A SEAL’s Resolve

by Cora Seton

  “I already know that,” Ben affirmed. “I think this move is going to be good for her. Back in Illinois everyone has her pegged as being a certain kind of woman. Here she can start over. She’s going to miss Hope, though.”

  “Hope says you’re going to get her a job.”

  “Maybe.” Ben looked over his shoulder to where the officiant was taking his place at the altar. “I’d better get going. Having a husband in Chance Creek would keep Hope close to Raina, too.”

  “I like the way you’re thinking,” Curtis told him. “Good luck.”

  “Good luck to you, too.”

  Hope thought if her heart swelled any more her chest wouldn’t be able to hold it in. Raina was beaming as she spoke her vows and listened to Ben speak his. The ceremony seemed to pass in seconds, but she thought its beauty and sweetness would change her forever.

  Her friendship with Raina had gone through the wringer and come out stronger than ever in the past twenty-four hours. All this time she’d thought she carried the burden of the past alone, and now she knew that just like in all other things, Raina had been there beside her, carrying her own burden.

  Raina’s marriage wouldn’t change that, but it would add more dimensions to her friend’s life. She knew Raina was ready to start her family and settle down in Montana where Ben’s work was. She knew, too, that Raina would throw her heart and soul into making a home for Ben and her children.

  Where did that leave her?

  She couldn’t pretend she wanted to stay single for another decade anymore. She wanted to marry Curtis, and she wanted children, too. She wanted something more, though. A chance to create something bigger than her family. Something that would leave a legacy.

  That’s what working in Yellowstone was all about.

  Could she have both? There were practical reasons against it, but… wasn’t it worth a try?

  She caught sight of Curtis in the audience sitting with Byron and Blake. All three were toward the back, trying to be inconspicuous. When Curtis raised his gaze to meet hers, her heart skipped a beat at the way he focused on her, like he could pick her out of any crowd.

  Did he feel like she did? Did he want more, too?

  Did he wonder if he could have it with her?

  He’d told her he meant to marry her—in a few days. They’d never gotten to talk about it further, and Hope wondered now if he was… serious.

  Could he be? Had he seen something in her he wanted so badly?

  As she held his gaze, she trembled a little, remembering what it felt like to be with Curtis—to have him filling her. Moving inside her.

  She wanted him again. Didn’t think she’d ever get enough of him.

  Was it time to take a chance?

  To take an unscheduled detour that could change everything?

  A smile tugged the corner of her mouth.

  Or had she already done that?

  Maybe there was no turning back.

  Curtis didn’t get the chance to speak with Hope until the reception, after Raina and Ben had taken their first dance. Hope had sat with Raina, Ben and the other members of the wedding party at dinner. She’d met his gaze a half dozen times, and Curtis wondered at the shine in her eyes and the color in her cheeks. She was happy for Raina, of course, but there was something else going on. When she looked at him—

  He found it hard to breathe. She was trying to tell him something. He wished he knew what.

  “Dance with her,” Byron said finally. “Look, you can cut in.” He had his video camera out, filming everything, as usual.

  Hope was dancing with Ben while Raina danced with another man he didn’t recognize. All around them conversation flowed, champagne glasses clinked and a happy buzz filled the room.

  “Good idea.” Curtis wished he was more properly dressed, but he knew Hope wouldn’t mind. He eased his way through the couples on the dance floor and tapped Ben’s shoulder.

  “Take care of her,” Ben said as he backed off. “Where did my wife get to? Raina?”

  “Here,” she sang out, and her partner passed her to Ben.

  “He’s over the moon,” Hope said to Curtis as they watched him sweep Raina into his arms again. Byron had come closer and was filming them. “So’s she.”

  “I’m glad we got here on time.”

  “Me, too.” She fit in his arms like they were made for each other, and Curtis began to sway to the music. It was now or never. He had to tell Hope everything and ask her if she could find her way to making a life with him. He knew he wanted one with her.

  “Hope—”

  “Curtis—”

  They laughed, and each broke off, waiting for the other to go on.

  “You go first,” Hope said.

  “I don’t want to let you go,” he said simply. “I feel like we’re just getting started.”

  “I feel that, too.”

  His heart rose, but Curtis knew there were lots of obstacles in their way. “Do you think—could we try to be together?” He caught sight of Byron pointing the video camera their way and waved him off, but Byron didn’t budge.

  “I’d like that. I know it’ll be hard, with us so far apart, but—”

  This was the difficult part. They couldn’t be far apart—not yet. Not until the show was over.

  “Look,” Curtis said, drawing her closer. “There’s a lot you don’t know about Base Camp. Like Raina keeps saying, you really should watch the show.”

  “I will just as soon as I can. I never thought I’d be interested, but I was wrong.”

  “I’m just not sure you understand how much I’m bound by my contract.”

  “I know we won’t have a lot of time for each other at first,” she rushed to say. “I understand we’ll only see each other every few weeks. I don’t even know when I’ll start work—or if they’ll hire me—but if they do I figure it’ll be a month or two before I’m settled in. Once I have my schedule we can figure out times to meet up.”

  A month or two? That wasn’t going to work.

  “Hope—there are… rules. More than I told you about before.” Would she understand?

  “What kind of rules?”

  They couldn’t do this here. Curtis took her hand and led her away from the dance floor to a quiet table in one corner of the room. He swore softly when he realized Byron was following them, then remembered that Fulsom was getting bored of the show. Time to bare his innermost feelings on national television.

  “The easiest way is to show you,” Byron broke in, coming closer. He took out his cell phone, tapped on it a few times and held it out to them. “All you need to see is the introduction. Right, Curtis?”

  “Right.” No more time for beating around the bush—it was now or never.

  “Okay.” Hope dutifully sat in a seat, her head tilted to see the screen better. Curtis took the phone and held it while Byron got back into position to film them.

  “Ready?” Curtis asked. She nodded.

  He took a deep breath and pressed play.

  Hope didn’t understand why Curtis seemed so worried. She was the one asking him to put up with delays and uncertainty about how or when they might be together. She’d thought he might balk at the idea of a long-distance relationship, but instead he was acting like he was asking her to do something difficult.

  She might not watch television a lot, but it wasn’t any big deal to watch a video clip. The introduction started with a panoramic view of a ranch that took Hope a moment to recognize as the location of Base Camp. This was the settlement in summertime, though, with bright blue skies overhead, green pastures, and hardworking men building the tiny houses she’d seen, working in gardens or with the bison.

  She loved those bison.

  Hope leaned closer. The ranch looked like… paradise.

  “Welcome to Base Camp,” a female narrator intoned with a plummy British accent.

  “That’s Renata Ludlow. She’s the show’s director. Byron’s boss.”

  “Got it.”

 
“…where ten men must pit themselves against time and technology to build a model sustainable community before time runs out,” Renata went on.

  “Runs out? You have a deadline?” Hope asked Curtis. She hadn’t known that.

  “Just listen.”

  “They must build ten houses that consume a tenth of the power of a normal North American home. They must create a renewable power grid from which to run all their appliances, lights and machines. They must grow all the food they’ll need to last through the winter,” Renata said. Hope was still entranced by all the footage of life on the ranch. She liked how everyone worked together, and she was fascinated with the huge wind turbines they’d erected, the solar system on the bunkhouse roof, the lush gardens they’d grown in summer.

  And the herd of bison. That was Walker and Avery tending them, she realized, her heart leaping. And there was Curtis carrying a stack of lumber toward a half-built tiny house. He wasn’t wearing a shirt in the footage, and his muscled chest and shoulders were a sight to behold.

  But she’d seen that firsthand.

  She was so busy identifying all the people she’d met at Base Camp, she nearly missed what Renata said next.

  “…every 40 days without fail, and there must be three babies on the way—”

  “Wait, what was that?” Babies? Where did babies come in?

  Curtis shook his head but rewound the footage.

  “…all the food they’ll need to last through the winter,” Renata said again. “They must each marry before the year is up, one wedding every 40 days without fail, and there must be three babies on the way, or risk losing everything.”

  Curtis stopped the video and met her gaze. Hope stared at him.

  “That’s the part I needed you to see. Kai and Addison married thirty-nine days ago. It’s my turn next,” he said quietly.

  “Your turn.”

  He nodded, and her breath caught as she finally understood.

  “Your turn to marry—tomorrow?”

  “That’s right.”

  “But—who?” Suddenly cold, even though the room was quite warm, she looked around as if he might have had a woman with him this entire time. “Is she back at Base Camp?”

  “No. At least, she won’t be unless things don’t work out—”

  “What does that mean?” Had he been seeing someone else this whole time? While flirting with her? Sleeping with her? “Wait—you said you tried to marry someone right before I arrived. Michele. You said it was a business arrangement.”

  “That’s right, because the deadline was so close, but we broke it off and I kept looking. I don’t have much time, so Boone’s supposed to find me a backup bride, just in case.”

  “Backup?” She still didn’t understand. “You… made love to me, knowing you were going to marry another woman!”

  “You’re not listening.” He took a breath and got control of himself. “Hope, I slept with you because I want you to be the woman I marry! I told you that.”

  “I… thought you were joking!”

  “Guys… incoming,” Byron hissed suddenly.

  Hope swung around just as someone said, “Excuse me. Hope? Is that you?”

  Hope stared up at the newcomer, finally realizing who it had to be. She opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say. “Scott?” she managed weakly. Byron was still filming them, and she wished he would stop. She needed all of this to stop until she could catch up with what was happening.

  Curtis had to marry tomorrow. Boone had found him a bride.

  A backup bride. In case—

  What? In case she didn’t agree to marry a man she’d just met?

  “That’s right.” He held out his hand, and she forced herself to shake it, aware of Curtis’s gaze on her the whole time. “Is this a good time to talk?” Scott asked.

  “No—”

  “Yes,” Hope cut Curtis off. “This is the perfect time, Scott.” She stood up quickly, ignoring Curtis’s thunderous expression. She needed to get away from him. Needed to process everything he’d just said. How could he know after a day or two that he wanted to marry her? Or was that not important? After all, he had to marry someone. “Let’s find somewhere quiet.”

  Scott hesitated, then crooked his elbow, and she linked her arm with his, allowing him to lead her through the crowd. Byron trailed after her.

  “Hope—” Curtis called out, but she kept going, grateful when Scott pushed open the door and they emerged into a corridor.

  “Are you sure this is a good time? Sounds like that guy had something he wanted to say to you.” Scott was a stocky, athletic-looking man, an inch or two taller than her, with the weathered features of someone who spent all his time outside.

  “You didn’t interrupt anything,” she assured him. Just the shocker of a lifetime. The end to all her dreams. No one who needed to find a bride in a couple of days could be serious about her—or about marriage.

  Another thought overtook her, and she swallowed against the pressure building in her throat. Was his need for a wife the reason why Curtis agreed to help Raina get to her wedding? Had he thought Hope would be so grateful she’d throw herself into his arms—and marry him? Tomorrow?

  Byron was still filming, and she tried to swat him away, but he ducked.

  “Hope?” Scott repeated. “Ben said you had something you wanted to ask me?”

  “What? Oh.” She tried to corral her racing thoughts, but the truth of her situation was sinking in. She’d allowed herself to feel something for Curtis. She’d opened her heart a crack and let him in. She’d speculated there was a way for them to run a long-distance relationship.

  What a crock of shit.

  He’d been using her this whole time. All he cared about was Base Camp—

  “Hope?” Scott prompted her.

  “I… I want a job. Need a job,” she corrected herself. “In Yellowstone. It’s what I’ve always wanted.” Except for the past forty-eight hours she’d found herself wanting something more. A life that included a partner—now, not in ten years.

  A man like Curtis.

  “A ranger job?” Scott guessed.

  Hope nodded, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. Curtis wasn’t anything like she’d thought he was.

  “Do you have any qualifications?” Scott asked.

  This is what happened when you deviated from your plans, Hope thought. You lost your way. Havoc broke out. Things went wrong.

  Very wrong.

  And you were left with a heart split in two, the pain of it crumpling you to the floor—

  Except you couldn’t crumple to the floor. You had to go on. You had to smile. Nod. Answer questions.

  Especially when the questions were coming from a man who held the key to your future.

  A future that now felt more like a consolation prize than a long-held dream.

  She forced herself to tell Scott all about her qualifications, wondering how she was managing it. Who was this Hope who went on when everything inside her wanted to die? She’d trusted Curtis. Opened her heart to him. Why on earth had he held back such an important piece of information?

  And Raina… Had Raina known perfectly well what was going on?

  Why hadn’t she said anything?

  She remembered eleventh grade. Her joy when Liam had asked her to the prom out of the blue.

  Her pain when he didn’t show up.

  Raina had orchestrated all of that.

  Hope went cold. Was Raina behind this, too?

  “You sound like the perfect candidate to be a park ranger,” Scott said heartily.

  “That’s great,” Hope said. She’d been right all along. She needed to stick to the plan. Someday—maybe—she’d find love, but it wouldn’t be today.

  It wouldn’t be with Curtis.

  And maybe it was time to walk away from Raina, too.

  He had to leave. Now. Before he ruined Raina’s reception. Before Raina even realized anything had happened, because for all her pretended flightiness, Ra
ina cared for Hope deeply enough to derail the entire event to comfort her friend.

  Curtis knew without a doubt Hope would keep up appearances despite what had happened. She’d never breathe a word of her anger to her friend on her wedding day. Raina would be disappointed her matchmaking hadn’t taken hold, but she’d sail off on her honeymoon none the wiser about their disastrous conversation.

  What had he thought would happen when he confessed about his deadline? Had he thought Hope would jump into his arms, delighted at the opportunity to marry a stranger under duress?

  What woman would act like that?

  He had to let her go.

  Had to go home, suck it up and marry the woman Boone had chosen for him. Make sure his friends got their community.

  That was what was really important, wasn’t it? Giving back to the community? That’s why he’d joined Base Camp to begin with. He’d known when he pledged to marry that he was rolling the dice and that he’d have to confront his biggest fears to step up to the altar when the time came.

  He remembered what Hope had said only a night ago: he wanted to be brave, too. In this instance, that meant giving Hope the space she needed to live the life she’d always dreamed of.

  He’d had a dream, too, though. One he rarely told to anyone. A dream of creating a home. Having a family to serve and protect. Creating a place that was special.

  Base Camp was that place. He knew it in his bones, just as Hope knew Yellowstone was the place for her.

  This was one of those moments that hurt—

  But there were always moments that hurt.

  Part of being brave was knowing they would come, standing strong in the face of them, allowing them to happen—

  A vibration in his pocket jolted him out of his train of thought.

  His phone.

  It was Boone, and Curtis stepped away from the reception to answer it. His future was calling.

  His commitments were calling.

  His dreams and plans.

  He could stay here and mourn for the woman he was losing and by doing so destroy the dreams of all the men he’d sworn to build a new community with.

  Or he could answer the phone. Listen to Boone. Head home.