Clint: A Hidden Lane Ranch Cowboy Novel

by Sammi Starlight

  Wyatt gave me that lazy smile that had ladies falling at his feet. “You’re welcome, Rachel. Like Ma said, you’re part of this family. And family takes care of each other.” He slapped my thigh. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m exhausted.” He stood up. “I’m heading to bed too.”

  I stood up and hugged him tight. “Thanks again,” I mumbled.

  He rubbed my back before pulling away, smiling. “Good night.”

  I sat back down by Clint with a sigh. I leaned against him. He put his arms around me and held me tight. We didn’t speak for awhile. “Let’s go to bed,” he said, breaking the silence.

  “Good idea,” I replied and stood up. He stood up behind me and picked me up into his arms. “What the?” I asked.

  “Shhh,” he said quietly. “Just let me.”

  I was quiet and rested my head on his chest while he carried me back to his bedroom. He set me gently on the bed and helped me get undressed.

  “Let me get you a t-shirt,” he said as he started to turn towards his dresser.

  I grabbed his arm. “No.” He turned to look at me, his eyes dark. “Clint, I need you. I need you to make love to me.”

  He looked down at my naked body and bit his lip. “Are you sure?”

  I nodded. “I need to be close to you.” I reached for his belt buckle while he stripped off his t-shirt.

  He got undressed and joined me on the bed.

  He lay down next to me but partially on top of me. He touched my face with his hand. “I love you, Rachel.”

  “I love you, Clint,” I whispered before pulling him down to me for a kiss.

  We spent most of the night making love. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced in my life. He was so tender and loving and when he was inside me, it was like he touched my soul.

  As the sun was coming up, we lay wrapped up in each other, the sheets a tangled mess around us. “Marry me, Rachel.”

  My heart started pounding in my chest. Had I heard him right?

  “Marry me,” he said again, turning his head to kiss my temple.

  I leaned up on an elbow and looked down at him. For a second I thought about saying no. For a second I thought, no, it’s too soon. For a second I thought he was still on an adrenaline high from all that had happened. Then, I saw the look in his eyes and I knew. I knew he was serious and I knew I had no choice but to say yes.

  I nodded, so overcome with emotion I didn’t trust my voice.

  “Yes?” he asked, his eyes widening.

  “Yes,” I managed to croak out. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Clint!”

  He flipped me onto my back and kissed me. Funny how what you can think is the worst day of your life turns out to be one of the best.

  22

  Clint

  Rachel and I stayed in bed most of the morning. After the events of the day before, we all needed a day off. I finally rolled out of bed and showered. A rancher’s work was never done, but I planned on doing the bare minimum. I had more important things to do.

  She was still sleeping when I was dressed, so I kissed her forehead and told her I’d be back soon. She just mumbled and nodded.

  When I came out into the kitchen, Ma was cleaning up from lunch and Eliza was reading a magazine at the counter. “There’s a plate for you in the fridge,” she nodded her head towards the refrigerator behind her.

  I walked up behind her and kissed her cheek. “Thanks.” I took the plate out and heated it in the microwave before sitting down at the counter.

  “How’s Rachel?” Ma asked.

  I shrugged. “She seems ok. This whole thing probably hasn’t sunk in yet.” I took a few more bites before setting my fork down. “I asked her to marry me last night.”

  Eliza dropped her magazine on the counter with a thud. “Shut up!”

  Ma’s eyes widened. “And?”

  I grinned at her. “She said yes!” Maybe I should have waited for Rachel to tell them the big news, but I was too excited. Besides, I wanted them to know why I was heading into town; I had to get my fiancé a ring. I also needed Eliza to come with me. I sort of had an idea of what I wanted to get her, but I needed her advice.

  Eliza squealed and clapped her hands. “Yay! A wedding!”

  “Oh sweetie, I’m so happy for you guys.” Her eyes were filled with tears.

  “Thanks, you guys. Maybe I shouldn’t have done that yesterday when emotions were so high, but it felt right. I’d been thinking about it for a while and I realized yesterday life is short, so why wait? I was going to make it a big deal - you know, dinner, romance, the whole nine yards, but as we lay in bed, I knew it was time. Of course, then I didn’t have the ring, so I’m going to head into town and buy one.” I pointed to Eliza. “Will you please come with me?”

  She hopped off the stool. “Say no more. Just let me get my purse.” She bounded off to her room.

  Ma nodded. “I’ll be right here when she wakes up. Take your time.”

  I took a drink of the milk Ma had given me and stood up. “Yeah, I don’t want to be gone too long. I think she’ll be ok, but just in case.”

  “Don’t worry.” She smiled at me.

  “Thanks Ma,” I grabbed my keys and gave her a kiss before heading out the door. “Tell Eliza I’m waiting outside.”

  I walked out to my truck whistling. I couldn’t wait to surprise Rachel with a ring. After all she’d been through, I was going to make sure she had nothing but happiness for the rest of her life.

  Eliza and I went to the local jewelry store to find Rachel a ring. Eliza talked the whole way there; I don’t think she stopped to take a breath. She went on and on about the wedding and where we would have it and when we should have it. I hadn’t even thought about any of that; I just wanted to make her my wife.

  “I think a small wedding on the ranch would be nice,” she said with a grin. Eliza always did love a good party.

  “Eliza, chill out,” I laughed. “I only asked her a little bit ago. I don’t even have a ring; much less any plans.”

  She pouted and crossed her arms. “It’s exciting. I can’t help it.”

  I reached over and lightly punched her shoulder. “I know you are. And you’re right, a small wedding on the ranch would be perfect. I bet Rachel would love that idea.”

  She beamed and nodded, proud of her idea. “I’ll help her plan it all. It will be romantic and amazing.” She looked down at her hands in her lap before looking back up at me. “Seriously, I’m happy for you guys. I know you love her and she loves you. She’s been like a sister to me and it will be awesome to officially make her part of the family.”

  My eyes filled with tears; seriously, I’d shed more tears in the past few days than I had since Dad died. “Thanks for that, little sister. It means a lot to me. She thinks of you like a sister too.”

  Eliza leaned forward in her seat and smiled. “Are you crying big brother?”

  I shook my head and tried to hide my emotion from her. I kept my eyes on the road. “No, never.”

  She laughed and clapped her hands together. “Yes you are! I thought after Hope left you were going to end up the consummate bachelor. I know she hurt you and I was afraid you’d never find someone to give your heart to. It’s nice to see you so in love again and happy.”

  I saw the jewelry store in the distance, relieved we were almost there. I wasn’t used to talking about my feelings at all and this was getting to be a bit much. “Ok, that’s enough serious talk. I’ve had enough seriousness to last me a long time.” I drove into the parking lot and parked my truck. “Let’s go pick out my woman a ring so I can get home to her.”

  Picking out rings with Eliza ended up being more work than if I went alone. She wanted to see every single ring the jeweler had even though I picked out the perfect ring after being there only ten minutes.

  “Let’s go, Eliza,” I said tersely to her, the princess cut one carat diamond I’d already picked out for Rachel paid for and in my pocket.

  She sighed and took the ring off, giving it
reluctantly back to the sales girl. “Fine,” she said. “I don’t know why you got her something so plain.”

  “She’s not like you, little sis. She has simpler tastes,” I laughed. “I pity the man that marries you.” She rolled her eyes and punched my arm. “At this rate I’m never getting married. There are no good men in this town.”

  I shrugged. “You seem to spend a lot of time with Jackson lately.”

  She wrinkled up her face. “Ick. We’re just friends. I’ve known him since we were little. He’s fun to hang out with is all.”

  “Right,” I nod, not convinced. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you, Eliza.”

  She waved her hand at me before she opened the door to the truck. “Whatever,” she said, her face red. I was teasing her, but maybe there was something more to the two of them only being friends. “Let’s go. I can’t wait to see the look on Rachel’s face when she sees that ring. I admit, it’s not what I would pick out for me, but you’re right; for her, it’s perfect.”

  I started the truck with a grin. “Alright, here we go!” I couldn’t wait to give her the ring either. I hoped she liked it.

  23

  Rachel

  I woke up and reached for Clint before remembering he left and told me he was going to town real quick. I stretched and winced, my body sore from the day before. I shivered as I thought about Seth, reminding myself he was locked away and couldn’t hurt me anymore.

  I got up and went to the bathroom. When I was done, I put on my slippers and padded into the kitchen. I hoped I would find Mary alone; there was something I wanted to talk to her about.

  “Hey there, how you feeling?” she smiled at me. She was sitting on the couch, reading and drinking some tea. “Can I get you anything?”

  I shook my head and sat down next to her. “Where is everyone?”

  “As you probably already know, Clint went to town and took Eliza with him. Wyatt’s still sleeping.”

  “Can I talk to you about something?” I asked. She reached out and took my hand. “Clint told us he asked you to marry him and you said yes.” She smiled wide and I squeezed her hand.

  I nodded. “Yes, I’m thrilled, but I wanted to talk to you about something else.”

  “Sure sweetie, is everything ok?” She set her tea down and turned to give me her full attention.

  “No. Yes. I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Part of the reason I wanted to go into town alone yesterday was because I wanted to get a pregnancy test.”

  She gasped. “Does Clint know?”

  I shook my head. “No. I wanted to be sure when I told him.”

  Her eyes filled with tears. “Oh dear, you don’t know how excited this makes me!” She clapped her hands together.

  I laughed and held a hand up. “But I’m not sure yet. I have to figure out how to get a test without letting him know.”

  She sat for a minute and I could see the wheels turning. “I’ll run into town today and get one. I need a few things anyway.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked

  She nodded and I felt relieved. “Thank you, Mary.”

  She leaned in to hug me. “You know you can call me Ma.”

  We both had tears in our eyes when we heard Clint’s truck pull up. “Please don’t say a word.”

  She held a finger up to her lips. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

  Eliza came flying in the door. “We’re home!” She called out. Clint wasn’t far behind her. I smiled when I saw him, loving the way the butterflies fluttered in my stomach when he smiled at me.

  Wyatt came into the room yawning. “Oh my God you guys! Can’t a guy sleep around here?” He walked over to the coffee machine and poured a cup. Mary always had a fresh pot brewing all day.

  Eliza brushed past her brother. “It’s almost three in the afternoon. It’s time to get your lazy butt out of bed. Besides, you missed the good news. Clint and Rachel are getting married.” She beamed, proud to be the one to tell him.

  He looked over at us and grinned. “Awesome! Congrats, big brother!” He walked over to Clint to shake his hand and hug him. Then he walked over to me and kissed my cheek. “I’m excited to officially have you as a sister.” I smiled back at him.

  Clint joined me on the couch and squeezed my knee. “Since everyone is here and nothing is a secret in this family, I might as well do this here.” What was he talking about? He already asked me to marry him and everyone seemed to know about it.

  He kept his eyes on me, a wide smile on his face, as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a tiny black box and I brought my hands up to my mouth. I don’t know why, but I hadn’t even thought about a ring.

  He got down on his knee on the floor in front of me and my hands started to tremble. I’d imagined proposals like this only happened in the movies and not to me. My eyes filled with tears and I heard his mother say his name softly.

  He opened the box and I made an ‘O’ shape with my mouth. It was a gorgeous ring, a simple princess cut with a white gold band that had some diamonds in it. It was perfect.

  He removed the ring, and took my hand in his. “Rachel, we already talked about this, but I want to make it official.” He took a deep breath and smiled. “I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you in the diner late that night. I had a feeling you were the one and over time I’ve become more than certain that you’re the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.” The tears were flowing down my cheeks now; in fact, there probably wasn’t a dry eye in the room.

  “Clint,” I started to say but he held up his hand to stop me.

  “Let me finish.” He slipped the ring on my finger. “We’ve been through a lot and there were so many moments yesterday I was scared I’d lost you forever. When I thought about my life without you, I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. I made a promise when I got you back I wasn’t going to let you go; I was going to make you mine forever.”

  A sob escaped my throat and he reached up to wipe my tears. “Will you marry me?” He finally managed to choke out.

  “Yes!” I exclaimed and jumped from the couch into his arms, almost knocking him to the floor. “Yes, Clint, I’ll marry you.” I pulled back, my arms still around his neck and kissed him fiercely. “I love you.”

  Everyone around us clapped and we stood up, hugging each of them. When things calmed down a little, Wyatt went off for a shower and Mary headed to town. She had a few things to get and wanted to cook us a celebratory dinner. Before she left, she came over to me and assured me she would pick up the pregnancy test for me.

  I was a ball of nerves waiting for her to get back. Clint and Wyatt had to go out to do some chores. I managed to shower and get dressed, despite stopping every five minutes to check out the rock on my hand. I still couldn’t believe this was my life.

  To think that it wasn’t that long ago I was feeling helpless and not sure what I was going to do. The best decision I ever made was to get in that car and leave Buffalo. Scratch that - the best was deciding to stop at that diner that night.

  When I was done getting ready, I headed back into the family room. Eliza was on the couch watching one of her Housewives shows. I never usually watched much reality TV, but she’d gotten me hooked on the shows; it was something we did together weekly, making popcorn and having some wine. When I sat down, she grabbed my hand to look at my ring.

  “I’m so excited for you guys. It’s a beautiful ring.” She set my hand down and turned toward the TV. “He took me with him to pick it out but he didn’t need me. He found this one right away and knew it was the one for you.”

  I held it up, admiring the way it flashed in the sunlight. “He picked it out on his own?” Somehow the thought of him taking the time and doing it all himself made it seem even more special.

  “Yep. I was driving him nuts making the clerk pull out every ring when he knew he had the right one.” She laughed. “He was like a little kid when he bought it - so proud of himself and he couldn’t wait to get it home to give to you.” She turn
ed back to me again. “Have you thought about what kind of wedding you want?”

  I giggled and shook my head. “Not really. This has all happened so fast.”

  “Well, I was thinking something small here at the ranch. It could be perfect.”

  I nodded. A little wedding here on the ranch actually did sound perfect. “We haven’t talked about it yet, but I do know one thing. Eliza, would you be my maid of honor?”

  Her eyes filled with tears and she squealed. She jumped up and down in her seat and threw her arms around my neck. “Yes! I would be honored!” She let go of my neck and stood up. “I have to get my notebook. We have so much to talk about and so much to plan.” She was off before I could stop her. I laughed and shook my head.

  Mary came through the door then and I got up to help her with her bags. “Hey,” I greeted her.

  “Hello dear.” She nodded at one of the bags I was carrying. “It’s in there. Go ahead, I got the rest of this.”

  “Thank you.” I was so anxious to see if I was pregnant or not. I set the bag on the counter and fished around until I found the pregnancy test in a smaller brown paper bag. I looked around and ran off to my bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind me. I went into the bathroom and nervously took the test out of the bag. I sat on the toilet, reading the directions on the box.

  What if I was pregnant? Instead of the dread I’d felt in the past when I’d had a pregnancy scare once or twice, I was excited. I loved the idea of starting a family with Clint. I had a feeling he’d be just as thrilled. And he already asked me to marry him, so I wouldn’t have to always wonder if he was with me just for the baby.

  I took a deep breath and opened the box. Here goes nothing.

  I set a timer on my phone and was about to sit down when I heard a knock on the door and Clint walked in. Shit! “Rachel, are you ok?” I hadn’t shut the bathroom door tight and he pushed it open slowly, tentatively peeking his head in.