His Hometown Cowgirl (18 page)

"I mean it," Austin said with a grin, but the
grin quickly faded. "Seriously, you've loved Pete for most of your
life. And I think he was waiting for you to grow up, because he's
loved you for a long time, but you were too young for him to do
anything about it."

Pete's chest tightened as the revelation hit
home. "I think your father might be on to something there,
Kels."

"Really?" Her arms definitely hugged him
harder, and her face was very close to his. He could feel her warm
breath mingle with his own. He was going to die if he couldn't kiss
her soon.

Austin cleared his throat again. "I'll just
leave you two lovebirds alone. Kels, I'm going to ride your horse
back to the stable. We'll catch up tomorrow. Pete, don't keep my
daughter out in this weather too long. It's colder than a
well-digger's ass out here."

"Dad!"
Kelsey buried her nose in
Pete's shoulder. He smiled and kissed the top of her head.

Austin shook his head. "
What?
Oh, all
right. I'm out of here." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek
before walking over to the horse and unhitching the reins from the
tree branch.

They watched as her father mounted Jasmine
and headed back to Farmtime Trails with Ranger running alongside
him. When the three of them were out of sight, Kelsey turned her
gaze to the man holding her in his arms and looking at her like she
was the most precious thing in the whole world. "Were you really
waiting for me to grow up?" she asked.

Pete kissed her forehead. "I guess I was. It
would certainly explain why I could never commit myself to any of
the women I dated over the years, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, but what if Chris hadn't died?" she
asked softly. "Even though I loved you, I wasn't
in
love
with you. I loved Chris and fully intended to marry him."

"I know, honey. I would have survived. I
didn't know I was in love with you, either. I only realized it
recently. Very recently."

"Me, too." She leaned closer until their lips
were only millimeters apart. "I love you, Pete Lafferty. I love you
so much, it scares me."

"Oh God, Kels, I love you, too. You don't
know how scared I was when I saw the dugout had collapsed with you
trapped inside." He hugged her closer and kissed her like he'd been
dying to do ever since she'd been pulled from the wreckage. She
felt so good, so warm, so vital and alive. He wanted to spend the
rest of their lives together.

"I want to marry you, Kels. The sooner, the
better."

"Oh yes, Pete. The sooner, the better." She
smiled that Kelsey-smile he loved so much, then she kissed him hard
and long.

When they came up for air, Kelsey shivered.
"Brrr . . . Dad was right. It's
cold
out here."

"We need to get you out of this wind." Pete
headed to the chopper. "How bad is your leg, honey? I can fly you
to the hospital in Abilene, if you need me to."

"I don't think that's necessary." She leaned
her head on his shoulder and snuggled close. "I'm sure Uncle Cam
can fix me up."

"Okay, then. I'll just fly us straight back
to the airstrip. Cameron shouldn't mind making a special house call
for his favorite oldest niece, right?"

Kelsey lifted her leg a little. "It could
probably wait until tomorrow, then I could go to the clinic in
town."

"I don't think so." Pete opened the
helicopter door and gently set Kelsey onto the passenger seat.
"That was a pretty dangerous situation you just survived. I'll rest
easier knowing nothing's seriously wrong with your leg. I'm sure
you father feels the same."

Kelsey grabbed the edge of his jacket and
pulled him close for a quick kiss. "You and my dad certainly got
chummy all of a sudden. If I didn't know better, I could almost
feel like you two were ganging up on me."

Pete helped buckled her in and gazed into her
eyes. "We both love you, Kels. And you heard him. He entrusted you
to my care."

"Oh good grief. You're not going all
Neanderthal male on me, are you? I'll tell you right now, buster,"
she poked his chest with her finger, "I can take care of myself,
thank you very much."

Pete grinned. "Of course, you can. But a
man's gotta do, what a man's gotta do. And I fully intend to help
you take care of yourself. So there."

In the small white church in Salt Fork,
Texas, the organist began playing the "Wedding March." The familiar
melody echoed in and around the old oak pews and up into the
rafters and beams. The congregation stood and turned toward the
back of the church where Kelsey waited with her father, ready to
walk down the aisle toward her husband-to-be and their future
together.

Pete stood at the front of the church, tall
and proud in his black tuxedo, a smile on his handsome face.
Kelsey's heart fluttered when his brown eyes caught hers,
mesmerizing her, inviting her to share the feeling of joy and
happiness their union promised.

Austin patted her hand, which lay resting on
his forearm. "That's our cue, hotshot. Are you ready?"

Kelsey smiled at her father through the fine
silk tulle of her wedding veil. "Hotshot" had been his pet name for
her when she'd been a child. Her dad had been the best. He was
still
the best.

"I'm ready." She inhaled a deep breath and
hoped to God she could make it down the aisle without tripping in
her satin slippers. She rarely wore heels; boots being her
preferred choice of foot wear. But she'd practiced in her slippers
for an hour or more with the twins, so she should be good to
go.

As Austin led her up the aisle towards Pete,
the minister, and the rest of the wedding party, Kelsey's gaze
swept over the congregation. So many friends and family had come to
celebrate the wedding. Her heart overflowed from the love and
support emanating from the crowd in the little church.

She remembered another time and another
wedding she'd been a part of, the one where she'd played
matchmaker, the one she'd helped orchestrate. At twelve years old,
Kelsey had seen the complications her father and Theresa had
endured during their courtship when they'd been falling in
love.

While standing in front of this very church
at her dad and teacher's wedding, she'd vowed to herself then and
there that when her time came to fall in love, it would be
oh
so
simple. She'd meet a man, they'd both instantly fall in
love, then they'd get married. No problem. No big deal, right?

Smiling at her younger self, Kelsey thought
how very complicated her life had been the last couple of years.
She'd believed she was going to marry Chris and live with him
happily-ever-after, but it wasn't meant to be. A small corner of
her heart still ached a little, but that was okay. Chris would
always hold a special place in her heart for as long as she
lived.

Kelsey took another deep breath, lifted her
chin and focused on the man she was marrying today. The man she'd
had a crush on for most of her life. The man she now loved with all
her heart, body and soul.

The events leading up to this moment had been
rife with problems and complications. Their journey had been
anything but simple. It had taken a while, but Kelsey had learned a
very important lesson: Sometimes, you can't choose who you're going
to fall in love with. Sometimes, love just happened, no matter
whether you wanted it to or not.

****

As Pete stood near the minister, he watched
Kelsey and her father's slow, measured steps toward the front of
the church. His breath shuddered in his lungs when he saw how
beautiful his bride looked dressed in her white wedding gown. Her
lacy veil accentuated her long golden hair that tumbled down around
her bared creamy shoulders. A violent rush of desire pulsated
through him when she locked her sapphire blue eyes on his as she
made her way towards him.

When father and daughter stopped before the
minister and bridal party, and the last notes of the music faded
away, everyone resumed their seats, and the ceremony began.

"Who gives this woman in marriage?" the
minister asked.

"I do." Austin lifted Kelsey's veil and
kissed her on the forehead. He took her hand and placed it in
Pete's. "I know you'll take care of her, son. If you don't, I'll
make you sorry you were ever born."

"Dad!"

"Okay, okay," Austin said. "Just keep that in
mind."

"I'll take good care of her, sir. Don't you
worry."

"You do that." Austin kissed his daughter one
more time before taking his seat in the front pew next to his
wife.

"Sorry about that," Kelsey whispered, her
cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

Pete squeezed her hand, and she offered him a
lovely smile. Kelsey's smiles were like gifts. Each one was very
special.

The minister cleared his throat. "Dearly
beloved, we are gathered here today to unite this man and this
woman . . ."

The familiar words of the ceremony faded
softly into the background as Pete stood there next to his bride.
He still couldn't believe he was marrying little Kelsey McCade.

A strong sense of pride and possessiveness
flowed through his system. Joy and happiness, peace and
contentment, excitement and anticipation. So many emotions swirling
around inside, it almost made him dizzy.

For so long, he'd believed himself incapable
of falling in love, settling down and committing to one woman. He'd
thought something was fundamentally wrong with him.

Now he knew the reason for his reluctance to
engage in long-term relationships. He'd been waiting for his
hometown cowgirl to grow up.

Yes, Kelsey McCade had finally grown up, and
she was his. Now and forever.

###

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****

THE MEN OF THE DIAMONDBACK RANCH

by Anne Marie Novark

The McCades. Four brothers whose love for
the land is engrained in their souls. Four rugged Texans who live
and breathe for the women in their lives. Four heroes who will
steal your heart.

Cameron McCade

Book One: The Doctor Wears A Stetson

Jessie Kincaid was fifteen and innocent when
Cameron asked her to the prom. She lost her heart that night, but
his plans didn't change. He left their small town to pursue his
dreams.

Seventeen years later, a trip home leads
Cameron McCade back to Salt Fork, Texas, and the newly widowed
Jessie Devine. Since his return, the fire between them burns as hot
as ever. Can they take up where they left off? Can Jessie risk her
heart again?

Dallas McCade

Book Two: The Cowboy's Surrender

Copper River Oil Company is drilling for oil
on the Diamondback Ranch. Dallas McCade can't do a thing to stop
them, because he doesn't own the mineral rights. To add insult to
injury, they've sent a woman to oversee the operation. Dallas has
good reason to distrust women. As soon as he sets eyes on Gillian
Bankston, he loses his temper . . . and his control. That makes him
spitting mad and frustrated as hell.

Gillian has never met a man quite like
Dallas. He's rough around the edges, but his kisses are hot enough
to ignite a West Texas wildfire. Gillian's been burned before and
wants nothing to do with love . . . or lust. Battle lines are drawn
and it's war between the sexes. Will they surrender to the powerful
attraction neither can deny? Who will be the first to wave the
white flag?

Austin McCade

Book Three: A Match Made In Texas

When Austin McCade’s wife dies, a vital part
of him dies, too. The sexy single dad devotes himself to his
motherless daughter and his work on the Diamondback Ranch. For
twelve years, he ignores life and women . . . until a new pretty
schoolteacher moves to town.

From the moment Theresa Rogers arrives in
Salt Fork, Texas, people warn her about the lonely widower. He’s a
hopeless case, a lost cause. But Theresa sees beneath the crusty
exterior of the man to the deep emotions and his enduring loyalty.
Can she pierce the impenetrable wall surrounding his broken heart?
Will she be able to vanquish the ghost who keeps him from loving
again?

Tyler McCade

Book Four: Lone Star Heartbreaker

Tyler McCade is the youngest McCade brother
in Salt Fork, Texas, and the biggest heartbreaker of them all. Or
he was--until a plane crash wrecks his body and sends his
crop-dusting company into a tailspin. Needing time to heal and form
a new business plan, he retreats to the Diamondback Ranch, where he
spends too much time alone and tormented over the possibility that
the accident might have been his fault.

Caitlyn Ross lives to fly planes. Accepting
the job as pilot for Lone Star Wings seems like a dream come true.
But when she packs up everything she owns and finds herself working
for the brooding Tyler McCade, her defenses go on high alert. The
sexual tension sizzles, but does she have what it takes to help him
heal? And is she even brave enough to try?

And their sister:

Tori McCade

Book Five: The Cowgirl's Secret

An Independent Young Woman

Tori McCade is bound and determined to earn
her degree and return home to practice veterinary medicine in Salt
Fork, Texas. Nothing and no one can stop her, not even the hottest
man she's ever met in her life.

A man who knows what he wants