The Texas SEAL's Surprise--A Clean Romance

by Cari Lynn Webb

  “My grandmother gave my brothers and me forty acres across from the distillery,” Carter explained. “It was passed down on her grandma’s side, one daughter to another. But my grandma only had one son, then more grandsons.”

  “She loved her boys fiercely and fully.” Sam touched his wife’s wedding ring he’d worn on his pinky finger since her passing.

  “We thought we could take thirty acres and turn that into a horse sanctuary.” Carter leaned his elbows on the table and met Wes’s gaze. “With you being our partner and managing the rescues.”

  Wes pressed his back against his chair and exhaled. It was more than he’d expected. More than he’d hoped for. A permanent home for his rescues. “You’re serious.”

  “My brother and I agreed. Grandpa too.” Carter set his hand on top of Sam’s arm. “We thought we could use your mom’s first name and Grandma’s. Call it the Martha Claire Horse Haven.”

  Words escaped him. Tears pooled in Sam’s gaze. In Boone’s and even Carter’s. Wes blinked and failed to dry his own eyes. This was family. And how a family rallied.

  “Are you in?” Carter stretched his arm over the table toward Wes. A scratch clear in his friend’s low voice.

  Wes set his hand in Carter’s. “I’m in.”

  He was in. For the long haul. For the forever he’d never imagined he’d ever have. Now he just needed to show Abby he meant it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  THE PIECES WERE falling into place. Wes stepped outside the bank and grinned. He’d spent his Sunday indoors looking over his finances, filling out paperwork for the new sanctuary and establishing those roots. He’d been at the bank before it opened. He’d greeted Nora Finch, the bank manager, with fresh coffee and Ilene’s homemade blueberry scones to brighten her Monday morning. And secretly he’d wanted her to move quickly through the documents he’d submitted online for a loan last night. Nora hadn’t disappointed and approved him within the hour.

  Wes crossed the street and walked inside the Owl. The bar and grill was closed, but Nolan was in the kitchen, testing new recipes. Fresh coffee scented the air. Boone was seated at the bar, an empty plate and a half-finished soda in front of him.

  Wes skirted the bar stools and set an envelope within reach of Boone. “This is for you.”

  Boone picked up the envelope and tapped it against the bar top, his gaze fixed on Wes. “What’s this?”

  “Your retirement plan.” And the start of Wes’s future. He leaned an elbow on the bar top and nodded. “Open it.”

  Boone pulled the check from inside and studied it. Nothing passed across the old cowboy’s weathered features. But a hint of approval tinged his words. “You buying me out, then?”

  “Yes, sir.” And he was investing in the town. In himself. In his family.

  “Doesn’t mean I’m going anywhere.” Boone folded the check and tucked it into the front pocket of his plaid shirt.

  “Never expected you would.” Wes kept his smile restrained.

  “Gonna offer my opinions too.” Boone angled his soda glass at Wes and lifted one of his eyebrows. “Call you out when you’re doing it wrong.”

  “I’m counting on it.” That’s what family did—counted on each other. Through the ups and the downs.

  Boone eased off the stool and held out his hand to Wes. There was a mistiness in his pleased gaze. “Proud of you, son.”

  The two men grasped hands, then both stepped in to each other for a full hug. Wes held on for a long moment. “Thanks for not giving up on me, Boone.”

  “Never doubted you.” Boone claimed his seat, then glanced at Wes. “We’ll make it official later this week. Right now, I want to know if everything is a go for tonight’s Operation Razzle-Dazzle?”

  Boone and Sam had coined the silly phrase for Wes’s plan to win back Abby during the lovesick intervention in the old cowboy’s kitchen. Carter and Evan had enjoyed the nickname a little too much and started a group text chat under the same name. Wes had vowed that when his two friends found themselves on the lovesick train, he’d be there to revel in their trip. Carter told Wes not to worry, cows would fly before he erred and fell that hard for any woman. Boone and Sam had taken Carter’s words as a challenge, to Evan and Wes’s delight and Carter’s dismay. “I’m meeting Tess in an hour for the rest of the deliveries.”

  “That’s good. Real good.” Boone stood and swallowed the last of his soda. “I’m off to see Delaney O’Neil.”

  Delaney was the town’s best real estate agent and had built quite a photography business that she’d started as a hobby. Wes walked behind the bar. “Why are you meeting up with Delaney?”

  “Got my eye on a nice little place in town.” Boone picked up his cowboy hat from the back of the stool and turned it around in his hands. “It’s time to hang up the spurs and enjoy some front-porch sitting for a while.”

  “Don’t hang up those spurs completely.” Wes paused and studied Boone. The older cowboy hardly seemed upset or disappointed. He looked almost like he was up to something good. “I’ll need you out at the sanctuary. I’m depending on your advice for the stable remodel and the shelters in the pastures.”

  “You can count on me giving it.” Boone set his cowboy hat on his head.

  “You know you can move into the apartment,” Wes offered. Boone had to be out of the Dawson house before the end of the month. He had time yet to decide on where he wanted to live.

  “I told you, I got my eye on a little place. Walking distance from downtown.” Boone grinned and touched his shirt pocket. “And now the funds to make a purchase.”

  Wes hadn’t given Boone the money so he could spend it the same day. “What else have you looked at? Maybe I should go with you.”

  “I already like the neighbor. I know that much. You keep on with Operation Razzle-Dazzle.” Boone touched the brim of his hat. “Between my neighbor and this place, my plate is gonna be full. Just the way I prefer it. This retirement thing certainly isn’t going to be boring.”

  Wes watched Boone amble outside. Swore he heard the old cowboy whistling. He would’ve followed, but his cell phone rang. Tess was back early and headed out to the old barn. Wes called goodbye to Nolan and headed to his truck. He had one afternoon to prepare the perfect evening. One chance to win back Abby and secure his future.

  * * *

  “YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO be helping me get Wes alone.” Abby shut the passenger door of Evan’s large truck and buckled her seat belt. “How is practicing trivia at Carter’s house going to do that, exactly?”

  “You could ask Wes out during trivia night.” Evan steered the truck from the curb and headed away from downtown. “You could put your date request into one of the trivia topic squares on the screen.”

  “You want me to ask Wes out in front of the entire town? On trivia night? The busiest night of the month?” Abby set her purse near her feet and glared at Evan. She should’ve stayed home with Tess and Riley and played cards instead. How had she let Evan talk her into this? Trivia practice. She had to practice what she wanted to say to Wes.

  “Sure, why not?” Evan tapped his fingers against the steering wheel and grinned at her. “It would be quite the declaration. Like asking someone to marry you during a pro basketball game on the jumbotron.”

  “And if Wes declines?” Abby ran her damp palms against her shorts. She wanted to fight for Wes. For them. But she didn’t quite know where to begin. She’d thought the presentation in the folder would’ve earned some sort of response. She’d gotten only more silence. Now she had to make a second, bolder move, and she was terrified of making the wrong one. “It would be monumentally mortifying to be rejected in public.”

  “You don’t want to date Wes, anyway,” Evan said.

  “Evan, you are so not helpful.” Abby tilted her head back and stared at the ceiling. “You’re like an aggravating little brother.”

 
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Evan laughed when Abby swatted his arm. “Okay. Seriously, here’s the plan.”

  Abby shifted and faced him. She’d given up watching where they were going. All the country roads looked the same after sunset. They mostly looked the same in the daylight too, except Abby was getting better at finding her own landmarks from cactus to crooked mailboxes to cows in the pastures.

  She’d even driven to Belleridge for her follow-up appointment with Dr. Carrillo and only made one wrong turn.

  Evan spread his hand toward her like a game-show host with a prize. “The plan is a special breakfast at Boone’s tomorrow morning. Only Boone won’t be there. You will.”

  “Is that a big enough declaration?” Abby wrinkled her nose.

  “The man likes breakfast.” Evan scratched his forehead, moving his cowboy hat up and down. “Isn’t the way to a man’s heart through his stomach?”

  “You tell me.” Abby drummed her fingers on the console.

  “Me?” Evan parked the truck, cut the headlights and the engine. “I prefer a grab-and-go kind of breakfast.”

  Abby groaned and reached for the door handle but paused and squinted out the windshield. “Evan. This can’t be Carter’s house. That’s an old barn. How can you be lost? You’ve lived here your whole life.”

  “I’m not lost.” Evan pointed out the window. “That’s your destination.”

  “Half the roof is missing. No one is going inside there. It’s a hazard.” Abby glanced from the old, dilapidated barn to Evan.

  “Look closer.” Evan tilted his head toward the old barn.

  “Are there lights on inside there?” Abby squinted as if that would somehow improve her night vision. Something wavered in the shadows. “Wait. Someone is walking out.”

  “Abby.” Evan’s voice was soft.

  Abby’s gaze remained on the figure walking toward the truck. She knew that walk. That swagger. Those strong shoulders. That cowboy hat, exactly where it was faded and worn on the rim. Her heart raced. Her face flushed. Her entire body tingled.

  “Abby,” Evan repeated.

  “What?” Abby snapped and tore her gaze away from the familiar figure.

  “Get out,” Evan urged. “Get out of my truck.”

  Abby focused again on the figure. On the man she’d know anywhere. On Wes. She reached for the handle and opened the door. Then looked back at Evan. “I don’t think I’m going to need that breakfast, am I?”

  “You won’t know until you get out.” Evan shoved her shoulder.

  “I’m nervous,” Abby admitted.

  “And I’m late for poker night at Carter’s,” Evan drawled. “We all have our issues to deal with.”

  Abby’s laughter overtook her. She squeezed Evan’s arm, thanked him and stepped out. Stepped toward her future. To everything she ever wanted. Determined that this time she wasn’t letting go.

  Evan turned his truck around on the dirt road, honked twice and disappeared into the night.

  Abby walked toward Wes. He never paused, just kept coming toward her. He didn’t slow until he was close enough to wrap his arms around her and hold her against him. Where she wanted to be.

  He kept his hands at his side. His stance relaxed, his words swift. “Abby, I’m sorry. It’s not enough. I know it’s not enough, but it has to be repeated. I’m so very sorry.”

  Abby absorbed his words. He was enough. She stepped up to him.

  He held out his hand, stopping her before she could wrap her arms around him. “Can I show you something?”

  “Sure.” Abby slipped her hand inside his, and everything inside her finally settled. Her world finally felt right again. “Where are we?”

  “The land belongs to Carter and his brothers.” Wes tugged her closer into his side. “It’s recently been converted into a sanctuary for horses.”

  Abby caught her breath, held it for a beat. But she had to know. “Whose horses will be here?”

  “Mine. And the ones we rescue in the future.” He held his other arm out. “Let me officially welcome you to the Martha Claire Horse Haven. Martha for my mother. Claire for Carter’s grandmother.”

  “Wes, that’s incredible.” Abby scanned the horizon again.

  “I’m still reeling.” Wes squeezed her hand and guided her along a dirt path, weaving closer to the old barn. “The horses have a permanent home for generations to come.”

  Home. She wanted that too. With him. She chewed on her bottom lip, opened her mouth.

  But the barn came into view and stole her breath. Hundreds of flowers in every kind and every color from roses to lilies to snapdragons and daisies filled the abandoned space, transforming it into a floral wonderland. Candles and tea lights along the rafters added the perfect glow. A bottle of apple cider sat on a small round table covered in a plaid tablecloth in the center. Abby pressed her hand against her chest and inhaled all the scents. “What is this?”

  “I’m hoping it’s the start of our future.” Wes took both of her hands in his. “Dance with me?”

  “Here?” Now. Always.

  “Here.” Wes went to a corner and started a record player. An old waltz played on a sole fiddle began, and he drew her into his embrace. “Just you and me. Under the stars.”

  Abby linked her hands behind his head. Grateful he held her. She felt her feet lifting off the ground. Felt those butterflies gathering to whisk her heart into the clouds. “Wes—”

  “Let me say this first. You deserve to know all of it.” He pulled her closer. “I realized this week that home isn’t a place. It’s a person. It’s you, Abby James. You’re my home.”

  Abby’s heart took flight. Tears pooled in her eyes. Love washed away her voice. Those words. All she could do was hold onto Wes.

  “Will you be my forever?” Wes set his forehead against hers. “Put down roots with me. Build a family, a future and our own legacy together.”

  “Yes. On a thousand shooting stars, yes.” Abby pressed her lips against his.

  “I love you.” Wes pulled away and framed her face in his hands. “I loved you from the first moment I saw you. And I’ve been falling more in love every day since.”

  “I love you too, Wes Tanner.” Abby gave her heart its voice. “You’re my home. My safe place. My everything.”

  EPILOGUE

  Early December

  ABBY GLANCED IN her rearview mirror and watched the dust kick up behind the back wheels of her brand-new cherry-red truck on Old Copper Mill Road.

  Boone sat beside her. His fingers tapped to the beat of the country song on the radio and the breeze from the open window made his gray hair sway. “Shouldn’t be much farther.”

  Abby scanned the side of the road, looking for a familiar chestnut-and-white mare and a disgruntled cowboy.

  “There.” Abby pointed at the pair surrounded by cacti and tumbleweed. Her cowboy sat on a large rock, arms crossed over his chest. The Paint mare stood several feet away from him, her ears twitching. Abby put the truck in Park and leaned out the window. “Hey, cowboy, heard you needed some assistance.”

  “Wes needs more than that. He needs to update his horse training ways.” Boone laughed. “Queen Vee got him good this time.”

  Her cowboy stood and brushed the dirt from his jeans, then walked over to the truck. “It was a rattlesnake that startled the horse. She bucked and I wasn’t ready.”

  “And she threw you clear out of the saddle,” Boone chuckled. “Wish I had been here for it. What was that? The third or fourth time Queen Vee has thrown ya off?”

  “I haven’t counted.” Wes closed his eyes and inhaled.

  “Well, I’m here now,” Abby sing-songed and set her hand on Wes’s arm. “Let’s see if Queen Vee will let me close enough to grab her reins.”

  Wes opened the truck door and helped her out. “Every time I try to get nea
r the mare, she backs away.”

  “At least she didn’t run away.” Abby grabbed a paper shopping bag from the back seat. She’d filled the bag at home and now set it near her feet. The ones inside her favorite pair of baby-blue-and-tan cowboy boots. “I brought carrots and apples. And her absolute favorite: sugar cubes.”

  “Wes, you should’ve put a jar of sugar cubes in your pocket before you left the rescue.” Boone walked around the front of the truck and climbed into the driver’s seat. “I’ll take Abby’s truck back to the house.”

  Boone had bought the house next door to Abby’s in downtown Three Springs. Being neighbors, they enjoyed the occasional weeknight dinner together and long conversations on the front porch on the weekends. Abby settled her cowboy hat on her head. “We’ll be fine.” Besides, she needed time alone with Wes. She always welcomed more of that.

  Boone honked the horn, waved out the window and drove off.

  Wes eyed her. “Are you sure you want to walk back?”

  “It’s not far.” All in all it was less than two miles to the rescue. With Wes beside her, Abby knew she could handle anything. She linked her arms around his neck and stepped closer. “Besides, I’m off work. The bar is closed, and we have no where we need to be.”

  “The sun will be setting soon.” His arms curved around her waist and he tugged her even closer.

  “Can’t think of a better view of the sunset than out here.”

  “Neither can I.” He kissed her softly. Fully. Then brushed her hair off her cheek and smiled. “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”

  “Any time.” Every time. Always.

  “Ready to round up Queen Vee?”

  Abby picked up the treat bag and took out an apple. She walked slowed toward the horse, praised the mare, commented on her calm manner and scolded the rattlesnake that had startled her afternoon exercise. When Abby was close enough, she stroked her between her ears and offered the mare an apple, then carrots. Abby kept up her whispered, one-sided conversation and reached for the reins.