by Jill Snow
“But you can’t go from loving one girl to another. It’s not like buying a new suit or a sofa.”
“I know that. Until I met you, I didn’t know what love was. I mixed it up with a lot of stuff. I just know I can’t live without being near you. I want you in my life 24/7 but I’m prepared to wait until you want that too. Assuming you are willing to give us a chance.”
She stood watching him, various expressions flitting over her face. Some he recognized and some he didn’t. He moved slightly forward and, taking her chin in one hand, he kissed her lips gently.
“I love you Ashley Baker. I want a home with you. Only you.”
Chapter 55
Ashley sat transfixed by Adam’s explanations. Of all the things she had thought he would say, nothing came close to his story. But he was telling the truth. She knew that much. But did he know what love really was? Could she risk her heart? He came from such a different world to the one she knew and loved.
“I can’t leave here, Adam.”
“I don’t want you to.”
“But don’t you want to get back with the band and go touring?”
“No. I’ve spoken to my brothers. It will be a while before the bridges are mended, them being rather too quick to believe the worst of me. Anyway, their new drummer has worked out and they’re happy to continue with him. They don’t need me anymore.”
“But what about you?”
“I want to stay here. I can teach the kids music if they want to learn. I want to learn all about ranching. I hope Mack will teach me.”
“I don't think he’ll be able to stay around. You said the Double R was closing.”
“No, you said that. I said the owner, Ward, was either in jail or on his way there. The Double R will hopefully remain open but under new ownership.”
“Wait, you’ve bought it?” She couldn’t believe it.
“Well, not just me. Declan, my brother, and I have invested but we hope Mack has too. He’s an essential part of the Double R’s success. Loretta too.”
“But they don’t have the money to invest.”
“I may have helped them with that. It was a small thank you for what they did for me. I didn’t give you a part of the Double R as you said you wanted to live on your parents’ ranch.”
“I did, but that’s gone now,” she said.
“Well, not exactly,” he said.
“Yes, it has. You weren’t here. Some guy offered us…” She wondered why he was grinning at her. “That wasn’t…it couldn’t have been…”
He nodded.
“You bought my father’s ranch? You paid him all that money?”
“I paid a little over the fair market value. I didn’t want it going on the market and anyone else picking it up. Jake is a nice guy, you were right. His friend Roger told me the value and the rest is history. Your dad’s home is safe. I don’t go back on my promises.”
“Adam…I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything. Whatever happens to us, that is your home and will remain yours. The right of sale says your father can occupy it, but it will revert to you on the earlier of your marriage or your thirtieth birthday. Sorry, but I didn’t want you falling foul of fortune hunters.”
“No strings?”
“Ashley, I love you. I have money to burn. I can use it to make people happy. That makes me happy. I don’t want you to ever worry about money again. Even if you don’t marry me. I want you to be free of worries. You taught me so much already and even if we never saw each other again, you changed my life. It’s the least I could do. Plus, in a way, it’s a little bit of payback. I bought Camilla a beautiful ring. The proceeds of the sale of that ring will more than help cover the purchase of the ranch. Consider it Camilla’s compensation for Kayleigh.”
She grabbed him and hugged him close, tears falling down her face. “Nobody has ever been this kind to me before. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. So what do you think? Could you go out with a wannabe cowboy?”
She grinned up at him and nodded.
“Good. Now, how about we go back to the ranch and clear my name? I don’t want Loretta coming after me with her shotgun.”
“As if. I think Loretta just might be your biggest fan. Next to Gracie, of course.”
Chapter 56
Loretta was sitting on the porch with the ranch hands and Mack and Charity. Everyone was talking at once and nobody was listening. Adam was about to shout, but Ashley put her fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly. That got their attention. Mack turned toward them, his face unreadable.
“You. By God, if I got my hands on you an hour ago, I just might have ripped your head off your shoulders. How could you go and do something so wonderful for me and my wife?”
“Easy sir, you looked out for me and those kids that came here. Only right someone did something for you.”
“You’re a special man Adam Malone. Your parents must be very proud of you.”
Ashley watched as Adam’s face fell.
“You haven’t told them yet?” she asked.
“I have, but I’m not sure they believed me. I’ll deal with that later.”
She squeezed his hand before Mack walked over and gathered him in a bear hug. Then Loretta came running. “I can’t believe you did this. I knew you weren’t guilty from the moment I met you. God bless you, Adam Malone. Thank you for my gift. Charity gave it to me.”
“You’re welcome, Loretta.” Adam stepped back to address the group. “As of this morning, I am now the new co-owner of the Double R. The other owners include Mack and Loretta as well as my brother, Declan. If you think I know little about raising cattle or horses, Declan knows even less, so I ask you to be patient with us. Those of you staying here as part of the drug program will be leaving tomorrow and sent to alternative accommodations. The Double R will no longer be part of the drug rehabilitation plan in its current format. The plan is to return this ranch to a profitable cattle ranch. So Mack will be hiring more staff and we’ll have more cattle and whatever else we need.” Adam paused to allow the applause to die down and take a breath. “At some point we’ll offer accommodation and employment to those who genuinely show remorse for their mistakes when it comes to drug use. I have no doubts Loretta and Mack can cure most kids of any love for drugs. Those kids we will help will be those who can’t afford the fancy lawyers and for whom the future would include a prison sentence. They’re the type of children the Double R will help. We will set up a package in the memory of Kayleigh Baker.”
Ashley moved closer to him, squeezing his hand. He could see the tears glistening in her eyes as she looked at him with approval.
“The only thing left to say is that Henry has resigned. Although innocent of any involvement in smuggling, he doesn’t belong on this ranch. His mind has always been elsewhere and I suggested he might want to pursue alternative employment. Thankfully he agreed with me.”
“The severance package helped make up his mind,” Mack interjected.
Adam nodded. Nobody needed to know that Mack had taken Henry by his shirt collar and told him he’d set the cattle stampede on him if he ever heard of him touching Ashley or any other woman in a disrespectful way again.
Epilogue
Adam let Greybird set her own pace as they raced through the pasture. He owned several horses now, but Greybird was still his favorite. He knew she couldn’t catch up with Devil, but that was okay. Ashley liked winning these races and he loved it when she roared with laughter every time she beat him.
They pulled up alongside their river and dismounted. Each looked after their horses before they set out their snacks. It had become their thing to come up here every Sunday, no matter who was around or what was going on. Their relationship took priority over everything else. That much Adam insisted on.
“Someday I’ll have to ride Devil. At least then I can wipe that smug look off your gorgeous face.”
“As if,” Ashley said. “I can beat you no matter what horse yo
u ride. I’m just better with the horses. They love me.”
“Everyone loves you, Ashley.”
“I don’t care about everyone else. So long as you and the horses do, that’s all I need.”
He grinned over at her. He couldn’t believe it had been over a year since he’d first met Ashley. She was everything he wanted in a woman. Aside from one thing that was missing.
“Was Declan happy with the results of your board meeting?”
“It wasn’t a board meeting Ashley. Just me, Dec, Mack, Charity and Loretta chatting about the ranch. You could have come too if you wanted to, but you said you were seeing Gracie.”
“I was. I’m just teasing. Although I couldn’t just turn up. I’m not a shareholder, remember?”
“Oh right, can’t tell you anything then. You might sell our success secrets to our riva—” She cut off his last word by kissing him firmly on the mouth. They fell back onto the blanket, neither of them breaking the kiss. “You are one heck of a woman Ashley Baker. Have I told you I love you?”
“Only once so far today. You should say it more often.”
They sat back up watching the river, their hands entwined.
“Do you remember when you first took me up here and explained the difference between fool’s gold and real gold?”
“Yes. I think that was the first time you kissed me.”
“I kissed you? You mean you kissed me.” He kissed her again. “Do you think we found gold?”
“You and I have something infinitely more precious than gold.”
“True. But I still wonder if we could find a piece of real gold. What do you think?”
She watched him reach his hands into the river. “I don’t think you’ll be that lucky. I reckon the gold miners of days gone by got everything there was to find.”
“Look closer.”
He held onto her as she reached over the side of the riverbed to stare into the water. He saw her eyes widen in delight as she saw it. She reached down and retrieved the golden box. He had wedged it between two stones so it wouldn’t float away.
“This for me?”
“Well, I hope it's for both of us.”
She squealed as she opened the box. Taking the ring out, she handed it to him, tears falling down her cheeks. “Put it on for me, please.”
“Ashley Baker will you marry me?”
“Oh yes.”
He put the ring on her finger, thankful Loretta had helped him with the sizing.
“Oh, Adam I’m so happy. I’m fit to burst. Thank you. It’s gorgeous.”
“It’s only the start. Come on, I have another surprise for you.”
He pulled her to her feet and started running back to the horses.
“What’s the rush?”
“Come on. Before I blurt out my secret.”
They mounted and rode back toward the larger guest house.
They dismounted and then he led the two horses to the trough to drink. “I’ll be back to you in a few minutes, okay?” He whispered into Greybird’s ear, “Wish me luck.” The horse nudged him on the shoulder.
“Adam, what’s going on?”
“Nothing darling. Just come into the house, I forgot my keys.”
He opened the door and she walked in ahead of him. She nearly hit the ceiling as she jumped to the shouts of “Surprise!”
The lights went on to show all their family and friends were assembled, bottles of bubbly in hand.
“You guys knew?”
“Your boyfriend did things properly,” Ashley’s dad said, walking over to embrace her. “He came and asked my permission. Congratulations, darling.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Welcome to our family, Ashley. Not that we don’t think you’re part of it already.” Declan hugged her close. Then she moved toward the center of the room where Gracie was waiting in a beautiful new dress.
“Hello, darling. You look beautiful today. I can’t believe you kept the secret.”
“Adam said it was a good secret, not a bad one. He said I would make you happy when you came in and saw my dress. Are you happy?”
“Oh Gracie, I have never been happier.”
Gracie gave her a hug before asking her.
“Can I be a flower?”
“Of course you can, darling. But I think you mean ‘flower girl’.”
“Yes, flower.”
Ashley looked up at Adam. His mouth was dry and he got all choked up at the look of complete joy on her face. “Thank you,” she mouthed up to him.
Ashley couldn’t believe everyone had known and nobody let it slip. Mack hugged her close telling her how proud he was of her and everything she had achieved in the last year. Graduating top of her class was only one thing on his list of accomplishments.
Charity and Loretta were both sobbing noisily into their hankies. “You’re going to make a beautiful bride.”
Ashley hugged them both and then came face to face with her mom.
“Thanks for being here, Mom.”
“Come here, darling.”
To Ashley’s amazement, her mother pulled her into a tight hug. “I love you, Ashley and want only happiness for you. I’m sorry for what I put you through. Kayleigh would have kicked my butt. She’s very happy for you, honey. I can feel her looking down on us and smiling.”
Ashley couldn’t respond. Her voice was completely gone, blocked by a lump in her throat that wouldn’t disappear. She squeezed her mom back in thanks.
Ashley looked up as Adam came over to her. She let him lead her away from their friends.
“I want to ask you something but I didn’t want them to overhear,” he explained.
“You already asked me, I said yes, remember?” she joked back at him but stopped at the expression in his eyes. He looked kind of anxious. “Adam?”
“I know you said one day you would love to adopt Gracie. I was wondering if you still felt that way.”
“Of course I do, I love her. She is such a wonderful little girl.”
“So how would you feel if we started the adoption process when we come back from our honeymoon?”
She squealed and threw her arms around him. He lifted her up and swung her around.
“I take it that’s a yes.”
“I love you Adam Malone.”
Gracie walked over to them before he could respond.
“Is it forever and ever?”
Adam whispered into Ashley’s ear. “Well, are you going to answer our daughter?”
“Yes darling, it’s forever and ever.” She cuddled Gracie close to her and leaned up to kiss Adam. “I love you with everything I have Mr. Malone.”
“I love you too, soon to be Mrs. Malone.”
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading my book. Declan’s story was supposed to come before this one but Adam kept pushing in so I gave in. I hope you enjoyed the
story of Adam and Ashley. Click here to find out when Adam’s brother Declan’s story will be released.
Until next time,
Best wishes
Jill
About the Author
Jill Snow usually writes under another pen name but is moonlighting as Jill Snow for the chance to do something very different, to create sweet romances that are exciting and glamorous, full of adventure and fun.
Thank you so much for reading my book. I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review on Amazon.com.
The next book in the series will be available soon. To find out more about Jill’s new releases, click here.
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