Sorrows and Lace (17 page)

Authors: Bonnie R. Paulson,Brilee Editing

Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Romance, #Contemporary, #Western, #Westerns

BOOK: Sorrows and Lace

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How could he walk away from something that he’d bled heart and soul for?

Looking out the window past her shoulder, he searched the swaying grass and further to the background of dark mountains and deep-blue sky.

Kelsey or the land… it was like his parents
standing in front of him all over again.

Chapter 20

Kelsey bit the inside of her cheek.
Oh, please, Ronan for once pick me!
She longed to throw the biggest tantrum ever and cling to him. Hopefully he didn’t see her like she saw herself – as a drunk and trouble-maker. She needed the chance to change, become the Kelsey she was hiding from, to live again.

If
Ronan could let her go again, he’d never love her. Not the way she wanted. Not the way she was starting to see that she deserved. He had to choose
her
.

Oh, please.

Ronan finally returned his gaze to her face and she held in her sob.

Unreadable, his expression could have been one of many at the poker tables she’d dealt in her dad’s casino. He reached for her hand, and she watched as he cradled it in both of his.

He ducked his head, to draw her gaze back to his face.
She braced herself for the final letdown, the moment when he tore out her heart and kicked with his cowboy boots.

He started out soft, the way she would if she were breaking something easy to someone.
“Kelsey, I already made that mistake. I won’t make it again. I could love you more, better, bigger, than before. You’re mine. You’ve
always
been mine.” He wiped her cheeks, the soft callus on his thumb tender under her eyes.

Where was the letdown? Was he building up to it? Giving her hope just so he could demolish her soul?

Tears filled his own gaze and his lips drew taut before he continued. “If I’d had the backbone with my parents to keep you, you never would’ve had to face what you went through. That’s on me.”

Bringing her history with Sonny snapped her from her delusion that he didn’t care.
Kelsey tried to shake her head to deny his words. The truth was, he hadn’t been to blame for Sonny. Her insecurities had ruled her most of her life.

Either way, s
he’d married Sonny. Not Ronan. No one had held a gun to her head until after the wedding. She opened her mouth to counter his act to take on the blame.

But Ronan pressed his thumbs to her lips and whispered. “Let me finish.”

She stopped fighting to speak and waited for the rest of his words. She needed his strength and confidence.

And love.

“I’ll make it up to you. I’ll give you children. I’m not worried about your miscarriages. I feel bad that they happened, but I
know
you can get pregnant. If I have to roll you around in a bed-on-wheels to keep you and our babies safe, I will. I will never raise a hand to you. And I’ll never make you feel like you’re less than anything else in my life.” He smiled, smooth and easy. “Let’s push the marriage out. I’m good with that. But you’re staying here with me while we plan. We can stay on the land until Robbie asks me to leave, but in that time frame we can find a house and land that will make you happy. Anything you want.”

He’d said yes? Ronan had chosen her over Lacey Caverns? His home? Everything he’d ever known was on that large stretch of land and he’d just given it all up in a short, quick breath. No regret in his tone. No sorrow at the prospect.

Really, truly, Ronan had picked her. She covered her mouth with a palm, eyes wide. He’d chosen her. Her!

A laugh broke through her tears, and she gasped. “No. I
’m sorry. I can’t marry you in two months.” She drew in a ragged breath. Oh, the things he did to her.

Worry spread over his face, erasing his joy. “What do you mean? You just said you would.”

She wrapped her fingers around his forearm. “No. I wanted you to pick me over the land. I didn’t think you would. But you did.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek. Warmth filled her chest and spread to her limbs. “As soon as your divorce is final, I want to marry you.” She pulled back and stared at his face. He loved her… even promised her
more
. Like there could be more!

E
lation sent tremors coursing through her.

But then shock settled in.
She clasped at her throat. “Oh my word, Ronan. We’re going to be married!” How had so much happened in such a short amount of time?

He’d rescued her
and then gave her everything she’d ever wanted.

“It’s about time.” He pushed her hair back from her face and lowered his lips to hers.
They’d had enough sorrows in their lives.

As if they’d never left each other, their bodies melded together, separated by thin material and the realization that they’d have the rest of their lives to make each other burn.

Epilogue

The dark-haired toddler threw a fistful of mud into the blond boy’s hair. They weren’t far apart in age, about eighteen months or so.

He squealed, lifting his hand to his head and working at flinging the mess from him.

Kelsey rushed to the pair and firmly said to the dark-haired boy. “No, Bodey. That’s not how we treat our family.” She wiped at the little boy’s hair. Over her shoulder, Kelsey called to an extremely pregnant Becky. “I swear these two will kill each other before their next birthdays, if they get their way.”

Amelia, carrying a tray of snacks and drinks, stepped from the kitchen onto the large expanse of patio at Lonely Rivers. The summer season filled with tourists was winding down and Robbie and Slate would be returning from their last tour of the mines sometime that afternoon. Amelia rolled her eyes. “Do you know, Robbie thinks Mac and James are trying to tell me something by always trying to play with Sabin?” She walked over to the sleeping baby girl, nestled securely in a pack-n-play crib.

Laughing, Becky leaned forward, reaching for a cupcake on the tray. “You mean, they’re telling you to have a girl? You can’t. You’re out of last names to use on them.”

Kelsey still couldn’t believe Amelia and Robbie had kept MacAllister James for Mac’s name and then with their new boy gone with James MacAllister.

Reaching down to enjoy the silky touch of her daughter’s hair, Kelsey allowed her happiness to fill her heart. Sabin would be four months that weekend. And Bodey was almost two.

Ronan had promised he’d give her babies.

He apparently liked to keep his promises.

The End of the Lonely Lace series

Please look for more romance in the heart of Coldwater County where the town of Colby flourishes.

Note from the Author:

Oh wow! Hi, my reading friend.

Thank you so much for continuing with me on this journey into the lives of the MacAllisters and James clans. I can’t tell you how fun these two families were to write. With a truly good hero, Slate, a truly good/bad boy, Robbie, and the most fun anti-hero ever, Ronan, I don’t know that the west ever looked better.

There’s something to be said about mixing cultures. Fortunately, I’m from a beautiful area in the northwest that is heavily influenced by the Native American communities. While I chose the Salish tribe for Kelsey’s family and background, I think it’s important to note that I have never been onto the Salish reservation. I don’t know if they have casinos or not. Utilizing my experience with the Kootenai and Shoshone tribes where I live, I accessed some of their practices and intermixed them with the Salish tribe in Coldwater County.

The research I was able to do on the Salish revealed a kind, educated people that loves the land and seeks to continue living in harmony with the other Kootenai tribes. I’m honored to have been able to feature them in Sorrows and Lace.

I think you should know that this series has touched me so deeply, I have decided to write another series set in the same county with different characters and problems. But don’t be surprised if some of the Lonely Lace characters that we love so much decide to show up in the Lassoing Love series.

What did you think? I’d love to hear. Please feel free to contact me anywhere on the web… I’m all over the place and would love to chat.

Again, I know how valuable your time is and I’m so grateful you chose to spend it with me and the Lonely Lace family. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You make this journey worth traveling.

Stay alive!

Bonnie Paulson

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