TIS THE SEASON...FOR ROMANCE (WESTMORELAND/MASTERS/JEFFERIES) (29 page)

He glanced down at Cathy, met her gaze and smiled. He then returned his eyes to Maureen. “It even goes deeper than that. I love her and intend to marry her.”

Maureen’s gaze widened in shock and surprise. “Marry her?”

“Tomorrow if she’ll let me.”

Orin’s admission of love and marriage was evidently too much for Maureen to handle. Anger replaced embarrassment in her face. “You two deserve each other.”

He chuckled. “Those are my sentiments exactly. Goodbye, Maureen.”

And when she turned to leave, he said. “And Maureen. Remember this. You’d better be able to substantiate any claim you make, or I wouldn’t hesitate to take you to court for slander and /or libel.”

Maureen opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something and then she closed it shut, as if she thought better of it. Without saying anything else, she walked out the office.

* * *

Later that night after enjoying a delicious dinner at Chase’s Place, a restaurant owned by one of Reggie’s cousins, Cathy and Orin went back to his place and made love in his huge bed.

Cradling her closer in his arms, he kissed the top of her head. He’d been so upset after Maureen had left the office that he’d gone ahead and spoken with Nathan Nettleton, a man he considered a friend.

Nathan had been pleased to hear about him and Cathy and said he’d sensed it for years and figured eventually Orin’s eyes would open. He agreed with Orin that they would continue to let Maureen do her job for now, but if any incidents came up regarding her allegations, she would be let go. The last thing they needed was a troublemaker among his management team.

Orin glanced over at the clock on his nightstand. It was close to midnight. He kissed Cathy’s temple again and then whispered. “I need to get you home before Maverick gets ideas.”

Cathy smiled. “I can stay here in your arms forever. It’s going to be a long wait for Christmas.”

It was final. They’d decided over dinner to marry in a small and very private wedding the day after Christmas. They would let their family know at the cookout this weekend. Notifying Maverick early meant he had a better chance of being able to attend the wedding. It was Cathy’s desire that both her sons give her away.

“I love you, Orin. We won’t waste any more years.”

“I love you too, and you’re right. We won’t waste any more years.”

And then he pulled her into his arms and kissed her with all the love he felt deep within his soul. Cathy had set out to conquer his heart and she had done just that.

“I now pronounce you man and wife. Orin you may kiss your bride.”

Orin smiled thinking the minister didn’t have to tell him twice, and when he pulled Cathy into his arms he felt like the luckiest man alive. He had the woman he loved and two additional young men to call his sons.

When he released her and saw the way she smiled up at him, he knew his life now was complete. She was everything he needed and everything he wanted. When they’d made their announcement at the cookout no one had really been surprised. Not her kids or his. It seemed everyone had suspected their feelings for each other but was waiting for them to realize those feelings. Taking Cathy’s hand in his he intended to keep her by his side starting now and for the rest of his life.

It was a short time later that Cathy crossed the room without her husband. She had left him talking to Terrence and Sherri. The couple would be getting married in May in Chicago, where Sherri’s parents were living.

“Okay Jen, what’s this I hear about you trying to get credit for me and Orin?” she jokingly asked her best friend.

Jen laughed. “It was the hairstyle. I knew when I fixed you up he wouldn’t be able to resist that new do.”

Cathy shook her head, deciding not to tell Jen it had been more than just the hairstyle. She and Orin had always loved each other; they’d just needed the trip to New York to realize their feelings. Of course, she’d always known hers but as she’d always known, men were slower when it came to stuff like that.

She glanced around the room. The wedding and reception had been held at Libby’s, the name Olivia had chosen for her art gallery. The wedding had been a Christmas theme with colors of silver and gold. The place looked fabulous and she was enjoying her new job as Olivia’s administrative assistant. Although Mr. Nettleton had tried getting her to stay on, she knew it was time she moved on. She had enrolled in the paralegal course at the college and had finished the semester making all As in her classes. And now she would look forward to welcoming Orin home from work every day. She smiled thinking that was the job she would treasure the most.

She glanced across the room and saw Duan talking to Maverick. Their blended families were getting along nicely and she was glad Maverick and Shandon had role models with Duan and Terrence. Already Terrence had invited Shandon to the Keys for his next spring break.

She glanced over at Duan again, the last remaining Jeffries who was still unwed. It was her most ardent hope and desire that he found that special lady to love. That would make Orin happy to see that despite Susan Jeffries’ betrayal and desertion that all three of his kids found true and everlasting love.

“You look beautiful today and I love you, sweetheart.”

She was pulled out of her thoughts by the deep husky voice, and looked up into Orin’s handsome face. And as if he knew what she needed, what she wanted, he pulled her into his arms. “And I love you, too,” she whispered.

They would be leaving in the morning for New York, where they would continue the sightseeing tour they had started in June. They would remain in New York through the New Year, and then on January second, would fly to London. From London they would board a ship for a twelve-day Mediterranean cruise.

Orin leaned down and kissed her lips and moments later she glanced around. Everyone was smiling, happy for them and was probably thinking - at long last.

She felt happy, elated and loved. She had gotten her man, had conquered his heart and at that moment she was completely content and satisfied.

Don’t miss Duan Jeffries’ story,
SPONTANEOUS,
coming in May 2010 from Harlequin Blaze.

To all my readers who read Stone Cold Surrender
and wanted Uncle Corey and Abby Winters’ story.This one is for you.

Though your beginning was small,
yet your latter end would increase abundantly.
Job 8:7 KJV

“Happy New Year, Uncle Corey.”

“Happy New Year to you, too, Thorn.”

Corey Westmoreland couldn’t help the smile that touched each corner of his lips. At fifty-four he’d never married and didn’t have any offspring. But thanks to his older brothers James and John and their wives, Sarah and Elizabeth, he was blessed with eleven nephews and one niece. Those twelve were the joy of his life. He had enjoyed them as kids and appreciated the adults they’d become. They were thoughtful and considerate, and made a point to call and check up on him often.

He would be the first to admit it could get kind of lonely up here on his mountain. When he’d first decided to purchase the huge peak of land that nearly touched the Montana sky, a number of people questioned his wisdom in doing so and thought he’d gone loco. Especially since the only way to reach his mountain from the lowlands was either by horseback, which could take a couple of days, or by air.

There was a postal plane he could count on where for a fee, they would deliver his supplies as well as his mail. And on occasion he would catch an air ride down the mountain. While a park ranger, he’d leased a small cabin in the lowlands and only made the trip up to the mountains on his days off. Now that he retired earlier this year, he liked the solitude and only went down off the mountain when he needed supplies or for his weekly poker game.

With Thorn’s call, that was all of his nephews accounted for. His one lone niece, Delaney, had called earlier all the way from the Middle East where she was living with her husband Jamal, a wealthy sheikh.

Corey shook his head remembering when Delaney had broken the news to the family that she was in love with a man from another country and would be moving there to spend the rest of her life with him. That hadn’t gone over well with the family; Delaney’s brothers in particular and Thorn specifically. Corey had had to remind them that it was Delaney’s life to do what she wanted and that two people who loved each other should be together.

He felt strongly about that because he had lost the one and only woman he’d loved. They had met thirty-two years ago and Abby Madison had touched his heart in a way no woman could or ever would. It had been love at first sight.

That was the main reason that he was alone on his mountain. This place was his haven, the one place he could find peace. Even after thirty-two years he couldn’t imagine another woman filling his heart the way Abby still did, and because of it, he didn’t want to share his home with any other woman but her.

That’s why he’d only indulged in meaningless affairs over the years and why he never allowed any woman, except for those in his family, or Morning Star, the wife of his best friend Martin Quinn, to set foot on his mountain.

Sighing deeply, he moved around the spacious cabin he’d built. The winters in Montana could be harsh and up here on his mountain, triply so. He’d gotten used to getting snowed in on occasion, but as long as he had food, water and a warm place to rest his head he was fine. His nephew Durango, who’d also chosen a career as a park ranger, had been his house guest for about three days and had left earlier that day to return to his own home at the bottom of the mountain.

Corey would have to admit he missed Durango’s presence already, but knew three days was the longest his nephew could endure being away from civilization. Women in particular. The boy took his bachelor status to a whole new level. But not only Durango, several of his nephews were the same way. With his nephew Dare’s recent marriage, some of those single Westmorelands were running for cover.

Corey made it to the kitchen and glanced at the clock. People were already celebrating the New Year on the East Coast where the majority of his family lived in Atlanta, which was the reason for all the phone calls he’d gotten. However, here in Montana they had another two hours to go.

He figured he might as well get an early start at celebrating, although he wasn’t sure just how much celebrating he would do. All he saw looming ahead of him for the incoming year was twelve more months of loneliness.

He would even discount the words of that gypsy woman a couple of months back at the county fair in Helena, who’d had the damn nerve to boldly predict that the New Year would bring him total fulfillment. That was nothing but pure hogwash. Total fulfillment had stopped coming his way the day he’d seen Abby Madison for the last time.

He had known the day Abby had married Larry Winters. He’d also known, with the help of a private investigator, that her parents had passed away some years back. And he knew that she’d given birth to a little girl she had named Madison. And according to what the investigator found out, the Winters were a happy family.

It was only after receiving that report had he decided since Abby had gotten on with her life that he needed to get on with his. He had tried doing so several times but had failed miserably.

Maybe it was time he tried again.

Moving with determination he left the kitchen and went into his bedroom. Kneeling he pulled out a box he kept underneath his bed that contained all his important papers. He opened the box and pulled out a thick envelope. It was the file he’d had on Abby that contained the investigator report as well as pictures he and Abby had taken together years ago when they’d first met at Yellowstone National Park.

Over the years, he would sit and go through the file, look at the pictures and his heart would break all over again. Maybe it was time to put an end to thirty-two years of misery. It was time he realized once and for all that his mountain, Corey’s Mountain, would never be Corey and Abby’s mountain. It was time for him to accept that Abby had adjusted to her marriage and probably even had grandchildren by now.

He pulled in a deep breath and his fingers tightened on the folder while he glanced across the room at the fire that was blazing in the fireplace. It would be so easy, and most logical, to toss the entire file in the fire and watch it burn. So why was he holding on to a past that would always be a past? Why did he continue to torture himself this way?

He moved toward the fireplace and lifted his hand, but couldn’t find the strength or willpower to toss anything in. Instead he dropped down in the recliner in front of the fireplace and as the clock moved slowly toward the midnight hour and the New Year, he opened the file to reminisce. And to remember a time he just couldn’t forget and let go.

His mind took him back to that summer day at Yellowstone National Park when he’d known that he had fallen in love with Abby Madison…

“Excuse me, Miss, but you aren’t allowed to pet the gray wolf cubs.”