“You’re wrong.” Tess held up her hand when he meant to argue further. “Clayton Calloway made a few bad decisions after his wife died. So deep was his sorrow he forgot everything else, including his own children. Have you never loved someone so deeply that losing them was the same as losing your entire being?”
Wyatt’s face paled. He cleared his throat and clicked to the horses.
“Lettie’s mother, my Maggie. When she died, I wished I’d a died, too. Only thing that kept me goin’ was my girl, Collette.” His face crinkled into a sad smile. “She’s so much of her ma in ’er.”
“I’m sorry,” Tess murmured. “It must have been terrible for you. Collette told me about her mother, about how much Margaret loved you. She told me the story about her and Clayton, too.”
Wyatt’s lips tightened.
Tess touched his arm. “You know that was a lie, don’t you? Silly, idle gossip started by someone with far too much time on her hands.”
Wyatt barely nodded. “I know that now.”
“You’re a good man, Wyatt Langman.” Tess reached for his hand and squeezed it gently. “And so are the Calloways. You should take another look at them one day.”
Wyatt didn’t answer, just bobbed his head and pulled the wagon to a stop in front of the restaurant.
“Thank you, Mr. Langman,” Tess said, forcing strength into her voice. “For the ride, for your home, and for listening.”
“One of us’ll pick you up at three o’clock.”
Tess smiled weakly and stepped toward the restaurant, no longer interested in the job, the money, or the farm she dreamed of. It meant nothing now. Gabriel was marrying someone else; it was real now, he didn’t love her, and he never would.
“You look like you’ve died and just haven’t fallen over yet,” Miss Lutz said. “What’s the matter with you—are you sick?”
“No,” Tess answered flatly. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine,” the woman snipped. “And if you intend on keeping your job, you’d best find a way to look like you’re still alive or take your bag right now and leave here. I won’t have my employees looking like death itself.”
Tess nodded silently. She stood before the small mirror in the kitchen and pinched her cheeks as hard as she could, but they would not pink up. Instead, her face became blotchy and swollen. Heaving a resigned sigh, she tied on her apron and set to work. With her arms loaded down with clean plates, she pushed through the kitchen door out into the restaurant.
“Tess.” Gabriel’s voice cut through her faster than any bullet, stopping her heart in mid-beat. The stack of dishes tumbled from her trembling arms, crashing to the floor in a million pieces. Neither Tess nor Gabe even flinched.
“What the . . .” Miss Lutz ran out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her impeccable apron. “You!”
Her accusatory tone went completely unnoticed.
“You will pay for those, Tess.” She pushed a broom toward Tess who let it fall to the floor in front of her. “I don’t pay you to stand around talking.”
In the back of her mind, Tess could hear someone talking, like a faraway buzz, but she had no interest in whatever was being said. Gabriel was there, standing in front of her, dressed in his Sunday best, a bouquet of daisies clutched in one fist. The buzz faded farther and farther away.
“Gabriel,” Tess breathed, reaching for the nearest chair. He was getting married today. Why else would he be dressed like that and carrying flowers? “What are you doing here?”
Gabe’s face paled slightly. He licked his lips over and over before speaking.
“I, um . . . I think maybe I made a bit of a mess of things yesterday and I wanted to talk to you for a minute.”
“I can’t,” she croaked. “Miss Lutz . . .”
“It’s you,” he said, taking hesitant steps toward her. “You’re the one.”
“What . . . what one?” Her voice shook harder than her hands. She felt certain she would throw up.
Gabe was in front of her now, a nervous smile on his face. With painstaking languor, he lowered himself to one knee.
“You,” he said softly, taking her cold hand in his. “You’re the one I love. You’re the one I need. You’re the one I want to marry, the one who makes me happier than I’ve ever been in my life.”
The room blackened around her, swirling and dipping until she thought she’d fall off the chair.
“But . . .”
“No buts,” he said, pressing his finger against her mouth. “I love you, Tess Kinley, more than I can even begin to tell you.”
“But yesterday . . .”
“Yesterday didn’t go well,” he admitted with a slight blush. “I wanted to tell you, but you took off so fast, and then Wyatt wouldn’t let me . . . well, never mind about that.”
“I thought you said . . .”
“Don’t think,” he whispered. “And forget anything I’ve ever said before now. I love you.”
“Oh, Gabriel.” Her heart leaped in her chest and began to beat again, harder, faster, and larger than ever before. “I don’t know what to say . . . I never thought . . . after the other day . . . and you came for me . . . but you said . . . what about . . . ?”
“Tess.” He laughed softly. “Forget everything else. Do you love me?”
His smile faded when she hesitated.
“Tess?” He searched her face looking for a hint of an answer, but all she did was cry. Huge, hot tears rolled down her cheeks, landing on their folded hands.
When minutes passed in painful silence, Gabe stiffened.
“I guess I made a mistake coming here,” he said, rising to his feet. “I’m sorry, Tess.”
He turned to leave but Tess grasped his hand and pulled him back, knocking the flowers to the floor.
“Gabriel,” she said, “how do I know this isn’t just another dream? How do I know I won’t wake up crying again like I have every night since I came to Porter Creek? How do I . . .”
Tess’s words were smothered by Gabe’s lips. His kiss was urgent and hungry, demanding and yet exquisitely tender. Knees quaking, she leaned into him for support. His huge hands locked against her spine, pulling her closer until she could no longer determine where she ended and he began.
Her fingers wound themselves through his thick, still-damp hair as she returned his kiss with reckless abandon, oblivious to everything else around her. This was a kiss for her hardened, weary soul to meld with, a kiss that joined their hearts forever, a kiss that was in no way a dream.
“Miss Kinley!” Pauline Lutz gasped in horror. “Just what do you think you’re doing?”
The kiss ended, but barely. Their lips still pressed gently against each other, both of them afraid to break the connection. Tess’s eyes remained closed, but she smiled.
“I’m certainly not dreaming,” she breathed.
“No,” Gabe murmured back. “You’re not dreaming.”
“Miss Kinley! Get hold of yourself, for goodness’ sake.”
“I’ve got a good enough hold on her for the both of us, thank you very much,” Gabe smirked. “And I’m not about to let her go.”
Tess laughed lightly, feeling awash with new life.
“She has work to do!” Miss Lutz snipped in a tight voice.
“Sorry,” Gabe said, shaking his head. “Tess doesn’t work here anymore, ma’am. I’m taking her home right now.”
“Gabriel,” Tess said softly, finally opening her eyes. “I can’t leave her without any help. She was kind enough to give me a job when I needed one, the least I can do is finish my shifts for today.”
“But . . .” His voice bordered on a whine.
“Gabriel.” Tess’s amber eyes crackled with fire. “I have to do this. You be here at three o’clock sharp and I’ll be waiting.”
Gabe groaned. “I don’t know if I can wait that long.”
“I’m sure you’ll survive.” She laughed. “Now let me get back to work.”
It was as though her heart had s
omehow left her body and was floating around her; it felt so light, so happy, so loved. Her hands cupped his cheeks and pulled him down to meet her lips once more.
“Three o’clock?” he whispered against her mouth. “That seems like an eternity away.”
With marked reluctance, she released him, but not before he planted a hundred kisses across her brow, down her nose, and over each eye.
“I love you, Tess Kinley.”
“So you said.” She smiled saucily. “Does that mean those flowers are for me?”
“Oh, yeah, they are.” He picked them up, blew invisible dust from the petals, and held them out to her. As he pressed the bouquet into her right hand, he pressed her left hand to his lips and kissed it ever so gently.
“Three o’clock,” he said, backing away slowly.
Tess’s tears blurred her vision of him, but her mind’s eye saw him perfectly—halo, wings, and all.
“Tess,” he called from the doorway, grinning that stupid grin of his. “Does this mean you’ll marry me?”
She half ran, half flew, across the restaurant, threw herself back into his arms, and buried her face in the warmth of his neck.
“Yes,” she sobbed. “Absolutely, yes. Forever and a day, yes.”
“Good,” he choked, wrapping his arms around her again. “Just had to double check.”
They stood in the doorway, locked in each other’s arms, until Miss Lutz cleared her throat loudly. Tess loosened her hold around his neck and he lowered her to the floor.
“Three o’clock,” he repeated.
“Three o’clock.”
“Tess.” Miss Lutz’s voice got shriller with every breath.
Gabe backed out the door slowly, holding Tess’s gaze until the glass closed between them. Her hand lingered against its smoothness for several more moments before she turned back to her work. She found a vase, filled it with water, and arranged the dew-covered daisies in it. Then she set about cleaning up the pile of broken dishes on the floor.
It was the longest eight hours of Tess’s life. More than once, she was certain Miss Lutz had turned the clock back—it was not possible that time could move that slowly.
Stupid Frankie arrived shortly before the appointed time and short of yelling, Tess finally convinced him she did not need a ride back to the ranch.
And then, suddenly, it was three o’clock and Gabe was standing in the doorway, looking more handsome than he ever had before. Tess’s cheeks flushed against his gaze. She made her good-byes to her employer, retrieved her daisies from the vase, and followed Gabe out the door.
Not a word was spoken between them. Gabe lifted her up on Zeus’s back and climbed behind her, his arms circling her waist, his lips exploring the soft delicate skin behind her earlobe. She leaned back against him and sighed happily, wrapped in the arms of love.
Chapter 28
“Why are we stopping?” Tess asked, lifting her head from Gabe’s shoulder.
Zeus’s head lowered to gnaw the lush green grass at the creek side. The sparkling clear water tripped and danced along merrily; the long, flowing branches of the willows swayed gently in the breeze.
“We’ve got a lot to talk about, a lot of decisions to make, and I’d just as soon do it without Wyatt’s rifle pointed at me.”
“Wyatt?” she asked as Gabe lowered her to the ground. “But I thought . . .”
Gabe laughed. “You really have to stop that. Thinking I mean.”
“But . . .”
“Okay, listen,” he sighed, still smiling. “I can’t take you home with me today because I’m not ready for you yet. And I can’t take you to Langman’s because Wyatt made it pretty clear if I stepped on his land again I’d be leaving in a pine box.”
Tess smiled. “Yes, he’s become very protective of me lately. More than my own father ever was.” Her brow wrinkled. “What do you mean you’re not ready for me yet?”
Gabe took her by the hand and led her to the bank of the creek. They sat in the grass, side by side, her small body tucked beside him and held tightly by the strength of his arm.
“I’ve got some surprises in store for you, Miss Kinley,” he said, his gray eyes sparkling like the creek. “And they’re not ready yet, so you can’t come with me.”
“You didn’t have to—”
“I know I didn’t,” he interrupted again. “I wanted to. I want to make you happy, Tess—as happy as you make me.”
Tess lifted her face to his and kissed his chin with feather-soft lips. “You already have made me happy, Gabriel. There’s nothing else I could possibly want.”
“You weren’t so happy yesterday,” he said quietly. “I didn’t honestly think you’d ever speak to me again.”
Tess’s throat tightened. “Why did you do that? Why didn’t you tell me yesterday?”
“I’m sorry, darlin’,” he sighed. “I didn’t want to say anything to you until I had everything ready for you at El Cielo, but then you started off on how I was in love, and you’re right, I am.”
“But I thought you meant . . .”
“That’s what you get for thinking again.” He chuckled softly and kissed the tip of her nose. “I’m sorry, Tess. The last thing I wanted was to hurt you, but you ran off so fast I couldn’t explain anything to you, and then Wyatt . . .”
“Wouldn’t let you see me,” she finished for him. “I heard Stupid Frankie telling Beau.”
“Exactly.” Gabe lifted Tess off the ground and lowered her down on his lap. “I love you, Tess. I want to marry you and give you everything.”
Tess’s face flushed. “I love you, Gabriel, and I want to marry you, but I don’t know what I have that I can give to you. Everything I own I left in Boston.”
“Not everything,” he answered, his voice low and husky.
“What do you mean?”
Gabe swallowed hard. “Kids, Tess. I want kids and I want a whole passel of ’em. I want to be trippin’ over them every time I turn around. And I want them all to look exactly like you.”
Tears welled in her eyes—blissful, exhilarated, overwhelmed tears.
“Oh, Gabriel,” she cried. “I want that, too—although I don’t think I want them to look like me, poor things. They should all look exactly like their father, but maybe get their common sense from their mother.”
“What?” His laughter shook his whole body. “You’re the one who traveled halfway around the country all alone to come to some godforsaken town in the middle of nowhere, remember? D’you call that common sense?”
“Yes,” she said with a sharp nod and a smile. “Because look what I found when I got here.”
Gabe wrapped her in his arms and sighed again. “Yeah, look what you found—a man with a cussed sense of pride who’s more stubborn than a ten-year-old mule, who . . .”
“Who takes a while to figure out what’s best for himself, even if it’s right under his nose.”
Gabe’s stomach tightened. “When I think about how I almost lost you, how I would have put you on that stupid stage and seen you out of town. How Gribbs . . .”
“Shush,” she said, curling against him. “That’s all behind us now. You’ve finally come to your senses and admitted I was right.”
Gabe could hear the smirk in her voice, even if he couldn’t see it.
“Okay.” He laughed. “You were right. And you need to straighten me out on something else, too.”
“What’s that?”
“When are we going to get married?” He tilted her chin back so she looked up into his face. A smoldering fire burned in his eyes. “I’d like to get to work on those kids we were talking about.”
Tess’s eyes lowered, her cheeks flaming beneath his gaze.
“What?” he teased lightly. “That embarrasses you? Not one day after meeting me, you told me you loved me and that didn’t embarrass you.”
Tess couldn’t look at him.
“I know,” she whispered, “but it’s just, well, you see, I’ve never . . .”
“T
ess,” he said, his voice as tender as the fingers that brushed against her cheek. “Look at me.”
Slowly, she lifted her gaze to his. All teasing had vanished from his eyes until all she saw was a gentle passion that warmed her through to her soul.
“I won’t deny how happy it makes me to know I’ll be your first,” he said. “But even if I wasn’t, it wouldn’t matter to me. I love you. And I promise you this, Tess. I will never do anything you don’t want me to do, okay?”
More tears cascaded down her cheeks and Gabe simply wiped them away with the pad of his thumb.
“Enough of these.” He smiled. “Now answer the question.”
“Which one?”
“Which one?” he groaned, falling on his back in the grass. “When are we going to get married? Pick a day—any day.”
“How about . . .”
Suddenly, Gabe jerked back up. “Or do you want to wait for your family to come out for it?”
Tess noted the panic in his eyes and smiled. “No, Gabriel, I’m not about to wait for them to get on a train and make their way out here.”
“Oh, thank God,” he breathed, glancing heavenward. “I don’t think I could’ve waited that long anyway.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?” he yelped. “Don’t toy with me, Tess. You don’t have a dress yet, we haven’t even talked to Reverend Boswell, the house . . . my surprises aren’t done yet.”
“I don’t need a fancy dress, Gabriel, I need you. I can’t imagine Reverend Boswell is run off his feet with things to do and I don’t want any surprises. Marry me. Tomorrow.”
“But . . .”
“Tomorrow,” she repeated, a mischievous sparkle glinting in her smile. “Or we wait for my family to come out.”
“Tomorrow it is!” In one fluid motion, he lifted her from his lap and stood up. “Come on then, we’ve got work to do.”
“What work?” She laughed. “Let’s sit back down and . . .”
“Nope,” he said, shaking his head. “Too many things to do.”
He hoisted her back up into the saddle and climbed up behind her, turning Zeus back toward town.
“Where are we going?” She laughed. “I thought you said we had work to do.”
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