Wilde Ride (Love is a Cowboy Book 2), page 27
When I walked in, I came to an abrupt halt.
My eyes scanned the kitchen…and the numerous bouquets of red roses that covered nearly every single surface.
Rhett stood on top of the island, holding one single white rose, as Levi stood behind him.
“What’s all this?” I asked as I approached the island. “When did you do this?”
“I got up earlier and snuck down while you were sleeping,” Levi replied.
Rhett handed me the flower. “I love you, Em.”
My vision instantly blurred with tears as I took the rose. “Oh, Rhett, I love you too!”
He knelt and reached to hug me. Wrapping him in my arms, I started to cry.
I picked him up off the island and held him in my arms. “You have no idea how much I love you, little man.”
He drew back and looked at me. “To the moon and back?”
“And more!”
Rhett smiled and hugged me again, tighter this time. My heart melted, and I was overcome with so much love for him. I’d never in a thousand years thought I could love like this. It was the most amazing feeling I’d ever experienced.
When I set him down on a barstool, I shifted my gaze to Levi—and drew in a sharp breath.
He was kneeling on one knee, holding an open jewelry box.
My hands slowly came up to my mouth while I stared at the most beautiful ring I’d ever laid eyes on. When I looked at Levi, I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
“Emeline, these last months with you have been some of the most amazing moments of my life. I never in a million years dreamed I’d find someone who makes my heart feel whole the way it does with you. Our future is in your eyes. I’m the luckiest man in the world that I get to be yours every single day. This love we share is something you find once in a lifetime.”
I felt tears roll down my cheeks and quickly wiped them away.
“Em, your heart is my whole universe. I want to be your last kiss for the rest of our lives. Will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
Dropping to my knees, I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him. Drawing back, a half-laugh, half-sob escaped. “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you!”
Rhett ran over and joined in on the hugging.
“Put the ring on, Daddy! Put the ring on!”
Levi and I both laughed as he took my hand in his and slid the most beautiful ring ever onto my finger. It was a cornflower-blue stone flanked by two white diamonds. The setting looked antique in appearance.
I stared at the ring, then at Levi. “Is this a sapphire?”
He smiled. “You mentioned once that you loved them, and when I saw it, it reminded me of your eyes.”
“How did you know I liked princess-cut stones?”
Levi blushed. “I overheard you telling Lilibeth that the princess cut was your favorite. It’s a Sri Lankan sapphire set in an antique platinum band. The diamonds are original to the band, but I had them replace the main stone with the sapphire.”
I slowly shook my head. “Levi, it’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen.”
He smiled and placed his hand on the side of my face. “Now, the next big question. When can we get married?”
“Today!” Rhett shouted.
I laughed and looked at the two most important men in my life. “Should we elope?”
Levi drew back in surprise. “You don’t want a big wedding?”
Shaking my head, I said, “Levi, I have been in love with you since I was fourteen. I’d marry you in the county courthouse today if I thought we could get someone to meet us there.”
Taking my hand in his, we finally stood up. A wicked smile appeared on Levi’s face. “I hear Lake Tahoe is beautiful this time of year.”
“What about the Thanksgiving food?” I asked.
“I was never actually going to cook. I just wanted you here so I could ask you. Your mother and father are expecting us over there for Thanksgiving dinner.”
My eyes went wide. “That’s why you wouldn’t let me in the kitchen last night! My parents knew you were going to ask me to marry you?”
“Of course they did,” Levi said. “I asked their permission. After I asked Caden first.”
A warm sensation flooded my entire body. “You did?”
He drew me to him and kissed my forehead. “I did.”
Chewing on my lip, I made the quickest decision I’d ever made in my entire life. Glancing down at Rhett, I asked, “How fast can you pack a bag, Rhett?”
He jumped in excitement! “Super-fast, if you help me!”
Focusing back on Levi, I let out a laugh. “Are we really going to do this?”
He winked. “I’m down if you are!”
“Let’s go to Tahoe!”
“Wait! What about turkey and pie?” Rhett asked.
“Let’s go to Tahoe after Thanksgiving!” I called out as Rhett jumped and cheered.
Levi
Two Months Later
I knocked on the partially open door and peeked my head in. Emeline looked up and smiled as Moose made his way over to say hi. She stood and made her way quickly to me.
“You’re early!” she said, lifting onto her toes for a kiss.
“I had the schedule cleared this afternoon.”
She looked surprised and happy at the same time before a look of worry crossed her face.
I kissed her again and held her to me for a few moments before letting her go. When she chewed nervously on her lower lip, I reached down and pulled it free. “Don’t worry.”
“I can’t help it. I’m nervous, excited, and scared.”
Moose whined, clearly picking up how Emeline was feeling. I reached down and scratched between his ears.
“Did you tell anyone else?”
She shook her head. “I want this to be just for the two of us.”
I smiled. “Are you ready to go now?”
Emeline nodded, walked back to her desk, slipped her phone into the back pocket of her jeans, then grabbed her jacket and hat.
“Who are we taking?” I asked.
“I thought Starlight and Comet.”
Laughing, I replied, “I think that’s a great idea. They were there for the first ‘I love you,’ after all.”
She winked, and my chest filled with warmth.
We worked in silence as we saddled up both horses, then rode to the same spot where I’d first told Emeline I loved her. Moose would wander off the trail for a bit then suddenly appear again. He was never far from Emeline.
Starlight and Comet had become the best of friends since that initial ride. Where one was, the other was never far away.
Getting off the horses, we let them roam as we climbed the rest of the trail and stopped at the top. The view was just as beautiful as the first time I’d seen it. Snow covered the mountains that surrounded us, and you could see the river down below. Parts of it were frozen over. The January day was warmer than usual, which I was glad for.
Emeline faced me. “Okay. I’m ready if you are?”
I nodded. “I’m ready.”
“You go wait at the boulder.”
I laughed. “You don’t want me seeing you do it?”
She shrugged. “I might not be able to do it at all if you’re watching.”
Holding up my hands, I replied, “Fair enough. You’re going to be freezing, though.”
Winking, she replied, “Only for a few seconds.”
I kissed her before I made my way to the boulder, Moose at my heels. I wiped off the snow and sat down.
About a minute later, Emeline joined me. She sat next to me and slid her gloves back on. We sat in silence, steam coming from both of us as we breathed.
Wrapping my arm around her, I smiled as she lay her head on my shoulder and said, “It’s so beautiful up here.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“Have you ever seen the spot where my mother and father got married?”
I nodded. “Gosh, years ago, when I was much younger. Caden showed me, said that was where he was going to get married.”
Emeline sighed. “That’s where he asked Rachel to marry him. That bitch.”
Chuckling, I kissed her head. “Is it ready?”
Sitting back up, she pulled off her glove and reached into her pocket. Moose stood and we both laughed.
I shook my head and said, “I think he’s ready too.”
She held the test out in front of us, and we both looked at the same time.
“Oh my God,” Emeline whispered.
I jumped off the boulder and pulled her to me. Wrapping her in my arms, I spun her around as she laughed and cried. Moose started barking, joining in on the celebration.
When I stopped, I put her down and cupped her cheeks in my hands. Her big blue eyes stared at me as tears streamed down her face.
“We’re having a baby,” she said softly with a grin on her beautiful face.
I nodded. “We’re having a baby.”
She laughed with pure joy. “Levi, we’re going to have an instant family. Four kids! Two dogs and two cats.”
I smiled. After talking to our families, Emeline and I had decided to adopt Katie and Jimmy Mills before we even knew this pregnancy was a possibility.
“Don’t forget all the horses.”
Another bubble of laughter slipped free as she wiped her tears away.
“I love you, Emeline Tucker. So very much.”
“I love you too.”
Kissing me, she wrapped her arms around my neck. When we inched apart, I grew serious.
“One request.”
“Anything,” she replied.
“No naming our child after stars.”
She tossed her head back and laughed. “Deal!”
If you liked Wilde Ride….
You would love my Cowboys and Angels series. Here is a sneak peek at Lost Love, book one. It is a single dad, second chance romance.
CHAPTER ONE
“Is this it, Daddy?”
Glancing down to the beautiful, blonde hair and blue-eyed girl in the front seat, I nodded. “This is it, pumpkin.”
Her smile grew bigger. “I can’t wait to see everyone! Do you think they’ll be excited to see me?”
My chest tightened. “Of course, they will, Chloe. They’re family.”
Chloe frowned. “Mommy was never happy to see me.”
That’s because your mommy was a fucking bitch.
I’d met Kim, Chloe’s mother and the first woman I’d dated since Paxton, toward the end of my senior year of college.
“Mommy had problems. Loving herself was hard, pumpkin, so it made it even harder for her to love anyone else.”
Chloe nodded. Like she always did when I told her the same answer about her worthless mother.
When both of Kim’s parents died, she fell into a serious funk. The only way I knew how to pull her out of it was ask her to marry me. It was stupid. I was stupid. When I realized I had made a huge mistake, she begged me not to leave. The night I told her I wanted a divorce she told me she was pregnant. Nine months later Chloe arrived and Kim turned into a completely different person. Her thirst for my family’s money was the only thing that drove her to stay in the marriage. For some insane reason, she thought she could get her hands on my parents’ wealth through me. It took years of fighting, keeping visits with my family a secret.
Finally, I played off a lie that my parents had disowned me. Kim gave up and divorced me. I’d asked her for a divorce so many times her hate for me grew after each attempt, making my life, and unfortunately Chloe’s, miserable.
“Daddy, am I a bad girl if I don’t miss Mommy?” Chloe asked, staring at her little feet.
I took her hand in mine.
“No, pumpkin. I don’t miss her, either. I wish we could have come to Texas a long time ago, and I’m sorry I wasn’t able to make it happen sooner.”
She smiled. “We’re here now! And I know I’m gonna love it! It’s our new home.”
“It’s always been home.”
Home.
The one place I longed to be, but was also scared to death of. Memories of this place were dangerously strong, but Chloe and I needed family. She needed a sense of normal after five years of utter crazy. And I needed to right a wrong that was long overdue.
Paxton.
I wasn’t even sure she still lived in town. For all I knew she was married to Joe asshole Miller. I pushed the thought from my mind.
“Let’s go see Granddaddy and Grammy,” I said.
Chloe fist pumped. “Yes! I’m so excited. Can I ride a horse?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“What about a cow?”
“If you want.”
Her eyes lit up as the gate swung open. “Really? I can ride a cow?”
Laughing, I nodded.
“Does Granddaddy have goats?”
“Yep.”
Chloe’s head dropped back in the seat. “I’m so happy, Daddy!”
I’d told Chloe stories about how I grew up on a cattle ranch with my six brothers and sisters. Each night when she went to bed, she’d ask for a story, especially if she was able to talk to my parents over Skype that evening. It had been hard keeping her from everyone. The memories of Paxton kept me from returning to Texas for the first four years after I left and then the nightmare called Kim was the next roadblock. But that was the past. I was looking to the future not only for me, but for Chloe.
“Is Texas like Oregon, Daddy?”
“No, baby. It’s a lot hotter and it doesn’t rain so much.”
She smiled. “More time to play outside! With my new goat!”
I chuckled. My father had told Chloe over Skype a few days back that he was going to buy her a pet goat. She had the name picked out already. Patches.
We drove down the drive, and Chloe took it all in. “Where’s the house?”
“Your grandparents own a lot of land, pumpkin. The house is pretty far back.”
With a nod, she turned and stared out the window. A little girl shriek came from her lips. “Cows! Daddy, look at all the cows!”
Even though I was queasy from the idea of being back home and the chance of running into Paxton, I was glad to see Chloe’s excitement. She was finally going to understand what normal was.
She gasped. “Is that our new house?”
I braked and stared at the house I’d grown up in. So many memories. All of them good. I couldn’t think of one bad memory I had growing up here on the ranch. Maybe Tripp putting that scorpion in my bed. Or Cord dropping the bale of hay on my head. I smiled. Yeah. That was what I wanted for my daughter. To grow up with family in the greatest place on Earth.
My parents’ ranch.
The two-story, sandstone house sat among live oak and pecan trees. Throw in a few magnolia trees my father had planted for my mother and it was the perfect setting. It wasn’t a small house, by any means. Over ten-thousand square feet.
“That’s the main house, pumpkin. We’re going to be living in the guesthouse.”
She studied me and I couldn’t help but be left breathless by the sight of my own daughter. Those bright blue eyes held so much hope in them. “How many houses do Granddaddy and Grammy have?” she asked, her blonde pony swinging as her head tilted in confusion.
Chuckling, I said, “One main house, two ranch hand houses, and two guest houses.”
Her eyes widened. “Wow.”
“Yeah, wow.”
“How many bedrooms does this house have?”
I laughed. “Ten.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “That’s a lot of places to play hide and seek.”
“It sure is, pumpkin.”
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The Moose Village Series
This Moment
This Feeling
This Memory
This Heart
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Kelly Elliott is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author. Since finishing her bestelling Wanted series, Kelly has continued to spread her wings while remaining true to her roots with stories of hot men, strong women, and beautiful surroundings. Her bestselling works included Wanted, Broken, Without You, and Lost Love. Elliott has been passionate about writing since she was fifteen. After years of filling journals with stories, she finally followed her dream and published her first novel, Wanted, in November 2012.
Elliott lives in Central Texas with her husband, daughter, and two pups. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading and spending time with her family. She is down to earth and very in touch with her readers, both on social media and at signings. To learn more about Kelly and her books, you can find her through her website, www.kellyelliottauthor.com.
Kelly Elliott, Wilde Ride (Love is a Cowboy Book 2)
