by Addison Cole
Tony waved. “Hey, man. Sorry we didn’t get to meet while you were here. I slept for, like, two days. Jet lag, man, it’s a killer. I was whipped.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m sure we’ll connect the next time Leanna and I are up.” He couldn’t help it; he had to claim her.
“Great. I’m looking forward to it. According to these goofballs, you’re, like, Mr. Perfect. I’d be glad to break you of that nasty habit.”
Tony laughed, and Kurt couldn’t help but like his easy nature.
“I fear they have a limited stock of men to compare me to. I’m far from perfect, and trust me, they think the world of you, too.”
Tony lifted his beer with a nod, and Leanna’s face appeared on the screen again.
“Hey, babe. I just got to Treat’s, and I just wanted to say hi before I went in. I don’t know what they have planned for tonight, but I’ll text you when I settle in for the night, and if you’re still up, you can call me.”
Three hard knocks on the car window drew his attention away from Leanna as she spoke.
“Sounds great. Thank you for the dress, and I love the card.”
“Hold on, babe,” he said as he stepped from the car, and Siena flew into his arms.
“Oh my gosh! I’ve missed you so much! I can’t believe you’re finally here. I’ve waited all day to see you. Look how tan you are. Everyone’s inside and—”
“Siena.” He held up his phone and wiggled it.
“Hi, Siena!” Leanna said loudly.
“Oh my goodness! Leanna?” Siena’s baby blues widened as she took the phone from Kurt’s hand. “Hi. It’s so nice to see you. Wow! You’re really pretty.” Siena wore a pair of white shorts and a pink T-shirt. She looked happy and full of life, reminding him of Leanna.
“Thank you. So are you. I’m sorry I didn’t make it to the wedding, but I was honored to have been asked.”
Kurt shook his head and smiled at the instant kinship between his sister and the woman he loved. He heard the smile in Leanna’s voice, and despite wanting to give them time to talk, he was anxious to see her face. He grabbed his bags from the backseat and leaned against the car until Siena and Leanna paused to take a breath; then he reached for the phone.
“I’ll give you back to Kurt, but I can’t wait to meet you.” Siena held a thumbs-up at Kurt.
“Me too.” He heard the smile in Leanna’s voice.
“I love her,” Siena whispered when she handed him the phone. “I got your house all set up. She’ll love it.”
“Thanks, Siena. I’ll be in as soon as I’m off.” He turned his attention back to Leanna. “So, now you’ve met my sister.”
Siena waved over her head as she hurried inside.
“And I love her. Kurt, she’s so nice.”
“Yeah, she’s a pistol.” He wondered if his siblings could see how much he adored Leanna. He couldn’t imagine how they could see anything else.
“I know you have to get inside with your family. I wish so much I was there with you. I feel like I’m missing out on such an important event, and I miss you like crazy. I can’t imagine going to sleep alone tonight. I’m going to have to cuddle up to Pepper.”
Oh, I love you. “At least you have Pepper. I’ll have to be content thinking about you.” He saw the front door open, and his younger brother Sage stepped onto the porch of the two-story, stone and cedar-sided home and waved. Kurt waved back, watching Sage approach in his cargo shorts and tank top. He was as religious about his exercise as Kurt was, and it showed in his powerful frame. “Sage just came out on the porch, which means he either wants a peek at you or he’s anxious to see me, and since he’s walking across the driveway, I have a feeling—”
Sage snagged the phone from his hand.
“Dude,” Kurt snapped, although he knew his smile betrayed him. He was enjoying this new and different attention from his siblings, and he was proud to show off Leanna. He knew his family would love her as much as he did. She was easy to love.
“Leanna? Hi, I’m Sage. I wanted to meet you for myself, even if over FaceTime.” Sage’s dark hair had grown in thick and wavy over the summer.
“Hi, Sage. It’s nice to meet you,” Leanna said.
“You, too. Sorry to interrupt, but, well, what else are brothers for?”
Leanna laughed as Sage opened his arms and embraced Kurt. “Sorry, bro. Just wanted to say hi to you both. I won’t let anyone else come out, but I couldn’t resist.” He picked up Kurt’s bags and carried them inside.
“Sorry, babe.”
“It’s okay. Have fun with your family. They seem really nice.”
He heard Bella shouting in the background. “Send one of those brothers over here for me.”
He laughed. “Tell Bella I’ll put a good word in.” He thought of Blue working on the studio and debated telling Leanna about the work he was having done, then quickly decided to surprise her with a trip to the Cape once the renovations were complete. A nice long weekend with no writing. Just us. And Pepper. He couldn’t even believe he was looking forward to not writing, but the thought stuck with him like glue.
“Ignore her.” Leanna rolled her eyes. “I love you. Have fun with your family.”
“I love you too. I’ll text you later.”
Kurt ended the call, and as he crossed the driveway, he braced himself for the razz of a lifetime.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
LEANNA WOULD GIVE her right arm to be an organized and efficient person for one day. Just today. She’d even take a few hours if she could get it. Just long enough to gather her thoughts, the basket of jams and bread, the brochures and lists she’d picked up from the printer—which looked so professional that she didn’t feel worthy of presenting them—and make it to her meeting on time. She was already late when a delivery truck blocked her driveway.
Great. The one time I actually park in my driveway. She closed the cottage door and shushed Pepper through the window. He’d been moping around all morning, running from room to room, as if he were trying to figure out where Kurt had gone, and now she felt guilty for leaving him alone. Kurt wouldn’t have left him alone.
She put her supplies in the van and went around to the driver’s side door of the delivery van. “I’m in a hurry. Can you please just pull your van up or back a little?”
Carey smiled down at her. “Hey there.”
“What are you doing in this? Where’s your van?” She stepped back and realized it was a fruit bouquet delivery service van.
He shrugged. “I’m doing deliveries to make a little extra money. That’s why I wasn’t at the flea market last Sunday. I’ve got a delivery for you.” Carey climbed out of the van and walked leisurely to the back of the van in his khaki shorts and company polo shirt, complete with a logo over the breast pocket. She had a hard time reconciling his attire to the beach boy she knew.
“Me?” What are you up to?
He returned with an enormous fruit bouquet, complete with chocolate-dipped strawberries and a balloon that read, GOOD LUCK.
“My bet is that it’s from Kurt, but what do I know?” He shrugged. “You look totally hot, by the way.”
Leanna looked down at her dress. “Oh shoot. I’m so late. Thanks, Carey. Hey, I’ve had a great time with you this summer. Will you be at the flea market next summer?”
Amy came out of her cabin. “Wow. What did you get?”
Leanna held up the fruit bouquet.
“I really need to go,” Leanna reminded him.
“Oh, sorry.” He climbed back into the van. “I’m not sure if I’ll be here next summer or not.” He shrugged. “Guess we’ll find out next May. We can keep in touch over text.”
“Sounds good. Thanks for all your help this summer, Carey.” I’m late. I’m late. I’m late. She hated rushing their last conversation of the summer after he’d been so patient with her and watched her booth while she walked Pepper, but she would hate herself if she messed up her chance with Daisy Chain.
“No prob. An
d tell Kurt I’m sorry for kissing you.” He waved to Amy.
“Oh gosh, wait!” Leanna ran to her van and retrieved the books Kurt had brought for Carey. “I almost forgot. He brought these to the flea market for you. They’re signed.”
“Awesome. That’s so cool of him. Here’s to a great summer.”
As Carey drove off, Leanna handed the bouquet to Amy and opened the card.
“Kurt?” Amy asked.
“Who else would ever send me anything?” Leanna read the card, “Go get ’em. I love you, K.” She smiled at Amy. “He’s the best, and I gotta run. Would you mind taking these in and maybe playing with Pepper a little? He’s going a little nutty without Kurt.”
“I don’t blame him. Good luck, Lea. You’ll do great.”
She drove away with the card from Kurt on the passenger seat and she already felt better, late or not. Pepper had Amy, and in a few days, she’d be with Kurt.
HAL BRADEN’S RANCH encompassed a few hundred acres of rolling pastures set against the backdrop of the majestic Colorado Mountains. The air was crisper than at the Cape, fresher, cleaner. The grassy yard fell away to the east, ending at a large barn, and just beyond, there were more horse pastures, bordered on the far side by a thick forest.
The yard beside the house had been set up for Jack and Savannah’s wedding, reminding Kurt of the last time he’d been at the Bradens’ ranch, for Savannah and Jack’s engagement party. Kurt wished Leanna were there with him.
White lilies and red roses adorned the hand-carved wooden gazebo that had been brought in for the wedding. Wooden chairs were lined up in neat rows with an aisle in between. The interior and exterior chairs were decorated with white satin bows and flowers. Kurt watched as everyone took their places in preparation for the wedding, and noticed, not for the first time, how similar the Braden family and the Remington family were. The men were tall and fit, with dark hair and, as he watched Treat with his arm slung over his younger brother Dane’s shoulder, then caught a glimpse of Sage standing with Dex, both leaning in close, he realized that both families were also closely knit.
His father approached, looking important and imposing in his dark suit and starched collar, with a chin that could chisel granite and a serious look in his midnight-blue eyes.
“It’s good to see you, son.” James Remington wasn’t an openly affectionate man, but over the past few months, since he and Jack had reconciled their differences, Kurt had noticed his father softening. Not just in his mannerisms, which included a smile more often than they used to, but also in the way he spoke to them. His father would always be a four-star general, retired or not. That stern, strict military skin was hard to shed. But he was also making strides at becoming more of an integral part of his children’s lives, and Kurt was glad for that.
“Hi, Dad. I was just watching everyone. They all seem happy. Look at Mom. She looks beautiful, doesn’t she?” His mother wore a long lavender skirt with a white blouse. Her gray hair flowed in natural waves down her back, and the smile on her lips hadn’t faded for a second since he’d seen her last night.
“Yes, she does. How did your writing go at the Cape?”
Last night his brothers had ribbed him about Leanna, and it felt good to hang out with them again. His father and mother had been happy for him, and they were all looking forward to meeting her. Talking about the Cape only made him miss her more.
“It went well. I submitted the manuscript, and I actually think this one might be my best one yet.”
His father smiled and nodded, then patted him on the shoulder. “I’d say I expect nothing less from you, but you’ve heard that too many times in your life. So instead, thanks to your mother’s late-in-life lessons, I’ll say…I’m proud of you, Kurt. I always have been, and not just for your success.”
Kurt and his father had enjoyed the least challenging relationship of all of his siblings. Kurt challenged his father only when his convictions were strong enough to be worth the battle, and as a quieter child growing up, he usually did what he was told. He followed the path of least resistance, except when it came to writing. He and his father had gone head-to-head about his pursuing a writing career, and Kurt hadn’t backed down. In the years since, his father had grown accustomed to, and even taken pride in, Kurt’s career and success. Kurt felt a little bad for his father. He’d wanted so badly for his sons to follow in his military footsteps, but they’d each gone their own way. After college, Jack had joined the Special Forces, but after he’d lost his first wife in a terrible accident, he’d left his military career behind.
“Thanks, Dad. I really have you to credit for how well I’ve done. At least on some level.”
His father drew his thick, dark brows together.
“It’s true,” Kurt insisted. “You instilled in me the value of being one hundred percent focused on my goals, and in doing so, you taught me determination and drive. I worked every waking hour to be better than everyone else.” He met his father’s gaze. “And, hopefully, I’ll use that same fortitude to be the best man that I can be for Leanna.”
He was rewarded with a wide smile that smoothed the creases across his father’s forehead.
“Just don’t make the same mistakes I did.”
Kurt shook his head. “Mistakes?”
He followed his father’s eyes as they shifted to his mother as she approached. He reached a hand out to her and pulled her close. His mother put a hand on his father’s chest.
“Are you men ready?” she asked with a smile that Kurt had missed over the past few weeks.
“We are.” His father kissed the top of his mother’s head; then his voice turned serious again and he set his eyes on Kurt. “Be there for those who matter most. Not just with lessons, but with life, Kurt. It goes by far faster than you can imagine.”
“Ah,” his mother said with a smile. “I see I interrupted a moment.”
“No, sweetheart,” his father said as he pulled her close. “You are our moment.”
Kurt was struck mute. Rooted to the ground. He’d never witnessed such intimacy initiated by his father, and as he watched his parents walk away arm in arm, he tried to send a message to his legs to move.
You are our moment.
Four words that changed the way he saw his father.
Four words that seeped into his heart and found Leanna.
You are my moment.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
FROM HIS PLACE by the gazebo, standing beside his brothers, Kurt watched as Jack took Savannah’s hand in his and promised to love, honor, and cherish her for the rest of his life. Three words that resonated with Kurt when he thought of Leanna. Love. Honor. Cherish. He’d add a few of his own to that short list. Trust. Desire. Protect.
He eyed Jack and Savannah, wishing Leanna were there, and longing to have her in his arms again.
Ribbons of yellow and orange hovered over the mountains as the sun shone brightly and the day took on a romantic glow. Treat had become ordained to officiate at resorts he owned all over the world. His deep voice rang out in the silence.
“Jack, I invite you to kiss your bride.”
Jack took Savannah in a deep, loving kiss that brought both families to their feet. When they drew apart, Jack wiped a tear from Savannah’s cheek with the pad of his thumb.
“I love you, Savannah Remington.” Pride and love coalesced in Jack’s dark eyes, bringing a lump to Kurt’s throat.
Savannah laughed and cried as Jack took her in his arms. She wore her auburn hair loose with a ring of white flowers at the crown. She looked beautiful and happy. They were a striking couple, both tall and fit. Jack’s thick, jet-black hair against her long, auburn locks. Jack looked handsome in his black suit and tie, and Savannah’s wedding dress was unlike anything Kurt had ever seen. Made of summery gauze with an overlay of lace, it was cut above the knee in the front and fell to the ground in the back, angling gracefully in between. The fitted waist had two strips of satin tied into dainty bows in the center, and lace slee
ve caps covered Savannah’s lean shoulders. The deep V-neck had a swatch of lace in between, giving Savannah a fresh, exotic, and almost daring appearance. It fit her feisty personality perfectly, and he began to wonder what type of dress Leanna might choose for herself.
Sage elbowed Rush. “You’re next, bro.”
Rush ran his hand through his short dark hair. “Don’t count on it.”
“Ha! Better him than me.” Dex shook his head in an effort to clear his long, straight bangs from his eyes. They fell right back into place.
Weddings had never affected Kurt in the past, but as he listened to his brothers, he felt a tug of desire to be the next one to marry.
He went to congratulate Jack while his brothers talked about women—which only made him miss Leanna more. He opened his arms to Savannah. “Congratulations. You look gorgeous.”
Savannah smoothed the front of her wedding gown. “Thank you, Kurt. You know I couldn’t be happier. I adore Jack.”
“That’s evident in everything you say and do. Same with Jack. Transparent as glass.” He nodded at her dress. “Did Josh design your gown? It’s lovely.”
“He did. Isn’t it beautiful? I wanted something that didn’t feel too formal.”
“It’s perfect, and so was the ceremony.”
Jack pulled Savannah close. “She’s perfect.” Jack had an inch and seven years on Kurt.
Kurt draped his arm over his brother’s broad shoulder. “Yes, she is. Congratulations, Jack.”
“Thanks, man.”
Jack had been so distraught after his first wife had died in a car accident that Kurt wasn’t sure his brother would ever recover. For two years, Jack had disappeared to a cabin in the Colorado Mountains that he hadn’t even told his parents he’d bought. He’d spent those years alone, save for sporadic weekends teaching survival courses and flying clients around in his bush plane from time to time just to keep a modicum of income coming in. Savannah had attended one of his survival courses, and by some miracle, she’d seen through the angry, guilt-ridden shell that his brother had worn like armor and helped him heal.