. No kids involved.”
Will swallowed. Hope rose inside him, greater than any he’d allowed himself since meeting his wife.
“What do you want?” he asked.
He needed her to take the last step to bring them together.
*
At least he wasn’t yelling at her anymore. When he’d come in here brandishing the papers, she’d had to work to keep her knees holding her up. She was already nervous as hell. She’d never put her heart out there like she was about to.
She licked suddenly dry lips. Her father was right, she’d never backed down from a fight in her life, and she wasn’t backing down now. But that didn’t make it any less terrifying. She had no idea which way things were about to go.
“I want you,” she said. Simple as that.
Will put his hands on his hips, dropping his head to stare at the ground for a long moment. Rusty’s heart pounded against her ribs as she waited.
He raised his eyes, pinning her with an intense blue gaze that made her stomach flutter.
“You want to stay married to me?” he asked.
She nodded. He took a step closer.
“For real?”
Another nod. Another step.
“Forever?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
He stopped close enough that she could feel the heat of his body.
“Why?” he asked.
And suddenly she saw it. A vulnerability underneath the quiet, confident cowboy he showed the world.
Please.
She did the only thing she could. She closed the small distance between them, pressing into him, and took his face in her hands. “Because I love you.”
He didn’t say anything at first, but she could feel his heart beating against her.
When he didn’t speak, she hiked up her bravery and kept going. “I love you, Williams Hill. I think I’ve loved you since the first time you kissed me, even though I didn’t want to admit it.”
His blue eyes softened, and he slid his hands up her arms to circle her wrists with his hands, holding her touch to him, not letting her pull away. “Keep going,” he murmured. “You’re doing fine.”
A bubble of elation came out as a hiccupping giggle. The words she’d been holding back for months poured from her. “You are the best man I’ve ever met. I know trust is difficult for me, but you can teach me. I know you can. I don’t want the ranch or any other dreams I’ve spun if I can’t share them with you.”
He pulled her hands from his face.
Oh God. He was going to reject her.
But b
efore the tears stinging the backs of her eyes could spill over, he dropped his head to kiss the palms of both her hands.
Then looked back up, a smile lightening those blue eyes. “I love you, too,” he said, his voice deeper, rougher than usual.
“You do?” she squeaked.
He nodded, a smile coming from some place deep and happy. “With everything I have in me. You busted into my life, and I feel like I’ve been holding on for my eight seconds ever since.”
Rusty launched herself into his arms, laughing and crying at the same time, needing to hold him and be held. “I’m sorry about earlier today,” she whispered.
He pulled back and smoothed her hair out of her face. “What made you realize I would never work against you that way?”
She shook her head. “I knew it even as I said it. I was just so mad at Dad. He says he’s sorry, by the way, for almost messing this up.”
Will raised his eyebrows. “I’d love to hear more about that, but not right now.”
“Oh?”
He took her by the hand and tugged her out of the room, waving to the lady behind the desk who she’d convinced to help her and who glowed back, then pulled her up the stairs.
“Nope. I think we need a honeymoon and we’re going to start right now.”
A happy giggle escaped her. “I finally wear a dress and—”
“And I can’t wait to take it off you.”
They made it to his door which he unlocked, but before she could move inside, he swung her up into his arms. “The groom carries the bride across the threshold.”
She snuggled into him.
“Is the blue color for me?”
She nodded. “It reminds me of your eyes. I think blue might replace pink in my wardrobe moving forward.”
He smiled at her, and her heart, already floating, soared.
He walked into the room, kicking the door closed behind him. With a slow deliberation, Will undressed them both before laying her down on the bed. He took his time, worshiping every inch of her and driving her need higher and higher with each kiss, each touch. And now, in each of those caresses, she could feel his love.
Rusty’s heart wanted to fly away at the look in Will’s eyes. Even giving as much as he had, she could see now he’d still held a part of himself back. Until this moment. Now she had all of Will.
She opened her own heart, vowing to give him all of herself in return. Every part of her.
After they reached heaven together, he pulled the blankets up over them, tucking her tenderly into his side, even as he pushed up on one elbow to stare down at her as though he was a little afraid she’d disappear.
But she never would. “I love you,” she whispered.
He smiled, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I love you too, but I have one condition, Mrs. Hill,” he said in that low, sexy rasp.
“Oh?” She smiled and raised her eyebrows in question, not remotely worried about what this mysterious condition might be. A little eager, in fact, to hear it.
Will went all serious and intense. “Marry me.”
Despite the bubbles of exultation fluttering through her, she still couldn’t help but tease. “We’re already married,” she pointed out.
“No. I mean, I want a church ceremony, with you in that gorgeous frilly dress and all of our family there. Marry me, again. For real this time.”
Rusty gave a happy sigh, snuggling into him. “I’d love to.”
Epilogue
Rusty checked her dress one more time, and adjusted her grip on the bouquet, the sweet scent of the flowers wafting around her. She’d been here before, only this time the flutters in her tummy weren’t dread or worry, but excitement and total confidence. This time her marriage vows meant something completely different.
The entire occasion felt different.
She glanced at Carter and a very pregnant Holly, who twinkled back at her. Somewhere in the chapel, Carter’s new fiancé sat with the rest of the extended family. Sophia, in her adorable pink flower girl dress, was already on her way down the aisle, her blond ringlets bouncing with each step.
Rusty’s father couldn’t walk her down the aisle this time—already seated at the front with Evaline and John. The chemo had taken its toll, leaving him weak, frail. She’d once thought him invincible, but the body had a sad way of proving that wrong, even for the strongest. But he was here to see her married—really married, and to a man she loved more than she could put into words.
His tactics may have been on the hard side, but she had to give her father credit. She wouldn’t be here without his doing what he’d done. And she wouldn’t be who she was without him either. In the last few months, they’d spent more time together, even just a week or two at a time, than they had in years. Forgiveness was a powerful healer.
Carter and Holly took their places at the front, with Will’s brothers lined up beside him. The music changed and now it was her turn. The congregation rose and turned, smiles beaming at her as Rusty walked herself down the red-carpeted aisle.
They’d debated having someone else stand in for her father. But in the end, she’d decided that no one could replace Garrett Walker…or who he’d made her into. A strong, independent woman who could damn well give herself away.
The soft material of her dress—the same gorgeous pale pink and white gown she’d worn the first time—floated around her. Everything slowed and quieted as her gaze landed on Will. Breath-stealing handsome in a black tux, he stood very still watching her with those blue eyes and her heart took off, soaring. According to Will, she’d been his ever since he’d caught her dancing and singing in her truck at a stoplight in Estes Park, Colorado. But now…even after months of whispered I love yous, and falling asleep in his arms at night, and waking to his smile in the mornings…now this felt real.
The small chapel in town—quaint with the white wood siding and old-fashioned steeple on top, all dark hardwoods on the inside, beautifully carved—was filled with all their friends and family. Admittedly more folks on Will’s side this time, which was as it should be. The man had a huge family when you added in all the aunts and uncles and cousins. Plus, it seemed that the entire town of La Colinas, and most of the surrounding ranches had shown.
Doris and Evaline both sniffled, especially when Rusty paused at her father’s wheelchair and leaned down to kiss him on a papery cheek. Even the indomitable Garrett Walker’s eyes glistened as she pulled away. “Thank you, Dad,” she whispered.
He would know she was thanking him for who she was and where she was now—despite the rough road to get here. He squeezed her hand, and Rusty knew that meant he loved her. Even if he never said the words.
With a deep breath, she turned to her husband, to the man who’d never given up on her, proving by every look, every word, every action how much he loved her.
He held out his hand. “Are you ready, Mrs. Hill?”
Rusty cocked her head, though she couldn’t contain her smile as she put her hand in his. “I think I’ve been ready since a cowboy tipped his imaginary hat at me when he caught me singing in my truck. I just didn’t know it then.”
Will’s slow smile was everything she could have ever asked for. He drew her hand through his arm…and she was home.
The End
The Hills of Texas
For the Hills of Texas, ranching is a legacy, hard work is a way of life, and having siblings is like having a best friend you can’t get rid of. You know whatever you do, they’ll still be there. Family will stand by you, stand with you, stand behind you, and sometimes give you that needed push. Especially when it comes to finding love.
Book 1: Saving the Sheriff
Buy now!
Book 2: Resisting the Rancher
View the series here
Book 3: Coming soon
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About the Author
Award-winning contemporary romance author, Kadie Scott, grew up consuming books and exploring the world through her writing. She attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing). However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it.
No matter the genre, she loves to write witty, feisty heroines, sexy heroes who deserve them, and a cast of lovable characters to surround them (and maybe get their own stories). She currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her own personal hero, her husband, and their two children, who are growing up way too fast.
Kadie also writes award-winning paranormal romance under the name Abigail Owen.
For the latest news and exclusive excerpts, subscribe to Kadie’s monthly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/czjrKn.
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