Hidden Away, page 23
part #2 of Hearts of Montana Series
They’d probably just caught him looking at porn.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. “I told you we’re keeping Sam. I’ll contact you when I have a court date.”
“There’s not going to be a court date,” she said. “You think because you’re a lawyer, and you have your so-called wealth and power that I’ll just bow down to whatever you say. But I won’t. Not this time. This time I have the law on my side. We would have been here sooner, but we stopped in at Judge Simmons’s house.”
Reed’s face paled. Everyone in the county knew the head judge John Simmons. And they knew him as one tough but fair judge.
Cherry took satisfaction in seeing Reed’s shocked face and stood up taller. “Judge Simmons and Taylor’s dad go way back, and he’s known Taylor since the day he was born. We told him about our situation, and he explained to us the laws of guardianship in the state of Montana. Stacy and Greg named me the guardian of Sam, period. That will hold up in court. You would have to prove that I was grossly negligent in order to even contest their will.”
“And you’re not going to do that,” Taylor said.
Reed’s lip curled into a sneer. “I sure as hell am going to do that. She has been grossly negligent. She wasn’t watching the kid and let him run away where he almost got mauled by a bear. I know the law, too. And she doesn’t have a leg to stand on. She’s completely unfit as a mother. She doesn’t have a home or an income to provide for him.”
“Yes, she does. She lives with me.”
“Don’t start that crap again. I already know that she and the boy spent last night at that fleabag motel on the edge of town. So don’t try to pull that over on me again.” He gestured at the gun on Taylor’s hip. “Besides, even if they were living with you, that wouldn’t help. I think we’ve already established that being around you puts them in contact with dangerous elements, like the recently released inmate that showed up armed at your house. The one that you shot.”
Taylor’s voice deepened. “Oh you mean Leroy Purvis? I stopped by the hospital to check on old Leroy, and he told me that his lawyer, Reed Hill, was the one who set him up by informing him that his ex-wife would be at my home.”
Reed’s face paled again. “He’s lying. I did no such thing.”
She pointed a finger at his chest. “No, Reed, you’re the one who’s lying. What were you thinking? Sending an unstable ex-con to our engagement party? It seems like there might be a few people that would frown on a person in your profession sending one of his own clients, that he knows to be dangerous, to the area where there’s a restraining order against him.”
“I would never do that. It’s his word against mine,” Reed stammered, but his conviction seemed to be waning.
“It doesn’t matter anyway, Reed,” she said. “We’re not going to use that information against you.”
“You’re not? I mean, why not?”
“Because we don’t need to,” Taylor said. “We just wanted you to know that we knew in case you got any ideas about coming after us again.”
“But I don’t think you will,” she said.
Reed narrowed his eyes at her. “Why not?”
Cherry took a deep breath. “Because I’m Sam’s biological mother. I had him when I was seventeen, and I let Stacy and Greg adopt him. We kept it a secret from the family. The only other person who knew was Grandma.”
A stunned look crossed Reed’s face, then his eyes cut to Taylor. “I suppose you’re that boy’s father.”
Taylor nodded. “And that boy’s name is Sam. Cherry and I just filed an acknowledgment of paternity with the state which creates an immediate presumption of paternity under the state law of Montana.”
“So, I’d say that about covers all of our bases,” she said with satisfaction. “And in case you’re wondering, Judge Simmons agrees with us.”
Reed sunk into his desk chair and sighed. His look of defeat told her that he’d given up. And that they’d won.
The door to the study opened.
Sam came running in and threw his arms around her waist. “Mom, you’re here. I knew you’d come for me.”
She hugged Sam tight. He grinned up at her then turned to Taylor. “Is Rex gonna be okay?”
Taylor laughed. “I see how it is. I rank right in there after the dog.”
Sam shrugged.
“Rex is going to be fine. I called Zack on the way to town, and he told me that he stitched him all up, and he’s going to be okay.”
“I knew it. I knew he’d be okay.” He turned to Cherry, a pitifully sad look in his eyes. “Does he have to go back to Sophie’s house when he gets better?”
Geez, did this kid know how to play her heartstrings or what?
“No, he’ll be coming home with us.”
“Yay. Yippee.” Sam danced around the room then threw his arms around her again. “I get to come home with you, too, though. Right?”
“Yes, of course. You’re coming home with Taylor and me tonight.” She pointed at her cousin. “Your Uncle Reed has decided that he wants you to have the dog and he wants you to stay with Taylor and me. He’s not going to try to take you away from us again.”
“I never said this was over,” Reed said begrudgingly.
“Yes, it is.” Olivia had been standing by the door.
She crossed the room and put a hand on her husband’s shoulder. “We’re through with this. Let them be, Reed. It’s what’s best for Sam, and it’s what Stacy would have wanted. Think about your sister for once. This would make her happy.”
Reed lowered his chin to his chest and waved them away. “Fine. Go on then. Go back to Broken Falls and live happily ever after. This whole thing just exhausts me, and I’m done trying to be the good guy in all of this nonsense.”
What?
When had he ever been the good guy in any of this?
But she kept her mouth shut and looked at Taylor, trying her hardest to keep her eyes from rolling.
They exchanged a silent look of understanding, and she reached for Sam’s hand. “Right. Well, we’re gonna take off then. We’ll show ourselves out.” She crossed the room, and Taylor followed.
He stopped at the door of the study and turned back to Reed, a steely glare in his eyes. “And just so we’re clear, Mr. Hill—Cherry and Sam are my family now. And if you ever threaten or lay a hand on either of them again, I will not hesitate to arrest you. Or worse. Are we clear?”
“Yeah, yeah.” Reed used the sulking voice of a child. “I told you I’m done. Just go home.”
Home.
He didn’t have to ask her twice. They hurried out of the house and to the car. Although Taylor’s words made her warm and fuzzy inside, all she wanted to do was get out of this place and go home. Back to the ranch. Back to the life they were meant to have. Back into Taylor’s arms. And Taylor’s bed.
Yeah, she couldn’t wait to get back there.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Cherry looked through the lace veil and up the aisle of the small church.
Taylor stood at the altar, a broad grin on his face. He looked out-of-control handsome in his white tux and dress cowboy boots.
How could this be happening? Could she really be getting everything she ever dreamed of?
After all these years, could she really be about to marry Taylor Johnson?
The last two weeks had been a crazy whirlwind of activity with planning the wedding and the final renovations happening to get the diner ready to reopen.
Cherry and Sam had officially moved in at the ranch, and she’d enrolled Sam in school at Broken Falls elementary.
So many changes were happening, but all of them good.
Knowing she wanted more time with Sam, Cherry promoted Stan to manager, and he was going to move into the apartment above the diner.
Most of her old things had been destroyed in the fire, and they had basically gutted the little apartment and started over, using the insurance money to re-drywall, paint, and lay new carpet.
They’d filled the bed of Taylor’s pickup with the smoke-damaged furniture and hauled it to the dump. As she cleared out the apartment, Cherry felt like she was tossing out all the old baggage of her life and getting a clean slate.
A fresh start without all the history weighing them down.
She and Taylor were different people than they’d been in high school. They’d grown and changed, but the underlying current of love that they had for each other remained the same.
Taylor had proven that it didn’t matter how bad things got, he was in this thing for the long haul.
And she had learned to trust him, to stand up for herself, and to believe in herself that she could be a great mom for Sam.
She no longer saw herself in the role of the single girl who got left behind in a nothing town.
Instead she saw her life as leading up to this moment.
This moment where she saw herself as a valued member of a community, a business owner, a mom, and a wife that was cherished and adored.
She had friends and a new family, including Taylor’s dad, who had always treated her like his own daughter. He’d actually teared up a little when she had asked him to be the one to walk her down the aisle.
Now they stood together at the back of the church, the music leading up to the moment that she would begin her new life, her new journey, as she walked down the aisle and into the arms of the man she loved.
Russ looked down at her and smiled. “You ready?”
“Absolutely.” She looped her arm through his and took a deep breath.
This was it.
Sam fidgeted in front of her. He looked adorable in a small white tuxedo. She’d combed his blond hair down, but a small cowlick still stuck up in back.
He was the official ring bearer, and they had given him a satin pillow in the shape of a heart to carry down the aisle. Cherry watched as he took hold of the ribbons of the pillow and swung the pillow in a circle.
“Sam, stop it.” She laughed as she tapped him gently on the head. Thank goodness they hadn’t put the actual rings on the pillow.
She looked up to see Taylor grinning at Sam.
At their son.
Today would make it all official.
She was marrying the man of her dreams, and she and Sam were both taking Taylor’s name.
They would be a real family.
“You ready?” Charlie whispered to her. She looked gorgeous in the soft pink bridesmaid dress. “Don’t our men look handsome?”
Taylor had asked Zack to be his best man and Cash to stand up with him as well. They stood at the front of the church, the groomsmen wearing tuxes in light gray with pink accents.
Cherry had scrambled for another bridesmaid to even out the wedding party and realized that besides Charlie, her closest friend was Stan.
He’d grinned and given her a trademark “Totally” when she’d asked him to be a ‘brides-man’ instead of a bridesmaid.
She didn’t ask him to hold flowers. She just wanted him to stand up with her, on her side, as her friend.
Stan wore white linen slacks and a pink button-down shirt, and his grin couldn’t have been prouder as he strolled down the aisle leading the procession of him, Charlie, and Sam.
The wedding march began, and she walked down the aisle toward Taylor.
The walk took forever.
All she wanted to do was take off her high heels and race down the aisle. Run into his arms and stay there forever.
But she didn’t. She walked slowly forward, savoring each step, each moment, because something the past few months had taught her was that sometimes she needed to slow down and just enjoy the journey.
That things didn’t always happen right when you think they will or when you want them to. Sometimes the best things take time and have hard lessons along the way.
But that’s what makes them the best.
The anticipation of the moment finally happened, and she stood in front of Taylor.
Russ lifted her veil back, kissed her sweetly on the cheek, and placed her hand into his son’s.
Taylor linked his fingers with hers and smiled down at her. “I love you,” he whispered.
A huge grin spread across her face. “I love you, too.”
She couldn’t be happier.
She and Taylor had both kept their hearts hidden away, their feelings for each other buried, letting the years pass until they could be together again.
But now the secrets of the past had all been revealed, and the future gleamed bright before them.
He squeezed her hand and grinned down at her, a look of love shining brightly in his eyes. “Ready to marry me?”
She peered down at Sam, at the little boy whose eyes looked just like his father’s. She glanced out at the people in the church, their community, friends who cared about them.
Sophie sat in the front row and held Rex on her lap. She’d made him a pink bow-tie and bedazzled silver gems onto the edges.
This was her life now. Her big, beautiful, messy life.
And she couldn’t wait to start it.
She looked up at Taylor, trying to convey all the love she felt for him in her eyes. “Yes, you bet your hamhocks I’m ready. I can’t wait to be your wife.”
Taylor laughed and slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her close and turning them toward the front of the church.
“Dearly Beloved…” the minister began.
And with those words, so did their new life.
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Acknowledgments
My thanks always goes first to my husband, Todd, the one who supports me and believes in me. The one who listens to freshly written chapters, and to my new plot ideas, and to all the latest in industry news. I love and adore you. Thanks for taking this and all journeys with me.
Thanks to my sons, Tyler and Nick, for your love and support. You guys make it all worth it.
Thanks so much to my amazing editor, Allison Collins for your hard work and dedication to making this book happen. And thanks to the whole crew at Entangled Publishing for giving your valuable time and energy to publish this book.
My thanks goes out to Michelle Major, Lana Williams, Anne Eliot, and Cindi Madsen for your critique help, your honest feedback, and your steadfast friendship.
Special thanks goes out to Candace Havens and Kristin Miller for helping me plot this story in Vegas. And thank you Todd for buying us pizza since we missed lunch to plot. Kristin- your friendship and plotting help is invaluable.
I am so fortunate to have the friendship and support of amazing writers, and I can’t express enough gratitude to the Colorado Indie Author Group and the Colorado Indies.
My biggest thanks goes out to my readers! Thanks for loving my stories and my characters and for asking for more. I can’t wait to share my next story with you.
About the Author
Jennie Marts loves to make readers laugh as she weaves stories filled with love, friendship and intrigue. Jennie writes for Entangled Publishing in both the Select line and Lovestruck, the newest line of romantic comedies. She’s also the author of the romantic comedy/cozy mystery Page Turners series, which includes: Another Saturday Night and I Ain’t Got No Body, Easy Like Sunday Mourning, Just Another Maniac Monday, and Tangled Up in Tuesday.
She is living her own happily-ever-after in the mountains of Colorado with her husband, two sons, and two dogs whose antics often find a way into her books.
She is addicted to Diet Coke, adores Cheetos, and believes you can’t have too many books, shoes or friends.
Jennie loves to hear from readers. Follow her on Facebook at Jennie Marts Books, Twitter at @JennieMarts, or Goodreads.
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