Holding Haley (The West Contemporary Romance Series) (20 page)

She smiled then shook her head. “Get some rest. You look beat. I’ll still be here in the morning.”

He nodded. “But tomorrow, you’re coming home with me for good.” He smiled. “I don’t want more than one night without you by my side.”

She nodded, not knowing what to say. Her throat had closed up with want.

“Wes,” Alex said, rushing into the room. “Oh, good you’re still here.” She shoved a large container into his hands. “Dinner. Steak, potatoes, carrots, and rolls. Just nuke it for five minutes when you get home.”

Wes nodded, then walked out of the room.

“When are you going to put him out of his misery?” Alex asked, walking over and sitting next to her.

“
What do you mean?”

“
That boy loves you; he’s proven to you that he’s back to stay.”

“
I know,” she nodded. “We are engaged.” She held up her ring finger.

Her sister just looked at her, then finally said, “You
know
what I mean. I bet you haven’t told him you love him, again.”

Haley frowned. Just then she realized that her sister was right. Since he’d returned, she hadn’t said those words to him. He’d told her several times that he loved her.

Could that be what was missing? Could that be the reason she felt like there was a rift between them still?

She sat there for the next hour and thought about it. Wes had done everything since returning home to prove to her that he’d made a mistake. He’d apologized, proven to her he was reliable, and had even won her heart back. Yet, she’d held back something as important as saying those words to him.

Could that be the only thing she’d been missing? It couldn’t be that simple, could it?

Chase walked in an hour later, freshly showered, with a big bowl of popcorn in one hand. “Want to watch an old flick?”

She shook her head. “No, thank you. I need your help.” She laughed. “I might need everyone’s help.” She looked down at her cast.

Wes woke the next morning sorer than he’d ever been. Every muscle in his body ached. The hot shower did little to soothe the aches and pains, so he stayed in there an extra ten minutes until he felt almost human again. When he walked into his living room to head over to the main house, he was shocked to see Chase sitting on his couch, looking pissed.

“
What’s up?” He sat across from him.

“
Grant needs our help down at the courthouse. It seems that old man Peterson is trying to sue us.”

“
What?” Wes stood up. “The man we pulled from the pile of rubble last night? That used to be his house?”

Chase nodded. “He’s down at the courthouse and wants to meet with us all in”—Chase looked at his watch—“ten minutes ago.”

“Damn, well come on then. Let’s go nip this in the bud.” Wes walked to the door.

Chase drove and Wes hardly noticed that most of the town had been cleaned up. He did notice that there were large boards covering the front of the bookstore and Mama’s place. He’d had a long talk with Jamella the day before; she was on board to rebuild and had even talked about taking over the building next door to expand. The bookstore owner, Holly Bridles, had also explained to everyone that she would rebuild.

Now as they parked in front of the courthouse, he started to worry. Not only was Grant standing in front of the town hall, but almost everyone in town stood out there as well.

The sun was shining and if he hadn’t know better, he would have never guessed that a large tornado had hit there just two days ago.

“What’s all this? Is old man Peterson going to sue the whole town of Fairplay?”

Chase chuckled. “No, but the whole town of Fairplay came out today to see you get married.”

Wes’s eyes were glued to the crowd as it parted. Haley stood with the help of her crutches, dressed in a simple cream-colored sundress. Her cuts and bruises went unnoticed as he played over Chase’s words in his mind.

“
Today?” he asked, without taking his eyes off of Haley.

“
If you ever get out of my truck, that is.” Chase laughed and got out himself.

Wes followed slowly, not blinking from the sight of the sun streaming through Haley’s hair. It felt like it took an eternity for him to walk the pathway towards her. The crowd of people filed in beside the walkway and stood smiling at him.

“Hi,” he said, coming to a stop in front of her.

“
Hi.” She smiled. “Want to get married today?”

He laughed. “I thought you wanted a big wedding?”

Her eyebrows shot up. “How much bigger do you think we could get?” She motioned with her hand to the two hundred guests standing around them in front of the town hall.

He laughed. “I guess you’re right.” He reached over and took her hand. “I’d love to marry you today.”

“Well, that’s good,” the new mayor, William Davis, said. “Shall we begin?”

“’
Bout damn time,” someone shouted, followed by a large boom of laughter from the crowd.

After the quick ceremony on the green lawn of the town hall, everyone filed into the First Baptist Church’s gym for a reception. Barbeque sandwiches, fried catfish, and baked beans were dished out, followed by watermelon and homemade ice cream.

Someone had given Haley a wheelchair to use so she could wheel herself around and talk to everyone. He took great care in making sure she stayed off her feet, so he ended up wheeling her around most of the day. Her sisters occasionally took over when he was busy talking to someone.

They talked to Sheriff Miller, who was very vocal about his relationship with Jamella. Apparently, the two had been an item for almost ten years without anyone in the town, or her kids, knowing. Wes thought that the two of them were great together.

“They fit, don’t they?” Haley smiled and nodded towards the pair.

He chuckled. “I was just thinking the same thing. It’s hard to believe that no one guessed about their relationship sooner.”

Haley shook her head. “Alex has been the closest to Jamella for years. You would have thought that she had some clue. But look at her.” She chuckled. “She’s still in complete and utter shock.”

He looked at his new sister-in-law and laughed. “She looks like she just found out that the world is round.”

They both laughed.

“
I hear she’s going to take over the empty building next door and build a whole new diner.”

He nodded. “She said, and I quote, ‘Good ting my insurance is paid up.’” He laughed.

“It’s just a good thing she and Willard weren’t hurt. It’s hard to believe they were in there when the tornado hit.”

He nodded and felt even luckier than before. “Really, the whole town was lucky. It could have been so much worse.”

Wes hadn’t realize how much time had passed, since he’d been so entertained, but when someone mentioned that the sun was going down, he realized it was time to head home.

“
Shall we get out of here?” he whispered to Haley.

“
I thought you’d never ask.” She smiled. “I have another surprise for you, but it will have to wait until this is gone.” She nodded to her cast.

He shook his head and helped her to stand. “I have everything I could ever want right here.” He wrapped his arms around her then dipped his head and kissed her.

When they heard cheering, they both laughed.

She looked up into his eyes, and her green eyes went soft. She’d never looked more beautiful than she did just then.

“I love you, Wes Tanner. I have loved you since the second grade. You’re my best friend, my only lover, and the man I want to start a family with.”

Tears slid down his face. “Damn,” he whispered. “Now you’ve gone and made me cry in front of the whole town.”

She laughed and kissed him again.

“
I love you, too. Let’s get out of here, so I can show you how much,” he whispered in her ear.

Haley stood on the hill and looked off towards their house. There were animals roaming the hills, grazing. Four horses—two were hers, two Wes had purchased—two Shetland ponies, three miniature donkeys that she’d rescued after the tornado, three llamas they’d purchased in Tyler, not to mention the three dogs that were running around causing chaos. Wes had built a chicken coop on the side of the barn where Blackjack and several of his harem were housed. In the large pen next to them was Roger, full grown and loving his new home.

She turned in time to watch her husband of four months walking towards her. His new patrol uniform looked damn sexy on him. He’d been on the job for three months and was even taking classes to become a full-blown sheriff. His limp was still present, but he’d fully recovered from his surgery and was growing stronger every day.

She looked down at her leg and smiled. So was she. She’d sworn she’d do everything in her power to never have to wear a cast again. Not only had it made walking, riding, and sex virtually impossible, it had itched like crazy.

“How’s my beautiful wife today?” Wes walked up to her and kissed her softly.

“
Wonderful. How was work?” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, enjoying the feel of him.

“
Smooth. I guess being an officer of the law in a small town has its perks.”

“
Oh?”

He smiled. “Mrs. Kennedy baked us one of her world class blackberry pies.”

“Yum.” She smiled. “I think she’s trying to steal my handsome husband away from me. That’s the third pie she’s given you this month.”

He laughed. “Well, when you have as many grandchildren as she does, I’ll allow you to flirt with young men in uniform too.” He smiled and pulled her closer.

“Speaking of children.” She pulled away and smiled. “How would you like to have one in oh . . . say seven or eight months?”

She saw his eyes go dark, then his smile got huge. “Really?”

She nodded. “Just found out today.”

“
Woohoo!” He spun her around.

“
Of course, now we’re in a race with my sisters.” She smiled when he sat her back on her feet. “Lauren is due in July, Alex in September, and we’re due in November.”

“
That’s a baby every other month,” he said, as she laughed. “Just watch, we’ll have the best looking kid around.”

She laughed. “Or twins.”

Finding Pride

Megan Kimble has finally freed herself from years of abuse at the hands of her ex. Now she can finally start a new life and figure out just who she really is. When her brother Matt dies suddenly, she takes a big risk and moves cross-country to live in his house and take over his new business. This could be the chance she needs. There’s only one problem now—she can’t seem to escape the irresistible charm of her departed brother’s best friend.

Todd Jordan just lost his best friend and business partner. When Matt’s sister moves into town, his attraction to her is instant. Can he prove to her that all men are not the same and resist his own desires as she learns to trust again? Overcoming the odds is just part of their journey. The two must first survive a fateful visit from Megan’s ex to have any chance at happiness.

About the Author

Jill Sanders is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Pride Series, the Secret Series, and the West Series romance novels. Having sold over 150,000 books within six months of her first release, she continues to lure new readers with her sweet and sexy stories. Her books are available in every English-speaking country and are now being translated into six different languages and recorded for audiobook.