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“I did,” he admitted. “Oakley, you know the real me. I’m Pickett Hanson, that teenage boy who fell for you the moment he laid eyes on you. I just hoped that you might one day fall in love with me, nothing but a cowboy ranch hand.”
“And I did.”
Pickett pulled her close. She laid her hand on his shoulder, the two of them staring up at the ceiling. “Can you imagine what would have happened if I’d told Holden McKenna I was in need of a job with a name like Archibald Vanderlin Westmoreland the fourth? It was bad enough that I had no ranch experience. I was as green as spring grass, and Holden knew it. And yet, he took me on as if he knew how desperate I was for this kind of life, this kind of family. He’s been like a father to me, Duffy like a brother, you...like a dream come true.”
“When your father was dying, when you left, I was so afraid you wouldn’t come back.”
He kissed the top of her head. “That was never happening.”
Oakley felt herself weaken as warmth spread through her chest. She loved this man. First as a friend, then as a lover. “How do I know you won’t get tired of this life and go back to the other one?”
“I gave it all away. Well, most of it away. I saved enough to buy a piece of land, build us a house, make sure you and our kids have a safe, secure future.”
“Our kids?”
She felt him freeze for a moment. “Tell me you want to have a passel of babies.”
“Not sure how many that is,” she said. “But I wouldn’t mind having kids with you.”
“Really? That mean you’ll marry me?”
She couldn’t help smiling. “Maybe.”
He turned and dragged her to him and, lifting her chin with a finger, kissed her. There were fireworks and heat filling her with happiness like none she’d ever known. “I love you,” he said as he drew back. “I’d risk my life for you.”
“You already have.”
“This mean I’m forgiven?”
She nodded. “Just never lie to me again.”
He ran a finger over his chest to form an X. “I promise. There is one thing, though. You know the truth and Holden knows and probably Duffy as well, but I hope that’s it. I’m fine with people thinking I’m just a ranch hand who lucked out and won the heart of a rancher’s daughter.”
“That would be funny if I was still a rancher’s daughter.”
“You haven’t talked to your mother?” She shook her head. “I tried to call once, to thank her for sending her lawyer, but it went to voice mail. I’m sure she still blames me for everything, even though apparently she’s no longer trying to get CJ out of trouble this time.”
“What about Tilly’s wedding?” he asked.
“She hasn’t heard from Mother, either. As awful as Mother was to her, Tilly still really hopes she will respond to the RSVP on the invitation. She thought it would go a long way to mend the rift between the families. I know. My sister is a dreamer. But you and I will be there. My brothers Ryder and Brand have agreed to be ushers, so that’s something. With a lot of luck, there won’t be any blood shed at the wedding or the reception.”
“You don’t think your mother would try to stop it, do you?”
She stared at him. “I really wish you hadn’t said that. She wouldn’t, would she?”
*
HOLDENKNEWTHAThe was the last person on earth Charlotte would want to see. He couldn’t imagine what she must be going through. His heart broke for her. He thought about his own eldest son. It would be so easy to lose Treyton the same way, given that he and CJ had been a lot alike, both always wanting more.
He’d hardly seen Treyton lately. He knew that Cooper was worried about him, suspecting he was up to something. Holden sure hoped not. He had enough to worry about with the upcoming wedding. He hoped it would bring the families together. He feared it might have the opposite effect—even with CJ behind bars.
CJ,he thought with a curse. He’d heard that he’d been planning on drilling for methane near the creek in a spot Holden knew so well. Had Charlotte known? He couldn’t imagine that even hating him like she did, she would destroy the place that they’d loved.
Saddling up, he rode across his property to the creek that separated their ranches. As he neared the spot where the water pooled under the cottonwoods surrounded by large, smooth boulders, he saw the damage and felt sick.
It had been such a beautiful place. But now the trees were burnt black and grotesque, the creek cluttered with ash and charred limbs, the ground scorched.
He had so many wonderful memories of the time he’d spent here with the woman he still loved. Lottie must be as sick as he felt. Oakley had taken such a radical step to stop her brother from drilling and show what kind of man he was. He hoped it wasn’t for naught.
