The Lawman's Noelle (Men of the West Book 31)

by Stella Bagwell

  Carrying the phone to the window, she peeped out the curtain and stared in shock at the sight of the trucks and cattle trailers pulling into her drive.

  “Jessi! I’ve got to hang up—”

  “Wait just a minute! I’m thinking—”

  “Jessi, I have company!” she swiftly interrupted. “It looks like Mr. Calhoun has just driven up with a load of cattle.”

  Jessi gasped. “You mean Evan? He’s found your cattle?”

  “No. I mean Bart. I’ll call you later.”

  She jammed the phone back onto its hook, then grabbed her coat and ran out the front door. But after three long strides, she spotted Evan walking toward her. The sight of him caused her to stop dead in her tracks.

  “What is this?” she asked when he got within earshot. “I haven’t agreed to your grandfather’s offer yet.”

  Pulling up a step away from her, he stood staring at her in confusion. “What are you talking about? What offer?”

  At that moment, she figured her expression probably looked far more stunned than his. “To give me the cattle—a hundred and fifty head of pregnant mama cows. All he wants in return is half the calf crop. I’m not sure—”

  “Grandfather offered you that? I can’t believe it!”

  Still uncertain what was going on, she glanced out at the cattle trailers. The bawling cows and calves shifted and stomped for space in the tight confines. Some of them were black and others were brindle brown, just like hers had been. The eldest Calhoun must have thought having the cattle resemble hers would make her feel better.

  “Bart didn’t come with you?”

  Faintly annoyed with her questions, Evan said, “Well, no! Why should he?”

  “To finish the deal. And—”

  She broke off abruptly as she spotted two men in deputy uniforms climbing out of one of the trucks.

  She frowned, perplexed. “What are those deputies doing with you?”

  “I couldn’t drive both trucks by myself. After I found the cattle, I had to call for help and—”

  “Found the cattle!” she burst out. “You mean those are mine? You found my cattle?”

  “Yes. Last night. Over in California. They’d just been unloaded at a meat-packing plant.”

  The relief that rushed through Noelle was so great, it left her weak and swaying on her feet. Leaping forward, Evan grabbed her by the arm to steady her. She fell against his chest and began to weep.

  “Oh, Evan. I—don’t know what to say. Except that I’m sorry. So sorry.”

  “Shh. We’ll talk about it later,” he murmured against her cheek. “Let me help you to the house so you can sit down.”

  With his arm tight around her shoulders, he guided her back into the house and over to the couch. Once she was settled and off her feet, he ordered, “Stay right there. Don’t move. I’m going to go show the men where to unload the cattle, and then I’ll be right back.”

  While he was gone, she did her best to collect herself, but the moment he walked back through the door, the sight of him caused tears to seep into her eyes.

  “Your cows are on their home range, and the deputies are heading to town.” Casting her a wry grin, he eased down on the couch beside her. “See? Lawmen are good for a few things.”

  Still in disbelief, she used her fingers to wipe away her tears. “I can’t believe you found the cattle. After all these days, I figured they were either hundreds of miles from here or hanging in a meat-packing refrigerator.”

  “I’ll be honest, Elle, the case was looking pretty bleak until your neighbor’s nephew showed up at the sheriff’s office.”

  “Billy Stivers? He’s the one who stole them?”

  “No. Billy didn’t have anything to do with the crime. But because he has ties to some of the local truckers, he had a good idea who might be responsible and his lead actually helped us locate the persons involved.” He reached for her hand and drew it onto his lap. “The thieves had branded over the Rafter B on your cattle to turn it into a Diamond B, then hauled them to a small town in California. It’s a long story, and I’d rather go into it later. Right now, I want to know what’s going to happen to us. I realize that getting your cattle back isn’t going to fix our problems. I—”

  Before he could say more, she leaned into him and placed a gentle finger against his lips. “Wait, Evan! I can’t let you go on without telling you how wrong and terrible I’ve been. I was expecting too much of you to move onto this little ranch with me. Especially when you’re used to the best of everything. When you love people, you don’t want to make them miserable by forcing them to do your will. And that’s what I was doing to you. Expecting you to be as proud of this place as I am.” Moving her finger away from his lips, she caressed his cheek while marveling at the pleasure of simply touching him again. “I don’t know what, if anything, I can do about changing my aunt and uncle’s will. It says if I don’t live here, it will be sold. But, in the end, if I need to give it up to have you in my life, then I really have no choice. Since we’ve been apart, I’ve come to realize that you are more important to me than anything.”

  He bent his head and covered his face with both hands. Noelle’s heart gave a dreadful thud. Did he not believe her? Had she already ruined her chance to have this wonderful man as her husband?

  Placing a hand on his shoulder, she asked tentatively, “Evan? Have I said something wrong?”

  Another moment of silence passed, and then he lifted his head and gazed into her eyes. “No. You’ve made me so ashamed that it’s hard to look you in the face, my darling. Because I— A moment ago, when you talked about giving up everything you’d ever worked for or wanted, it suddenly dawned on me just how much of a jerk I really am.”

  “Oh, Evan, that’s—”

  “No, hear me out, Noelle. All my arguments, my demands, my unwillingness to fall in with your plans—I didn’t understand what was making me push so hard to resist you. None of it made sense. Hell, for the past few years, I’ve tried to think up a legitimate excuse to move off the Silver Horn. Then when you gave me one, I fought against it, because I—well, I was afraid you were going to be like Bianca. And I wanted to test you, to see if you’d be willing to follow my wishes or start making demands like she did.”

  Still uncertain what he was trying to tell her, she shook her head. “Like Bianca? But, Evan, how could you think of me in that way? I’m not like her! I’ve never wanted money. For Pete’s sake, I gave all of mine away!”

  His hands came up to cradle the sides of her face. “I don’t mean the money. Bianca shattered my trust, along with my self-confidence as a man and a detective. After she broke our engagement, I began to wonder whether any woman would ever love me just for me. Or if they simply loved the fact that I was a Calhoun, a member of one of the richest families in western Nevada. Then you came along, and you were so different from Bianca and the other women I’d dated. I could see that my money didn’t impress you, but deep down I guess I still had doubts. I needed to know that I was the most important thing in your life. That you’d be willing to give up anything for me. I pushed you into a corner—unfairly so. I said hurtful things to you that I regret. Now I can only ask you to forgive me. To say you still love me.”

  Noelle’s heart was suddenly brimming with such joy that she had to fight to keep from weeping. “I said plenty of awful things to you, too. But I’ll try to make up for them by telling you how much I still love you. Very much.”

  “Oh, Elle, Elle, if I don’t kiss you, I think I’m going to burst,” he whispered, then fastened his lips over hers.

  The passionate kiss went on and on as they tried to make up for all the heartache of the past few days.

  When they finally broke for air, Evan said, “I still have your Christmas gift, but Vincent says I should exchange it for a solitaire—something more modest.”
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  “Why would you want to do that?”

  He nuzzled her cheek. “You said it didn’t fit you.”

  “The ring is beautiful—now that I know it represents real love.”

  “Then you’ll accept it? You’ll marry me?”

  Laughing softly, she wound her arms tightly around his neck. “Is it too late to say merry Christmas, darling?”

  “Elle, my sweet, the gift of Christmas love is going to be with us all year round and for the rest of our lives.”

  Epilogue

  Almost a year later, Noelle stood in front of the full-length mirror, adjusting the belt on her long suede skirt. The black color was slimming, but it still couldn’t hide her rounded tummy.

  “Evan, do you think I should change into something looser before we leave for your grandparents’? If you plan to surprise Tuck and Alice about the baby, then I can’t walk in wearing this outfit. They’ll take one look at my bulging belly and guess.”

  Crossing the little bedroom, Evan walked up behind his wife and slid his hands gently over her growing tummy. “Don’t change. You look beautiful. And if they guess before I have a chance to tell them, then it won’t matter. They’ll be just as happy.”

  Turning to face her husband, she slipped her arms around his waist. “And what about you, my darling? Next month we’ll have been married a year. Are you still happy?”

  His soft laugh full of love and longing, he rested his forehead against hers. “If I was any happier, I couldn’t stand myself. I’m making Vincent sick with all this talk about love and babies and ranching.”

  She laughed. “Ranching. It still sounds odd for you to say that word.”

  “Why? In my spare time away from the office, I’m getting back into the groove of being a cowboy. And I’ve got to admit, Noelle, I’m beginning to like it. Especially when I have my beautiful wife working at my side.”

  She shot him an impish smile. “Beautiful? Evan, marriage has ruined your vision. Next thing I know, you’ll be getting a new prescription and wondering what you ever saw in me.”

  Chuckling, he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the callused area along the upper ridge of her palm. “I love every inch of you.”

  She sighed with contentment. “So much has happened since last Christmas. We had a beautiful wedding and reception on the Silver Horn. Sassy and Jett now have a daughter to go along with their little boy, J.J. Clancy and Olivia became parents to a baby boy, and the three of them have already moved into their dream house on Rock Mountain. And Lilly and Rafe have just welcomed another daughter into their family. Now I’m hearing that Bella’s house is nearly finished. So she’ll be moving into it soon. The family is shifting and growing and changing. But all for the good, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, all for the good. But you left out my move to this ranch,” Evan pointed out. “That was the best change of all. You’ve taught me so much, my sweet wife. Like things don’t have to be perfect to be good.”

  She cast a tender smile at him. “And you’ve taught me a lot about forgiving myself and others. I’m even thinking that I’ll let my parents know about our baby. They deserve that much from me. And who knows? Maybe someday they’ll come to realize the mistakes they made with their children.”

  “I’m glad,” he said. “And I’m happy that my dad and grandfather understand I’m truly content here on our own little ranch.”

  “Me, too,” Noelle agreed. “Even though I think Bart is still getting used to not having you live on the Silver Horn anymore. But he seems to be taking it fairly well. You know, your grandfather called me yesterday and said he had a special gift for us this Christmas. I have a sneaky suspicion it’s an Angus bull. What are we going to do? Turn it down?”

  Shaking his head, Evan turned away from her and reached for his cowboy boots. As he sat on a footstool to jerk them on, he said, “No. We’re going to take it. Sometimes accepting a gift graciously and gratefully means more than giving one. It will make him very happy, Elle. And it’s not like we take advantage of his generosity. He’s still trying to get you to take those hundred and fifty mama cows he offered after your cattle were stolen.”

  Reaching for the hairbrush on her dresser, she thoughtfully tugged it through her long hair. “Having the cattle stolen almost seems like a distant nightmare now. If you weren’t such a good detective, you would’ve never caught the culprits who took them.”

  “Billy Stivers is the one to thank. Not only for giving me enough information to recover your cattle, but also for giving us a lead that eventually helped us solve the Watson homicide. Like Vince and I had thought all along, the crimes of the cattle rustling and the murder were connected. Watson was killed because he wanted more money for hauling the stolen cattle with his tractor-trailer rig. When his partner refused to pay up, Watson threatened to squeal to the authorities. Unfortunately, a syringe full of phenylbutazone shut him up before he could do that.”

  “Thank goodness the whole bunch is behind bars now,” she said. “And from what you say, Billy Stivers is keeping his nose clean and out of trouble. I’m glad about that. Especially for Bernice’s sake. She’s such a good, gentle woman.”

  “I think Watson’s death flipped on a light switch in Billy’s head. He suddenly realized that if you run with an outlaw, you sometimes die like an outlaw.”

  “Speaking of outlaws, I’ve been doing plenty of thinking about my brother’s accident. I—”

  “Elle,” Evan interrupted with surprise. “That’s the first time I’ve heard you call your brother’s death an accident. Does that mean—”

  “It means that I’ve faced the truth of the matter. Andy wasn’t a totally guiltless victim. He’d chosen to run with bad company and to put himself in a dangerous situation. And this past year, I’ve thought a lot about how you could be faced with a crazed gunman or knife-wielding criminal. I’d want you to protect yourself. Just like the policeman who killed Andy was trying to protect himself and any innocent bystanders.”

  Rising from the footstool, Evan curled an arm around her thickening waist. “Does that mean that you’ve forgiven the officer?”

  Nodding, she looked into his eyes and smiled. “Forgiveness is freeing. Thank you, darling, for helping me understand that.”

  “I’m so proud of you. You’re an incredible woman. My woman.” Bending his head, he kissed her tenderly, then eased back far enough to give her a smile. “Are you ready to go? Granddad and Grandmother are expecting us for lunch. We’d better get a move on if we’re going to make it by noon.”

  “Is Alice cooking chicken and dumplings?” Noelle asked eagerly. “If she is, I want you to get me there as fast as the law allows.”

  Evan laughed. “So you haven’t forgotten how good her dumplings are.”

  Turning, she tilted her face up to his. “I haven’t forgotten anything about that day you took me to Virginia City to visit your grandparents. I not only fell deeper in love with you but also got a glimpse of what it was like to celebrate Christmas with a real family.”

  He pressed a light kiss to her lips. “And now the two of us are making our own real family. Years from now, our grandchildren will come to visit us during the holidays and introduce their dates, and you and I will think back to how it was when we were young and falling in love.”

  “Yes,” she whispered with a dreamy smile. “We’ll think back and remember that very special Christmas.”

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from A TEXAS RESCUE CHRISTMAS by Caro Carson.

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  Chapter One

  James Waterson III left his family’s ranch at the glorious age of eighteen, ready to exceed the already high expectations of his friends and family, teachers and coaches. James the third, better known as Trey among the ranch hands and football fans, the recruiters and reporters, was going to conquer college football as the star of Oklahoma Tech University. He’d so easily conquered high school football, the NFL was already aware of his name.

  At the age of twenty, Trey was washed up.

  What’s wrong with that boy? He blew his big chance.

  What’s wrong with him? He was so bright when I had him in class.

  What’s wrong with the Waterson kid? He must’ve gotten into drugs.

  What a waste, what a shame, why, why, why?

  His parents, of course, had left the family ranch in Texas to visit him in Oklahoma numerous times. They’d consulted with his coaches and met with his professors, and no one could understand why Trey Waterson, the promising freshman recruit, could no longer remember the play calls and passing routes now that he was a sophomore.

  Well, Mr. Waterson, I’m not saying your son can’t handle stress, but we’ve seen kids freeze up when they get in a big stadium. We’re talking about a crowd of one hundred thousand.

  No one could deny that Trey’s test grades were no longer easy As, but struggling Ds and failing Fs.

  To be honest, Mrs. Waterson, he was supposed to come to my office for tutoring directly after class, but he never showed. As I told the athletic director, I can’t help a kid who refuses to be helped.