by SJ McCoy
Sierra’s cheeks colored up, but she smiled and nodded.
He let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “Just like we haven’t known you guys for very long, but we know that we love you, Sierra and I haven’t known each other very long either, but we know that we love each other.” He smiled. “I didn’t expect to ever meet someone like Sierra, just like I didn’t expect that I’d meet kids who I wanted to be mine, but I’ve discovered that unexpected love is the very best kind. It might happen fast, but it’s strong and it’s real.”
“Unexpected,” Mateo nodded. “It’s good.”
Wade was relieved that he thought so. He’d just spilled his heart to his new family and by the way all three of them were smiling at him, it seemed that they agreed – unexpected love might be the very best kind.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sierra checked her purse: she had her keys, her cell phone, everything she needed. She already knew she did from the last two times she checked. She should just get going, but for some reason, she was nervous. Wade came and put his hands on her shoulders and looked down into her eyes with a smile.
“We’ll be fine. I promise you.”
“I know. It’s not that I’m doubting you. Don’t think that.”
He chuckled. “I don’t. But if you don’t hurry up, you’re going to be late. And I don’t want Amelia to get mad at me.”
“She won’t. She thinks you’re wonderful.”
“She does? Even though she ended up not spending time with you like she thought she would since I elbowed my way back into your life from the first day the kids arrived?”
Sierra had to laugh. “Yes, even in spite of that. I think she fell for you at the exact same moment the kids did. And I can’t blame her. If I wasn’t already in love with you when they both flung themselves into your arms that first day, I would have fallen for you in that moment, too.”
He gave her a bashful shrug, but she knew he loved hearing it. “It was unexpected for all of us, but I know that moment changed all our lives for the better.”
“It did.”
“But talking about it is only making you later. Go on, have fun with Amelia, and see if you can persuade her to come back with you afterward? I know you say she’s all independent, but I feel bad that she’s right here in the valley for you and has hardly seen you.”
“We’ve seen each other during the day when you’ve been at work.”
“I know, but I want to include her in our life, too. And all the brothers are coming over for burgers. It’d be good if she came, too.”
“Don’t worry, I plan to bring her back.”
“Good. And don’t worry about the kids. We’re going to have a busy day of it. We’re going to the barn first. I can’t believe Tanner bought the ponies.”
“Aww.” Sierra couldn’t hide her smile. “I was worried how your brothers would feel about having children living here, but they’ve all been amazing.”
Wade laughed. “Tell me about it. It’s so cool. After Tan shows them how to take care of the ponies, we’re going up to the big house so they can bake cookies with Ty.”
Sierra chuckled. “I love seeing him with them. I didn’t think he’d have any time for them. Now, I’m more worried about having to make sure he doesn’t overfeed them.”
“He won’t. He loves to cook, and they need to eat. I love that he has his own special thing going with them.”
“I do, too. And even Ford.” Sierra shook her head. “I thought I’d have to do my best to keep them out of his way.”
“Nah. He might have a tough exterior, but he’s soft on the inside.”
“I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t caught him reading with them.”
Wade laughed. “I’m going to see if I can’t sneak a photo of him today. Seeing him in that big armchair with them both on his lap while he reads is just …” He shook his head and his smile faded. “You know, at first, I thought it was all about what we could do to make Mateo and Maya’s lives better. I had no idea how much better they would make all of ours.”
Sierra went and wrapped her arms around him, resting her cheek against his chest. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been. And it’s all thanks to you. I love you, Wade.”
“I love you, too, darlin’. But go on. Otherwise, I’ll try to keep you and Amelia will really be mad at me.”
Sierra reached up for a kiss and then went out to the great room where the children were watching TV. She didn’t like them to watch too much, but it was Saturday morning.
“I’m going to see my friend Amelia now. Are you two going to be okay?”
Mateo came and hugged her. “We will be good. See you later.” She hugged him back and then turned to catch Maya, who flung herself at her and kissed her cheek. The little girl still hadn’t spoken, and they had an appointment to see a child-psychologist over in Bozeman next week. Although, Sierra wasn’t too worried. Maya was doing better each day, and Sierra believed that she’d speak again when she was ready.
She gave them both a kiss on the cheek and then went back to give Wade another before she finally made herself leave.
“Sorry I’m late.” Amelia was waiting for her outside the bakery.
“You’re not. At least, not very. I can’t imagine getting ready and getting out of the house with those two adorable little people around. I’d never want to leave them.” Amelia greeted her with a hug. “I was thinking, though. Do you want to go in here? After what you told me about Wade’s ex, would you rather go somewhere else?”
Sierra shook her head. “No. I hope she won’t be here. But even if she is, I can’t let her run me off. I live here now. This is about the only place there is to meet up with friends.”
Amelia grinned at her. “Yay for you. I’m proud of you.”
Sierra shrugged. “I can’t say that I’m grateful to Jared, but what he did has taught me a lot. I needed to wise up and toughen up and I’m starting to.”
“Yeah. Don’t give that ass any of the credit. You’re doing it all by yourself. Although, I think Wade might have helped you a little.”
“Oh, Lia. You have no idea. He’s been so good to me. And he makes me stop and think about what I actually want for myself, too.”
“Yeah. I like him, Sierra. It’s obvious that he loves you; he’s good to you and good for you, and you couldn’t have asked for a better dad for those kids.”
“I know. I didn’t think that he’d want to have anything to do with them, and yet he’s a natural. He loves them and he just somehow knows what they need. He’s amazing.”
“He is. I’m happy for you.”
“And you don’t mind?”
“Mind? Mind what? That I get to see my friend happy and loved?”
“I mean, you came here to help me out, but since Wade moved in that first day, I’ve been all caught up in figuring out how things are going to work, how we are together, how we are with the children.”
“How the four of you are going to become a family. I don’t mind. I’m thrilled. You know me, Sierra. I don’t need anything. I’m perfectly fine by myself. I’m happy to stick around as a backup – I know you’re busy; I’m still here because I also know that you’ll need time for yourself here and there and that when you get it, you’ll need a friend to talk to.”
“You seriously are the best bestie, you know.”
“And you know that it goes both ways. Now are we going to stand out here talking or are we going in?”
Sierra looked at the bakery and then back at her friend. “How would you feel if we went somewhere else? Not because I’m worried about going in here. Just because I’ve been wanting to go over to Bozeman, and if I don’t go now, I don’t know when I’ll get the chance again.”
“Sounds good to me. I’ve been over there a few times. I like it. I wouldn’t trade it for this valley, but it’s good when you want a touch of civilization. What do you need?”
Sierra smiled. “There’s a gallery I want to check out and an
art supply store.”
“Yay! I wondered how long it would take you.”
“I’ve had twitchy fingers since the first night I arrived here. I wanted to paint the sunset, but there’s always been so much going on that I haven’t had the time. Now that things are settling into a new routine, I’m going to carve myself some time out to paint.”
Once they were in Amelia’s SUV, she pulled out onto the highway. “Now that you’re planning on painting, I feel like this is real. That you’re really going to make a go of it here.”
Sierra turned to her. “What do you think? I’d like to. I mean, I’m only supposed to be staying until the whole Jared thing is dealt with, but I love it here. I think the children can have a wonderful life here – they’ve already settled at the ranch. The brothers all love them. I think this could be a better life for them than San Francisco.”
Amelia nodded. “I have to say that I think you’re right. And that’s without even mentioning the fact that it looks like you and Wade have a future together and I don’t see him leaving here.”
“I know. Do you think that’s bad, though? I don’t. It’s just who he is. I feel like I should be worried because if I want to be with him then it’ll have to be on his terms, kind of. But it’s not like that. It’s just how it is. He is who he is, and this place is his life. His family’s here. He built the lodge and the guest ranch from nothing. I couldn’t and wouldn’t expect him to give it up.”
Amelia reached over and patted her hand. “It’s okay. I get it. I don’t know if you’re trying to justify it to yourself or to me. But it’s okay. I think it’s right and normal. Now, if he were trying to make you give up your life to be with him that’d be a whole different matter, but he’s not – is he?”
“No! He wouldn’t.”
“I didn’t think so. And honestly, Sierra. I think you’d be better off here.”
“You do?”
“Yes. You never made much of a life for yourself at home, did you? I mean of course, you have me.” Amelia flashed her a grin. “But other than that, your life revolved around the business, because you were part of the family, and the gallery because they made you. You were much happier by yourself painting most of the time. And we won’t even mention that the last year Jared took over your life.”
Sierra stared out the window, thinking about that. “You’re right. And if I want to paint, even if I want shows, Cassidy’s here. It’s not as though there’s no art scene at all and I don’t know anyone.”
“Exactly.”
“What about you, though?”
“What about me?”
“I can’t imagine moving away from you.”
“Who says you’d have to?”
“You’d move here, too?”
Amelia shrugged. “Yeah. If you wouldn’t mind. I can work from anywhere. I spend most of my time alone anyway. I can go back to San Francisco whenever I want.” She waggled her eyebrows. “And I love the scenery out here.”
Sierra laughed with her. “You mean the mountains and the big sky or the Wranglers and cowboy hats?”
“Both.”
“Wow. Does this mean that you’re on the lookout?”
“Maybe.”
“Oh, my gosh! Has anyone caught your interest?”
“Maybe.”
“Tell me! Who?”
“Nope. I want to see if the interest is mutual first. You know me. I like to take my time and weigh my options.”
“Until you decide. And then you’re all systems go until you get what you want – whether that’s with guys or in business or anything.”
Amelia laughed. “Yep. And I want to be sure about this little infatuation of mine before I make any moves.”
“Ugh. I may die of curiosity if you don’t tell me.”
“You won’t die. I promise you. Not today anyway.”
Sierra chuckled. “Well, Wade said I have to make sure that I bring you back with me tonight. He’s grilling burgers for his brothers, and he said that you have to come.”
“Really, did he say why?”
“Just that he feels kind of guilty that you’re here, but I haven’t seen you much because of him, and that it’ll be fun to have you over as well, not just the brothers.”
“Okay.”
Sierra gave her a puzzled look. “Why do you look disappointed?”
“I don’t! I’m not.”
“Oh, my gosh! Is it one of the brothers?”
Amelia didn’t answer.
“It is, isn’t it?”
“I’m not saying a word.”
Sierra scowled at her. “That’s not fair! You’re far too good at keeping secrets. If I guess right, will you tell me?”
Amelia laughed. “Nope. I’m not telling you anything until I know if there’s any point in me being interested. And as far as keeping secrets goes, you know it’s what I do. I have to.”
Sierra blew out a sigh. It was true. Even after all the years that they’d been friends, she wasn’t exactly sure what Amelia did for a living. She worked alone on her computer, and she was acutely aware of everything to do with computer security. Computers and phones. She said that she helped out big companies, and sometimes law enforcement, but other than that it was difficult to get her to talk about her work. Over the years, Sierra had learned not to ask.
That thought made her wonder for the first time, whether she might be able to track people – people like Jared and Lori. She turned to look at her friend as they sped along the highway between mountains that towered on either side and loomed closer together as they approached the pass.
“Have you tried looking into Jared’s secrets?”
Amelia glanced at her before turning her focus back to the road. “I have.”
“Did you find anything?”
She blew out a sigh. “I wasn’t hiding things from you, Sierra. I was hoping that I might be able to track him down. I wanted to have something concrete before I brought it up.”
“What have you found?”
“Are you sure you want to know?”
“Absolutely.”
“Okay. Well, not everything I did is legal. So …”
“That’s okay.”
“It seems that he and Lori were in on it together from the beginning. They were talking before you ever got together with him.”
“Wow!”
“Yeah. I can’t believe that she fooled us both so completely. And I figured out how he was syphoning money out of the company.”
“You did? Have you told Barney?”
“Like I said, Sierra, not all my methods are exactly legal. But I did manage to get my findings into the hands of the investigators Barney hired. You should be hearing from him soon about that.”
“Okay.” Sierra’s heart was pounding. “That’s good. Thank you.” But she had to ask the most important question. “Do you know where he is?”
“No. But I think I’m close to finding out. He’s smart. He’s using burner phones and staying off the grid.” Amelia chuckled. “I’m glad you know what I’m up to now. I can tell you, and I’m sure you’ll be pleased to hear, that he popped up in Minnesota a couple of days after the wedding. I couldn’t figure that out for the life of me – why he’d go there. I got a kick when you told me what Tyler had done with your cellphone.”
Sierra had to smile. “Do you think I can tell Tyler about that – if I don’t tell him how I know, of course.”
“Sure.”
Sierra blew out a sigh. “But you don’t know where he is now?”
“Unfortunately, no. I know in the movies they make it look easy to track a person’s every move. But it’s not that simple, and especially not when you’re working alone. After Minnesota he popped up in North Dakota.”
Sierra frowned. “That’s coming back this way.”
“I know but it’s not exactly around the corner. I would have told you if he was anywhere close. And to be honest, that’s part of the reason I came up here. I don’t think he’d be stupid
enough to come after you, but I want to be close by.”
“Well, I appreciate it. Thank you.”
“You can thank me if I manage to help bring him in.”
Sierra nodded She could only hope. Dax’s concern that Jared might try to take the children niggled at her constantly. She’d never forgive herself if something happened to them, if Jared even scared them; they’d been through enough already.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Wade checked his watch. It was twenty-past four. He’d expected Sierra back a while ago. She’d called earlier to tell him that she and Amelia had gone over to Bozeman, and he was glad that she was getting out and about – especially when she’d said that she was going to an art supply store. But he’d thought that she’d be in a hurry to get back to the kids.
He went out to the back deck to check on the grill. He needed to relax. She was no doubt enjoying herself and there was no rush. He smiled at the thought that he was getting clucky like he’d told her he might when she came up with her mama duck theory.
Still, he checked his phone again to see if he’d missed a text from her. Nothing. He turned when Tanner appeared in the doorway that led out from the kitchen.
“You want a cold one?”
“Sure.”
Tanner came out and handed him a beer with a smile. “Have you seen Ford in there with them?”
Wade had to laugh. “Yup. Ain’t he cute?”
Tanner laughed with him. “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself. Uncle Ford! Who’d have thought it?”
Wade chuckled. “Don’t give him too much of a hard time. He loves it, and so do the kids. Every time they see him now, they grab a book and drag him toward the nearest armchair. When Maya learns to read, I’m going to give Ford most of the credit.”
Tanner grinned. “I love it. You know what I love the most, though?”
“What?”
“I love that we were all wrong about you and kids. You’re amazing with them. We all love getting in on the act with our special thing: Ford with the reading, and me with the ponies, and Ty in the kitchen. But you? You’re a natural. It’s like you’re the dad we all wished we had.”