Discovering Harmony (Wishing Well, Texas #3)

by Melanie Shawn

  I was barely paying attention when the doctor said my name.

  “Officer Reed?”

  “Hud, you can call me Hud.”

  “Hud.” He smiled. “You are a very lucky man. The bullet went straight through your shoulder. If it had been even an eighth of an inch higher on your neck, the outcome would’ve been much different. It did hit a major artery, but we were able to stop the bleeding. A few weeks of rest and you should be good as new.”

  A few weeks… There was no way I could be sidelined for a few weeks. I had to get the camp up and running before the grand opening at the end of July.

  “Officer Reed.” His tone turned serious. “You really need to take it easy.”

  “Oh, he will.” Harmony was back by my side. “I’ll make sure of it.”

  The doctor smiled and patted my hand. “You have quite a fiancée here. Like I said, you’re a lucky man.”

  After showing me the IV drip of morphine and explaining how to control it, he made sure I could reach the nurse’s call button, then excused himself, leaving me alone with my fiancée?

  “So, when’s the wedding?” I asked when the door shut.

  Harmony, sat in the chair beside me and took my hand in hers. “I know you’re kidding, but it’s going to be in August. I think that is enough time not to steal Cara and Trace’s thunder.”

  I couldn’t tell if she was serious or not. Also, I was on drugs, so maybe I was imagining the whole thing. The Daisy Duke getup. The doctor calling her my fiancée. The August wedding. All of it.

  Her lips pinched together and I could see the toll my getting shot had taken on her. Her eyes were red rimmed and her cheeks were stained with tears, which from the moisture building in her bottom lid, it looked like they were about to start up again.

  “I’m okay. Don’t cry.”

  “You scared the shit out of me.” She sniffed and wiped her nose and eyes with the back of her hand. “I thought you were supposed to be faster than a speeding bullet. What happened to that?”

  “I’m sorry.” I squeezed the hand that was holding mine, which was pretty much the pinnacle of physical comfort I was capable of.

  “You should be. You ruined my whole plan.”

  “Your plan?”

  “Yeah. I was at the station waiting for you—”

  “Waiting for me?”

  “Yes. And I had it all planned. A speech and everything. You were going to walk through—”

  “I’m sorry…you had a speech?”

  She sighed and spoke in a stewardess-like voice. “Please save all questions until the end of the presentation.”

  I smiled, which was saying something. I was pretty sure only Harmony could inspire that response considering the amount of pain I was in.

  “So, as I was saying, you were going to come in and I was going to walk up to you and tell you that I lied to you.”

  She paused. I wasn’t sure if that was the end, but I had a feeling she was doing it for effect.

  “I know.” Her eyes widened. “Dramatic, right?”

  Yep. Effect.

  “I had a few responses you might’ve used, but they all led us back to”—she gasped and clutched her chest—“what I lied to you about, dun, dun, dun.”

  My smile grew bigger.

  “Then…” She took in a shaky breath, but the corners of her lips turned up. “I was going to tell you that I lied when I said I just wanted one night. Because I want all your nights, and your days, too. I was going to tell you that you were wrong about us. And the future. Because the only future that I can see that makes any sense…”—more tears fell—“is one where you and I are together. Married. With babies, and Romeo, of course. That’s what’s real. That is the only thing that could ever give me the life I want. My best life. You are my best life. You are my more.”

  “Harmony…” I tried to reach her face, but one arm was in a sling and the other was heavier than a truck.

  “I also had other stuff in there about how if I was ever going to travel, I wanted you by my side. And even if you were right, and fifteen years from now I wanted to live in New York, that we could take a summer and go start a Reed Ranch there because there were kids all over the country in need. And that the only thing that mattered was being together. Oh and I did have a real confession too…um, I kind of set up the entire ‘I’ve fallen and I can’t get up’ thing. I was just mad because it seemed like you were giving me impossible tasks.”

  “I was,” I made my own confession.

  “I knew it.” She pointed at me in accusation.

  “Sorry, like I said: torture.”

  She nodded in understanding. “Then, the grand finale. I was going to get on one knee, like so.”

  Scooting off the chair, she knelt beside the bed, still holding my hand. “And I was going to say, Hudson Reed, will you make me the happiest girl in the world and be my husband?”

  I honestly could not believe what I was seeing. Harmony Briggs was on her knee, proposing to me.

  “Well…” she prompted.

  “What?”

  “Will you marry me?” she repeated, although this time it was much less heartfelt.

  “Harmony.” There it was—the warning tone she never heeded.

  Clapping her hands together, she got back up in the chair and chirped, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  “You can’t propose to me,” I argued.

  If Harmony and I were getting married, and we most definitely were, I was going to do the proposing.

  “Too late. I just did.” She shrugged, wearing a very self-satisfied grin.

  I knew something that would wipe that right off. “Do you want to know the real reason that I didn’t propose to Ali?”

  Her face fell.

  I’ll take that as a yes, I repeated her words. To myself. I might’ve gotten shot today, but I didn’t have a death wish.

  “I didn’t just go to the jeweler that Cara saw me in. I went to three. And every time any of them showed me a ring, the only person that I could picture putting it on was you.”

  She pursed her lips in the expression that had been my first clue she was a romantic.

  “Once I realized that, I knew that I would never get you some generic store ring. That I would ask my mom for my Grandma Burke’s ring and that would be—”

  “Done,” she said.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Done.” Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out my Grandma Burke’s ring. “I asked her this morning.”

  “You asked my mom for my grandmother’s ring?” This had to be the drugs.

  “Yeah, and it’s a good thing I did because it was the only thing that convinced these yahoos I was really your fiancée.”

  “You asked my mom for my grandmother’s ring?” I repeated, still in disbelief.

  “Yep. I also asked her for your hand in marriage.” She wagged her brow. “My mama raised me right.”

  Like it always did if I spent any amount of time with Harmony, a huge smile spread on my face. “What did she say?”

  “After she gave me her blessing,”—Harmony slipped the ring on and seeing it on her slender finger made my chest ache with love—“she laughed and said, ‘this should be fun.’”

  Yeah, that sounded like her.

  “Oh, speaking of your mom. She’s on her way with your dad. They were already headed out on their anniversary vacation, but they’ll be here soon. And Holden was up in Dallas, training, but he should get here around the same time”

  “They don’t need to—”

  She held up her hand. “Save it. Their son and brother got shot. They’re coming.”

  “Is this how it’s going to be? You bossing me around all the time?”

  A flush crept up her face. “Well, not all the time.”

  “Damn, how did I get so lucky?” I breathed.

  “I know, right?” she teased. “You hit the jackpot.”

  “I did,” I answered seriously.

  “No, I did,” she respo
nded just as somberly.

  “I love you, Princess.”

  Her face scrunched. “Is that really what we’re sticking with?”

  I took in a painful breath. “I call you Princess because your junior year, I was in the principal’s office, picking up my brother because he’d gotten in a fight, and I heard you arguing that if Cara wasn’t allowed to be in the homecoming court because of absences then they could take your crown and shove it where the sun don’t shine.”

  Recognition dawned on her beautiful features. “Oh, yeah. I forgot about that.”

  “You told them it was discrimination and that school that didn’t support a student fighting for her life should be ashamed of themselves. Then you stormed out and said that they would be hearing from your lawyers.”

  “I didn’t have lawyers, but it worked.” Her face lit up. “They let Cara be in the court.”

  “I know.”

  The corners of her eyes scrunched. “Wait. Did you…?”

  “I had my dad give them a call outlining the disability act.”

  “You did?” She swooned, making her “romantic” face.

  “Yeah. And I remember thinking that was what a real princess was. Someone who fought for what was right, who would walk away from the crown to stand up for her subjects. From that day on, you were my Princess.”

  The tears were back.

  She nodded as she sniffed. “Okay, we can keep Princess.”

  “I love you, Princess.”

  “I love you, Superman.”

  Epilogue

  Harmony

  Two weeks later….

  Cara fell into the chair beside Destiny and we all looked out over her reception. Everyone was dancing and having fun, both the wedding and the reception had gone off without a hitch.

  “Can you believe we did it?” Cara asked.

  “No,” Destiny and I answered at the same time.

  We all laughed.

  The last two weeks had been crazy. Hud had been in the hospital for four days before they released him and I’d been able to bring him home with me. After that, there had been reporters and bloggers calling nonstop to try to get an interview with the hero that saved both a woman and child who had been held hostage by their husband and father. Hud had done one of his ninja moves that I was so fond of, and saved their lives. He was going to be getting a medal of recognition when he returned to active duty in a week.

  Not only that, his cousin Kyle had flown into town—in his private jet—to personally oversee the rest of the construction of Reed Rescue Ranch, which was now ahead of schedule for the opening. It’s amazing what millions of dollars can get you.

  At first Hud had been bummed that he hadn’t been there to finish what he started, but luckily I had a few tricks up my sleeve to take his mind off of things. Let’s just say that Romeo had been getting a lot of extra-large bones lately, and he wasn’t the only one.

  He’d tried, and failed, to have a do-over on the proposal. But I wasn’t backing down on this one. Women could propose. He finally let it go when I told him if he didn’t like being proposed to he could go ask another woman to marry him. He’d said my name in that way that let me know I’d won, and hadn’t brought it up since.

  “So much has happened in a year, it’s crazy. Last year at this time, we were all single. No prospects in sight. Now look at us. Married with a baby, married with a baby on the way, and going to be married next month.” Cara reached out for baby Lilah, who was asleep on my shoulder.

  “Fine, you can hold her, but only cause it’s your day.” I reluctantly handed my niece off.

  “You can always make one of your own,” Cara shot back as she snuggled her into her arms.

  “Someday.” I nodded.

  Both of my friends looked at me like I was crazy.

  “What? A girl can change her mind.”

  Destiny smiled broadly. “Welcome to the white picket fence club. We’ll have your card before the next meeting.”

  I knew she was joking, but I was actually proud to be a card-carrying member of that club. Hud, a family, Wishing Well, Romeo—it was the life I never knew I always wanted.

  “Hey is that…?” Destiny asked pointing towards the door.

  “I can’t believe it,” Cara whispered. “I invited her, but I never thought…she’d actually come.”

  It took me a minute to search the crowded room and see who they were talking about. But when my eyes fell on a gorgeous, stunning blonde, that looked suspiciously like a very grown up Isabella Conner, I knew I’d found the target.

  “Does Colton know?” I asked, as chills ran up my arms.

  “He does now.” Cara inclined her head to where Colton was standing, looking like he’d just seen a ghost.

  Which was probably how he felt.

  Coining the wise words of Loretta Reed, I said, “Well, this should be fun.”

  THE END

  Coming Spring 2017

  Claiming Colton (Wishing Well, Texas #4)

  Trusting Bryson (Wishing Well, Texas #5)

  Seducing Sawyer (Wishing Well, Texas #6)

  Other Titles by Melanie Shawn

  THE HOPE FALLS SERIES

  Sweet Reunion – #1

  Sweet Harmonies – #2

  Sweet Victory – #3

  Home Sweet Home – #4

  One Sweet Day – Novella #4.5

  Snow Angel – #5

  Snow Days – #6

  Snowed In – #7

  Let It Snow – #8

  Perfect Kiss – #9

  Secret Kiss – #10

  Magic Kiss – #11

  Lucky Kiss – #12

  Christmas Wish – Holiday Novella #12.5

  THE CROSSROADS SERIES

  My First – Book 1

  My Last – Book 2

  My Only – Book 3

  My Everything – Book 4

  Tempting Love – Book 5

  Crazy Love – Book 6

  Actually Love – Book 7

  Fairytale Love – Book 8

  My Love – Novella 8.5

  WISHING WELL, TEXAS SERIES

  Teasing Destiny – Book 1

  Convincing Cara – Book 2

  About the Author

  Melanie Shawn is the writing team of sister duo Melanie and Shawna. Originally from Northern California, they both migrated south and now call So Cal their home.

  Growing up, Melanie constantly had her head in a book and was always working on short stories, manuscripts, plays and poetry. After graduating magna cum laude from Pepperdine University, she went on to teach grades 2nd through 8th for five years. She now spends her days writing and taking care of her furry baby, a Lhasa Apso named Hercules. In her free time, her favorite activity is to curl up on the couch with that stubborn, funny mutt and binge-watch cable TV shows on DVD (preferably of at least eight seasons in length – a girl’s gotta have her standards!).

  Shawna always loved romance in any form – movie, song or literary. If it was a love story with a happy ending, Shawna was all about it! She proudly acknowledges that she is a romanceaholic. Her days are jam-packed with writing, being a wife, mom aka referee of two teens, and indulging in her second passion (dance!) as a Zumba instructor. In the little free time she has, she joins Melanie in marathon-watching DVDs of their favorite TV programs.

  They have joined forces to create a world where True Love and Happily Ever After always has a Sexy Twist!

  You can keep up with all the latest Melanie Shawn news, including new releases and contests, at:

  melanieshawn.com

  and

  facebook.com/melanieshawnbooks

 

 

 
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