“That’s a really great idea,” he said. “Why didn’t I ask you what you thought a long time ago?”
“Because you’re an idiot?”
He laughed and brought her in closer. “Because I’m the biggest idiot there ever was,” he said against her lips before he kissed her again.
Chapter Eighteen
Deciding the wedding date was really easy. It was “as soon as possible,” because they’d already been apart for so long. Deciding the location was a little harder. Gabe’s mother wouldn’t be able to travel anywhere regardless of where they held it, so they decided to hold it in her living room, and she nearly came unglued.
“My living room is not romantic,” she said. “I won’t let you marry the love of your life surrounded by floral couches and doilies and porcelain dolls. I want you to choose the most romantic spot you can think of, and then you just Skype me in.”
“You know how to use Skype?” Gabe asked, totally surprised.
His mother gave him a look, that look all mothers know how to use. “Yes. Now are we doing this thing or not?”
And so it was that Gabe and Gwen climbed on a plane and flew back to River’s End Ranch, where they would ask Pastor Kevin to marry them up on top of the mountain where they had seen the red-tailed hawk. They would have to get up there on horseback, or possibly helicopter, but Gabe flat-out refused to get on a helicopter ever again as long as he lived, and Gwen didn’t blame him. Horses it was.
When they arrived at the ranch, several people came out to greet them there on the main road in front of the bunkhouse, including Frank, whose arm was still in a sling.
“Hey, Gabe,” he said, giving him a one-armed hug out of necessity. “I’m so glad to see you. Listen, I have to thank you. I really believed you saved my life. Well, yours too, but hey, I can be selfish and think only about me, right?”
Gabe blinked. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” he said.
“Oh, that’s right. I heard your memory was a little Swiss-cheesed. Well, a few minutes before the crash, you turned to me and said you didn’t feel good about going any farther, that something wasn’t right, and that you felt we should turn back. I flew low over Sunrise Ridge and banked so we could head home, and that’s when the engine failed. If you hadn’t warned me, we would have been up much higher, deeper into the mountains, and I don’t believe we would have made it.”
Suddenly, it all came back to him—the sick feeling in his stomach, the strong urging to turn around, the sound of the engine sputtering, and then falling. He remembered everything—the impact of his head against the side of the cockpit, the blackness, hearing voices even though he couldn’t see anything. It rushed through him so fast, he got a little dizzy, and he grabbed Frank’s good arm for support.
“Hey, are you all right, man?” Frank asked.
Gabe slowly nodded. “I am. I remember. I remember everything. And you’re welcome. I can’t take any credit for it, though—it was all the fairies.”
***
Gabe and Gwen snuggled on her couch. Everything in her apartment had been boxed, and the only things still out were her furniture and a few of her DVDs. She was grateful that her rent had been paid through the end of that month so she’d have time to clear everything out—when she’d gone to Tulsa with Gabe, she hadn’t known what to expect. This was the very best possible outcome. The truck would be coming in two days, and they’d drive back to Oklahoma together.
“Now see, in this movie, we see the effect true love can have on a man,” Gabe said, pausing his narrative to nibble on her ear. She’d shown him dozens of her favorite movies while in college and in the last couple of weeks, and now it was his turn to show her one of his—Ladyhawke. “We see the captain of the guard, all tough and manly, but when it comes to the love of his life, he’s completely undone at the thought of losing her.”
“That’s so sweet,” Gwen said. “We usually see romances from the girl’s point of view—I love seeing the man’s depth of emotion too. I don’t think Hollywood explores that enough.”
“That’s because men are supposed to be the logical ones. But yes, we feel things deeply.” He trailed his finger down her nose, and she laughed and ducked away.
“That tickles.”
“Sorry,” he said, but he didn’t really mean it. He loved making her laugh. “I’m so grateful to have you back in my life, Gwen. And having my memory back is pretty cool too, even though I now remember pushing you away, and that’s something I’ll always regret.”
“Why regret it when you brought me right back in again?” she asked. “Every relationship has bumps along the way, doesn’t it? That was just one of our bumps, and now you and I are going to be blissfully happy together forever.”
“Yes, we are.” He kissed the end of her nose. “Do you think it’s too late for us to have children?”
“I don’t see why it would be. My aunt had my cousin when she was my age.”
Gabe grinned. “I hope our kids all look just like you.”
Her eyes had become glued to the screen. “Wait. What’s going on here?”
“We’re about to meet the love of his life. Did you know that they offered the role of Phillipe to Dustin Hoffman before they signed Matthew Broderick?”
“Shhh,” she said, and he snuggled her into his arms and held her that way until the end.
Epilogue
Every horse in the stable was put into use the next morning as Gwen, Gabe, Amber, Wes, and all the people Gwen loved and cared about met up on top of the mountain for the wedding. They even had to pull trailers hooked onto snowmobiles for the trip, but at last, there they all were, even Jaclyn, standing in a semi-circle.
Pastor Kevin moved to the front of the group and motioned for Gabe and Gwen to join him. She was not about to wear a dress on a horse going up that mountain in the fresh layer of snow that had fallen, but she had found a nice white ski outfit with a fake fur hood, and she thought she looked rather nice in it. She held a bouquet of poinsettias, and Gabe had a red rose pinned to his lapel.
“Love comes in many forms and at many different times of life,” Pastor Kevin began. “For some, it comes and then goes, and then it comes again. Gabe and Gwen have known the pain of separation, the joy of being reunited, and the thrill of discovering that love can be even more powerful the second time around. They have learned the value of what really matters, the strength of the human heart, and the magic that exists when two people put aside all else and commit to making two souls into one. Will you please clasp hands?”
Gwen passed her bouquet to Amber, then took Gabe’s offered hands in her own.
She almost missed her cue, she was so mesmerized by the look in Gabe’s eyes as he stared into hers, but a whisper from Amber saved the day. “I do,” she said, and everyone chuckled.
Then it was time for Gabe to kiss her, and she really didn’t want him to stop even though everyone, including his mother via Wes’s cell phone, was watching them. Was there anything more romantic than kissing the man you passionately love on top of the mountain overlooking the most beautiful valley in the world? She didn’t think so.
They would honeymoon here at the ranch, then load up a moving truck and drive almost two thousand miles to Oklahoma City, where they would find a new apartment big enough for both of them and blend their furniture and their styles together to create a home, a home where they hoped to have a child—or three or four—and live happily ever after. A home where they would watch old movies and eat popcorn and laugh every day, and where they would never take each other for granted again. Which, considering Gwen’s new last name, was a pun, and she chuckled when she had the thought. It all sounded perfectly wonderful to her, and she absolutely could not wait.
About Amelia C. Adams
Amelia C. Adams is a wife, a mother, and a novelist. She spends her days dreaming up stories and her nights writing them down. Her biggest hero is her husband, and you might just see bits and pieces of him as you read her novels.<
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She loves all things historical and enjoys learning about days gone by, but she's glad she was born more recently (she won't say how recently or not recently) because the Internet is awesome, and she's glad she doesn't have to wash her clothes by hand in a galvanized tub. She has hit Amazon bestseller status three times. And yes, she absolutely loves old movies.
You can reach Amelia at [email protected].
Please join Amelia on her website to learn more about her, sign up for her newsletter, stay on top of news and upcoming releases, and follow her on Facebook.
And if you’ve enjoyed any of her novels, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. It’s much appreciated!
The Kansas Crossroads Series:
A New Beginning (free!)
A Free Heart
The Dark and the Dawn
A Clean Slate
A Clear Hope
The Whisper of Morning
A Careless Wind
A Narrow Road
The Bitter and the Sweet
The Calm of Night
A Begrudging Bride
A Broken Wing (A Kansas Crossroads novella)
The Nurses of New York series:
Sea of Strangers (free!)
Cause of Conflict
Touch of Tenderness
Heart of Hearts
Test of Time
The American Mail-Order Brides series:
Hope: Bride of New Jersey
Tabitha: Bride of Missouri
The Hearts of Nashville series:
Whiskey and Women
As part of the Brides of Beckham series by Kirsten Osbourne:
Mail Order Molly
As part of the River’s End Ranch series:
Accidental Agent
Rugged Rockclimber
As part of the Grandma’s Wedding Quilts series:
Meredith’s Mistake
And now for a sneak peek of Sarsaparilla Showdown by Caroline Lee, next book in the River’s End Ranch series!
Chapter One
“Mr. Hottie needs a refill.” Julia’s smirk was knowing when she popped her head into the back room. “I’m just swamped, as you can totally tell.” The tall brunette blinked way too innocently. “Could you please take care of him?”
Sadie Mayfield rolled her eyes and popped the last spoonful of chocolate ice cream into her mouth. Her favorite employee—and best friend—loved to tease her about any eligible man whom Sadie had shown an interest in. And Sadie had definitely shown interest in this particular man, even going so far as to ask Julia to find out his name.
Which, of course, wasn’t “Mr. Hottie,” but it might as well have been.
Sadie swallowed, not even tasting the ice cream, which had been the whole point of hiding back here with a small bowl and the first scoop of this batch. But she’d followed her usual recipe exactly, and had no reason to think that there was anything wrong with this week’s batch, so she calmly dropped the spoon into the industrial sink and grabbed her apron.
“Of course. Since you’re so swamped.” She pulled the apron over her head and tied it around her waist, and smirked right back at her best friend. “I mean, these dishes aren’t going to do themselves, you know.”
Julia, realizing that her plan had backfired, groaned and rolled her eyes. “I was trying to do you a favor, boss. Go refill his coffee and make small talk. Consider flirting, Sade. Heck, maybe give him a special smile?”
“I know how to flirt, thank you very much.” Sadie tried to squeeze by her friend, but it wasn’t easy; she was wider than Julia, thanks to her love of well-made ice cream. “Now excuse me. I have to go serve the customers.”
Julia was laughing as she stepped towards the sink, and the sound buoyed Sadie out into the main room, her domain.
She’d opened Sadie’s Soda Saloon several years ago when the Westons had added the “Old West Town” to the center of River’s End Ranch. It had always been her dream to open a boutique ice cream parlor, and she’d loved the idea of using the Old West theme in the decorations. Being the only “saloon” in town—both the touristy Old West town and the town of Riston—meant that she got a lot of attention from the out-of-town guests. And it didn’t hurt that her ice cream and coffee were the best in the county.
Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the pot off the warmer, nodded to Dottie, who was manning the register, and stepped around the counter. There was the usual crowd in the saloon that afternoon; about an even mix of regulars and tourists. She greeted most of them by name as she offered to top off mugs, and eventually made her way to the table in the corner, where he sat.
His name was Shawn, and he was gorgeous.
That’s all she knew about him, but he’d been coming in here twice a week for the last month or so. He’d always order a black coffee, and spread his papers out over the table, and work diligently for a few hours. He’d arrived today right at his usual time, and yep, his empty mug was now pushed towards the edge of the table.
“Hi there, need a refill?” She was already reaching for his mug, assuming the answer was yes, when he glanced up from his paperwork.
Wow. He had really pretty eyes. Green, and green wasn’t that common of an eye color, really. They were dark, and he had crinkles around the corners that made him look more approachable.
Sadie never knew that eye crinkles could be so sexy.
“I shouldn’t.”
She was so busy staring at his eyes that it took a moment to register that he’d actually replied to her rote question. “Huh?”
Those green eyes flicked to the pot in her hand, and back up to her. “I shouldn’t, but thanks.”
“Oh. Um.” Sadie resisted the urge to step back. Flirt, girl. “You sure?”
Hottie was careful to place his pencil down on the graph paper in front of him before leaning back in his chair with a sigh. “No. Lord knows I could use some.” He ran his hand through his hair, his long fingers catching and pulling at the too-long dirty-blond waves, and Sadie’s mouth went dry.
Eye crinkles, a week-old beard, and hair that reached well below his ears. It was like this man had reached into her head and pulled out everything she’d been secretly attracted to since her high school days of scribbling in a diary, and slapped them together to tempt her. Her fingers itched to run her own fingers through his hair, and she tightened them around the handle of the pot.
“I’ll help make the decision, then.” She pulled his mug closer and filled it up halfway. “There. Refills are on the house, but this way, you don’t have to drink it all.”
“Oh, all right then. If it’s on the house.” That’s when he smiled, and Sadie’s knees went weak. His front teeth were crooked, and that made him look so much more…touchable. Oh, dear.
“You…ah. You want any cream? Sugar?” Like she hadn’t spent a month watching him order from Julia, and knew exactly how he liked his coffee.
“Nah, but thanks.” He reached for the mug, and picked it up with a sigh. “That costs extra.”
“Oh.” So he hadn’t been joking with the ‘on the house’ comment. He’d really not ordered a refill all this time just because he didn’t want to spend money? Was he that tight-fisted, or did he just not have money to waste?
“Well, let me know if you change your mind.” She tried a smile, but wasn’t sure if it worked. She still felt a little wobbly from his smile. “I could maybe make exceptions for my favorite customers.” As flirting went, it was a lame line, but she wanted—needed—to keep talking to him.
Only it might’ve been the wrong thing to say, judging by the way the skin around his eyes tightened and he didn’t look up at her as he lowered the mug from his lips. “No exceptions, not for me. Thanks, though.”
Ugh. Sadie actually shuffled back a step, totally embarrassed that she’d obviously said the wrong thing somehow. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Julia peeking out from the back room, smiling. Sadie couldn’t go back there and tell her best friend—the one who’d been pushing her to s
peak to Mr. Hottie for two weeks—that she’d chickened out and ran off because she’d stuck her foot in her mouth somehow.
So instead, Sadie smiled and searched for something to say. Something to distract him from her apparently unwelcome offer.
Luckily, it came when she glanced down at his paperwork. “Oh! The annual Chamber of Commerce contest.” The entry form was sticking out from under his graph paper, and she reached down with her free hand to shift it into the open. “Are you entering?”
“Yeah, hopefully.” He hesitated, and then placed the mug down on the far edge of the table, away from the papers. “The entry fee isn’t too much, and I thought it would be good…”
“What’s your business?” Every year, the Riston Chamber of Commerce ran a contest to award a cash prize to the business that “most embodied the spirit of Riston.” This year, it was the other prize that Sadie had her eye on, and the reason she’d entered as soon as it was announced.
“I’m…” She watched his tongue flick out over his lower lip, and felt her knees go wobbly again. Was that a nervous tic? If so, she’d have to make him nervous again. “I run, um, the ranch’s summer camp.”
“This ranch?” When he nodded, hesitantly, she planted her free hand on her cocked hip. “I didn’t realize that River’s End Ranch ran summer camps. Like, for kids?”
“Yeah.” He took a deep breath. “Wade Weston just hired me, part-time, to try to set up the program for next summer. I thought that a grant from the Chamber of Commerce would not just be handy, but would make good publicity. You know, make people aware of the opportunity.”
“That’s a great idea.” She smiled, and when he returned it, hers grew. “Good luck.”
She meant it, even though they’d be competing against one another. She wasn’t terribly competitive, but would like to win the prize. It would bring in a lot of new customers for the saloon, but had to admit that the kids’ summer camps were a good use of the publicity too.
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