Lakeside Sweetheart (19 page)

The music swelled and Rikki came into view, her proud father, Franco Alvanetti, walking her down the aisle. She looked beautiful in the slinky white dress that flowed out into a long train complete with a huge bow tied at the back.

Vanessa watched, her eyes tearing up, as Rikki and Blain said their vows. Rory officiated with pride and humor, making everyone laugh and cry.

“Cherish this moment,” he told the couple. “Cherish the people you love. And keep God in the center of your lives.”

He said a prayer, and then he told Blain to kiss his bride.

After that, they turned around and he presented them to the guests as man and wife.

Man and wife.

Soon, everyone poured out of the church to head out to the swank Alvanetti estate. But Vanessa held back and walked up to the altar and closed her eyes. She needed a minute. Just a minute. To tell God that she was home now.

When she opened her eyes and turned to leave, she saw him.

Rory. Standing at the back of the church in a nice navy suit. He looked lovable and scruffy, like a lost puppy come home. Like a man who'd been searching for someone for a long time, his blue eyes bright with hope and surprise.

Vanessa hurried toward him. They met somewhere in the middle of the long aisle.

“You're here. Now.” He looked completely surprised.

“I told you I'd be back.”

“But—”

Panic rushed over her. “Are you glad I'm back?”

He reached out his hands to hers and laced their fingers together. “I'm thrilled that you're back. I thought it might take you a while.”

“I thought about taking a while,” she admitted. “You know, avoiding what I could see so clearly.”

He gave her one of his soft smiles. “And what do you see so clearly now?”

She didn't want to cry, but she couldn't stop the tears. “You. And that dream. Remember when I told you about standing in the garden at Caldwell House, how I wanted that one day—the garden, the house, the sound of children laughing.”

His eyes got misty, too. “I remember.”

“I think I've found it, Rory. And when I turned around just now and saw you, I felt it, too. That feeling you told me I'd feel one day. It's like a warmth flowing through me and over me, and my soul is full of lightness and joy.”

“Yeah, that feeling,” he said, pulling her close.

Vanessa held him there, silent tears moving down her face. “Richard Tucker was my real father.”

Rory lifted away. “What?”

“She left me a letter and my birth certificate. He was married, but they fell in love and had an ongoing affair. He and his wife never had children and then his wife died. He bought my mother the house here. And of course, he came here and married her, but they both felt it would be too confusing to tell me the truth. So as a conciliation prize, he left everything to me. Everything, except the truth.”

“Vanessa, I'm so sorry,” Rory said on a shattered whisper. “I don't know what to say. Are you sure you can handle this?”

“I didn't think so at first. I got in the car last night and left, determined to go to Birmingham and walk through the other house. I think I was searching for something, a sign maybe.”

“And what did you find?”

“A sad, empty house. But I also found closure because now I know the truth.” She wiped her eyes and smiled up at him. “And I realized that instead of avoiding the truth, I wanted to be here with you—living our truth.”

Rory couldn't believe what Vanessa had told him. “What will you do now?”

She took his hand, and they started toward the back of the church. “Well, our friends are about to celebrate their wedding day, so first, I want to have a big piece of wedding cake.”

He grinned at that. “We can make that happen. They're probably wondering what happened to me after the photo session was done. I came back in to lock things up.”

“Then we'd better hurry,” she said. “We'll take my car.”

When they reached her driveway, Rory stared over at the house. “Are you still going to sell this place?”

“No.” She gave him a hopeful smile. “I'm going to renovate it. Sweep it clean of all the cobwebs and secrets. I want it light and bright and sunny and warm.”

His heart did a little flip of joy. Before she could get in the car, he tugged her close. Her eyes were clear and sure, no cobwebs or secrets left there. She looked young and carefree and ...at peace. “It's a really big house, Vanessa. You don't need to be there all alone.”

“I won't be alone.” She reached up to kiss him. “You'll be nearby.”

“No. I don't like that,” he said. “I want to live there with you. I want to marry you.”

“Yes,” she said.

“Yes?” He laughed, glad she agreed. “Did you just interrupt me again?”

“I didn't interrupt you.”

“Can I at least ask the question?”

“Yes. Yes.”

“Okay.” He wanted to laugh and cry, but he held his emotions back and took her hands in his. “Will you marry me, Vanessa?”

“Yes.”

“Are you willing to have my children?”

“Yes.”

“Are you mad that I don't have a ring for you yet?”

“No. But I can get you a good deal on one through Vanessa's Vintage.”

“I love you,” he said.

“I love you.” She kissed him again, and then they got in the little car. When she put the top down, they laughed into the wind and made plans for the future.

“I'm going to turn the Birmingham house into a girls' home,” she told him. “And I want to help Kandi with college and maybe give her a job.”

“And I want to remodel the Craftsman and make it so beautiful, you'll only have happy memories there,” he told her.

By the time they reached the reception, they'd made a lifetime of plans. A commitment to be together for a long, long time.

Rory got out and came around to open her door. “Let's go party.”

Vanessa laughed as he lifted her up in his arms and swung her around. “I love you so much,” he told her.

Then they heard a grunt off by the big garage. Hunter Lawson sat there on his motorcycle, watching them. “And another one bites the dust.”

But he was smiling, a twist of bittersweet mixed with the happiness in his eyes.

“Thanks,” Rory said. “You can be my best man.”

“Ain't gonna happen,” Hunter said. Then he cranked his bike and left.

“He never stays at parties for very long,” Rory explained. “But I love me a good party.”

They laughed and held hands as they headed through the house. They found everyone in the backyard by the pool, enjoying the beautiful view, where the lake and the big bay merged.

“There you are,” Blain called out with a grin.

“Better late than never,” Rory replied.

And he felt sure God thought that a lot, too.

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt from
THE COWBOY MEETS HIS MATCH
by Leann Harris.

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Dear Reader,

I have to admit this story captured my heart. I fell for Rory the moment he came into my head. He had a good soul, and he cared about other people. He needed a special woman in his life after all the things he'd been through. In spite of his pain, he became a true man of God.

Vanessa was the opposite. Bitter and disillusioned, hurting and skeptical. What better person to show her that life can still be full of joy? Rory didn't even realize that he needed someone to take care of him, too. Sometimes, we work so hard to help others, we forget to take care of nurturing our own souls.

I hope you enjoyed Rory and Vanessa's story. Please visit me through my website at
www.lenoraworth.com
. And I hope you'll look for Hunter's story as my Men of Millbrook Lake series continues. I might not ever leave Millbrook Lake.

Until next time, may the angels watch over you. Always.

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The Cowboy Meets His Match

by Leann Harris

Chapter One

E
rin Joy Delong stood before the closed conference-room door. On the other side lay the truth she needed to face no matter how ugly. Grasping the doorknob, she took a deep breath and turned it.

All talking ceased. The air-conditioning clicked on, filling the dead silence.

Erin looked at each of the seven men seated around the table. No one would meet her gaze except for the stranger standing at the head of the table. A slide of his presentation on how to reorganize the bicounty rodeo lit the screen behind him.

Her knees nearly buckled. She hadn't gotten the job. No, the job of reorganizing the rodeo that her great-grandfather established had gone to a total stranger.

“Erin, we didn't expect you,” Melvin Lowell, the rodeo board's president, said.

She didn't doubt it. “Sorry I'm late, but after I talked with dad's doctors at the hospital this morning, I ran into a big accident on the interstate just outside Albuquerque. Then, finding this unscheduled
Thursday
meeting proved tricky, since you'd moved it from the rodeo headquarters.”

The men around the table shifted in their chairs as if they were ashamed of themselves. They continued to avoid her gaze.

“How's your father?” Mel asked, as if nothing was off-kilter.

She stepped into the elegant meeting room at the new conference center. “He's improving from the stroke, but we won't know the extent of the damage for several days. I drove in as his representative on the board.”

“Is that legal?” Norman Burke, one of the board members from Harding County, asked. “I mean, if he can't talk—”

“You can call my mother or the floor nurse at the hospital, Sylvia Carter, who witnessed Dad nodding for me to represent him until he came back.”

“Oh.”

Erin glanced at the man giving the presentation and caught the hint of a smile that crossed his face before it disappeared.

The muted brush of her boots on the carpet was the only sound in the room as she walked to the empty chair on the opposite side of the table and sat. In front of her was a slick folder that read “
Tucumcari Rodeo Proposal
by Sawyer Jensen
.
” Her eyes jerked up and clashed with Melvin's. He didn't look away.

“I take it Mr. Jensen won the contract?”

“Yes, we voted for him at the last meeting,” Mel replied, his head held high. “Didn't anyone tell you?” Too much satisfaction laced his voice. Most of the other board members kept their gazes fixed on the table.

“No, but you know with all the chaos that occurred the day of the vote and Dad having the stroke afterward, it was the last thing on Mom's mind.”

Norman Burke glared at Mel. “Cut it out, Lowell. The lady has more on her plate than this rodeo.”

“Of course.”

If Mel's words were meant to be accommodating, they failed.

“You don't have to stay, Erin, since we've already hired Sawyer. I'm sure you're tired after spending that much time at the hospital. But we wanted Sawyer to meet with us and show us his plan again and answer any further questions we had,” Mel said.

Panic spread through the room. Several of the board members looked as if they wanted to escape, but retreat was the last thing on Erin's mind. Her hometown needed this revitalization. A successful rodeo would bring in much-needed people and revenue to help their bottom line.

“Thank you for your concern, Mel. But, as I said before, I'll be Dad's representative until he's well enough to come back.”

A couple of men shifted in their chairs; throats were cleared, but no one said anything.

“Sawyer, why don't you continue explaining your overall plan to us?” Melvin said, ending the tense moment. “I'm sure Erin would like to hear it.”

“We're on page three, Ms. Delong.” Sawyer nodded to his presentation folder.

Fingering the folder, Erin studied Sawyer Jensen. The handsome man stood over six feet with sandy-brown hair and compelling hazel eyes that did funny things to her stomach, which she ignored. He had a scar on his chin below the corner of his mouth. When his eyes met hers, there was no smugness in those green depths, but admiration, instead. She didn't understand his reaction, but it eased the blow. As she studied the man, she had the feeling that she'd met him before.

Sawyer started to explain his strategy to save the rodeo and put it back in the black.

Chalking up her body's reaction to stress and the long drive this morning, Erin opened the folder. She tried to follow Sawyer's presentation, but it seemed she'd gone deaf and blind. Looking up through her lashes, she saw Melvin studying her. She would
not
cry in front of him or any of the other board members. Nor would she cry in front of this stranger. That wasn't Erin Delong's way. When her ex-boyfriend had announced, at their high school graduation, that he was engaged to Traci Lowell, Mel's daughter, she hadn't cried, much to Traci's disappointment. Maybe Traci's father thought he could make her cry this time. Of course, the meeting wasn't finished yet.

By the time they adjourned, Erin couldn't tell what Sawyer had said. For all she knew he could've suggested they burn the old rodeo grounds down and sell tickets to bring in money.

Most of the board members hurried to where Sawyer stood, taking a wide berth around her to shake Sawyer's hand and comment on his presentation. Their guilty faces made her wonder if they thought she'd throw a fit or break down in tears if they got too close. She could assure them that neither would happen, but they clearly weren't going to take any chances.

Only Chris Saddler stopped by where she stood.

“I'm sorry you didn't win, Erin. I voted for you to get the job. With you being local, and knowing the history of the rodeo and what resources we have, I thought you'd be best, instead of an outsider.”

Chris was one of her dad's friends. She stood. “Thanks, Chris, and thanks for the heads-up this morning. Being at the hospital, you lose sense of time.”

He opened his mouth to say something more, then closed it. He nodded and walked away.

Mel was the last one to shake Sawyer's hand. “A good presentation. If you have any questions, just call me, Sawyer.”

Snatching the slick folder off the table, Erin headed for the door. Later, when she could think clearly, she'd read it over and evaluate his plan to see how it differed from hers.

“Ms. Delong?”

The deep voice calling her name sent shivers down her spine. It also stopped the other board members in their tracks at the door, no doubt expecting fireworks between her and Sawyer. Torn between wanting to plow through the bodies clogging the way out and facing the man with the wonderful rich voice, she straightened her shoulders, turned and faced him.

He stepped to her side. “Would you mind if we talked?”

Puzzled frowns crossed the board members' faces, and she heard a couple of them whisper.

“I'd love to, Mr. Jensen—”

“Sawyer is my first name.”

“—Sawyer, but I last ate at seven this morning before visiting my dad in the hospital. After consulting with his doctors and my mother, I drove here. With the delay on the road, I never got the opportunity to eat. I'm probably not good company right now.” Although it was only 1:40 p.m., food would help her thinking and dealing with this mess.

The man flashed a killer smile at her. “I haven't had anything, either, since breakfast in Amarillo, and I could use some sustenance, too. A full stomach helps me think and helps my attitude. Why don't we go and get a burger and talk?”

“So you think my attitude is bad?” she asked.

At the tone of her voice, groans erupted from the men at the door.

“No,” Sawyer answered evenly. “I was talking about myself. And when I'm hungry, I don't listen well.”

More groans.

She nodded. “Understandable.”

His eyes twinkled.

Erin didn't know whether to grin at his cheekiness or ignore him. “What's there to talk about? You won.”

“Well, with your late arrival, you didn't get to hear my complete proposal and I wanted the opportunity to discuss some of my ideas with you. Since you put in a bid, I'd like to get your reaction.”

Was he teasing her? Did he want to rub her nose in her failure? She searched his face for any sign of duplicity, but found nothing. She needed some time to process all this, but she wouldn't let the board members see her disappointment. “I'm going next door to Lulu's Burgers. If you want to join me, I won't object.”

The man didn't take offense at her tone. “Give me a second to unplug my computer and projector and pack them up.”

So the equipment was his. She'd wondered where the board had found money to buy such nice equipment. “I'll be waiting next door.”

She walked through the crowd of gawking faces clustered at the door, Mel's being the most outraged. Too bad.

* * *

Well, he'd been in more awkward places than this, Sawyer thought, but not many. There'd been that time, in Nevada, when the man who'd hired him to turn around the Western Days Rodeo had his wife and sister barge into the meeting and start screaming at each other. The women hadn't stopped screeching long enough for him to understand what the fight was about. Things quickly went physical, and the women threw anything they could get their hands on. Sawyer ducked a cowboy statue, but the owner wasn't as lucky and was coldcocked by a glass paperweight thrown by his wife. Of course, as a turnaround specialist, Sawyer had been in his fair share of tense situations and been able to bring the warring sides together.

Sawyer had seen the shock and sadness flash in Erin's eyes before the protective shield came up to cover her emotions. His heart went out to her, or maybe it was just plain attraction that struck him like a fist to the chin. After his brother's recent marriage, Sawyer realized how alone he was now, and a restlessness settled inside him. The brothers hadn't really had a home since that little apartment behind the church in Plainview in the Texas Panhandle, but it hadn't mattered because they'd been a team. Together against the world. But now?

“You're not going to have lunch with that woman, are you?” Melvin walked back into the room.

Sawyer grabbed his laptop and the projector. “I am.”

“Why?”

“Because I'm hungry.”

Melvin sputtered. “But you won.”

Sawyer nodded toward the outside glass door. Melvin opened it. When Sawyer had arrived this morning, he'd driven to the rodeo board's office, then followed Melvin to the new convention facility.

“Winning makes a poor lunch, Mel, and when Erin mentioned food, my hunger hit me like a kick from the old mule my dad worked with. And since the place is right here, why not eat?”

Melvin opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

“Besides, I'd think you'd want me to see if I could win the woman over, get her on my side. It will make things operate smoothly. I don't want any disruptions.”

“Well, yes, but—”

“I'm glad you agree. It will make things better later on.”

Sawyer stored his equipment in the long steel toolbox that ran the width of the bed of his truck. Turning, he faced Melvin and waited for the rest of his comment.

“Well?”

Mel glared. “Don't be surprised if she bites your ear off and spits it out.”

“I'll consider myself warned.”

Mel gave a curt nod and strolled to his car.

Sawyer's curiosity about Erin was piqued as he walked to the restaurant. His competition for this job was certainly much better looking than the one for the last job. Of course, from all the panicked looks thrown at Erin when she'd walked into the room, and from the dire warning just issued, he'd have to be on guard. The lady wasn't just a pretty face. But, as he thought about it, Sawyer couldn't shake the feeling that he'd met Erin somewhere before. Where, he couldn't say, but—

When he opened the door to Lulu's, the smell of burgers smacked him in the face, making his mouth water. Chrome-and-Formica tables à la 1950s vintage dotted the restaurant, with several booths by the windows. A jukebox sat close to the front door. Pictures from previous rodeos hung on the walls, along with ribbons from different 4-H projects. In the center of one wall was a large picture of Erin racing around a barrel, her long hair flying from beneath her cowgirl hat, her elbows out and her body low over the neck of the horse. A ribbon hung off the corner of the picture with a plaque below announcing State Champion. The picture impressed him. The lady knew her way around a rodeo, that was for sure, and he knew she'd have some ideas.

In a booth by the windows sat Erin. As he approached the table, she pointed to the opposite wall. “If you want to eat, you have to order at the counter behind you.”

She wasn't going to make this easy, but, oddly enough, that didn't put a damper on his spirit.

He glanced over his shoulder. A large menu covered the wall behind the order counter. He turned back to her. “Recommend anything?”

“Try Lulu's chili burger.”

He nodded and ordered the burger. When he joined her, he noticed that she had opened his proposal. Sliding onto the bench across from her, he asked, “What do you think?”

“That you know how to put together a proposal.”

“That's it?”

She placed her forearms on the tabletop and leaned forward. “I haven't read it all. Your slick marketing diverted my attention.”

He didn't think she meant it as a compliment, but he couldn't help smiling. He'd impressed her. “Well, it's geared to do that.”

“Let's see if the sleek outside matches what's inside.” She looked down at the presentation.

If he didn't miss his guess, it would take a lot to win over this woman. He didn't mind competing with others for a job, but he would've liked to have known there was a hometown applicant in the running against him.