How the Cowboy Was Won

by Lori Wilde

  “Maybe they are.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Maybe she was your inspiration and without her you’re no longer inspired. I’m an astronomer, not a psychologist, but do you want to know what I think?”

  “Why not?” He opened his palms. “I’m grasping at straws.”

  “You’ve formed this mistaken belief that you don’t need love. That you’re somehow above normal human emotions, and if you just gather more knowledge it will ease those deeply buried feelings of inadequacy you struggle so hard to deny.”

  “Whoa, that’s a mouthful.”

  “It means you won’t ever find the love you do need until you stop running from your feelings.”

  “Is that what I’m doing?”

  Dawn inclined her head. “Only you can say. What do you think?”

  Ranger stroked his jaw, gave her assessment some consideration. “Do I sense a confirmation bias coming on?”

  Her smile was filled with understanding. “It’s just a theory.”

  “You’ve spent some time thinking about this.”

  “I’ve been watching you for over a year.”

  “Any thoughts on how to correct my . . . issue?”

  “Reverse the order.”

  “What?”

  “Love first. It’s an essential human need. Love first, and then everything else will fall into place. Now stop being broody, ask for a leave of absence, and go straighten things out with Ember or I’m asking for a new research partner.”

  It was almost nine p.m. when Ember arrived at the University of Waterloo. She’d gone to Ranger’s apartment first—she’d gotten the address from Ridge—but a neighbor who also worked at the University had told her he was still at work.

  But of course, that was her Ranger. She should have gone straight to the university. She parked in the nearly vacant lot near the astronomy building and was just stepping out of her car when she saw him come out of the side exit, head down, walking at a furious clip.

  Where was he going in such a hurry?

  “Ranger!” she called.

  He stopped and his head jerked up. The expression on his face told her he thought he was hearing things.

  “Ranger!” She started running straight for him.

  He opened his arms and she flew into them. He picked her up and spun her around until they were both laughing and dizzy underneath the street lamp.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked, his eyes shiny in the light. He was so handsome her breath caught in her lungs.

  “I came to see you.”

  “Why?”

  “There’s something I have to tell you.”

  “I’m listening,” he said. “Or should we go somewhere more comfortable? There’s a coffee shop just down the street.”

  “We can walk and talk.” She nodded. They could have taken her car, but her hands were so shaky over seeing him again she was not sure she could have driven. “How’s the search for E.T. going?”

  “Slow. You know science moves at glacier speeds.”

  “It sure moved fast that night at the observatory.”

  “Ember, about that night . . .”

  “Shh.” She put her index finger over his lips. “That’s what I’m here about.”

  He wrapped his hand around her index finger, used it to haul her closer to him. It felt so good to be near him again.

  “Bob Marley said that only once in your life do you find someone who can completely turn your world around,” Ember told him.

  “Big Marley fan are you now?”

  “You have been gone almost a month. You can never tell about me.”

  “That’s true.” He smiled. “Your unpredictability is one of the things I like most about you.”

  “How’s this? I came up here to tell you that you’ve not only turned my world around, but upside down and inside out.”

  “Ember . . .”

  “Just let me finish. I practiced it on the plane ride up. I can share things with you that I can’t tell another soul. You know all my flaws and all the mistakes I’ve made, and not only do you keep sticking around, you seem to like me even more because of it. That is”—she gulped—“you used to.”

  His eyes turned murky, unreadable. “You hurt me, Ember.”

  “I know, and I’m so deeply sorry. All I ever wanted was your happiness.”

  “At the expense of your own.” His tone was soft, guarded.

  “Don’t you get it, Ranger? You are my happiness.” She gulped again; how was she going to get through this if he’d decided they couldn’t work? Was she too late? Had she lost her chance to make amends?

  Rallying her courage—it was all she had left—Ember plunged ahead. “With you, I can share my hopes and dreams, my failures and disappointments. All of it. The messy parts and the inspiring ones, and you accept them both as gifts. And I do the same for you. How incredibly special is that?”

  “Ember—”

  She was on a roll and could not stop. She had to get this out or she’d collapse, and she was not going to do that. “When something wonderful happens, the first person I want to tell is you because nobody gets as excited for me as you do. When something awful happens, it’s the same way. You’re my great champion. You always have been, and I hope I do the same for you.”

  “Em—”

  “You cry with me when I’m hurt, and you laugh with me when I’m happy. You’ve never intentionally hurt my feelings or made me feel as if my personality is a burden to you.”

  “That’s because—”

  She held up a hand, talking faster and faster to outrun the fear that she was making a terrible mistake confessing everything like this. “You make me feel special and included and talented and desirable.”

  “You—”

  “No, you. You build me up and make me shine. You give me courage and hope. You make me feel beautiful even when my hair is a mess and I’m not wearing makeup.”

  He clamped his lips together, held out his hands in a sweeping, you’ve-got-the-floor-filibuster-away gesture.

  “There’s never any competition or jealousy between you and me.” The way it had been with her and Trey. Everything in their relationship had been about winning. With Ranger, there was none of that. Whatever she had, she would give to him gladly, willingly without hesitation and vice versa. “With you, there’s no stress. You’re my calm, soft place to land.”

  His dark eyes were obsidian mirrors, and inside him, she could see herself.

  “Ember,” he said kindly, patiently, “could you let me get a word in edgewise?”

  “Huh? Yes. Okay.” She bobbed her head. “Please speak.”

  “I’ve been waiting thirty-three years for you to come to this conclusion. I’ve known all along we were meant to be,” he said.

  “You did?”

  “I just didn’t know how deeply and surely I felt it until that night at your house.”

  “Which night? The night we did it or the night I sent you away.”

  “Both. Dawn tells me I didn’t think I needed love, but she’s off the mark a bit. I only need your love. That’s why I could never commit to any of the women I dated. None of them were you.”

  “Oh Ranger.” She stopped on the sidewalk and went down on one knee and took his hand. “Will you marry me?”

  “No.” He shook his head.

  Terror hit her heart, downing her like an airplane plunging from the sky. Oh God, it was exactly as she feared. He did not want her anymore.

  His voice and eyes softened. “We’re not doing it like that.”

  Her pulse thumped crazily, pounding through her temples, twisting up her brain. “I know this is outrageous, I know I’m outrageous—”

  “Hush,” he said, his eyes brimming with humor. “I love your outrageousness. It’s part of what makes you you. With me you can fully be yourself and not have to worry that I’ll ever stop loving you. I said no because we’re going to do this right. I’m buying a ring and I’m asking you again to marry me
and you’re going to say yes and we’re going to live happily-ever-after. What do you say to that?”

  “I quit my job and gave up my lease and bought a one-way ticket to Canada.”

  “All in.”

  “I’m thinking this is a game we both can win.”

  “Sweetheart, I know it is.” He took her in his arms and kissed her, and her head hummed.

  “Oh by the way. I lied.”

  “About what?”

  “Not a full lie, more a lie of omission.”

  He arched an eyebrow.

  “That night you asked me if I heard the humming and I never answered you.” Her eyes met his, and he was staring into her as if she were the answer to all his prayers. “I heard it. I still hear it whenever you kiss me. I hear it right now.”

  “Really?” He squeezed her tight.

  She nodded. “I was afraid to tell you before. Afraid you’d stay if I did.”

  “Ember, the humming has spoken,” he teased. “We were meant to be.”

  “I love you, Ranger. As a friend and a lover. I love you in all the ways it’s possible to love another human being. I can’t say it enough. I’m going to say it every day, multiple times. I love you, I love you, I love you.”

  “I love you too, Ember Leigh Alzate.”

  “Soon to be Ember Leigh Lockhart. Ooh, I like the sound of that.”

  “Me too. I can’t wait. But why the sudden change of heart?”

  She explained to him then about Fiona and Palmer and how they’d made her see that what she’d viewed as her flaws were also her strengths.

  “I’ve been telling you that for years. Your family has been telling you that for years.”

  “I know, but I think it’s one of those conclusions you have to reach on your own.”

  “Thank God for Fiona and Palmer.”

  “Thank God for you.”

  Ranger stared at her, his dark eyes so full of love that she couldn’t absorb it all. He brushed her hair from her cheek, tenderly hauled her into his arms and kissed her for a very long time.

  And there, just off campus, near an adorable late-night coffee shop, Ember realized her struggle was finally over and she was at peace. She’d learned that she was lovable and the only opinion that mattered about the way she lived her life was her own.

  Eagerly, as they walked into the coffee shop packed with students submerged in papers, books, and electronic devices, she breathed in a happy sigh. So many brilliant minds in one area, and they all needed a place to live. Oh my, but she was going to make a killing in this real estate market.

  And, as Ranger pulled her into a back booth and kissed her until her entire body hummed, she fully understood that she had made the match of a lifetime.

  An Excerpt from The Christmas Key

  Continue reading for a sneak peek of Lori Wilde’s next delicious Twilight, Texas novel,

  THE CHRISTMAS KEY

  Coming November 2018!

  Chapter 1

  December 5th

  The Teal Peacock, Twilight, Texas

  “Hon, if I put another thing on top of that pile, you’re not going to be able to see where you’re going.”

  Naomi Luther dropped her shoulders, lowering the boxes stacked in her arms half an inch. She was a pro. For the past five years, she’d owned her own personal shopper and gift-wrapping business called It’s a Wrap. She had this.

  “Lookee,” she said. “If you take that last box out of the bag, there’s enough room to slide it right on top of the others. And I’ll be able to hold it all down with my chin.”

  The older woman behind the counter, Patsy Calloway, looked skeptical. “One false move and the whole shebang will come crashing down.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Naomi reassured her with a grin. “Go ahead. Stock it to me.”

  “You are so funny,” Patsy laughed. “It’s amazing the way you’ve bounced back after—”

  “Gotta keep my spirits for Hunter.” She brightened her smile, hoping to head Patsy off at the pass. Naomi was determined to make this Christmas a happy one. Which was hard to do when everyone in town knew her family’s sorrows.

  “How’s your mom?” Patsy asked, taking the box out of the shopping bag she’d just put it in.

  Naomi cringed inwardly, but kept the smile pasted on her face. “She’s good.”

  “I know this is a rough time of year. The holidays—”

  “We’re fine,” she said, keeping her voice cheery. “We’re doing great. Honest.”

  “You’ve all suffered a huge loss.” Patsy added the box to the leaning Tower of Pisa in Naomi’s arms. “It’s okay to grieve. I—”

  “Could you open the door for me, please? Thank you.” Naomi locked her elbows to help brace the load. Mashed her chin against the top package. Squelched the sad feelings rising up inside her.

  “How far to your car?” Patsy asked.

  “Jana’s swinging around to pick me up at the curb.”

  “You sure you don’t need help getting the packages into her Jeep?” Patsy folded the empty bag emblazoned with a teal peacock and stuck it in a drawer.

  “Juggling packages is all part of the Christmas fun, right?”

  Patsy hustled across the old wooden floor to open the door, moving fast for a woman in her late sixties. The Teal Peacock sat housed in a turn-of-the-twentieth-century building. It was located one block off the historic town square. “Do mind your step, hon, and watch out for the workmen setting up Dickens.”

  During the first weekend in December, tourists flocked to Twilight. They were looking for fun at the annual Dickens on the Square festival. Naomi loved this time of year. She couldn’t wait to take her four-year-old nephew, Hunter, to the parade on Saturday morning. After last year’s tragedies . . . well, come hell or high water, this was going to be the best Christmas ever.

  With the packages blocking her view, Naomi inched down the stairs of the Teal Peacock. Workmen were stringing electrical cords and wiring. Two crewmembers carried neon orange sawhorses and used them to block off the cross street.

  Dang it. Jana wouldn’t be able to drive through that way and pick her up. She’d have to wait with her unwieldy load while Jana circled around to the back of the building.

  No worries, no worries. Yes, her arms were screaming at her to put the packages down, but she could ignore the burn for a little longer.

  Hurry, Jana, hurry.

  One of these days she was going to have to bite the bullet and buy something bigger than her Yaris. She didn’t like depending on other people to give her a ride when she needed to transport a lot of things.

  A new car?

  Fat chance. It wasn’t like money was falling off trees. Especially now that she was raising Hunter. Yes, he got death benefits, but that was for the boy’s future, not for her to buy a car.

  It was okay. Achy arms weren’t going to kill her, and it wasn’t as if she didn’t have a loving community to help. Things were so much better than they were a year ago. She counted her blessings.

  “Thank you,” she murmured to the sky as Jana’s black Jeep Grand Cherokee pulled up to the curb.

  Relieved, she headed toward the back door of the Jeep.

  “Here, here,” said one of the workmen. “Let me help.” The man stretched out long, reached the handle, and flung the door open for her.

  “Thank you.” Naomi breathed, offering him a harried smile. She dumped the packages in the back seat and slammed the door. Heard her cell phone ding from the bottom of the purse slung around her shoulder.

  She’d like to ignore it, but with Hunter in preschool, she couldn’t. Digging in her purse for the phone, she hopped into the passenger seat. Without looking around, she clicked on her seatbelt.

  The workman shut the door behind her. She nodded at him, waved.

  “Hello,” she said into the phone, but the caller had hung up. Dang it. She pulled the phone from her ear and looked to see who’d called.

  Jana’s number.

  Huh? Why was
Jana calling her when she was sitting right here in the car with her?

  She turned to her friend.

  But it was not Jana sitting in the driver’s seat.

  Rather, it was a man. A tall man. A handsome man. A complete stranger. And . . . sweet Holy Mother of Jesus . . .

  He bore an uncanny resemblance to the dark-haired man she’d dreamed of last Christmas Eve. The dream she’d had after she’d slept with a kismet cookie underneath her pillow. Not that she really believed the legend.

  But here he was.

  “Eeep,” Naomi cried out, scrambling for the door handle to jump out, but the seatbelt yanked her back into the seat. Feeling like a ginormous idiot for getting into the wrong vehicle, she blurted, “Who are you?”

  “Better question,” he said in a voice as deep and dark as the Brazos River at midnight. “Who are you?”

  About the Author

  New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author LORI WILDE has sold over seventy-five works of fiction to four major New York publishing houses. She holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Texas Christian University and a certificate in forensic nursing from Kaplan University. She is a member of the International Association of Forensic Nurses. Her first New York Times bestseller, the third book in her Twilight, Texas series, The First Love Cookie Club has been optioned for a television movie. The town of Granbury, Texas, upon which her fictional town of Twilight, Texas, is loosely based, honors Lori with an annual Twilight, Texas weekend each Christmas.

  www.loriwilde.com

  www.twilighttexas.com

  www.avonromance.com

  www.facebook.com/avonromance

  Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.

  Also by Lori Wilde

  The Stardust, Texas Series

  Love of the Game

  Rules of the Game

  Back in the Game

  The Cupid, Texas Series

  How the Cowboy Was Won