The Cowboy's Second-Chance Family

by Jules Bennett

“Shouldn’t you be home resting?” she asked when he got closer.

  Noah stopped several feet away and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I should be here,” he told her. “Carla said you were scared earlier.”

  Damn gossipy station house. That was the downfall of being like one big family. Everybody knew everything.

  “I was worried, yes. My friends and coworkers were facing a gunman.”

  Noah started to take another step, but Lucy held her hands up. “What are you doing here, Noah?”

  “I came to talk to you and you’re going to listen.”

  Stunned at his abrupt attitude, she dropped her hands to her side.

  “You don’t have to admit to me that you were scared,” he went on. “I was, too. It’s natural when you’re facing the unknown. But you know what I realized in those moments? I don’t want to live without you, Lucy. I lost someone I loved and I sure as hell don’t want to lose someone else.”

  Was he saying what she thought he was saying? Did he love her?

  Of all the times for him to figure out his feelings.

  Lucy’s heart was torn in two. Part of her was elated he was finally admitting his emotions, but the other part, the realistic part, knew this could never be. She had too many fears, too many worries.

  He closed the distance between them and slid his hands up her arms. “I know you’re still afraid, Lucy, but I want to explore this with you. I want to help you get over your fear. I’m not ready to jump into marriage, but I’m definitely not letting you go so easily, either.”

  This amazing man who had just faced an armed robber after working a fourteen-hour shift stood before her ready to fight her battles. But her past and all of the doubts swirling around inside her head were keeping her from throwing herself into his arms. She had to guard her heart. She’d barely put the pieces back together and another hard blow would surely be too much to bear.

  “I promised myself I’d never get involved with a man who constantly put his life on the line.” It took everything in her to cross her arms and not reach for him. “Being on the other end of that call today...”

  Lucy shook her head and turned her back to him, afraid he’d see too much in her eyes. She had to stay strong.

  “Are you that afraid of getting involved again?” he asked. His shoes scuffed over the ground as he moved closer, now only inches from her back. She could feel his body heat permeating her. “You think this is easy for me? It’s terrifying, but I’m stronger now than I was and I’m stronger since meeting you.”

  Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and dropped her head. With her arms banded around her waist, she willed the hurt and the temptation away. It would be so easy to turn and throw her arms around Noah, to lean into him and let him take her cares and burdens.

  No. Actually that would be the hard part. Being dependent on a man who might involuntarily leave her would be the most difficult part.

  Lucy squared her shoulders and turned. His eyes held hers. His tired eyes. He’d had a hard night, and had opted to come here first.

  “You can’t be serious,” she told him. “You can’t be ready to move on when you’re still grieving. You just want me because you’re comfortable with me and because the physical attraction is so strong.”

  Noah let out a bark of laughter. “You think I’m here fighting for you because of sex? Lucy, you drive me out of my mind. You make me see a future when I was positive there would never be another woman for me. I sure as hell never thought I’d find someone as soon as I got into town.”

  That bandage over his eyebrow and temple continued to mock her. Lucy reached up, brushing her fingertips just beneath the tape.

  “Are you really all right? No concussion or anything?”

  He reached up, gripping her hand in his as he turned his face into her palm. “Nothing is wrong with me,” he assured her. “I care more about you and how scared you are than I do about a bump on my head.”

  Tears clogged her throat. “It could’ve so easily been a bullet.”

  Noah framed her face and kissed her forehead. “And you could die in a storm,” he countered as he pulled back to look her in the eyes. “We can’t live like that, Lucy. We have to push forward and grab happiness while we can. We’re not guaranteed tomorrow and we’re not guaranteed a second chance at love.”

  Lucy blinked back the tears, but one slipped down her cheek. “You love me.”

  Noah smiled as he wiped her tears with the pad of his thumb. “I’ve known it for a while, but I finally admitted it to myself. If you don’t want to be with me because you don’t feel the same, that’s one thing, but if you’re running because you’re scared, I won’t let you do this alone.”

  “I can’t lose you,” she whispered. “I can’t go through that again.”

  “I don’t want to deal with loss again, either,” he told her as he pulled her against his chest. “But if I have a day of happiness with you, that’s better than letting go of this second chance.”

  Lucy wrapped her arms around him and inhaled his familiar scent. “Why are you making sense? I’m trying to be practical. I’m trying to save us both heartache.”

  Noah eased her back and smoothed her hair from her face. “You’re not saving either of us by pushing me away. The only thing that will save me is having you in my life.”

  Oh, that man had the absolute best response to everything. He was determined to save her when, from the start, she’d been trying to save him.

  Lucy flattened her hands against his back and tipped her head to look at him. “You’re worth the risk,” she told him. “I’ve never met anyone who would be worth laying my heart on the line again. Until you.”

  Noah lifted her off the ground and captured her lips. The horses neighed and stomped behind her as if they were giving their blessing. Lucy opened to him, needing to feel him, needing to immerse herself in this moment, this man.

  Finally, after so long of wondering if happiness did exist for her again, she’d discovered it. All of his emotions came pouring out into the kiss and Lucy knew this was a moment she’d remember forever.

  “I think I should go inside and lay down for a while,” he muttered against her lips as he sat her back on the ground.

  “Is that right?”

  “Unless you need help with the horses.”

  Lucy shook her head and threaded her fingers through his hair. “They’re actually fine. I was just out here because I was too wound up to go to bed. I had nervous energy to burn off.”

  Noah slid his lips across her jaw and up to the sensitive spot behind her ear. “I have a better idea.”

  As he led her into the house, Lucy had a sense of relief, a peacefulness she hadn’t felt in so long.

  They’d reached the hallway and Noah turned to step into the guest room, but she stopped him, placing a hand on his chest. “Not in there,” she told him, shaking her head. “From now on I want you in my bed. In my room.”

  His eyes sought hers, his brows drew in. “You’re sure?”

  Lucy pulled in a deep breath and nodded. “It’s where you belong. Where we belong.”

  In one motion he scooped her up into his arms and kissed her, giving her just a taste of the pleasure that was to come.

  “I love you, Noah,” she said once she could breathe again.

  “I love you, too, Lucy.” Then he carried her into her bedroom.

  Epilogue

  “I love surprises.”

  Emma hopped out of his truck and raced ahead of Noah toward the barn. It had been almost a month since he and Lucy had agreed to start moving forward together as an official couple. Their coworkers in the department teased that they’d all seen it coming. Noah had, too, but he’d had to be cautious.

  Since that time, Lucy, Emma and he had spent quite a bit of time together. They
’d done picnics, horseback riding, dinners, movie nights, days at the park. There had been so many memories made already, Noah was ready to move their relationship to the next level and he’d already set the ball in motion.

  As he stepped into the barn, he spotted Lucy at the other end guiding Hawkeye in. Emma ran up to her and gave her legs a hug.

  “You guys are just in time,” Lucy said, patting Emma’s back. “I need you two to get Gunner out.”

  “Are we riding today?” Emma asked.

  Lucy’s wide smile seemed to light up her whole face. Noah figured he’d never get used to that anxious, giddy feeling each time he was with her. He hoped he didn’t. Lucy was refreshing, she was loving, caring, she was the breath of air he needed in his life at just the right time.

  “We may ride in a bit,” Lucy said. “Why don’t you go ahead and get him out and we’ll take him out back. You can braid his mane.”

  Noah slid the stall door open and gripped Gunner’s reins. As he pulled him out, he realized something was on the side of the horse. He looked closer, then gasped, his eyes darting back to Lucy.

  “What does it say?” Emma asked.

  Lucy stepped closer, pulling Hawkeye behind her.

  Noah looked back to the horse, who had been painted in bright yellow letters: Will You Marry Me?

  Swallowing the lump of emotions, Noah laughed as he turned to look at Lucy. “You’re asking me?”

  She shrugged. “I’m asking both of you.”

  “What does it say?” Emma cried, jumping up and down.

  Noah focused on Emma. “Lucy wants to know if we’ll marry her and be one family.”

  Emma’s bright blue eyes widened. “Really?”

  Lucy held out paint markers to Noah. “You can write your reply on Hawkeye.”

  Noah eyed the markers in her hand. The fact that Lucy bit down on her lip as if she were nervous was the most adorable thing he’d ever seen. Well, aside from this proposal.

  He took the yellow marker and handed the pink one to Emma. They stepped to the other side of Hawkeye. Noah pulled the lid off and started writing. Emma was doing the same just below him.

  Once they were done, Noah stepped back as hope flooded him.

  Lucy moved around to the other side of Gunner and glanced down at his side. Noah had written a huge YES and Emma had made a large smiley face.

  “This is the best day ever,” Emma said as she looked up to Lucy.

  Noah wasn’t sure who was going to cry first, him or Lucy.

  “You know, I was going to ask you this weekend,” he told her as he reached out to take her hand. “I had Gray in on it and we had a whole romantic evening set up for us.”

  “With Gray?”

  Noah shook his head. “Well, he was helping, but he wouldn’t have been there for the main event.”

  Lucy’s smile widened as her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “You can still plan a surprise romantic evening.”

  “I plan on surprising you for the rest of my life,” he told her. “Emma and I are the luckiest people right now.”

  Lucy bent down and picked up Emma, who still held on to her marker. “I’d say I’m the lucky one,” Lucy stated as she kissed Emma’s cheek.

  “Does this mean I can get a new horse?” she asked her dad. “Daisy number two can have the stall on the end.”

  Noah laughed. “We can definitely look into getting you another Daisy.”

  “And we can save that stall just for her,” Lucy added, giving the girl a smile.

  “I love you, Lucy,” Emma said as she threw her arms around Lucy’s neck.

  Lucy met Noah’s eyes over his daughter’s head. Nothing in the world was worth more than this moment. And no amount of fear or worry over the unknown would steal their happiness again. He’d make sure their lives were full of happily-ever-after.

  * * * * *

  If you enjoyed Jules Bennett’s story of Stonerock, Tennessee, meet the St. Johns of Stonerock:

  DR. DADDY’S PERFECT CHRISTMAS

  THE FIREMAN’S READY-MADE FAMILY

  FROM BEST FRIEND TO BRIDE

  Or enjoy these other novels from Jules Bennett:

  BEHIND PALACE DOORS

  TWIN SECRETS

  Keep reading for an excerpt from A WEDDING TO REMEMBER by Joanna Sims.

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  A Wedding to Remember

  by Joanna Sims

  Chapter One

  “Hello?”

  It was the middle of the night, but for the last week Bruce Brand had been sleeping lightly, waiting for any news from the hospital. Savannah, his soon-to-be-ex-wife, had been in a coma after a near-fatal car accident.

  “She’s awake.” It was Carol, his mother-in-law, on the other end of the call.

  Bruce tossed the covers off his body, sat up on the edge of the bed and dropped his head into the palm of his free hand. “Thank God. Jesus—thank God.”

  “She’s been asking for you,” Carol added after a pause.

  Bruce lifted his head in surprise. “Asking for me?”

  “Yes,” Carol confirmed matter-of-factly. “Will you come?”

  “I’m on my way.”

  Not thinking, just acting, Bruce stood up as he was ending the call. He grabbed his jeans, which were draped over a chair in the corner of the room, and tugged them on. With his jeans pulled up but still unzipped, he pushed the pillows off the chair, sat down and shoved his foot into his boot.

  “What’s going on?” Kerri, the woman he’d been dating for the last six months or so, flipped on the light.

  “Savannah’s awake.” Bruce rose after his boots were on.

  In the yellow glow of the lamp, the nipples of her full, naked breasts peeking through her wavy, sun-bleached blond hair, Kerri wore an expression of disappointment mixed with resignation on her pretty girl-next-door face.

  “And she asked for you,” Kerri stated in a monotone as she pulled the sheet up over her breasts and held it in place with her arms pinned to her sides.

  Bruce didn’t bother tucking in his T-shirt; he ran his fingers through the front of his silver-laced black hair several times to push it off his forehead before he put his cowboy hat on. He checked to make sure his wallet wa
s in his back pocket, then grabbed the keys to his truck off the top of the dresser.

  “I’m sorry. I have to go.” When he leaned in to kiss her on the lips, she turned her head so her mouth was just out of reach.

  Bruce straightened; he understood Kerri well enough to know that this was the beginning of a fight they were going to have later.

  Kerri looked up at him, and he genuinely regretted the raw hurt he could easily read in her eyes.

  “If this hadn’t happened,” Kerri reminded him, “you’d already be divorced.”

  She was right about that. He’d spent the last two years paying for his lawyer to fight with Savannah’s lawyer. He’d received the final draft of the divorce agreement a couple of days before the accident. For now, the divorce was on hold. And, even though they hadn’t lived as man and wife for years, legally he was Savannah’s husband.

  “She’s still my wife,” Bruce paused in the doorway to say. “I’ll call when I can.”

  * * *

  The night of Savannah’s accident, and every day since, had felt more like a surreal dream sequence than reality. For the last week, when he wasn’t working, he was with the Scott family, crammed into the small waiting room designated for families who had a loved one in the critical care unit. Truth be told, he’d never expected to speak to any of Savannah’s kin again, much less spend several hours a day in a confined space with them drinking burnt coffee out of a Styrofoam cup and trying to make sense out of the sudden detour his life had just taken.

  When he arrived at the hospital, the feeling in the waiting room had changed dramatically from somber to celebratory. Savannah’s two sisters, Joy and Justine, were smiling with tears of relief and happiness drying on their faces. The peaches-and-cream color had returned to Carol’s plump face, and John, Savannah’s burly father, was actually smiling broadly enough so that the tips of his upper teeth, normally hidden from view behind his thick salt-and-pepper mustache and beard, were visible. But there was one person in the room who didn’t seem to be happy at all.

  “Hi, Carol.” Bruce stopped next to Carol and the cowboy Savannah had been dating. He didn’t offer his hand when he said, “Leroy.”