Montana Hearts (15 page)

Stepping outside, she found Kurt sitting in the shade of the porch, his chair tipped back, his booted feet propped on the porch railing, and his Stetson pulled down, hiding his eyes. An empty iced-tea glass sat beside his chair.

For a moment, she simply took in the sight of Kurt in a relaxed state. Between running the ranch and seeing to his children, he rarely had a chance to stop and catch his breath.

What he needed was a woman to look out for him for a change.

He snorted and coughed, shifted his position.

“Ah, the master of the house is alive after all,” she said.

Startled, his feet dropped to the porch with a bang and he righted the chair. Pushing his hat back up on his head, he said, “I didn't hear you come outside.”

“You were pretty well gone.”

“Just resting my eyes.”

Right!
She leaned back on the railing. “Where are the children?”

“They're both doing sleepovers at a friend's house.”

“Oh.” A prick of disappointment needled Sarah. While she was in the hospital, she'd missed the children almost as much as she'd missed Kurt.

“I asked them to arrange the sleepovers,” Kurt continued, “because I'm going to take you out to dinner.”

“Oh,” she said again, thinking the children could just as easily have come with them to the diner in town, the only place to eat in Sweet Grass Valley. “I could've fixed them something here.”

“Nope. Not this time.” He stood, forcing Sarah to look up at him. “There's an old farmhouse this side of Chester that a couple have remodeled and turned into a B and B. They serve dinners, too. Nice white tablecloths, fancy silverware, the whole big-city thing. That's where I'd like to take you on a date tonight.”

Her jaw went slack. “A date?”

“Yep. Assuming you feel up to going, of course.”

“I feel fine. I'm surprised, that's all. I didn't expect—”

His brown-eyed gaze snared hers with its intensity. “A lot of things have surprised me lately. Will you go out to dinner with me? I made reservations for us.”

She moistened her lips with her tongue. A quiver of joy arrowed into her heart. “That sounds wonderful. Thank you for inviting me.”

The corners of his lips hooked up in a self-satisfied smile that made Sarah wonder what besides a fancy dinner might be on the menu tonight.

 

Kurt had not exaggerated. The interior of the Old Yellow Farmhouse B and B was tastefully decorated with antiques displayed on bookshelves and in glass-fronted cabinets. Each cozy room had a theme—Victorian, Federalist or Civil War era with furniture to match the time period.

Evelyn Couch, the gracious owner of the B and B, ushered them into a private dining room with a single table set for two. The walnut chairs were upholstered in red velvet. Framed period prints decorated the walls and silver serving pieces lined a walnut buffet, and there was a delicate porcelain vase of pink roses on the table. A single window covered with sheer curtains provided a view of the prairie north of the town of Chester as the sun slanted toward evening shadows.

Kurt held the chair for Sarah, then seated himself.

“May I bring you both some iced tea?” the hostess asked.

“Yes, please,” Sarah said. Kurt nodded in agreement.

When Mrs. Couch left them with their menus and a promise their server would be there shortly, Sarah leaned forward, and whispered, “How many cows did you have to sell to afford dinner here?”

Kurt chuckled. “Don't worry about it. I want this to be a special evening for you.”

“It already is.” She'd never seen Kurt look so handsome or so commanding. He wore a beige silk Western shirt with white trim and a brown-and-gold tigereye bolo tie that matched his eyes. His height and muscular physique seemed to dwarf the delicate Victorian furniture. In this setting, with this man, Sarah felt like a storybook pampered princess.

A young waitress wearing a long skirt and white blouse brought them their iced tea and a basket of warm rolls. “Do you need a little more time to study the menu?”

“Yes, please.” Sarah hadn't even glanced at the menu, she'd been too enthralled by Kurt.

When the waitress returned a few minutes later, Sarah selected a Cornish game hen with new potatoes and fresh vegetables on the side, knowing full well she wouldn't be able to eat a full dinner. Kurt chose a T-bone steak, baked potato and dinner salad. She smiled, suspecting before she had started preparing his meals, he would never have chosen a salad with his meal.

They spoke of inconsequential things as they ate. Bonnie Sue's daughter was visiting from Chicago. Kurt needed to order some new parts for his tractor. He'd be moving the mother herd closer to the ranch house soon.
Beth wanted to pierce her ears, which troubled Kurt and endeared Sarah for his concern.

By the time they'd finished dinner and the waitress cleared the table, Sarah was totally stuffed. She wouldn't be able to eat another bite for days.

Kurt cleared his throat and straightened his napkin as though he was suddenly nervous. “A couple of weeks ago, I said we should be a couple and you turned me down. That was the right thing for you to do.”

Her meal suddenly turned into a rock in her stomach. Was he telling her goodbye? Sending her back to Seattle? Did he no longer want a heart-transplant recipient around to remind him of Zoe? She felt like a prisoner who'd just eaten a last meal before being led to the guillotine.

“When I told you that I'd come to care for you, I didn't know the right words to say how I felt about you. And my faith in the Lord wasn't strong enough.” He produced a small blue velvet box and placed it on the table between them. “I think I've found the words now, and I'm working hard on the faith part.”

Barely able to breathe, her heart pounding hard, she stared at the velvet box, then lifted her gaze to his.

“I love you, Sarah. I never thought I'd feel this way about any woman. When you were so sick, I thought I was going to lose you. That made me realize that I want you to be my wife. To stand beside me for the rest of my life.” His eyes filled with his plea. “Will you marry me, Sarah?”

Her heart soared. Her head spun. Although she'd dreamed of this moment, she'd never let herself believe
it would happen. She wanted this man as her husband more than anything else in the world.

“I know there are some things about living on a ranch that might bother you,” he added. “The isolation of living so far from a city. The winters here can be killers.”

She extended her hand across the table to stop his babbling, and he took it.

“I love you, Kurt. More than I can possibly say. But there are some things you need to know.”

He frowned as he rubbed his thumb back and forth over her knuckles. “I know all I need to know about you.”

“I'm not guaranteed tomorrow. My heart could fail at any moment or I could go into rejection again.”

“One day with you as my wife would be worth a thousand days without you.”

Self-consciously, she glanced away. “The transplant operation left me with a gigantic scar on my chest. It's…ugly,” she admitted, hating that she'd been so scarred while still grateful to be alive.

“It doesn't matter. You're beautiful on the inside, where it counts.”

She squeezed his hand, ready to make the most difficult admission of all. “Because I'm on anti-rejection drugs, I can't have any babies. I couldn't carry them to term.”

“Sarah, honey, I've got two kids who are already a handful. I don't need any more.”

For years, Sarah had longed to have children of her own with a man she loved. A man like Kurt. The trans-
plant had made that virtually impossible, and she had grieved for that loss.

“Besides,” Kurt said, grinning. “If you marry me, then you could talk to Beth about all that boy-'n-girl stuff that scares me spitless.”

She laughed and tears sprang to her eyes. “Coward!”

“You know I am about stuff like that.”

“There's one other small hitch. Tricia, who's been running my business, has gotten a job offer she can't pass up. I'll have to go back to Seattle and try to arrange something for my clients. I can't just leave them in the lurch.”

“Does that mean you're going to say yes?”

She nodded and the tears began to flow. “What about Beth and Toby? How will they feel? Beth isn't over losing her mother yet and I don't want—”

“They're great with us getting married. In fact, Beth told me that if I blew the proposal she was never going to speak to me again.”

Sarah gasped. “You told them you were going to propose to me?”

He shifted in his chair as though suddenly uncomfortable. “I had to, Sarah. I was pretty sure they'd both be okay with it. And they are. But the three of us sort of come as a package, and I didn't want to put you in an awkward position.”

“You're a good father, Kurt Ryder. I love you so much and your children. I can't wait to become Mrs. Kurt Ryder.”

He opened the velvet box and showed her the diamond engagement ring, a beautiful solitaire mounted
on white gold. Simple in its elegance. “If you don't like it, we can take it back for another one.”

“Oh, Kurt…” She covered her mouth with her hand.

“It's perfect. More that I'd ever hoped for.”

Taking her hand, he slid the ring onto the third finger of her left hand and smiled, looking relieved. “You're perfect, sweetheart. In every way.”

Saturday, early September

T
he heat of August had given way to the cooler temperatures of September and the flowers circling the gazebo in front of the ranch house were in full, magnificent bloom. The scent of the floral bouquet they created provided the perfect atmosphere for a wedding.

Both Kurt and Sarah had opted for a small wedding with only family and their closest friends attending. Pastor Hoffman would officiate and his wife, Alexis, would provide the music on a portable keyboard. Toby was to be the best man, Beth the junior bridesmaid and Grace the stand-in mother of the bride.

In the ranch house guest bedroom, Tricia Malone, CPA and maid of honor, fussed with Sarah's hair and the short veil she wore. Both of them concentrated on Sarah's reflection in the full-length mirror on the back of the bedroom door. Her simple wedding dress was street length with a high collar and long sleeves of white organdy over pale pink satin, camouflaging the scar on her chest.

“We really should have gotten you a hairpiece so we could pile it up on top of your head in a fancy do,” Tricia said.

“If we had, Kurt probably wouldn't recognize me and he'd go running for the hills.”

“I doubt it. That man looks at you like a man head-over-teakettle in love. I should be so lucky.”

“You will be one day.” Tall and slender with incredible dark eyes, Sarah was surprised some fellow hadn't already set his sights on Tricia.

When Sarah had called Tricia to let her know about the wedding and her plans to return to Seattle long enough to close down her business, Tricia had been more than a little surprised. She'd just learned that her mother had been diagnosed with cancer at the same time the high-powered accounting firm announced they wanted Tricia to start work at their Los Angeles office, not in Seattle.

Tricia couldn't bring herself to leave her mother and move away when she was facing such a difficult time in her life. She'd been struggling with the career decision she'd have to make. Given Sarah's news, Tricia knew it was a gift from God and instantly offered to buy Puget Sound Business Services from Sarah. A happy resolution for them both.

A knock on the door was followed by Beth's voice. “Are you guys ready yet? Dad's having a nervous breakdown waiting for you.”

Grinning, Sarah met Tricia's gaze in the mirror. “Come on in, sweetie. We're just finishing up.”

Beth opened the door and stood stock-still, looking adorable and almost grown-up in her sleeveless pale
blue satin dress. She and Sarah had shopped for their dresses together, giggling as though they were both schoolgirls.

“Wow, Sarah, you look gorgeous. When Dad sees you he's gonna drool.”

“Oh, dear, I hope not.” Tricia adjusted Sarah's veil one more time. “The rental place will charge him extra for cleaning his tux.”

Beth sputtered a laugh. “I didn't mean
really
drool.”

“She knows that,” Beth assured her about-to-be step-daughter. “Tricia has a rather dry sense of humor.”

“Okay, ladies,” Tricia announced. “It's showtime.”

From calm one minute to being a nervous wreck the next, Sarah walked out of the bedroom to her future. Her hands shook as Beth handed her the small bouquet of mixed flowers they'd picked together that morning.

“You're gonna be a great mom,” Beth whispered. “I think my mother would be glad Dad found you.”

Sarah's heart seemed to expand with the love she felt for Beth as well as for Toby. Most of all for Kurt. Trying desperately not to cry, not
before
the service, Sarah kissed Beth on the cheek. “Thank you, honey. I'll do my very best, I promise.”

Beth and Tricia preceded her out the front door.

When Sarah stepped out onto porch, her breath caught. Kurt, standing tall and strong in a Western-cut tuxedo, his son standing beside him, waited for her at the bottom of the steps. He extended his hand. Their eyes met and they both smiled.

All of Sarah's jitters vanished in that moment. She knew from the depth of her soul this was why the Lord
had sent her to Sweet Grass Valley. Not to find the donor family who had given her a new heart.

But to bring her to this place where her heart and Kurt's could join in a love that would last throughout eternity.