Operation: Married by Christmas

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Epilogue

S
he was so close—only five miles from a warm bed and sweet dreams.

She needed oblivion…. She did not need
this!

Bleary-eyed and road-weary, Haley Bell Thornton peered through the window of her BMW Roadster and frowned at the cowboy blocking her path. With the stiff-armed motion of a traffic cop he signaled for her to halt.

Behind him stood a group of men hunched over the open hood of a truck that was connected to a cattle trailer. A cattle trailer that was completely blocking the road to Mule Hollow.

Haley was not a happy camper as the tall, lean cowboy strode toward her. Collar flipped up around his chin, he'd pulled his hat low over his eyes to hamper the frigid November wind. Haley groaned wearily when halfway to her car the man halted and responded to something one of the cowboys called out to him. “Come on,” Haley said, snippy from fatigue as she rested her forehead against the steering wheel. She needed sleep and this delay was not in her plan.

Yeah, right, what plan was that?

Haley closed her eyes. As the bride who had backed out of a church chapel, dropped her bouquet on the sidewalk, hopped in her car and sped away with her veil flapping in the wind, Haley couldn't exactly say she had a plan.

Lost her marbles—
now that she could say.

As could everyone else who'd watched her walk out on the groom who had more money than Bill Gates…Okay, so that was stretching things a bit, but in the realm of the ultra-wealthy, Lincoln Billings could hold his own.

She'd warned him, though. Been up-front with him. He'd known full well she didn't love him. Known she'd attempted to walk the aisle two times prior and had yet to make it to the altar.

But that had only fueled Linc's competitive spirit, and Haley had gotten caught up in his game. She'd let him talk her into attempting the notorious wedding walk once more.

Attempt
being the key word. Poor Linc, he'd so believed his charm and his millions would be the antidote to her problem…. At least it was only his ego she'd damaged and not his heart.

A knuckle rapping on her window brought Haley out of her daze. She blinked and straightened in her seat. Oh, how she needed to get to Grandpa Applegate's place. She needed to crawl into a warm bed and pull her grandma's quilt over her head. She just needed to block out the world for a few days and rest.

But she was in Texas cattle country, and she had forgotten that it unfortunately came with unique problems. Like broken-down cattle trailers and shoulderless roads that rendered low-to-the-road sports cars, like hers, useless. Grumpier by the moment, she pressed the button and lowered the window just a crack. Instantly, her car interior chilled and her eyes stung from the bite of the near-freezing wind that whisked through the slight opening.

“I need to get by here. Would you move that thing?” she snapped, giving the cowboy only a quick glance before returning her glare to the no-good trailer.

“Well, ma'am,” he drawled. “I thought that might be your plan. I mean, you
are
heading north. But as you can see the truck has stalled. And as you can also see, I'm just a mere man.”

The instant she heard his voice, Haley's gaze whipped from the trailer to his face…or at least she tried to see his face. He was standing too close, and she had to scoot down and angle her head to the side so her car roof didn't cut him off from sight. Even at this odd angle his features were shadowed beneath his black Stetson. But Haley knew him. She would have recognized Will Sutton's voice anywhere.

Will's slow drawl always had done funny things to her heart. Rich and silky, it had never failed to connect with her.

Will Sutton!
She snapped out of her stunned surprise and bolted upward so fast she banged her head on the roof. What was he doing back in Mule Hollow?

Her gaze dropped to her gown and she wanted to shrink into the floorboard of her car. Oh, why hadn't she taken the time to change? Only a crazy woman walked out of her wedding and drove eighteen hours in her wedding dress.

“Haley?” Her name whooshed from his lips as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Haley cringed and ducked her chin; a loose curl slapped her in the forehead and she closed her eyes. She looked like roadkill. A woman wasn't supposed to look this way when she met—

“Haley, is that you?”

Okay, so she couldn't very well remain hidden behind a single golden curl and a clear sheet of glass. She opened her eyes and took a deep breath. Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't realize she was wearing a wedding dress. After all, it was a simple, elegant Vera Wang sheath. A guy would just look at it and think: white silk dress.

Right?

Her mouth was as dry as dirt and her insides wobbly as she reluctantly let the window down farther. He had bent forward so that he could see her better. Warily, she met his disbelieving gaze. The man had the most gorgeous brown eyes. Soulful and bottomless, with gold flecks that sparkled when the sun hit them just right.

Get over it, Haley!
The man hates you. And you're not too peachy about him, either, remember?

“Will, hello,” she gasped. As a real-estate agent for one of the most prestigious agencies in West Hollywood, she was known for her lightning-quick response in any situation. But with the way her throat closed off now, the only lightning she could hope for was a bolt to strike and put her out of her misery.

Will blinked twice, straightened to his full six foot three inches and let the awkward moment stretch. Endlessly.

Haley swallowed again. Will Sutton was still the best-looking man she'd ever seen.

He was also the first man she'd ever left at the altar. The first man to break her heart. And the last.

“Well, what do you know?” he drawled finally. “Haley Bell Thornton has come home at last.”

His patronizing tone stung and riled her at the same time. “It's a free country,” she snapped. She had a thing about condescension.

The laugh that escaped his perfect lips was about as disdainful and condescending as it could get. “If it were that free, I'd think you'd come see Applegate every once in a while.”

She bristled against words that cut to the quick. She had neglected her grandpa. “I hardly think what I do is any of your business.” Tension sparked between them sharper than the cutting wind.

“On that count you'd be right, Haley.” His eyes narrowed.

“Look. Are you going to move that thing?” She lifted her chin for good measure while her traitorous heart did a lunge-and-dive maneuver against her ribs. Without warning, her eyes betrayed her and dropped to his hand. But the hand, along with the telltale ring finger, was buried in the pocket of his coat. Astounded at herself, she immediately looked away, hoping he hadn't seen.

No such luck.

“I'm not married, Haley. Never have been.”

Again her tongue failed her. What was she supposed to say to that?

“You, on the other hand,” he drawled, cocking his head to the side to get a better look at her. “You look as though you've been playing dress-up again.” His condemning gaze took in her dress then met her eyes straight on. “What is this, the fourth time?”

“Third,” she gritted from between flattened lips. Had she actually
liked
this man at one time?

He pulled his hands from his pockets, holding them up in a “no foul” gesture. “Don't look at me. I moved back here three months ago, and the rumor mill started churning out Haley Bell reports without me so much as opening my mouth.”

Ohhhh!

“You,” he continued, despite her warning glare, “have really done yourself proud.”

That did it!
What did he know? Who did he think he was? “Look, I'd just love to sit here and reminisce, but it is cold and I'm tired and I need to get to my grandpa Applegate's.”

“Well, let me put a fire under the boys, then. We certainly wouldn't want
you
to be the one left standing out in the cold.”

Before she could say anything, he spun on his boot heel and strode back to the truck. He spoke to the guys, who immediately looked her way as he left them and stalked around to the far side of the trailer. Through its bars she could see another truck, and to her dismay Will climbed into it and drove off toward town—leaving her trapped with nothing to do but sit and wait!

Haley fumed as she watched him disappear into the distance.

Payback was the pits.

A
few miles down the road, Will yanked his truck to a stop and stared out across the expanse of ranch land on the edge of town.

Haley Bell Thornton was back.

And he had to pretend it didn't matter to him. Had to act as if he'd never loved her. As if watching her walk out of that church, leaving him standing alone at the altar ten years ago, hadn't torn his heart out.

Will had always been a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of man. Pretending didn't work for him, which accounted for his behavior just now. He'd let his guard down—
what guard?
He'd been so shocked when he'd realized Haley was sitting right there in front of him that he'd had no guard. Just pure reaction. And he'd reacted badly.

He was not normally a rude man. His faith in God's plan for his life had been rocked to its very core after Haley had left him, but he'd learned to accept it and not blame God for it.

Haley was here, and he would simply deal with it. He wouldn't allow himself to act like a child again. He'd make certain that the next encounter with Haley would be different. It had to be if he was going to come out of this with his self-esteem—not to mention his heart—intact. After all, Will was only a man.

Not that he would have to see her again while she was here. With Christmas coming he had plenty to do to keep busy. He had enough work lined up to keep him burning the midnight oil for the next six weeks, designing the custom gates and steel signs he was known for. Business was brisk. It never failed to strike him how blessed he was to be making a living doing something he loved. The demand for a custom Sutton gate was high. His western views decorated ranch entryways all over the world, a source of pure satisfaction for Will.

Through hard work and endless hours, he'd built a name for himself. All he had to do now was bury himself in his work the way he'd been doing for years and make it through the week. Only a week. Haley had proven she hated Mule Hollow, Texas. There was no way she would last here longer than one week.

If she lasted that long.

As far as he could tell, she'd achieved exactly what she longed for when she'd chosen Beverly Hills over him. Applegate had mentioned that she'd just sold her first multimillion-dollar mansion to a big Hollywood star. The commissions off sales of that magnitude would be hard for a person like Haley to stay away from. And a California real-estate agent couldn't make sales from four states away.

Will didn't know what brought Haley home, but there was no way he'd let his guard down while she was here. No way he'd take a chance at being left standing in the dust of her departure this go-round.

There was only so much a heart could take. His designs might be made of steel, but his heart was not.

 

Trudging up the steps to her grandpa's—who had gone by plain, ol' Applegate for as long as she could remember—Haley tripped on the hem of her dress. Yanking it up to her knees, she stomped to the door and twisted the doorknob as if it were Will Sutton's neck. At this time of morning, Applegate would be in town playing checkers with his buddy Stanley. Rain or shine they passed the mornings away with daily checker games at Sam's Diner. Poor Sam; Haley could only imagine what he had to put up with from those two constantly being underfoot.

Haley walked into her grandpa's home, a little perturbed at him for not locking his door. He never locked his doors, didn't think there was a need for such a thing in Mule Hollow. That was something she was going to have to speak to him about. Things changed. The world was not the place it used to be.

Glancing around the tidy living space, she made her way directly toward the back of the house and the spare bedroom. The big, warm bed sat exactly where it always had across from the windows. Not much had changed in the years since she'd been here. It still looked as if her grandmother had only left the house briefly and would be back momentarily. Nostalgia filled her as her gaze rested on a picture of her grandparents on their wedding day. It hung on the hall wall, and she glanced from the doorway to admire it before entering the guest bedroom. How her grandmother had put up with Applegate for almost fifty years had been a mystery to everyone. The thought made Haley smile. The two had a happy marriage up until Birdie had passed away six years ago. Haley sighed, walked to the big bed and pulled the coverlet back. Weary beyond description, she slipped off her shoes and dropped fully clothed onto the bed. Her grandparents had possessed something that eluded Haley.

Oh, forget it.
She was too tired to think about anything right now. She needed sleep. She'd been on the road since two o'clock the day before, and the bed was calling her name. She pulled the covers over her head, sighing as her bones relaxed into the soft mattress. With any luck she hoped for at least a couple of hours' sleep before Applegate came home and found her.

She was going to need it.

Because there was no escaping the fact that Applegate would put her through the wringer with questions and unwanted advice once he found her. He was not known for his patience. It was a quality she'd inherited.

Closing her eyes, Haley's thoughts immediately went back to Will, and she groaned into the heavy quilt. What were the odds that he would be the first person she'd see upon coming home? The man was supposed to be living in the Dallas area building malls or something.

This weird coincidence was just one more of the odd things that had been happening to her over the last month. Things that some might think random, but added together ended up bringing Haley home—after she walked out on yet another wedding. And probably did irreparable damage to her hard-won reputation as one of
the
go-to real-state agents in Beverly Hills.

Sleep wrapped around Haley's thoughts, and despite herself she fell asleep with a picture of Will in her mind and the question she couldn't answer.

Why had she come home? Really?

She had a great life…. She had a life she'd worked hard for…. A life she'd dreamed of…

Why had she walked out on it and come back?

 

Haley woke to the sound of hushed voices and multiple sets of footsteps clomping down the wood floor of the hallway.

She'd just pushed her head out from beneath the covers when a crowd appeared in the open doorway. Her grandpa stood in the front, as tall and lean as a beanpole. Stanley stood beside him, shorter and softer around the middle. They were flanked by Esther Mae Wilcox and Norma Sue Jenkins. All of them were gaping at her with open mouths and wide eyes.

Oh boy, there was nothing in the world like the puppy in a pet store feeling to snap a person out of a groggy fog.

Haley sat up and gaped right back.

Instantly, Applegate's wrinkles lifted into a grin. “Haley Bell, youngin, we heard you'd snuck yourself into town and we come to see about-cha. To see if it was true.”

As usual he spoke louder than needed because his hearing was so bad. He'd worked thirty years in the oil field as a driller before semiretiring as a rancher. The loud machines had ruined his hearing early in life, but he wasn't fond of his hearing aids and didn't always turn them on. Now, in an unusual show of affection, he bent down and engulfed Haley in a hug.

As Haley returned his hug, she realized that though there was still strength in his bony frame, he'd grown thinner, if that was possible. She was overcome with shame for all the long-distance phone calls and excuses for not being able to come home for a visit. She was a slug.

His thinness reminded her of their last phone call, the call that had alarmed her enough to make her finally come home. He'd mentioned a bad report from the doctor, but he refused to share details about it. That had been the most important thing, but one of many that had sealed her spur-of-the-moment decision to head her car this direction as she sped out of the chapel parking lot. She still wasn't certain about anything else, but she was glad that she'd come if for no other reason than to see about her grandpa. Will was right. She'd been selfish.

“I've missed you too, Grandpa,” she said, blinking back tears, overwhelmed by how much. Fighting to control her emotions she smiled and nodded toward the others. “But, um, what's with the show?” She lifted her eyebrow when her audience crowded closer then swamped her with enthusiastic hugs. She couldn't get a word in as she was smothered, squeezed, cooed and clucked over. Her cheeks were even pinched by Esther Mae, making Haley feel six years old all over again.

After a moment they stepped back and studied her again—as if they couldn't believe she was really here. Haley studied them, too, knowing that to them she'd never grown up. She'd always been their little Haley Bell and it was obvious that she'd been right all those years ago to realize that some things would never change.

To them she would always be the adorable little girl with the Shirley Temple hair who tripped over her shoelaces and knocked over the buffet table at church socials. Among a host of other mishaps that she'd never been able to live down while living in Mule Hollow.

“We were all having coffee at Sam's when Nate Talbert came in with the news that you'd come to town.” Robust in body and soul, Norma Sue beamed the broad smile Haley remembered so well.

Haley leaned her head to the side. “Who's Nate Talbert?”

“Nate's trailer was blocking the road,” Esther Mae offered, patting her short red hair. It had gotten flattened on one side during all the hugging. Haley noticed instantly that Esther Mae had had a make-over since the last time Haley had seen her. There was no forgetting the long hair Esther Mae had always teased and sprayed into a mountain on top of her head. There had always been the threat of a rock slide with the way she bobbed her head as she spoke. Now it was shorter, more-up-to-date and saucy—like Esther Mae herself.

“Nate said you ran poor Will off, surprising him like that,” Stanley boomed. He, too, had a hearing problem.

Ran him off!

Haley's shocked gaze met Applegate's just as his bushy brows suddenly dipped together.

“Youngin, what in the world do you have on?”

“Oh!” Haley gasped as everyone's attention dropped to the rumpled wedding dress she still wore. She cringed and wanted to crawl under the bed. Why, oh why, hadn't she taken the time to change?

Yes, she'd been dead on her feet, but this was really getting ridiculous. This was going to be one more Haley Bell tale to add to her already notorious dossier…. “Um, well—”

“Look at that, Norma Sue. That is a wedding dress!” Esther Mae exclaimed. “Haley Bell's been at it again. Again—”

“Esther Mae, get a hold of yourself!” Norma Sue barked, rendering the room silent as she placed her hands on her ample hips and studied Haley. “
Is
that a wedding dress?”

“Yes.” The word came out in a squeak as Haley dropped another year from six to five years old. This was not good. A month ago she had mentioned to Applegate that she was thinking about getting married. She was getting older, after all. But he'd gotten so agitated by the news that she hadn't called him back to say she'd decided to go through with the wedding rather than wait. After all, she was a grown woman. It had been ten years and she'd grown up. She didn't need him or the town telling her once more what she should and shouldn't do.

“You didn't go through with it, did ya?” Applegate asked, his face drooping into a scowl.

“No, Grandpa, once again I didn't go through with it.” To her surprise a collective sigh passed from everyone in the room. Of course, she realized suddenly by their reactions, Applegate had shared with everyone that she'd been contemplating another wedding. One that didn't include love.

“I'm glad ya come to yor senses and didn't go through with it,” he said, nodding his head. “Haley Bell, darlin', you gotta love the one you marry and that's all thar is to it.”

“That's right,” Stanley added. “Even if it takes lookin' foolish a time or two fore ya know where yor heart belongs.”

Haley bit her lip at that one. There was nothing like the brutal honesty a girl got from the ones who'd practically raised her. From the ones who might not ever let her grow up, but loved her in their own smothering way.

She sighed, gazing from face to face….
Welcome home, Haley. Welcome home.

 

Will stared at the eight-foot sheet of steel that was the canvas for his art. Intently he studied the scene he'd just finished chalking out. It was a small herd of cattle grazing beneath several oak trees. Once he cut it out with his plasma cutter, the welding torch he used, he would mount it in a frame of steel bars. After grinding the edges and adding a black powder coating, it would become an entrance gate for a wealthy ranch owner out of Wyoming.

“So, can you do it?”

Will turned back to Norma Sue and Esther Mae waiting impatiently for an answer. They'd arrived only moments before beaming with excitement. He'd known he was in for it the instant he saw Norma Sue's truck winding up his drive. This day had started out on the wrong foot with his early morning run-in with Haley and now this….