After the Sunset (22 page)

I watched her stroke her son’s hair, put a hand on his cheek. “He’s a good man,” I told her.

“Yes, he is.” She nodded before walking toward the door, taking a moment to give Bella a pat. “And I love how you being here has influenced life at the ranch, Stef. Even something as simple as having a dog here in the house in the middle of the day and not only at night—just those little things are what makes a house into a home.”

She was at the door when she turned.

“Keep him up here as long as you can. He needs to rest. I can tell he’s tired.”

“May—”

“Charlotte tells me that she’s going to help you and Rand have children.”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

“I’m tickled pink.” She smiled warmly. “Now I’m gonna get lunch started. I’ll bring you all up something as soon as I see what there is to fix.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She blew me a kiss before she left.

My future was stretched out in front of me, and I could see it clearly, my life with Rand, the ranch, the community he would create, all that he would achieve that was possible, amazingly, because I was there with him. He needed me to ground him, and I was thankful that I could mean that much to a man I loved with all my heart.

“Crap.”

I looked down at Rand as he rolled sideways onto his back beside me.

“I fell asleep, didn’t I?”

“Just for a few minutes.”

“Shit, Stef, I got things to do.”

I rolled over on top of him, pinning him under me to the bed. “Just stay a little while longer.”

“That ain’t fair. You know I can’t say no to you.”

“I know that, Rand Holloway, and it’s one of the many things I love about you.”

About the Author

M
ARY
C
ALMES
currently lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, with her husband and two children and hopes to eventually move off the rock to a place where her children can experience fall and even winter. She graduated from the University of the Pacific (ironic) in Stockton, California, with a bachelor’s degree in English literature. Due to the fact that it is English lit and not English grammar, do not ask her to point out a clause for you, as it will
so
not happen. She loves writing, becoming immersed in the process, and falling into the work. She can even tell you what her characters smell like. She works at a copy store but has been unable to incorporate that into a book… yet. She also buys way too many books on Amazon.

Don’t miss the start of Rand and Stefan’s story in

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Also from
M
ARY
C
ALMES

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Also from
M
ARY
C
ALMES

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

Copyright

After the Sunset ©Copyright Mary Calmes, 2011

Published by

Dreamspinner Press

4760 Preston Road

Suite 244-149

Frisco, TX 75034

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover Art by Dan Skinner/Cerberus Inc.   
[email protected]

Cover Design by Mara McKennen

This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the Publisher. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press at: 4760 Preston Road, Suite 244-149, Frisco, TX 75034
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/