He cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her head up so he could look her in the eyes. “Thank you for being here for me. It was...” He exhaled. “It was a hell of a day.”
“That it was.” She tried to look stern but, given Ian’s grin, she didn’t think she made it. “Any other secrets? Anything else I should know about?”
“Just that I want to try again. I want to do better by you—with you,” he quickly corrected before she could jab him with her elbow.
She propped herself up on her arms again. “You want to hear something? I get it now—why my parents didn’t tell me about my birth mom. Seeing Eliot with his parents—it made sense. He’s their son. I mean, he’s your son, but he’s their son, too. Twice as many people love him.”
“Twice as many people loved you.” Ian pushed her hair away from her face. “I love you.”
“You’re not just saying that because it was a hell of a day, are you?”
He grinned at her prickliness. “No. I’ve never loved anyone before and I did a poor job showing you how much I loved you,” he said. “I guess I thought protecting you was how I showed I loved you. But I can’t walk on, Lacy. Not from you.” He ran his fingers over her skin. “What do you want?” His voice wavered, but he didn’t look away. “Honestly.”
“I want to figure out who I am. Like when you said to Eliot’s parents, how you wanted him to know the Lakota culture? I want to know what it means to be Puerto Rican. I’m still working on who Lacy Evans is, and that’s part of it. I want to have a family. I want to belong to someone.” She touched his face, tenderly stroking the curves of his cheek. “I want to belong to you. But that means you have to belong to me, too.”
For most of the past year, she’d been an orphan twice over, with only the Straight Arrow and Murph to ground her. But since she’d found Ian, she’d found a place to belong.
His arms tightened around her waist as he leaned down to kiss her. “I already belong to you, babe. I’ve been yours from almost the first moment I saw you. Let’s go to Puerto Rico together,” he said. “I want us to work. I want to be your family. I want to marry you and I want to have kids. I want to be a good father and a good husband. I want to be a better man—for you. With you.”
All the air whooshed out of her lungs and she was suddenly dizzy. “That’s—that’s pretty good. As apologies go.”
Ian’s grin got huge. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes.”
“Right now? This is Vegas, after all.”
Lacy burst out laughing. “Nope. I know I’m this huge tomboy, but I want the big wedding with all our family and friends there. Mitch showed me pictures of June and Travis’s wedding...” She shrugged apologetically. “I don’t want to rush it. I’m only getting married once. I want to do it right.”
Ian nodded thoughtfully. “That’s what you want?”
“Yup. Come to the Straight Arrow, Ian. Come home with me.”
“I promise I will always come home to you. And,” he added with a wicked smile as he rolled into her, “I’ll always keep my promises.”
“You better,” was all she said before he kissed her.
But she didn’t need to worry.
He did just that.
EPILOGUE
“THAT’S A LOT of people.” Murph said as he peeked through the open gym doors.
Lacy grinned. “It’s a big family.” In a few short minutes, it would be her family. The thought was exciting. Not quite as exciting as marrying Ian, but still.
Murph turned to look at her. “You look beautiful. Your parents would be so proud of you.”
She touched his cheek. “Thanks. I wish they were here.”
Murph’s eyes started to water. Then the music swelled and he held out his arm for her. “Here we go.”
They swept into the high school gym and down the wide aisle between the folding chairs. The place was packed, but they hadn’t gone with the traditional groom’s and bride’s sides of the aisles. Mostly because Lacy only had a couple of people on her side, including Murph, who was walking her down the aisle.
It didn’t matter. This was her family now, this sea of loved ones who were here to celebrate the union of Ian Tall Chief and Lacy Evans.
Lacy knew people were smiling at her, but she didn’t see anyone except Ian at the front. He wore an honest-to-God tuxedo and she’d never seen him look more handsome. He had the biggest smile on his face as she walked toward him. When she was close enough, he notched an eyebrow at her—and then he winked.
She grinned at him. As she neared the front, Eliot Berger turned around in his chair and waved at her. She gave him a little wave back. They’d talked about asking Eliot to be their ring bearer, but everyone had agreed that putting the kid on display his first time on the rez was a bad idea. Lacy was thrilled the Bergers had made the trip for the wedding in the middle of February. They were used to the heat of Las Vegas. South Dakota was cold right now.
Then Murph handed her off to Ian and Jack Johnson handed Ian the rings and June held Lacy’s bouquet. “You look beautiful,” Ian whispered to her as the Preacher waited for the music to stop.
“You look handsome,” she whispered back.
Then they were blessed by the tribe’s medicine man, and they recited the vows after the Preacher, and then they were married. Everyone clapped and whistled as they were presented as Mr. and Mrs. Tall Chief, and Lacy had this amazing sense of belonging. She’d made this family her own—Ian and June and Mitch and Paulo and Jack, Eliot and his family—this was where she belonged now.
“You got your bikini ready for Puerto Rico?” Ian asked as they walked down the aisle. Then he leaned over and whispered in her ear, “You’re Lacy Tall Chief and I want you.”
She knew who she was. She was Lacy Tall Chief. She was his.
And he was hers.
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781488006654
One Rodeo Season
Copyright © 2016 by Sarah M. Anderson
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permissi
on of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.
www.Harlequin.com
The best decision they’ll ever make
Lacey Hamilton is used to living in the background. Overshadowed her entire life, she stepped out of the Hollywood limelight and into the role she’s meant to play: a counselor, part of the High Risk Team started by The Lemonade Stand women’s shelter in Santa Raquel.
Her caseload leads her to the doorstep of Jeremiah “Jem” Bridges to rescue a little boy. She’s not supposed to fall in love with the rugged construction worker and his adorable son. Love and duty, though, don’t always agree. Especially when a truth is uncovered that neither she nor Jem is prepared to face.
“I want to see you in a bad mood.”
That didn’t come out the way Jem meant it to...
“What? Why?”
The look Lacey was giving him could have made him feel awkward. Except that it seemed warm. Maybe he needed to slow down on the wine.
“They say you don’t truly know someone until you’ve seen them at their worst. I want to really know you.” Now, that had come out right.
“So...you show me your worst and I’ll show you mine.”
He grinned. “I don’t think I can find it right now.”
“Me, either.”
Leaning forward, he reached for her. Pulled her toward him. She stood. And so did he. And they were just standing there, looking at each other.
“You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he said.
She shook her head. “You’ve seen...”
With a finger to her lips he tried to silence her.
“But it’s true, Jem,” she continued softly, her gaze imploring him to understand. “Life’s hard enough without hiding from the truth.”
Dear Reader,
This book is...not ordinary. I think it’s powerful. And emotionally compelling. And I hope so much you give it a chance. I can tell you why I think this, and hope this. I can describe Jem to you. He’s the hero of my heart. But I’m afraid if I say too much, you’ll move on without giving him a chance.
Jem’s a construction worker. Okay, yeah, he owns the business, and wears a shirt and tie to work every day. But he wears them with jeans. And he learned the business with his hands before he ever considered being the brains behind it all.
He’s alpha all the way. And he’s a single dad to a four-year-old I wish I could hug. He’s a good dad. Involved. Aware. And firm, too, when he needs to be.
And...Jem is...well... I hope you’ll give him a chance. I can’t imagine a romance reader not being glad they did.
Then there’s Lacey. Sometimes I wanted to just do her hair and makeup, force her into an attention-getting outfit and push her out the door. But she has Kacey for that. My job was to be patient. To listen. And tell her story. Her story touched me deeply. So here it is...
I love to hear from readers! You can find me on Facebook at Facebook.com/tarataylorquinn and on Twitter, @tarataylorquinn. Or join my Friendship board, Pinterest.com/tarataylorquinn/friendship.
All the best,
Tara
www.TaraTaylorQuinn.com
His First Choice
USA TODAY Bestselling Author
TARA TAYLOR QUINN
An author of more than seventy novels, Tara Taylor Quinn is a USA TODAY bestselling author with more than seven million copies sold. She is known for delivering emotional and psychologically astute novels of suspense and romance. Tara is a past president of Romance Writers of America. She has won a Readers’ Choice Award and is a five-time finalist for an RWA RITA® Award, a finalist for a Reviewer’s Choice Award and a Booksellers’ Best Award. She has also appeared on TV across the country, including CBS Sunday Morning. She supports the National Domestic Violence Hotline. If you or someone you know might be a victim of domestic violence in the United States, please contact 1-800-799-7233.
Books by Tara Taylor Quinn
HARLEQUIN SUPERROMANCE
Where Secrets are Safe
Wife by Design
Once a Family
Husband by Choice
Child by Chance
Mother by Fate
The Good Father
Love by Association
Shelter Valley Stories
Sophie’s Secret
Full Contact
It’s Never Too Late
Second Time’s the Charm
The Moment of Truth
It Happened in Comfort Cove
A Son’s Tale
A Daughter’s Story
The Truth About Comfort Cove
HARLEQUIN HEARTWARMING
The Historic Arapahoe
Once Upon a Friendship
Once Upon a Marriage
MIRA BOOKS
The Second Lie
The Third Secret
The Fourth Victim
The Friendship Pact
Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.
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This book is dedicated to Tim Barney, who is Jem to me in so many ways...
Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER ONE
“MS. HAMILTON? THIS is Mara Noble calling from Busy Little Minds preschool...”
“Yes, Mara.” As a social worker employed by California Social Services in the child welfare department, Lacey Hamilton had familiarized herself with the reputations and locations of all of the child care facilities and schools in her district of Santa Raquel. Busy Little Minds was one of the best rated for both intellectual and emotional development. “What can I do for you?” While there was kindness in her words, there was no smile attached. If Busy Little Minds was calling her, chances were a serious issue was at hand.
With her phone on speaker behind the closed door of her private office, she opened a new document on her word-processing program.
“I have a little boy,” Mara said. “
He’s four, and I suspect abuse...”
The woman knew her stuff. Issuing silent points to Little Minds for employee training, Lacey asked, “Is he there with you now?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Is he in need of medical attention?”
“No. He’s already had medical attention. His father took him to the emergency room at the Santa Raquel Children’s Hospital over the weekend.”
Call the hospital. And Ella. Ella Ackerman was the hospital’s representative to the High Risk Team, a group comprised of professionals from various fields that fought to prevent domestic violence deaths. Lacey was the team’s child protective services member.
“So right now he’s not in any immediate danger.” She went back to the checklist she knew by heart. Determine the immediate safety and medical condition of the child first.
“Not at the moment.”
Could the child be in imminent danger?
“Do you suspect the abuse took place in or outside the home?”
“It’s not here,” Mara said, her voice solemn and low, as though making sure she wasn’t overheard. “And as far as I can tell, he doesn’t have babysitters and is not in any other activities outside of ours.”
Parents? Lacey typed onto the blank page. Many of her colleagues still took notes by hand. She always took them electronically, even if she had only her smartphone with her at the time. As if engaging with technology gave her a tiny bit of the distance she had to maintain to be emotionally capable of doing her job.
“What about siblings?” she asked. “Are you aware of anyone in the home other than his parents?”
She had to assess the situation to determine which course of action to take: an immediate trip to Little Minds to secure the child within her care while she investigated, or the more preferred, less harsh approach of a call to his parents.
“No. He’s an only child. And...his parents are divorced.”
Harlequin Superromance May 2016 Box Set Page 52