The SEAL's Secret Heirs (15 page)

Kyle was never going to be like her dad, who left notes all over the house for her mother to find and surprised her with diamond earrings to mark the anniversary of their first date. She doubted Kyle even
knew
the anniversary of their first date.

The way Grace felt right now, none of that stuff mattered. She had a man who demonstrated his love for her in a hundred subtle ways if she'd just pay attention.

He tipped her chin up with a gentle forefinger and lightly laid his lips on hers. When he finally pulled back, he said, “But I'm not sorry I left. I gained so much from that. Foremost, the ability to come back to Royal and be a father. I was lost and being a SEAL is how I found myself. I might never have had the courage to enlist if things hadn't shaken out like they did. I'd never have had Maggie and Maddie. There was a higher power at work, and I, for one, am very grateful.”

She nodded because her heart was spilling over into her throat, and she wasn't sure her voice would actually work.

Her “standards” had been a shield she'd thrown up to keep other men away, when all along her heart had belonged to this man. And then she'd kept right on using her standards as an excuse to avoid facing her own failures.

There was so much more to say, so she forced herself to open her mouth and spill all her angst about the possibility of Kyle leaving again, which had also been an excuse. It was clear he was here for good—what more proof did she need? But that didn't magically make her fears go away, much as being in love didn't magically make everything work out okay.

He let her talk, holding her hand the whole time, and then he talked. They both talked until Clare came back into the room to check on Maddie, then they talked until Maddie woke up howling for a bottle. When she fell back into an exhausted sleep, they talked some more.

When dawn peeked through the window, they hadn't slept and hadn't stopped talking. Grace had learned more about the man she loved in those few hours than in the entire span of their relationship. Even though Kyle hadn't said
I love you
again—which honestly, she could never hear often enough—and in spite of the fact that he would never be a chatterbox about his feelings, it was hands down the most romantic night of Grace's life.

If only Maddie had miraculously gotten better, it would have been a perfect start to their second chance.

* * *

When Clare Connelly came into Maddie's room shortly after dawn, Kyle had to stand up and stretch his leg. With an apologetic glance at Grace, he stood and paced around the hospital crib where his daughter lay.

He didn't want to lose that precious contact with Grace, but she didn't seem to be in a hurry to go anywhere. That could change at a moment's notice. He wished he could express how much it meant to him that she'd stayed last night. His inability to share such feelings was one of the many things that had kept them apart.

“Dr. Reese will be in shortly,” Clare told them. “Why don't you go get some breakfast while I change Maddie. You need to get some air.”

Kyle nodded and grabbed Grace's hand to drag her with him, because he wasn't letting her out of his sight. Last night had been a turning point. They were in a good place. Almost. Grace deserved a guy who could spout poetry and be all the things she wanted. But she was stuck with him. If she wanted him. Nothing had been decided, and along with the concern about Maddie, everything weighed on him. He was exhausted and emotional and needed
something
in his life to be settled.

They grabbed a bite to eat and about a gallon of coffee. When they returned to Maddie's hospital room, Liam and Hadley were waiting for them. Perfect.

“Any news?” Hadley asked anxiously. “I hardly slept. I was sure we'd get a text at any moment and have to rush back to the hospital.”

“Nothing yet. The doctor will be here soon. I guess we'll know more then,” Kyle said.

As if Kyle had summoned him, Dr. Reese strode down the hall and nodded briefly. “I'm going to start some more tests. I'll be out to give you the results in a bit.”

The four of them watched him disappear into Maddie's room. What was Kyle supposed to do now? Wait some more to find out what was happening with his daughter?

Liam cleared his throat. “Hadley and I talked, by the way. We ripped up all the adoption paperwork. We're formally withdrawing our bid for custody of your daughters. It's pretty obvious you're the best father they could hope for, and we want you to know we're here for you.”

Somehow he managed to blurt out, “That's great.”

Grace nodded, slipping her hand into his. “He's an amazing man and an amazing father. I wouldn't have recommended that he retain custody otherwise.”

Their overwhelming support nearly did him in. He'd left Royal to find a new team, a place where he could fit in and finally feel like a part of something, only to learn that there really was no place like home.

“Just like that?” he finally asked Liam and Hadley. “You were going to adopt Maddie and Maggie. It can't be easy to live in the same house and realize what you've missed out on.”

He wouldn't take to that arrangement too well, that was for sure. If they'd somehow gotten custody, there was no way he'd have stayed. And he'd have ruined his second chance with Grace in the process. Leaving was still his go-to method for coping. But if things went the way he hoped, he had a reason to stay. Forever.

Hadley shook her head. “It's not easy. It was one of the hardest conversations we've had as a couple, but it was the easiest decision. We both love them, so much, and want the absolute best for them. Which means
you
. They're your daughters. We're incredibly fortunate for the time we've had together, and besides, you're not going anywhere, right?”

“No.” Kyle tightened his grip on Grace's hand. “I'm not. Royal is where I belong.”

The words spilled from his heart easily, despite never dreaming such a thing would be true.

“Then it will be fine,” Liam said. “We're still their aunt and uncle, and we expect to babysit a lot in the future.”

“That's a deal.” Kyle shook his brother's hand and held it for a beat longer, just to solidify the brotherly bond that they were forging.

Hadley and Liam waited with Kyle and Grace, chatting about the ranch and telling stories about Hadley's cat, Waldo. Finally, the doctor emerged, and Kyle tried to read the man's face, but it was impossible to tell his daughter's prognosis from that alone.

Quickly, he stood.

“She's going to make a full recovery,” Dr. Reese proclaimed. “The tests were all negative. The fever didn't cause any more damage to her heart.”

Everyone started talking at once, expressing relief and giving the doctor their thanks. Numbly, Kyle shook the doctor's hand and stumbled toward Maddie's room, determined to see her for himself to confirm that she was indeed fine.

After a few minutes, Grace forced him to go home with her so he could get some sleep, but he couldn't sleep. Now that he could stop worrying about Maddie so much, he couldn't get Grace's comments about being swept off her feet out of his mind.

They'd talked, and things were looking up, but no one had made any promises. Of course, it hadn't been the time or place. They'd been in a hospital room while his daughter fought for her life.

But he owed Grace so much. And now he had to step up. This was his opportunity to give her everything her heart desired.

* * *

When Hadley called Grace to invite her to a horse show Friday night, Grace actually pulled the phone away from her ear to check and make sure it was really Hadley's name on the screen.

“I'm sorry. Did you say a horse show?” Grace repeated. “There's no horse show scheduled this time of year. Everyone is busy with calving season.”

In a town like Royal, everyone lived and died by the ranch schedule whether they worked on one or not. And Kyle had been conspicuously absent for the better part of a week as he pulled calves, worked with the vet and fell into bed exhausted each night.

He always texted her a good-night message, though, no matter how late it was. She might have saved them all, even though not one had mentioned talking about the future. It had been almost a week since the hospital, and she and Kyle had had precious few moments alone together since then.

That's what happened when you fell in love with a rancher.

She'd hoped he might be the one calling her for a last-minute Friday night date so they could talk. It wasn't looking too promising since it was already six o'clock.

“Don't be difficult,” Hadley scolded. “Liam is busy helping Kyle and I need some me time. Girls' night out. Come on.”

Laughing, Grace said yes. Only Hadley would consider a horse show a girls' night out activity. “Your middle name should be Horse Crazy.”

“It is,” Hadley insisted pertly. “Says so on my birth certificate. I already asked Candace to watch the girls, so I'll pick you up in thirty minutes. Wear something nice.”

Hadley was still acting in her capacity as the nanny, though often, Grace dropped by to spend time with the babies. She and Hadley had grown close as a result. Close enough that Grace felt totally comfortable calling Hadley out when she said something ridiculous.

“To a horse show?”

“Yes, ma'am. I will be dragging you out for a drink afterward, if you must know. Be there soon.”

Grace chuckled as she hung up. As instructed, she donned a pink knee-length dress that hugged her curves and made her look like a knockout, if she did say so herself. Of course, she wasn't in the market to pick up an admirer, but it didn't hurt to let the male population of Royal eat their hearts out, did it?

The only arena in Royal large enough for a horse show was on the west end of downtown, and Grace was a bit surprised to see a full parking lot, given the timing.

“How come I haven't heard anything about this horse show before now?” Grace asked, her suspicions rising a notch as even more trucks poured into the lot behind them. This arena was normally the venue of choice for the county rodeo that took place during late May, and it held a good number of people.

“Because it was last-minute,” Hadley said vaguely with an airy wave. “Liam has some horses in the show, and that's how I found out about it.”

“Oh.” There wasn't much else to do at that point but follow Hadley into the arena to a seat near the front row. “These are great seats.”

“Helps to have a husband on the inside,” Hadley acknowledged with a wink.

The grandstand was already half-full. Grace waved at the continual stream of people she knew, and hugged a few, like Violet McCallum, who was looking a lot better since the last time they'd seen each other. Raina Patterson and Nolan Dane strolled by, Raina's little boy in tow, as always, followed by Cade Baxter and his wife, Mellie. The foursome stopped to chat for a minute, then found seats not far away.

The lights dimmed and the show started. Sheriff Battle played the part of announcer, hamming it up with a deep voice that was so far removed from his normal tenor that Grace had to laugh. And then with a drumroll, horses galloped into the arena, crisscrossing past each other in a dizzying weave. It was a wonder they didn't hit each other, which was a testament to the stellar handling skills of the riders.

Spotlights danced over the horses as they began to fall into a formation. One by one, the horses galloped to a spot in line, nose to tail, displaying signs affixed to their sides with three-foot high letters painted on them.
G
-
R
-
A
-
C
—

Grace blinked. The horses were spelling her name. They couldn't be. And then the
E
skidded into place. The line kept going.
W
-
I
-
L
-
L
.

Something fluttered in her heart as she started to get an inkling of what the rest of the message might possibly spell out. No. It couldn't be. “Hadley, what is all of this?”

“A surprise,” Hadley announced unnecessarily, glee coating her voice. “Good thing you took my advice and wore a pretty dress.”

Y
-
O
-
U
. The last horse snorted as he pranced into place. And then came the next one.
M
—

Holy cow. That definitely was the right letter to start the word she fervently hoped the horses were about to spell. All at once, a commotion to her right distracted her from the horses. The spotlight slid into the stands and highlighted a lone man making his way toward her. A man who was supposed to be in a barn at Wade Ranch. But wasn't, because he was here.

The last horse hit his mark and the sign was complete.
Grace, will you marry me?
It was the most beautiful thing in the whole world, except for the man she loved.

Her breath caught as Kyle arrived at her seat, wearing a devastating dark suit that he looked almost as delicious in as when he was wearing nothing.

She didn't dare look away as he knelt beside her and took her hand. “Hey, Grace.”

Tears spilled from her suddenly full eyes, though why Kyle's standard greeting did it when nothing else thus far had was a mystery to her. “Hey, Kyle. Fancy meeting you here.”

“Heard there was a horse show. It so happens I own a couple of horses. So here I am.” He held up a small square box with a hinged lid. “Okay, I admit I set all this up because I wanted to do this right. I love you, Grace. So much. I want nothing more than to put this ring on your finger right now, in front of all these good people.”

Yes, yes, yes
. A thousand times yes. There was never a possibility of anything other than becoming Mrs. Kyle Wade. She'd never expected a romantic proposal. She'd have been happy with a quiet evening at home, but this...this took the cake. It was a story for the ages, one she'd recount to Maddie and Maggie until they were sick of hearing it. Because she was going to get to be their mother.