Hooked By Sundown (Canyon Junction: Hearts In Love Book 3)

by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel

  Sophie came into the room and Emmett stopped speaking. She took a seat on Wade’s sleeping bag and hugged her knees, staring at the two of them across from her.

  He didn’t want to pass up this opportunity. It was now or never. He’d either be shut down by a nine-year-old or get up and dance. “I can make your mom happy. If you give me a chance, I can make you happy too. I’d never try to take your dad’s place. Promise. I love your mom. I’d like us all to be a family.”

  Emmett peered at him while twisting his mouth to the side, straightening, then twisting it again. Then he gave a long stare to his mom. He ended up dragging his teeth over his bottom lip. He shrugged.

  Wade scrubbed his hand over Emmett’s mop of hair. “That’s all ya got? A shrug?”

  “Does that mean I have to call Noah my brother? You, my stepdad?”

  Sophie took the lead this time. “Emmett, no one is asking, and no plans have been made, so I’m not marrying anyone at the moment. But if someone did ask me and already had a kid, that child would be a step kid like Clay and Kathy are to me, and like Grandpa is my stepdad. They’re step in paper only. In my heart, you know they are my full dad, sister, and brother.”

  “I knew I was right. You’ll probably marry him.”

  Sophie gasped. “Emmett—”

  “Jeez, you two, I’m in the room you know. Don’t talk like I’m not here.” Wade got up and paced around the great room. He turned on a light in the farthest corner, came back, and stood in front of both of them. “Ah, heck.” He took hold of Sophie’s hand and pulled her up to stand in front of him. “I don’t have an answer from your son, and I haven’t asked your dad, either, but darn, woman, will you marry me?”

  “Wait!” Emmett narrowed his eyes at Wade.

  Sophie and Wade turned to Emmett. Wade gulped. Yep, shut down.

  “You can. I don’t care if I have to call Noah my brother. You can marry my mom… Aren’t you supposed to get on your knee like in the movies Mom watches?” Emmett squinted at Sophie. “Mom?”

  Sophie removed her hand from Wade’s, grasped Emmett’s, and dragged him down the hall to the bathroom. The door closed.

  Wade blew out a breath. She wouldn’t say yes. She’d be lecturing him. Hell, he needed to be lectured instead of the kid. What had he been thinking?

  Emmett came into the living room first, followed by Sophie a few paces behind. She took her place in front of Wade and held his hands. “Can you ask without saying, ‘darn woman’ this time?” Tears rolled over her cheeks. He cupped her face and gave her a deep, loving kiss not caring if Emmett stood there watching.

  After the nervous kiss—maybe the kiss of his lifetime—Wade brushed the tears from her cheeks then dropped to his knee. Crimminy, he never thought he’d be in this position…for this reason. “Sophie Price-Daniels? Will you add another name to your last name? Mine. Emory? You know, in case it isn’t long enough as it is?” Wade laughed. Sophie cried again.

  Emmett giggled. “You’re chicken, Wade.”

  Wade lifted his eyes to her, hoping like hell she’d say yes and get rid of one of those other names at least. A million things went through his head in an eye-blink’s time. Wait, he hadn’t asked her. He smiled. “Will you marry me, Sophie? I love you.” He rose from his knee.

  Sophie chuckled. “That was done in a roundabout way, Emory…” She threw her arms around his neck. “Yes. Yes. I’ll take your last name.”

  “Can I have his last name?” Emmett asked with wide eyes.

  Sophie released Wade and smiled at Emmett. “We’ll talk about that later, honey. Okay?”

  Emmett rolled his eyes. “Sure, Mom, just like everything else.”

  Wade threaded his fingers through his hair. “I don’t have a ring. This is unexpected when I didn’t think anything could surprise me anymore. I sure surprised myself.”

  “Do you want to take it back?” She asked with a smug grin.

  Wade lifted Sophie off her feet and kissed her again. “Nope. I want to be married to the both of you.”

  “Eww, no way. Eww. I can’t marry you.” Emmett gave Wade a weird look.

  “Not the same way as your mom is marrying me, but we’ll be a family.” Emmett let himself be pulled into their embrace. “All four of us will be a family.”

  Emmett’s arm went around Wade. “I can live with that, but I still want to spend time with Grandpa.”

  Sophie hugged Emmett tight. “You will, son. You will.”

  “I’m tired.” Emmett escaped their embrace and crawled into his sleeping bag. “Can we move in here now so I can go to a Canyon Junction School?”

  “Go to sleep, dude. We’ll talk in the morning.” Wade took Sophie’s hand, and they entered the kitchen. He got a bottle of red wine from the cupboard and pulled out the cork. Sophie got two glasses. Wade poured wine into both. “Wow, that was a shocker.”

  Sophie chuckled and held her glass up to tap his. “You can say that again.”

  “Wow, that was a shoc—”

  Sophie crushed her lips against his ravishingly but the kiss soon turned tender and passionate, loving, lips locking, tasting, and pressing together like glue. At the end of the kiss, she pressed her finger against his lips. “Shh. I love you.” They stared into each other’s eyes then tapped their glasses. “To our future. One I never saw coming until I got hooked on a cowboy from Arizona before the sun had time to set.”

  Wade stared out the front window. He lifted his glass that way. “Wow. Look out there, darlin’.” He grasped her hand and went out the front door to stand in the driveway to look at the yellow moon rising above the horizon.

  “It’s amazing,” she said with a jittery voice.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t have a ring, but this wasn’t planned tonight. I’ll get one.” Wade smiled. Tears in her eyes sparkled from the security light’s glow. “Cheers to moonlight and tears on the night I asked a teacher to marry me.” He sat their glasses down on the driveway and brought her into his arms. “Thanks for saying yes.”

  “Thanks for asking Emmett.”

  “Your dad is next, but I figure I’m half way there.”

  “You’re more there then you know. I’m about ready to take you right here, mister.” Sophie winked.

  “Yeah? I’ve heard that before…and loved the outcome!” Wade picked up the glasses, and they entered the front door. She peeked at Emmett then put her finger against her lips, nodded to the stairway, and took the first step toward it. Wade caught her hand, and they rushed up to his bedroom. Inside, he stuck a rubber door stop under the door. “Just to be safe. Maybe we’ll keep this room. I hate giving up the size. What do you think? Both the boys downstairs? On second thought, I like the idea of them down there where it’s easier for them to get out.”

  “Yeah, let’s see how it goes for a couple nights, or at least until they get old enough to sneak out.” Sophie laid her hand against his shoulder. “Honey, we’ll have smoke alarms on top of smoke alarms. Even sprinklers if you want. We’ll keep our kids safe in every way we can.”

  “I love you.” Wade held her for a moment, but then he thought about the earlier conversation. “We have time to decide, but how about what Emmett said? Move in now.”

  “Hmm.” Sophie removed her pajama top and dropped her boxer bottoms. She kicked them at him. “Coming?”

  Wade pulled his t-shirt over his head on the way to her. “Hold on.”

  “I’m hot for you, Emory. Get your ass over here.”

  “Wait a minute.” He rummaged through the closet and brought something out.

  Sophie wrapped a throw from the bottom of the bed around her. He opened the lid on an old wooden and tapestry jewelry box. “What is this? It’s beautiful.”

  He rummaged around in the box, clasped something, and took her hand. “Sit down.”

  Viewing her like this wearing nothing but a throw, he couldn’t wait to remove it to expose her body to him again. They sat on the edge of the bed. “I forgot I had this.” He held up a gemstone rin
g. “It belonged to my great-grandmother. I salvaged this old box from the remains of the fire. Will you wear this ring until I get you one? I want the world to know you’ll be my bride.”

  Sophie stared at it in the dim lighting. “It’s gorgeous. Omigod! This is a moonstone and diamond ring. It’s an heirloom. Are you sure?”

  “It was made for your finger. Yeah, I couldn’t be surer.”

  Her brow furrowed while examining it. “Oh, Wade. Yes, I will.” She handed it back. Sophie held out her hand, her ring finger ready to accept it.

  Wade gave her a kiss while lying back on the bed with her in his arms then he slid the ring over her finger. “It’s a perfect fit.”

  Sophie pulled him on top of her. “Just like we are, darlin’. We have to get back downstairs, but first…get naked for me. I want everything naked tonight, Emory.”

  Chapter 17

  Sunshine peeked through the closed blinds, waking Sophie. Emmett breathed evenly in his sleep. So did Wade. She peeked at him across the way a bit from where she slept on the double sleeping bag. His hair fell into his face which was rare since it had been trained to go back most of the time. She smiled at his peacefulness while sleeping. She lifted her hand to see the heirloom on her finger. It hadn’t been a dream.

  “I’m glad you like it,” Wade grumbled in a deep morning voice.

  “I love it,” she whispered. “You don’t have to get me a new one unless you want this back for a keepsake.” He stretched his arm out to take her hand. Sophie turned to her side and laid her palm in his on the hardwood floor.

  “I want to get you one. You can pick it out if you’d like, but I’d rather you had a new one. Let me do this. Keep that one. It’s my gift to you.”

  She detected the sincerity in his eyes. He’d never been married before. She understood his need to do this, but to keep this beautiful ring?

  “Please? Keep it?”

  Sophie nearly cried, which she’d been doing a lot lately, but she sniffled back the urge. “All right. You can pick another one out unless you want me there to supervise.”

  “Maybe give me a few pictures to go by?”

  Sophie smiled. The idea of him wanting to get it right warmed her heart, but it was more than him wanting to get it right. Peacefulness lingered inside of her because of the gentle man he could turn into without warning, and this explained to her why she’d fallen in love with him. “I can do pictures for you, but I know your choice would be perfect.”

  Wade released her hand and raised to his elbow. “Will you do me a favor?”

  “Take you now?”

  He smiled. “In a moment. Show me your wedding ring so I don’t get something the same or similar.”

  That was a sweet thing for him to say and what a nice thought. “I will when you come over.”

  “Thank you.”

  She observed him as he lay on his back, brushing his hands over his hair to smooth it down. He stared at the vaulted ceiling, but what had he really seen up there—the ceiling or something else in his mind’s eye? The last half of the year had brought many life-changes to their lives. She turned her head to view Emmett sleeping. Life-changes for all of them. “What are we doing today?”

  “We’re going horseback riding. Not here, but up into the Superstitions. Is Emmett good enough to handle a horse on the trails up that way? His knee?”

  “I believe he is, but not where it’s too risky, please.”

  “Good. It won’t be. I’ll borrow a horse from Jake. Maybe Trace can come along with us on his horse to be company for Emmett.”

  “We could pick up Emmett’s horse from home.” Sophie lay on her back, and now she stared at the ceiling where she visualized a future.

  “Bender will be good for him.” He held his palm up. “I haven’t asked Trace yet. Let’s check with Emmett first. We’ll ride the shortest trail, take our time, and fool around a little along the way. Then later after dinner we’ll watch your romcom, as you call it. Sound good?”

  Sophie moved to a sitting position. “Yeah. I’ll make coffee. What time are we leaving?”

  “We have time. Let me take care of the horses then I’ll cook for you two this morning.” Wade hopped up but crouched down to give her a kiss on the cheek. He spoke quietly. “Thanks for last night. All of it.”

  Sophie lifted her head to meet his scorching gaze. Oh, how she wanted to kiss those luscious lips this minute but instead, she whispered, “It was my pleasure.” Then she kissed him.

  Wade’s phone rang. He grabbed his jeans and answered on the way upstairs. Sophie padded to the kitchen to put coffee on.

  Emmett called her before she got a few steps away. “Morning, Mom. Where’s Wade?”

  “Upstairs on a phone call. He’s going out to take care of the horses.”

  “Can I help?”

  “I don’t see why not.”

  Emmett rolled to his back and stretched his lanky body. “I liked being here last night. I’m gonna like living here.”

  “Hold that thought while I make coffee. I’ll be right back.” In the kitchen, she opened the blinds to view a magnificent rusty orange sky then stood on her tiptoes to lean over the sink to view the area to the left and right. Shadowed saguaros stood silhouetted everywhere. Dust lingered in the air as Wade’s neighbor drove by. “Wow, that’s a beautiful sky.” She got the coffee started then headed back into the great room to sit on the floor beside Emmett. Sophie glanced upstairs. “Okay, let’s talk. We’ll live here eventually, but you can’t want to live here only to change schools. You understand Wade and I will be living together as a couple?”

  Emmett nodded.

  “What about your friends?”

  “I have one good school friend, Mom. You know that. I don’t like it there. They’re bullies.”

  “Oh? Why’s this the first time I’m hearing about bullies?”

  Emmett folded his right leg and focused on his fingers in his lap. “I haven’t said anything.”

  “Honey, there are bullies everywhere, unfortunately, but we should mention this to the school if they’re picking on you. What about that?”

  “They don’t like me. Remember last night when I said I wanted to change my name? Are you changing yours? Would Dad be mad?”

  She’d get back to the bullying topic later. “Dad wouldn’t be mad about me changing mine. He knew what telling me to move on would mean one day, if I got married again, but we’re not changing your name.”

  Furrows formed on his forehead. “We’re not?”

  “No.”

  “Okay.”

  He sounded relieved. “I haven’t mentioned it to Wade yet, but I’m thinking of changing my name to Daniels-Emory so I’ll have part of your last name. I’m sure Wade will agree, but I’ll talk to him about it.”

  “Yeah, Price-Daniels-Emory is waaaaay too long.” He laughed. “As long as Grandpa don’t care if you drop Price.”

  Aaron had adopted her before Clay had been born so she’d have the same name as his and her mom’s kids together. “Grandpa won’t care. He’ll want everyone to be happy.” Sophie brought him into her arms and hugged him. “Just like your daddy, honey. All he wanted was for us to be happy, and if he isn’t here to be happy with us, he’ll know we are. But it took a long time for us to find happiness again, didn’t it? Four years now. You are happy, right?”

  Emmett laid his head on his mom’s shoulder. “Mm hmm. I’ll always miss Daddy…but I like Wade a lot. He’s cool.”

  “I know, honey, and you’re allowed to. Dad will continue to have a place in my heart, too, but now…” Now, she’d made a bigger place for Wade with Rhett tucked safely away into a special corner. She became misty eyed. “We’re going to be fine, my son. Don’t worry about us.”

  “I know. I’m glad Wade has a little boy.”

  “Why?”

  “Because now he knows how to be a dad, and it’s better than having a little girl. Will he be mad if I don’t change my name?”

  Wade came down stairs at
that moment, and Emmett pulled away from his mom’s embrace. “Hi, Wade.”

  “Mornin’, Emmett. Ready for breakfast? What do you like?”

  “Anything.”

  “Good because that’s what I can cook.”

  “Can I help you with the horses?”

  “Yep. Get dressed, cowpoke.” Wade smiled at Sophie then strode to the back door.

  Emmett stood, but Sophie grasped his calf and peered up at him. “Back to your question. Wade won’t be mad if you don’t change your name to Emory. He’ll understand. You don’t have to keep worrying about people being mad about your choices.”

  “I have to go to the bathroom. Stupid crutches.” He picked them up and used them to go down the hallway.

  Wade came back in with his boots in hand, took a seat in the matching navy chair to the couch, and pulled them on. He opened the blinds to all the windows. “Wow, the sun’s high already. You wore me out last night, woman.”

  She beamed proudly. “I can do it again, too.”

  Wade and Emmett went outside. Sophie rushed upstairs to get dressed, brush her hair, and apply make-up. She made Wade’s bed, taking in the smell of them in the covers. Standing at the door to the deck, she observed the two of them outside, each in the round pen with a horse. Emmett used one crutch. Wade strode inside the small barn and Emmett hobbled after him. Sophie smiled inside. Had it really been this simple to meet someone and fall in love? For her son to seem to admire the same man? But it wasn’t simple.

  Upon meeting Wade, she hadn’t realized how lonely she’d become, or how starved she was for love. Now, looking at the two of them out there told her the same thing had happened to her child. He’d missed his dad so much. Wade Emory had appeared in their lives at the right time. Sophie thought of Noah and the fact Wade had become a father overnight. She had come into Wade’s life at the right time, as well.

  She sat on the bed to call her dad to be the first to tell him about the engagement. But wait… Wade had said he’d wanted to ask her dad for her hand in marriage. No, she’d not steal that moment from him. Instead, she’d call a close friend who still lived on the base where she and Emmett had lived with Rhett. Come to think of it, since meeting Wade, this was the first time she’d thought of the friends she’d left behind. They’d been her support system after Rhett passed away.