Cassie took a moment before she answered and Ben guessed why. Her eyes were shiny. "I want you to stay as long as you want to. But you have to listen to what your dad thinks is best. We can't always have what we want."
"Like you didn't want your mom to die?"
"That's right."
"Like you wanted to be adopted but you weren't?"
"Right again. But then something even better happened. I came to Twin Pines and loved it here. So when you go back home, something really good can happen there, too."
Cassie and his daughter must have had some talk earlier! And he realized he was grateful Cassie understood Julie so well. He was grateful she seemed to love Julie. He was grateful for so much more. But not just grateful.
One of the ranch's four-wheel-drive pick-ups came rumbling across the pasture with Clem behind the wheel.
"I called him," Loren said from a few feet away.
Ben had forgotten he was there.
"In case Julie's arm is broken," Loren added, "I didn't think you'd want her bouncing around on a horse again. You'd better drive her to the urgent care center and have her looked at."
"Can Cassie come, too?" Julie asked.
At this moment, Ben wouldn't deny his daughter anything. But besides that, he wanted Cassie with them. When he'd seen her cradling his little girl, he'd felt as if his life had finally clicked into place. He'd felt connected. He'd felt as if Cassie completely understood what a gift Julie was and she was a woman who knew how to cherish that gift...she was a woman who knew how to cherish. He needed her beside him as they took Julie to the medical center for more than one reason. Yeah, maybe he'd botched up everything last night and this morning, too. But just maybe he could learn from his mistakes. Just maybe Cassie could forgive his stupidity and give him another chance...give them both a second chance.
***
Cassie's heart hurt as she drove to the medical center with Ben and Julie, as they waited for the result of the x-rays, as the doctor told them Julie had badly sprained and bruised her arm, not broken it. He put it in a sling and told them he could check it again in a few days.
Cassie knew Ben would have it checked again to make sure Julie was okay to fly. He wouldn't take any chances with his daughter because she was his life.
Julie had changed Cassie's perspective on her life. If she wanted to have children some day, and she did, then she needed to learn how to read. She needed to earn her GED. She needed to make her world broader than Twin Pines Ranch. As Julie had said, she could try.
Maybe if she concentrated on learning how to read, she could forget about Ben and Julie after they left. Maybe she could forget how she'd felt desired and safe in Ben's arms. She could forget how his opinion of her changed when he'd learned she couldn't read.
On the return drive to the ranch, they were all quiet. It had been an emotional day that had weighed on them all. At Twin Pines, she and Ben settled Julie on the sofa with a DVD and a glass of lemonade.
Then Ben asked Cassie, "Can I talk to you in your office."
He wanted privacy and she wasn't even going to guess why. She just had to get through the conversation and the next few days and then he'd be gone.
But in her office, he closed the door almost the whole way. For once, she couldn't gauge his mood. If she didn't know better, she would call his expression uncertain. Not Ben.
He began by taking a step closer to her. "I have a lot to say to you and I don't know where to start."
"Ben, if you think I shouldn't have told Julie about my background, I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one who's sorry—for being arrogant and blind."
His words hit her hard and she blinked, not understanding.
"While you were getting the lemonade, Julie told me about Sunny—how she let her out."
"I didn't feel I could break her confidence. Maybe it's something else I should have told you—"
But Ben was shaking his head and stepping closer still. "If I had been the type of father I should have been, she would have told me. If I had been the type of man I should have been, you would have told me your secrets, too."
"Ben—"
He covered her lips with his fingers and his touch felt so right that she forgot to protest.
"After I met you and then after the night we spent together, I was filled with so many doubts. How could I ever trust a woman again to make vows and keep them? How could I make another marriage work? How could I keep my first one from tainting another? I didn't understand until this afternoon how I'd grown hard and inflexible, how my attitude affected Julie. She trusted you practically from the start. Why? Because you're full of understanding and compassion, not rules and fixed routines and judgment."
She really didn't know where Ben was going with this, but a tiny flicker of hope sparked and she couldn't blow it out.
"You're different from any woman I've ever known. You're freer and kinder and so passionate that I felt totally lost in you. I didn't know how to handle that. But I've got to start living again rather than avoiding risks. I've got to start loving again instead of protecting myself and Julie."
"You've been doing a lot of thinking," she said, her heart racing so fast she could hardly breathe.
"Yes, I have. I was an idiot last night. I was thinking about myself instead of you. I was hurt you hadn't confided in me. But now I understand why you couldn't. You didn't know how I felt. Maybe I didn't, either. But I'll tell you right now Cassidy Sullivan, I love you just the way you are. If you want to learn to read, we'll find the best teacher. But if you don't, that's okay, too. What's important right now, is that we be together. I can't promise to learn how to be the best dad and the best husband overnight. But I do know how to promise to try. My headquarters can be anywhere, as long as I have good people like Greg working for me. So I guess my question is—do you need an extra cowboy on Twin Pines? And...an even more important question is—will you marry me?"
She was awesomely shocked until she looked into Ben's eyes and remembered every day since he and Julie had arrived. Their bond had been growing since the moment they'd met. Still, she had to be sure... "I might never learn how to read. Your world is so different from mine."
He enfolded her into his arms. "I like your world. We'll combine the two. And whether you can learn to read or not, you're still the most courageous and kind person I know. And I love you."
She could see he meant everything he was saying. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she declared, "I love you, too, Ben. So much. Yes, I'll marry you!"
Ben's lips captured hers and swept her away to that place where dreams do come true.
Chapter Thirteen
July passed so quickly, Cassie didn't know where the days went. She'd never been so gloriously happy! When she and Ben had told Julie they were getting married, she'd just grinned and said, "Good!"
Julie had found the life she'd wanted this summer and so had Ben. At night Cassie and Ben had long discussions about when they should get married. They decided to wait until Thanksgiving. The holiday seemed appropriate.
At the end of August, Julie started school. She was in the same class as Sue Ann and didn't seem to have a problem adjusting. When Cassie and Ben attended their first parent-teacher open house together, they easily mingled with the other parents. Cassie had found her own adult literacy teacher through the school district. After some testing, she'd realized why it was hard for her to learn and strategies to adjust to her difficulties. She was making progress. Ben never hesitated to tell her how proud he was of her. At night when they made love, she knew he cherished her already. As they worked side by side many days, she realized their respect for one another was one of the first bonds they'd developed.
It was a Thursday afternoon in late September when a van lumbered up the Twin Pines lane and parked in front of the ranch house. Ben had just returned from moving cattle with Loren. He'd come inside, whirled Cassie into his arms and given her a resounding kiss. He'd just scooped her
into his arms ready to carry her off to their bedroom, when there was a knock at the door.
"Maybe it's something Loren ordered. The delivery man will leave it on the porch."
But the delivery man didn't leave it on the porch. The knocking at the door became more forceful.
"I suppose we'd better get that," Ben said with a wry smile, reluctantly setting her on the floor.
She gave him a quick kiss and went to answer it.
When she opened the door, she found an older man, late forties or early fifties, with his long brown hair laced with silver tied back with leather band. He wore a serious expression and she didn't see any packages in his hands.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"Are you Cassidy Sullivan?"
Ben crossed to her now to stand protectively beside her. "Who wants to know?"
The man looked Ben up and down then gave them an uncertain smile. "I'm Walt Hunter."
Cassie felt her knees wobble. Ben must have suspected her shakiness because he wrapped his arm around her waist.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to compose herself. She reached for the handle of the storm door to open it. "Come in!"
When her father stepped inside, she motioned to the chairs at the table. "Please sit down. Would you like coffee...soda?"
"Coffee would be great. I've been on the road for the past week—a buying trip for the store. Lots of artists out there. I try to find unique but marketable crafts."
They all knew he was trying to make conversation but Cassie couldn't seem to find the words to help him. She just wanted to look at him.
Ben asked the question she wanted an answer to. "Why didn't you call to tell Cassie you were on the way?"
Her father took a moment, then said honestly, "I didn't know if I'd head over this way. I didn't know for sure if I would stop by."
"But you did," Cassie said. "So you wanted to see me."
"I couldn't stay away," he admitted. He looked down at the table. "I told my family about you and Lucy a couple of weeks ago."
"You waited a while." Ben filled the coffee carafe with water and gestured for Cassie to sit with her dad at the table.
"I did. I needed to think on it," he responded a bit defensively.
"I'm sure my call was a shock," Cassie said with understanding. "And coming here unannounced, you could check on what I'd told you."
He looked a bit sheepish. "That's right. In fact that part was my son's idea."
"So how did your family react when you told them?" Cassie wanted to know.
"Better than I expected. I mean, my wife's a good woman and my kids are great. But I didn't want them to feel threatened in any way—like anything could ever come between us."
"And two daughters could. But Lucy and I would never do that. As we told you, Lucy's adoptive family is wonderful. Her husband is tops, too. As for me, well, Twin Pines is my home and Ben's now, too."
Ben came to her and dropped a hand on her shoulder. "I have a daughter and when Cassie and I marry at Thanksgiving, she'll be a mom to Julie."
"Thanksgiving?"
They nodded.
"How long can you stay?" Cassie asked.
"Just a day or two. I really have to get back. I just made reservations for tonight..."
"I have a guest cabin where you can stay if you'd like. And I want to call Lucy. Maybe she can drive here so she can see you, too. Is that all right?"
"That's fine. I'll stay until she can get here."
Shoring up her courage, knowing she had to continue to make some of the first moves, she reached across the table and laid her hand on top of her father's. "Thank you for coming."
When he turned his hand palm upward and clasped hers, she knew everything would be okay. She and Lucy had found their father...and he had found them.
Epilogue
Lucy had already started down the aisle in a blue velvet gown when Julie gave Cassie a hug. "We're going to be married soon!"
"Yes, we are." Cassie hugged her back. "Just as soon as you scatter those rose petals, we'll get started.
"You look beautiful!" Julie said.
"Yes, she does," Walt Hunter agreed from his position beside her.
Cassie felt beautiful in her lacy, western-cut gown with it's fringed sleeves and flounced train. But hearing her dad say it meant the world to her. Her eyes misted over as she kissed Julie's cheek, straightened and watched her daughter-to-be keep step to the rhythm of the wedding march as she walked down the aisle.
"Ready?" her father asked.
"Ready," Cassie said. She'd expected to ask Loren to walk her down the aisle. But when she'd invited her dad and his family to the wedding, he'd offered. Ben said that worked out perfectly because then he could ask his uncle to be his best man!
As her father guided her down the aisle, Cassie spotted his family. She'd met them day before yesterday when they'd arrived. She hadn't known what to expect. But her dad's wife Olivia was warm and friendly and got along famously with Rachel. His children, Drew and Beth seemed to like being around the animals. They'd gone for a trail ride with her yesterday and talked about their life in Cottonwood until Cassie felt she was really getting to know them.
Greg had flown in, too. Along with Clem and Dusty, Rachel, Sue Ann and other friends from town, Cassie felt good will and warm wishes all around her.
Julie stepped into the front pew where Zack stood while Lucy waited for Cassie so she could hold her bouquet.
When Cassie and her father reached the steps where Ben and the minister waited, Cassie's gaze met her husband-to-be's. He smiled and it was like an embrace.
Lucy took her bouquet from her, gave her a hug and a kiss, saying, "I love you. Go get married."
Holding back tears was tough as her father kissed her on the cheek and then settled her hand in Ben's. Ben thanked him, tucked her fingers into the crook of his arm and faced the minister with her.
But before the reverend began the wedding ceremony, Ben said, "You are so beautiful. I love you."
Cassie leaned close to him. "I love you, too."
The minister began, "Dearly Beloved, we are gathered together on this Thanksgiving Day—"
Ben's gaze held Cassie's as they joyously promised each other their hearts and their lives...forever after.
Author Note:
I visualized CASSIDY'S COWBOY at the same time I plotted ALWAYS HER COWBOY. After all, Cassidy and Lucy are twin sisters! They both deserve to find true love. And when I began to develop my Search For Love series beginning with former backlist titles, I knew they would fit right in, especially if I included a search for their father. Gillian from the first book in the series, NATHAN'S VOW, uses her gift in CASSIDY'S COWBOY to help these twin sisters.
I write about emotion because it makes the world go round. Positive emotions push us to become our best selves. Our reactions to negative ones show our true character. I always strive to make my characters realistic and to give them honest emotion. I hope you can enjoy their journey to find true love and to appreciate their love of family and friends. In 2012, I'll see my 79th book published. Sometimes that's hard to believe. Because when I begin writing, each book still feels like the first!
Throughout all my books, I attempt to keep the emotion of my characters as the focus. My intention is always to touch my readers' hearts and urge them to believe in happily-ever-after. The power of love to heal is one of my abiding themes. Living in Pennsylvania with my college sweetheart and two cats, I spend most days writing, editing, cooking and gardening. I draw inspiration from music, the farm in my back yard, and my hummingbird garden. Relationships have always fascinated me and I look forward to writing about them for a long time to come. For more about me and my latest releases, including excerpts, photos and short stories, please visit my website at www.karenrosesmith.com. To keep in touch day to day, follow me at Facebook, on Twitter and on my blog—Cats, Roses...and Books! listed on my Amazon Author Central page. I also have an ezine called IN TOUCH with Karen Rose Smith. Loo
k for more of my books on Amazon Kindle.
Thanks to Judy Bullard for my wonderful cover.
KAREN ROSE SMITH BOOKS AVAILABLE ON SMASHWORDS:
A Man Worth Loving
Because of Francie
Everyday Cinderellas
Everyday Prince Charming
Forever After
Garden of Fantasy
Kit and Kisses
Mom Meets Dad
Love in Bloom
Ribbons and Rainbows
Toys and Wishes
Wish on the Moon
SEARCH FOR LOVE SERIES:
Nathan's Vow, Book 1
Jake's Bride, Book 2
Always Devoted, Book 3
Always Her Cowboy, Book 4
Heartfire, Book 5
Cassidy's Cowboy, Book 6
Excerpt from ALWAYS HER COWBOY:
Chapter One
When Lucy McIntyre heard the roar of a motorcycle breaking the solitude of the Rising Star Ranch, she went to the kitchen window and pushed back the lace curtain with its ivy pattern. The man on the Harley brought the machine to a halt at the path to the house. She watched him climb off, hang his helmet on the handlebar, and stand with his hands jammed into the back pockets of his jeans as he studied the barn, corrals, indoor arena, and outbuildings. Then his attention turned toward the porch that wound around the house. Although she'd expected someone by the name of Zackary Burke to apply for the job of temporary hand, she'd never expected him to look like this!
He wore boots and jeans, typical attire for men living in and around Long Brush, Wyoming. But the black leather jacket and the motorcycle told her he was from another place. His midnight hair—thick, wavy and unruly—needed a trim. He stood over six feet. She could tell even from here. With his broad shoulders and slim hips, all he needed was a Stetson and a horse to make him look as if he belonged.
Cassidy's Cowboy (Search For Love) Page 12