by Diana Palmer
“Well, sure…I guess that would be okay,” the man said, wearing a bewildered expression.
“I’ve had a great career with the PBR,” Colt said, his voice booming across the now eerily quiet arena. “And I couldn’t have asked for this season to have ended any better.” Kaylee watched Colt take a deep breath. “That’s why I’m going out a winner. It’s time to hang up my chaps and spurs and join the ranks of the retired.”
The crowd seemed to emit a collective gasp a moment before they gave him a standing ovation.
Tears blurred Kaylee’s vision. Colt was giving up his career as a bull rider. He was no longer going to tempt fate.
By the time he pushed his way through the crowd and made it back to her, she couldn’t stop trembling. “Why, Colt?”
Smiling, he hugged her and Amber. “Because you two are more important to me than anything else.”
She shook her head. “Please don’t quit because of me,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t want you having any regrets.”
“I don’t, honey.” He took Amber from her, then draped his arm across her shoulders and started walking toward the staging area behind the bucking chutes. “I’ve won the finals and made a good showing every year since I joined the PBR. I have nothing left to prove to anyone, but how much I love you and our daughter.” He bent his head to kiss her cheek. “Besides, I don’t want to be so banged up that I miss one night of making love with you for the rest of my life.”
Kaylee’s heart skipped a beat. “For the rest of your life?”
“Yep.” When he stopped walking and turned to face her, the love she saw shining in his incredible blue eyes stole her breath. “Will you do me the honor of being my wife, Kaylee Simpson? Will you live with me on the Lonetree Ranch, allow me to be a full-time daddy to Amber and let me give you more babies?”
“Y-yes,” Kaylee said, closing her eyes to the light-headed feeling sweeping over her.
“Honey, are you okay?” Colt asked, taking hold of her arm to support her.
“I seem to get kind of woozy when I get excited lately,” she said, frowning. “The only other time I was like this was when I got pregnant with…” Her voice trailed off as she stared up at the man she’d loved all of her life.
“The whirlpool,” he said, grinning. He pulled her forward and kissed her until her head swam.
“Daddy, Mommy,” Amber said, wrapping her little arms around both of their necks.
“Would you like a new baby brother or sister, little pixie?” Colt asked.
“Yes,” Amber said, nodding her head affirmatively.
“Hey, she got it right,” he said, laughing. His expression suddenly turned serious. “Kaylee, how do you feel about having another baby?”
Smiling, she gazed up at the man and child she loved with all her heart. “I’d love to have another baby with raven hair and Wakefield blue eyes.”
His grin returned. “Let’s go find a chapel and make it official.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head.
“What do you mean, no?” he asked, looking as if that was the last thing he’d expected her to say. “No, you’ve changed your mind and you don’t want to marry me? Or, no you don’t want to get married in Vegas?”
She reached up to smooth the frown marring his forehead. “No, I don’t want to get married in Las Vegas. If you don’t mind, I’d like to have our wedding at the Lonetree. That’s where we’ll live, and where I’d like to start our life together.”
“I like the sound of that, honey.” He brushed his lips over hers. “I love you, Kaylee.”
“And I love you, cowboy. More than you’ll ever know.”
Epilogue
Christmas Eve
“I feel like I’m about to choke to death,” Colt said, tugging at the collar of his dress shirt.
Brant chuckled. “You’re just being paid back for making fun of me and Morgan when we stood at the bottom of these stairs a few years back, waiting for our brides.”
“What could be taking so long?” Colt asked, ready to climb the steps and escort Kaylee downstairs himself.
“It’s my guess Annie and Samantha are fussing over Kaylee’s dress, or her hair, or anything else they can think of to fuss over.” Brant shrugged. “Once you’re married awhile, you’ll come to realize that women like to make a fuss over the least little detail.”
“They should have had plenty of time to get things ready,” Colt said, frowning.
Annie and Samantha had insisted that Kaylee and Amber spend last night at the homestead with them, while Colt, Brant, Morgan and his nephews spent the night at Colt’s. They’d said it was necessary because the groom wasn’t supposed to see the bride until she walked down the aisle. He didn’t know anything about that kind of wedding protocol, he just missed the hell out of Kaylee and couldn’t wait to see her again.
When Samantha appeared at the top of the stairs, holding Amber’s hand, Colt smiled. His daughter looked like a little pixie in her red-velvet-and-white-lace dress.
“Daddy,” she said, pointing to him as Samantha helped her down the steps. Once they got to the bottom she held up her arms for him to pick her up. “Up, Daddy. Up.”
Without hesitation, Colt bent and swung her up to sit on his forearm. It thrilled Colt at how fast Amber had become a Daddy’s girl.
“Are you ready to help Mommy and Daddy get married?” he asked, kissing her cheek.
Nodding, she smiled. “Yes.”
“Get ready, little brother,” Brant said when Annie walked across the loft area and stopped at the top of the stairs. “You’re about to join the ranks of the blissfully hitched.”
Colt grinned. “I never in a million years thought I’d ever say this, but it can’t be soon enough for me.”
Samantha turned on the CD player, and as she herded his nephews over to stand by the large Christmas tree on the other side of the fireplace, the country group Lonestar’s lead singer began to sing about being amazed by the woman he loved. Watching Annie descend the stairs, Colt waited until Brant offered his arm, then escorted her over to stand in front of the big stone fireplace where Preacher Hill from the Methodist church down in Bear Creek stood, waiting to perform the marriage ceremony.
“Mommy pitty,” Amber said suddenly, pointing to the loft.
When he glanced up, Colt sucked in a sharp breath. Kaylee stood at the top of the stairs, her hand tucked in the crook of Morgan’s arm. Dressed in a white satin-and-lace wedding gown, her shiny auburn hair piled in soft curls on top of her head, she was absolutely beautiful.
“Yes, Amber,” Colt said, stepping forward. “Your mommy is the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen.”
At the bottom of the steps, Morgan smiled and placed Kaylee’s hand in Colt’s. He kissed Kaylee’s cheek, then patted Colt on the shoulder.
“Take good care of each other,” he said, then took his place with Samantha and the boys by the Christmas tree.
“Are you ready to become Mrs. Colt Wakefield?” he asked, grinning.
The smile Kaylee gave him sent his temperature sky-high. “I’ve been ready for this moment all of my life.”
Colt grinned. “So have I, honey. I just didn’t realize it.”
With Kaylee on one arm and Amber in the other, Colt walked them over to the big stone fireplace for Preacher Hill to make their union complete.
Three hours later, after putting Amber to bed upstairs, Kaylee and Colt sat on the couch in their living room, holding each other. A cozy fire blazed in the fireplace, but other than the twinkling lights on the Christmas tree, the room was romantically dim.
“Colt?”
“What, honey?”
“I have an early Christmas present for you,” she said, rising to retrieve a brightly wrapped box from beneath the tree.
“But I thought we were going to wait until tomorrow morning to exchange presents,” Colt said, frowning.
Kaylee shook her head. “I’d rather give this to you now.”
She nibbled
on her lower lip as he turned the box over in his hands then shook it. “It’s pretty light,” he said, grinning. When he tore the wrapping away and lifted the box lid, he frowned. “What’s this?”
“That’s a copy of the ultrasound,” she said, unable to stop smiling. “You know I had my second prenatal check yesterday.”
Until the wedding, they hadn’t seen each other since she, Annie and Samantha had returned from Laramie the afternoon before. And news like this just couldn’t be shared over the phone.
“What did the doctor have to say?” Colt asked, frowning as he gazed at the paper in his hand. “Is everything all right?”
Grinning, she reached up to smooth the frown from his brow with her fingertips, then pointed to the picture. “He said I’m as healthy as a horse. And so are the…babies.”
“That’s a re—” He stopped short. “What do you mean babies?”
Kaylee laughed at his shocked expression. “The doctor did this early ultrasound because he said I was getting pretty big for only being a couple of months along.” She kissed his firm male lips. “We’re having twins, cowboy.”
A slow grin began to spread across his handsome face as he took her hand in his and kissed the wedding band on the third finger of her left hand. “Besides getting married, this is the best Christmas present I’ve ever received.”
They held each other for some time before Colt spoke again. “If the twins are boys, would you mind if we named one of them Mitch?”
Tears filled her eyes at Colt’s thoughtfulness. “I’d like that.” She raised her head from his shoulder to gaze up at him. “I love you, Colt.”
“And I love you, honey.”
“I think this is the best Christmas ever,” Kaylee said, snuggling closer.
“It’s just the first of many special days, honey.” Colt gave her a kiss that turned her insides to warm pudding, then stood and, smiling, held out his hand to help her up from the couch. “Now, let’s go upstairs and let me show you how special the nights are going to be.”
Without hesitation Kaylee put her hand in his, anxious to start their lives together as man and wife on their part of the Lonetree Ranch.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0907-7
NELSON’S BRAND
Copyright © 2011 by Harlequin Books S.A.
The publisher acknowledges the copyright holders of the individual works as follows:
NELSON’S BRAND
Copyright © 1991 by Diana Palmer
LONETREE RANCHERS: COLT
Copyright © 2003 by Kathie DeNosky
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada, M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
For questions and comments about the quality of this book please contact us at [email protected].
® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.Harlequin.com