Honest Horseman (River's End Ranch Book 5)

by Cindy Caldwell

  “Wyatt?” she said softly.

  He reached in his pocket and took a deep breath, his fingers closing on the velvet box again.

  He held it out to her, his heart thudding in his chest. “Belle, I told you yesterday I didn’t want to spend one more second without you, and I meant it. I want to be with you. Forever. Would you do me the honor, and stay? As my wife?”

  She gasped and he held his breath. He wasn’t sure how they would work out the distance between them, but he would do his darnedest to try. If she said yes.

  She reached out for his hand, but a wave of hope and confidence washed over him. He opened the box and slipped the ring on her finger.

  She paused for a moment, and it about killed him. Blood rushed through his ears, but he unmistakably, without doubt heard her when she said, “Yes, yes. A thousand times, yes.”

  He stood on shaky legs that became strong and steady as he wrapped her in his arms, spinning her around right there on the porch as he vowed never to let her go again.

  Chapter 22

  Belinda had a hard time taking her eyes off the ring on her finger, holding it up to the sun to see it sparkle even more. It was beautiful, exactly like she’d dreamed about all those years ago, and even more lovely that Wyatt had bought it back then and saved it.

  The night before at dinner, he’d said he must have known somewhere in his heart that she’d come back to him, and even though she’d been able to keep her tears of joy at bay up until then—even when he’d gotten down on his knee and asked her to marry him—she couldn’t when he’d told her that. That he’d waited, saved it and always wanted her to come back. To him and to River’s End Ranch.

  They’d had a pretty good laugh over dessert, when he’d said, “I never thought I’d be grateful to Hank for anything, but I suppose I am. I’m lucky he had such bad form as to come back and poach again on the Ranch.”

  She’d raised her eyebrows, not exactly sure what he meant. They’d already talked about their hope that he’d turn himself around this time, find some meaning in his life and become the man they hoped he could be.

  “What are you saying? You’re grateful he poached on the Ranch?”

  He’d smiled and reached for her hand, kissing it before he twisted her engagement ring with his thumb. “I guess so. If he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have had to investigate, and Fish and Game wouldn’t have sent you. I wouldn’t be sitting right here, right now, with my future wife.”

  She’d blushed along with her tears. It was all happening so fast. She’d just told him that she’d asked for a transfer to the Fish and Game territory that included River’s End Ranch and that her boss had only laughed and said, “Sure,” as the currently assigned warden was retiring anyway. She’d barely had time to recover from the proposal and their discussion, and wasn’t at all prepared for his next surprise.

  She shook her head as Wyatt leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Belinda, he’s talking to you.”

  She blinked slowly as she brought her attention to the judge who was staring at her, his eyebrows raised.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Could you repeat that?”

  He laughed and winked at Wyatt, who squeezed her hand and shot an apprehensive glance in her direction.

  “I said do you, Belinda Archer, take this man, Wyatt Weston, to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

  “Oh, right,” she said as she squeezed Wyatt’s hand. She was almost dizzy, as they’d rushed to the courthouse first thing the next morning and gotten a marriage license, sitting outside the judge’s chambers right then and there until he could get them hitched.

  “I do,” she said as Wyatt turned her toward him and the judge pronounced them man and wife.

  The county clerk acting as a witness dabbed at her eyes. Belinda laughed, her heart swelling as Wyatt leaned in and kissed her. “I meant what I said. I don’t want to waste one more second, Belle. Not one,” he whispered.

  The judge smiled and nodded, and Wyatt grabbed her hand and pulled her out into the bright, morning sunlight. She looked up at him, his blue eyes radiating love and she flung her arms around his neck, never wanting to let go. They’d lost too much time already. She didn’t want to waste another second, either. Not one.

  Chapter 23

  Wyatt was excited that Belinda was going to the Weston family dinner. In all their time together, she’d only been once or twice, as they pretty much kept it to family only. And she was family—only they didn’t know it yet.

  While he still wasn’t sure what he was going to say—which wouldn’t be a surprise to anybody—he hoped that their announcement would be cause for celebration, and he breathed deeply, trying to ease the knots in his stomach.

  It was Wyatt’s turn to cook, and he’d asked Wade if Belinda could join them and help him. It didn’t take much to get Wade to agree.

  “Thank goodness. Anything besides pizza again. You guys have no imagination when it comes to food,” he’d said. “Besides, Belinda’s Mexican food is the best. Put in a request for me for enchiladas.” He’d winked at Wyatt and patted him on the shoulder before hustling him out of his office.

  Wade didn’t know—and Wyatt didn’t tell him—that Belinda only knew how to cook one thing. It would have been enchiladas, beans and rice no matter what, so it worked out just fine that he’d requested that.

  Belinda smiled up at him through the pass-through of the cafe as he set up the counter for their buffet-style supper.

  He glanced nervously at the clock. “You need any help? They’ll be here any minute,” he said as he set pitchers of ice cold root beer at the ends, surrounded by glasses.

  Belinda pushed her way through the swinging doors, a steaming dish of enchiladas in her hands. She elbowed past him, but not before she reached up and kissed him warmly.

  “No, I don’t need any help. You know I only know how to cook one thing, but it’s a one-man job. Ask my grandma. She’d never let me help either until it was time to teach me.”

  “Kelsi will be thrilled you made a separate pan, extra spicy. That was thoughtful of you.”

  Belinda set the tray down on the counter and turned to Wyatt, her hands on her hips. “I don’t think I told you this, but when I ran into Kelsi when I got here, she told me in no uncertain terms I was not to hurt you again. Not that I wanted to, but she welcomed me back, even with that caveat. I figured I owed her a little special thanks.”

  Wyatt wrapped his arms around her and brushed his nose against hers. “Good for Kelsi, then,” he said as he took a step back, his eyes wide as the bells on the door jingled.

  His family rushed in, and they all greeted Belinda warmly. If any of them were surprised to see her there, they didn’t let on.

  They each said hello, and Belinda was all smiles as she dished enchiladas, rice and beans for each of them, sneaking the occasional glance at Wyatt, who served root beer all around.

  When they’d all been served and were seated, Wyatt crossed behind the counter and reached for a glass of root beer. He clinked the glass with a fork until the room had quieted, all eyes turned toward him.

  He suddenly flushed and looked at Belinda, his stomach tightening. She smiled, her green eyes calm, and she nodded.

  He turned back to the room. “I’m not exactly sure how to say this,” he started.

  “You’re going to get married,” Dani yelled to whoops and hollers around the room.

  Wyatt held his palms up and looked around the room at his family. “Um, no. We already did. At the courthouse on Friday,” he said to stunned silence.

  “Well, then, happy honeymoon,” Dani said with a laugh. “Congratulations,” she yelled and pierced the room with a whistle.

  Wyatt beamed and reached for his wife, gathering her in his arms and kissing her to more whoops and laughter.

  When everybody’s settled down, he grabbed a pitcher of root beer and Belinda’s hand, and they made the rounds, accepting congratulations and hugs from everybody.

  They pulled up chairs with Shane
, Kelsi and Dani and set down their plates.

  Kelsi sat back down after hugging Belinda tightly. “I take full credit for this. I told her not to break Wyatt’s heart again.”

  Dani rolled her eyes. “Yeah? Well, I told him he’d better get his act together and not let her go again. The credit is mine.”

  Wade cleared his throat and leaned over from his own booth into Dani and Kelsi’s. “Excuse me. Who do you think called and asked especially for her? Yours truly.”

  “I would have asked if I’d thought of it,” Dani said as she laughed and clinked root beers with Wade.

  “Either way, Mom and Dad will be thrilled. They’ve never recovered from the fact that you left, Belinda. Welcome to the Westons. Or welcome back, I should say.”

  Chapter 24

  Wyatt closed the door after the last of the Westons and crossed behind the counter. “I guess it’s not so bad not knowing how to cook. If you go out a lot, you don’t have to do dishes like this,” he said as he swept his arm around the room. They’d stacked their plates, but it would take a while to get them all in the dishwasher.

  Belinda didn’t mind. Warmth still radiated in the room, and she wasn’t quite ready to leave. She reached to gather some plates, and Wyatt stepped up behind her, beaming as he wrapped his arms around her waist and she covered his hands with hers. Warmth radiated from him more than even the room, inside and out, and he rested his chin on her head.

  Her ears still rung with the laughter and congratulations of her new family. She’d never forget what Wade had said and it had sent tingles through her, after all these years, to hear them all so happy for the new couple. “To the new Westons. May we all find love like Wyatt and Belinda,” Wade had said, holding his root beer aloft and tipping it toward Wyatt, then Shane and Kelsi, Liz and Jake, and Will and Ellie.

  And if she had to be honest, a week ago she would never, ever have thought that she’d be back in Wyatt’s arms. Her innocent trip to apologize had turned into something even greater than she’d imagined it could be. She’d never dreamed that she’d come home and stay. Be invited to stay.

  She closed her eyes, pulling Wyatt’s strong arms more tightly around her. Home. She’d always known it was home. River’s End Ranch was where people who lived in her heart and her soul were.

  She took a deep breath and gave in against the tears that escaped her eyes. Wyatt reached in his pocket and handed her the white linen with his grandpa’s initials monogrammed on it. She smiled up at him, wiped her eyes, and handed it back to him.

  He pushed it back toward her, his eyes twinkling. “No, you keep it. It’s yours.”

  Her eyebrows rose and she looked up at him, his ice blue eyes clear. “No, it’s your grandpa’s.”

  Wyatt laughed and kissed her. “Yes, but all he said when he gave it to me was to keep it in the family. And I have.”

  She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him right back, not wanting to miss another second with him. Not one.

  Ranch’s Retreat Sneak Peek!

  Chapter One

  Kaya couldn’t quit fidgeting in her chair as she waited for their flight to be called. “I can’t believe we actually get to do this! Finally!”

  May grinned at her friend. “We’ve been online friends for what? Two or three years? I can’t believe the three of us have never gotten together before.”

  “Well, you and I have had our lunches, but we’ve never met Liz. I can’t believe we’re finally going to get to meet Liz! In my head, I always call her Lizard. Do you think she’d mind?”

  May rolled her eyes. “You call her that online half the time.”

  “That’s true. It might feel different in person though! I’m glad she’s going to pick us up at the airport. I don’t know if I could drive in the mountains!”

  May shook her head, grinning at the younger girl. Kaya was only twenty-three, but she’d been writing since college. May was a full ten years older and wiser. They’d become friends through a chat room on the internet where they both went to write. May had been a mentor for Kaya and had done a lot to help her launch her career.

  “We’ll be fine. Liz used to live there. I’m sure she’ll be fine driving.”

  “I can’t believe she’s willing to leave Jack after just a couple of months of marriage. It’s craziness!”

  May shrugged. “She chose this time because Jack’s off on assignment. We have two weeks. Liz said she got us the best cabin on all of the ranch.”

  Kaya frowned. “I guess I don’t quite understand about this ranch. I know it’s some kind of a dude ranch, but it seems like so much more when Liz talks about it.”

  “I looked it up online,” May said, shaking her head. “It looks absolutely amazing. They do summer and winter sports. Lots of horseback riding. Four wheelers. So many different things. I think we need to start doing this yearly.”

  Kaya nodded eagerly. Anything that would make it so she could spend time with two of her closest friends every year. Her real life best friend had gone and gotten married on her, so she’d have to hope that wouldn’t happen anytime soon with May. Liz was married, but still seemed flexible. So many women acted like they were chained to their spouses when it came to travel. Kaya knew she’d never be that way.

  Kaya looked down at her boarding pass. May had made it very clear that she only flew first class, and since Kaya hadn’t wanted to sit alone in coach, she’d been willing to pay the extra for a first-class ticket. She wondered if it really was going to be as much better than coach as she’d heard. It had been a stretch for her to pay for a flight at all, but she’d worked hard and had finally started seeing some real success with her romances, so she refused to feel guilty for it. She’d only flown a couple of times in her life, and always within Texas, so she wanted this trip to be extra-special.

  Finally, their flight was called and the two friends walked toward the front. Kaya was taller than May, and slimmer. But May was absolutely perfect in Kaya’s eyes. She was one of the most giving people Kaya knew, and she hoped someday her friend would learn to get out a little more. She deserved the kind of love she wrote about in her novels.

  “Do you want the window or the aisle?” May asked as they stood in line with the other first class passengers.

  “We don’t have to sit in the seats we’re assigned?”

  “Since we’re right next to each other, it won’t matter a lick either way.”

  “I’d rather have the window then. There’s just something special about flying. I love to soar through the clouds and watch as we take off and land.”

  May smiled, shaking her head. “You enjoy all that. I need to edit on the flight.”

  Kaya shrugged. She loved May dearly, but she was afraid her friend was working herself into an early death. She had no real-life friends as far as Kaya knew. She was alone more often than not. She knew she rarely left her house, unless she needed groceries or was having lunch with her aunt, who had raised her, and lived in a nearby town.

  Kaya and May lived about an hour and a half apart and every few months, Kaya would beg May to meet her in the middle for lunch.

  Once they were seated, Kaya put on her seat belt and wiggled around happily. “I have leg room! Me! The girl with the legs up to her neck!”

  May laughed. “You sound like something from a bad country song if you have legs up to your neck.”

  “You’re just jealous because you’re shorter than me and men don’t have to stand on tiptoe to kiss you.”

  May grinned. “Not terribly jealous. I’m not going to lie to you.”

  Kaya laughed. At over six feet tall, she was used to being taller than most of the men she met. She just went with it. She knew that someday, somehow, somewhere she’d meet the perfect man for her, and he wouldn’t care an ounce of spit how tall she was. He’d only care about what was on the inside.

  May nudged her with her elbow. “You’re getting all goofy again.”

  Kaya blushed, sticking her tongue out at May. “Just thinking of
the day when I meet my hero. It’s going to happen you know. And you’ll meet yours.”

  May rolled her eyes. “Unless I run into Bob Bodefeld somewhere, and he decides he’s magically in love with me, I don’t see that happening. He’s the perfect man in my eyes, and I’m honestly not sure any other man would ever measure up.”

  Kaya sighed. “We’re going to be watching Lazy Love on Tuesday night, aren’t we?” She didn’t mind the show, but she wasn’t crazy over it the way May was.

  May shrugged. “Nah. I’ve seen the whole series, and I have this season DVRed. If this was a new episode, you can bet your sweet big toe, but since it’s not, I don’t think I’ll care much.” She sighed, propping her headrest differently to get more comfortable. “What do you think the chances are that we can convince Liz to live our hours for this trip?”

  “Nil. I brought some sleep aid so I can go to sleep by midnight or two like a normal person. Hopefully it’ll work.” Kaya and May worked together through the night almost every night. Neither was used to going to bed until well after sunrise.

  May sighed. “I do the same every time I travel. At least Liz understands our hours, whether she keeps them or not.”

  “I’m glad we have a few hours to write with her every night. We have each other the rest of the time. Do you really need more than me, May?” Kaya batted her eyelashes at her friend, who rolled her eyes.

  “You need serious help, Kaya.”

  Several hours later, they’d switched planes and finally arrived at the small airport in Lewiston. Kaya had watched the clouds through the whole flight, doing her best to stay quiet while May worked.

  As they got off the plane, Kaya let May lead, because she knew the other woman traveled a great deal more than she did. “How do you know where to go?” she asked as they went through the door that meant they were on the other side of security.

  May grinned. “I follow the crowd.”