Arizona Cowboy (12 page)

Chapter 21

A
va sat down at the table for the now-weekly Sunday dinner with her cousins and Holden’s family. For the last month Holden had sat beside Traci and Carl, but to her surprise, he took a seat beside her today. He pointed to the salad on his plate. “Looks delicious.”

“Thanks.” Ava’s cheeks warmed, as that was the first time he’d spoken to her without a reason in two months.

The families passed around the food, then Jerry prayed over their meal. For the first time, Matt had brought a girlfriend, a petite brunette named April. He smiled at her constantly, and she blushed with each word he spoke to her. Despite the crowded room, Mitch and Ellie whispered and giggled intimately, and Ava wondered how long it would be before her older cousins announced engagements. Traci and Carl and Sara and Daryl bantered back and forth about the baby, then sports, then the baby.

“Ha!” Sara crowed at something Traci had said. “At least Dad’s name is still up for grabs.”

Traci bobbed her head. “Maybe we’ll just name our little girl Jerry. The name can go both ways.”

Sara pointed at her sister. “No. The agreement is the first grand
son
will be named after Dad. You can’t go changing the rules just because you’re having a girl.”

Traci huffed as she folded her hands over her bulging belly. “You sound like you’re not happy to have a niece.”

Sara leaned over and rubbed Traci’s belly. “Don’t you listen to Mama, little girl. You know Aunt Sara will be your favorite.” She sat up. “But you know, now Daryl and I will most likely have the first boy.”

“Wait a minute,” Daryl said. “No babies yet.”

Sara shrugged. “At least we know Holden’s not having the first grandson. Doesn’t even have a girlfriend.”

Everyone stopped talking at Sara’s words. Keeping her gaze down, Ava picked up her glass and took a slow drink of tea. She then took a bite of grilled salmon, praying the families would start talking again.

She hadn’t known the Whitaker children had made a deal to name the firstborn grandson after Jerry. She’d named her son after Holden. Her baby could have been Jerry’s namesake, and yet she was glad he shared his own father’s name.

When Daryl asked Mitch what he thought about the Surprise Saguaros upcoming baseball season, Ava breathed a sigh of relief.

“So, how have you been, Ava?” Holden whispered beside her.

She looked down at her plate. Each night she prayed Holden would forgive her and talk to her again, but guilt welled inside her at the question. “I’m fine.”

“Thanks for working on the garden. It looks great.”

“You’re welcome. I just hate that it will mean more work for you, since I’ll be at the clinic during the week.”

He waved a hand. “It’s worth the extra work. Dad needs the fresh veggies.”

She glanced at him, and he smiled at her. The sincerity in his gaze sent a shiver through her, and her heartbeat quickened. She cleared her throat. “How have you been?”

He pursed his lips. “Thinking. Praying.”

Ava opened her mouth to apologize again, just as Jerry and Aunt Irene stood up at the end of the table. Jerry looped his arm around her aunt’s. He was continuing to recover well from the stroke, and though he wasn’t working on the ranch, he’d been able to fix odds and ends in the house and do some small jobs in the barn.

He lifted his free hand now. “Irene and I have an announcement to make.”

Sara grabbed Daryl’s hand, while Carl wrapped his arm around Traci’s back. Pleasure laced the expressions of both families, as they assumed the two were about to announce an upcoming wedding. They were blessed that both families appeared eager for the union.

Jerry nodded to her aunt. “You go ahead and tell them.”

Aunt Irene smiled as she dipped her chin and lifted her shoulders like a young teenager telling her family about her new boyfriend. “Jerry and I are getting married.”

Cheers of joy and clapping sounded around the table, and Holden whistled in approval.

Jerry lifted his hand again. “Next Saturday.”

Silence fell over the room. Sara shook her head, then leaned closer. “What?”

Aunt Irene giggled. “We’re getting married on Saturday.”

Traci frowned as she rubbed her belly. “No wedding? Well, okay. We thought...”

“No. We’re having a wedding,” said Aunt Irene.

Ava furrowed her brows. How did her aunt plan to pull this off? There would be so much to do.

“Phoebe’s already agreed to fix food. I already ordered a cake.” She motioned around the room. “’Course, it’ll only be us—” she tapped her lips “—and maybe a few friends, since we’re going to have the wedding here.”

Holden pointed to the table. “Here? We’re having it here?”

“Sure,” said Jerry. “You and I will get the place ready. Clear out the living room furniture. Fix up a few decorations.” He kissed Aunt Irene’s cheek. “She’ll tell us what she wants.”

Ava looked at Holden’s shocked expression. She knew he was in for a challenging and exhausting week.

“And Ava and I will take care of everything else,” said Aunt Irene.

Ava glanced at Holden again. A mischievous smile lifted his lips. “You’re in for a fun week.”

“Sounds like you are, too.”

Holden frowned suddenly as he looked back at Aunt Irene and his dad. “Wait a minute. I guess we’re moving Irene’s stuff, as well?”

Ava’s jaw dropped. She hadn’t thought of that. Aunt Irene would probably want to sell her home. Ava hadn’t even thought of looking at apartments or houses yet. She and her aunt got along well, and they’d been so busy.

“No,” said Jerry. “I’m moving over there.”

“What?” said Holden. “You love the ranch.”

Jerry shook his head. “I’m never going to be able to work the place like I used to. It’s time to settle down.” He scratched his jaw. “I was planning to sit down with you tonight and figure it all out.”

Ava’s mind whirled. She couldn’t live with Aunt Irene and Jerry. They’d be newlyweds. They’d want to have time to themselves. Now, she was in an even greater predicament. She needed to get out. And fast.

* * *

Holden knew the wedding was going to be a bigger deal than Dad and Irene said. He carried in four more folding chairs and set them down in the cleared out living room. Ava groaned as she tied yet another oversize ribbon on the back of a chair. He chuckled. “I’m not done yet.”

She snarled at him. “I’m aware of that.”

He laughed as he walked outside to get more chairs from the truck. The week had been busy and exhausting as Irene added decorations and guests to the ceremony. Someone in her Sunday school class had introduced her to a website filled with wedding ideas, and Irene attempted to use more than half of them. At least that’s how it seemed to Holden.

He had to admit the fake trees she’d had at her house did look nice standing on each side of the large window in the center of the living room. He’d strung Christmas lights through the limbs, and Ava had tied small golden bows to several branches.

“We’re heading into our golden years together, so we’re having a golden wedding,” Irene had proclaimed last week.

She’d bought stars cut out of thick cardboard, and he and Ava spent an evening spray painting them gold. When they’d dried, the two of them had hung the stars from the ceiling with thin gold ribbons. They’d painted mason jars gold and stuck single white flowers inside and set them on pedestals he’d made with dowel rods and pieces of wood cut into circles.

Setting down the last of the folding chairs, he surveyed the room. The window and the trees made a beautiful, yet simple focal point. The stars looked nice, and the flower-filled mason jars and pedestals lining the walls on either side, plus the thick ribbon around the chairs, transformed the living room into a golden celebration.

He bent down beside Ava. “Want some help?”

She nodded. “I think my fingers are gonna fall off.”

“We can’t have that. You’ve gotta help Phoebe set out food, then help your aunt get ready, then—”

She blew a strand of hair out of her face. “And at some point I’m gonna have to try to make myself presentable.”

The strand fell again, and he brushed it away from her eyes. “You’re already beautiful, Ava.”

He cupped her chin when her gaze fell to his mouth. He wanted to kiss her again, to wrap his arms around her and tell her how much he loved her, that he’d forgiven her. Dipping his chin, he lowered his face toward her.

“Ava, can you come here a minute?” her aunt called from the back bedroom.

Holden straightened up and dropped his hand from her face. “I can finish in here.”

He watched as Ava walked down the hall to the spare room, where Irene was getting ready. In only a few hours, their guests would arrive. Some fifty of them. So much for “only family and a few friends.”

He finished the bows, then headed into the kitchen to check on Phoebe and a few of Irene’s friends from church. “How’s the food coming, ladies?”

“Wonderfully,” said Phoebe, “but could you get the vegetables from the refrigerator in the garage? We’ll need to cut those up and set them on platters pretty soon.”

He got the vegetables and put them on the table for Phoebe, then checked the thermostat and turned the air conditioner down a few degrees. The temperature was still well over a hundred the first week of September, and they’d deal with a lot of body heat with so many people in the house.

“Dad.” He walked into his father’s bedroom. “How’re you doin’? Need anything?”

Decked out in a cream-colored suit and gold tie, his father stood in front of the dresser mirror looking at himself from various angles. He clicked his tongue. “Not something I’d normally pick out.”

Holden grinned. No. His dad preferred jeans and an old plaid shirt. “It’s definitely on the modern side.”

“You sayin’ I look like a girl?”

Holden lifted his hands. “No. I’m saying you look hip.”

Dad huffed, then curled his lips into a grin. “I suppose I don’t care what I look like if it’s what Irene wants.” He picked up the boutonniere, a white rose with petals that had been dipped in gold paint. “Will you put this on me?’

“Sure.” Holden pinned the flower. “Irene’s really good to you.”

“She is at that.” He narrowed his gaze. “Her niece would be a pretty good catch, as well.”

Holden nodded. “I’ve always thought so.”

Dad lifted his chin and raised his eyebrows. “And you think so again?”

“Yep.”

His father scratched his jaw. “So when I get back from my honeymoon, I might have some new news to think about.”

Holden chuckled as he shrugged. “I don’t know, Dad. We’ll see.”

“Humph.” He studied him, then motioned him toward the door. “You better go on and get ready. We don’t have much longer now.”

Since his dad had asked him to be the best man, Irene had picked out an outfit for him, as well. He dressed in the cream-colored shirt and khakis, then fixed the gold tie around his neck.

When he walked out of the bedroom, he saw Ava making her way down the hall to Irene’s room. She wore a shimmery gold sundress that hung from her shoulders like a perfect waterfall. A gold bow tied in the front of her waist accentuated her thin shape.

She bit her lip and stopped when she saw him. “Here.” A blush spread across her cheeks when she reached up and fixed his collar.

He took her hand in his and stared into blue eyes that shimmered with gold around the corners. “Wow.”

She swallowed, and he felt a slight tremble in her hand. She averted her gaze. “You look very handsome, Holden.”

“Ava—”

“Ava, I need your help again,” said her aunt.

“I’m coming.” She pulled away and walked into the bedroom.

He would talk to her. Tonight.

Chapter 22

A
va flopped onto the recliner that Holden had moved to the patio for the wedding. The last of the wedding guests had finally left, and Jerry and Aunt Irene were on their way to their honeymoon. Traci and Sara and their husbands were still cleaning the kitchen, but after taking off ribbons and folding up fifty chairs, Ava didn’t have the energy to help.

Holden stepped onto the patio. “What are you doing? Bumming out on us?”

Ava dropped her head back on the leather cushion and closed her eyes. “Call me whatever you want. I’m not moving from this chair.”

He laughed, a hearty, good-natured sound that made her smile. She drank in the masculine sight of him. He’d taken off the atrocious gold tie Aunt Irene had picked out, and undone the top two buttons. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, as she would have expected. Surprisingly, he hadn’t changed from the khaki pants to his Wrangler jeans, but he still looked unbelievably handsome.

He stuck out his bottom lip. “I was hoping you’d take a ride with me.”

Ava studied the man she loved with every beat of her heart. The past week had been wonderful. They’d had a good time doing Aunt Irene’s bidding, be it paint, move, arrange or fix whatever she dreamed up for them to do. He’d been kind and helpful. In only a week’s time, something had changed, and she knew he’d forgiven her.

She leaned forward and released an exaggerated sigh. “I suppose you’ve twisted my arm. I guess I’ll go with you.”

Before she realized what he was doing, Holden lifted her into his arms. On impulse, she wrapped hers around his neck, and her heart pounded at his closeness. He carried her to his truck and set her in the cab, and her cheeks warmed as she chuckled, “Holden, I don’t even have my shoes.”

His face was so close to hers she thought he might kiss her, as he had the night they’d watched the movie. Instead, he lifted a finger. “Be right back.”

While he ran into the house, she took several breaths, then peeked at her reflection in the visor mirror. She licked her finger and rubbed away some of the mascara smudges from when she’d gotten teary-eyed during the wedding ceremony.

He walked back outside with her shoes and purse in his hands, and she flipped the visor up in a hurry. When he got inside, she asked, “So, where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

She pointed to the cowboy hat on his head, then raised her eyebrows.

He shrugged. “I feel naked without my hat.”

Ava laughed as Holden drove down the road. Though the sun had set, the air was still hot and muggy. She didn’t care as she rolled down the window and let the heat whip through her hair.

Realizing they were headed to the White Tank Mountains, Ava rubbed her hands together and stared out the window at the passing desert filled with cacti and creosote bushes.

He parked and she waited until he walked around the front of the truck, opened the door and took her hand to help her down. He didn’t let go of her, and she relished the feel of his coarse, strong skin against hers. She didn’t say a word as he guided her to their favorite trail. For a moment, she was eighteen, following the love of her life wherever he wanted her to go. At twenty-six, and with more experience behind her, she loved the man with a deeper bond than she’d known those eight years ago.

A crescent moon and stars dotted the dark night sky. He stopped at their favorite spot and took both her hands in his. “I love you, Ava.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and her chin quivered. Holden never minced words. He spoke his mind, plain and simple. “I love you, too, Holden.”

He wrapped his arms around her and pressed her face against his chest. The tears streamed down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Holden.”

She felt his kisses on the top of her head. “I forgive you.”

He cupped her cheeks and kissed her forehead, then the tip of her nose, then her mouth. Ava’s toes curled with the kiss and she reached up and raked her fingers through his hair.

He growled as he pulled away from her, then knelt down on one knee. Ava brushed the tears off her cheeks as he drew the black box out of his pocket. “Marry me.”

She jumped toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Absolutely, yes.”

He harrumphed, but stayed upright as she pressed her lips against his again. He broke away from her. “You’re killin’ me, woman.”

She bit her lip and giggled as he slipped the ring on her finger. Still holding her hand, he said, “How long of an engagement are you thinking?”

Ava shook her head. “Holden, I don’t want a big wedding. Really. I’m with Jake and Megan. Let’s just go to the courthouse.”

Holden’s lips lifted in a slow smile. “I’d like to see you all dolled up in a pretty dress, but...” He paused, and she lifted her brows. “What do you say we get married here?”

“Holden, that would be wonderful.”

“Next week.”

Ava blinked. “What?”

He shrugged, and the glimmer in his eye seemed more mischievous by the second. “I already reserved a spot.”

She opened her mouth, then swatted his shoulder. “And what if I say no to such a quick date?”

“Then I’ll cancel.” He pulled her close. “But I hope you won’t. After all, next week you’re gonna need a place to stay. Unless you want to live with your aunt and my dad. And I really could use a little help with that garden.”

She placed her hand on her hip. “Are you trying to blackmail me?”

He shook his head, then kissed her hand. “I’m trying to marry you.”

She bit her bottom lip as butterflies swarmed in her belly. The idea of being married in only a week’s time sounded...wonderful. “Yes. Let’s do it.”

* * *

Holden held Ava’s hands and drank in her beauty on their wedding day. She wore a gorgeous ivory dress with thin straps around her shoulders. The soft fabric started as a V below her neck, then crisscrossed to her waist. A belt of lace with a flower that looked like an ivory poppy wrapped around her waist. The bottom of the dress flowed in layers that looked like an upside-down tulip. Holding a bouquet of purple lupines and yellow poppies, she was a beautiful desert bride for a rugged Arizona cowboy.

Their pastor spoke of charity from the Bible. He talked about Jesus’s love for his church and how Holden was to love Ava with the same intensity. Holden caressed her hands with his thumbs, inwardly promising God to do just that.

“Do you, Holden Whitaker, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, promising to love her through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, as long as you both shall live?” asked their pastor.

“I do.”

A slight blush darkened Ava’s cheeks, and Holden’s gaze devoured every nuance of her face. Her bright blue eyes with a darker shade of blue around the pupils. The small freckle to the side of her left eye. Her nose, the perfect length and width for her face. Her thin lips spread into a smile exposing straight white teeth.

The pastor continued, “Do you, Ava Herbert, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, promising to love him through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, as long as you both shall live?”

She squeezed his hands gently. “I do.”

The pastor turned toward Dad, who smiled at Holden as he gave him the ring. Holden placed the ring on the tip of Ava’s finger. “With this ring, I promise to love you and cherish you for the rest of my life.” He slipped the white gold all the way down her finger.

She turned, took his ring from her aunt Irene and placed it against his fingertip. “I love you, Holden. With this ring, I promise to love you and cherish you and trust you.” She leaned forward and whispered, “No more running.” She smiled as she finished, “For the rest of my life.”

Holden’s heart flipped in his chest, and he ached to take her in his arms and kiss her until his lips fell off.

The pastor began, “By the power vested in me by the state of Arizona, I now pronounce you...”

Holden couldn’t wait. He pulled Ava toward him and pressed his lips to hers. She giggled as she cupped his cheeks with her hands. Her fingernails scratched his jaw ever so slightly, and Holden growled as he lifted her off her feet. Ava squealed, then started to laugh. “What are you doing?”

“You’re my wife now. We’re heading out of here.”

“Holden.” His new stepmother fanned her face. “At least let us all give her a hug.”

He looked at their guests, his sisters and their husbands and Ava’s cousins and their girlfriends. Her parents had chosen not to come. Though Ava’s bosses had been disappointed, she’d been determined to have a very small ceremony. No reception. Her aunt Irene, his new stepmother, had arranged a little reception for their families after the wedding, but Holden and Ava wouldn’t be there. They’d already be on their way to their honeymoon.

He placed her on her feet. “Oh, all right.”

Ava punched his arm. “Holden, you’re an overgrown brute.”

He kissed her forehead. “An overgrown brute who’s in love with his wife.”

While the family gave Ava hugs and warm wishes, Holden shook his dad’s hand. His father patted his shoulder, then gave him a hug. “I’m happy for you, son. She’s a good woman, and you’ll be a fine husband.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“I’ve never told you this, because I knew God had to be the One to work on your heart.” Jerry raked his fingers through his graying hair. “Your mom wanted me to forgive her for leaving. Wanted to come back home when you were just a little thing. I was too proud. Wouldn’t even consider it.”

Holden watched as his dad rubbed the back of his neck. “A week later she died.” He looked up, and Holden saw the torture in his expression. “I’m not saying my forgiveness would have changed her death. Our lives are in God’s hands.” He pointed to his chest. “But forgiveness would have changed me.” He spread his arms. “God forgave me all my sins. He requires me to forgive others, and my pride kept me from doing that when your mother was still alive.”

Holden allowed his dad’s words to seep into his heart. He looked at his beautiful wife. If he’d allowed anger, pride and bitterness to take root, he wouldn’t have her as his bride today. He hugged his dad. “Thanks for sharing with me.”

Dad patted his back again. “Now go get your bride.”

Holden didn’t need any additional encouragement. He swept Ava off her feet again and shook his head at his family. “Sorry, y’all, but this woman is going with me.”

She waved over his shoulder as he walked toward the truck. Before he put her down in the cab, she pressed her palms against his cheeks, making his lips smash together like a duck. She kissed them and said, “I love you, Holden Whitaker.”

“I love you, Ava Whitaker.”