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She still hadn’t followed up on the details of Cole’s love life. After she’d pressed her soon-to-be brother-in-law over the phone a few months back about setting him up with her good friend, Ashley, he’d informed her that he had his eye on a little redhead in Charleston.
She’d squealed with delight!
Ever since then, Eva had pestered him to bring this girl home for the holidays. If he didn’t for Thanksgiving, then he definitely should bring her to meet them at Christmas.
Eva hoped that she’d be married to West by then. She glanced over at West, who was checking messages on his phone, his shoulders stiff.
West and Cole were very alike in some ways, but in others, absolutely different. She could see that now. Cole wasn’t broken like West.
Oh whoa, she didn’t mean to compare them like that.
And still, West’s tragic life history never left her mind. She’d become determined to figure out what had hurt him to make him so standoffish. West had done things that he regretted—who wouldn’t regret the drinking, the drugs, and the fights, perhaps, even the messy way that he’d ended his first marriage. And she wondered, despite his jaded indifference to his past, if he hadn’t quite forgiven himself.
She couldn’t let him go on like this.
West was being uncooperative about setting up a wedding date, and she knew that his past was the reason for it. Poor guy was also stressed about work, and to plan a wedding on top of that?
But there was nothing to worry about. She’d take care of everything! Long gone were the days of planning elaborate weddings on bridges or mountain tops. She’d keep things simple.
Eva came up behind West. For once, he was out of his suit, and he almost looked like he was ready to relax at his home in black jeans and a short sleeve, black, button-up shirt.
Well, almost. He was still a little too formal to make himself at home.
She wrapped her arms around his strong middle, feeling his stomach flex under her touch. Her sandals slid under her as she pushed up onto her tiptoes, running her lips over his rough cheek. “This place will be so romantic in the winter,” she whispered into his ear. “Just think about it. Fairy lights twisted through the rafters in the barn, pictures of us placed all over bales of hay, flowers from your momma’s greenhouse decorating the top of our wedding cake, and all of our friends and family there to wish us a happy life together.”
West let out a groan and circling around, he kissed her. His touch on her was so familiar now that she felt like they already belonged to each other. She was crazy about this man. “Or imagine this?” he asked. His smoldering look on her made her breathless. “Barefoot on the beach in the summer, tropical flowers in your sun-kissed hair, exchanging our vows at sunset.”
Yes, that also sounded wonderful… if it was tomorrow, but West always had her imagine the farthest date imaginable. Her man was scared of marriage, plain and simple.
“Or…” she said with a determined smile. “We surprise everyone and just tie the knot at the justice of the peace before we come home for Christmas. Just think about it…” She peered at him from under her lashes. “Your mom would finally let us share a room as a married couple.”
He laughed. “This is all about a room? There are plenty of places for you to stay here.”
It wasn’t about a room! And he knew it. “Oh, West, I want you all to myself. I hate sharing you with my daddy, and your work, and your responsibilities. We struggle so hard to find any time together anymore. That wouldallbe fixed if we made this official. I want you to come home to me every night. I need you.”
West’s strong fingers traveled to her hair and he kissed her again. “I’m all yours.”
Sometimes it feels like he kisses me to shut me up.
She pulled away and tilted her head at him. “Then prove it.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. His eyes were bright with a torrent of regret. “Work keeps us away from each other, but we’re here now. Let’s just appreciate our time together while we have it, and then… we can start talking about the future.”
“Yes, but…” He always said a version of this excuse.
“You can’t blame me for wanting to leave behind all that stress from Nashville,” he said. “I just want to enjoy the feel of my fiancée, and having her close, and kissing her whenever I feel like it.”
He followed that with a kiss against her ear.
Well, that was sweet. She smiled and snuggled into his arms. He sure knew how to talk pretty when he put his mind to it. She still wasn’t letting him off the hook, but for now, she could see the logic of “being in the moment.”
That happened to be her goal for the rest of the year—she’d told him often enough!
And shewasgrateful to be with him. She loved this man, his strength, his unusual background, his quirks and blemishes and all—and goodness! She was already in love with West’s children. He was just so cute with them.
Her rugged cowboy was everything that she wanted; there were only a few times when he felt too distant, but coming home to Harvest Ranch would fix everything. She’d find out everything that was bothering him.
“Ah West, I’m really so excited for this trip…” Eva noticed the yellowing bruise under his eye as he hugged her close, and her heart sank at the familiar sight. She lightly brushed his cheek with her knuckle. “What’s this?”
