Rough Riders Bundle 1(books 1, 2, 3) (103 page)

“Cord—”

“Let me finish while I still got the guts to do so. The last time I told a woman I loved her? She left me. So in my screwed up way of thinkin’, I thought if I didn’t tell you, you wouldn’t leave me.”

AJ was glad she was sitting down because she was light-headed and weak-kneed.

“You left anyway. I understand now that even if I woulda told you how I felt, you still woulda left—and your leavin’ had nothin’ to do with me.”

“You do?”

“Yep. Our partin’ coulda been a lot sweeter, though.”

“I think you telling me how you feel is pretty sweet.”

“Oh, you ain’t seen sweet, baby doll. Not by half.”

She smiled even when her belly did a little flip.

“Talk atcha tomorrow. Think of me.”

“Always.”

Cord hung up.

AJ watched the video again.

They’d take this one day at a time. Might not be the fairy-tale ending she’d envisioned, but it was a start.

*

For the next
two months Cord wooed AJ over the phone.

Once a week he sent her a package. Sometimes the items were funny, like a miniature windup dancing horse he’d picked up at the farm supply store. Or sweet, like a silvery camisole that he claimed matched her eyes. Or thoughtful, like a pair of flannel pajamas because he knew she was always cold. Or raunchy, like the fur-lined adult novelty handcuffs.

No matter what he sent, he included a hand-written note with the words
I LOVE YOU
written in all caps and underlined. Heavily underlined. Ky frequently contributed a drawing to the weekly mailing, in addition to demanding to talk to her at every opportunity.

If she thought she’d loved Cord before, it was nothing compared to the way she felt about him now.

AJ smoothed the wrinkles from her denim skirt and looked at the clock for the millionth time.

Cord would be here any minute. Lord. They hadn’t seen each other in over four months. Longest four months of her life. And yet, getting to know Cord on a non-physical level gave her a whole bunch more to appreciate about him.

She’d taken her last test and was officially a certified massage therapist. Seemed weird not to have a graduation ceremony. Seemed even weirder not to have a plan firmly in place about her future. She just hoped Cord was in it.

Three knocks sent her scurrying to the door. She flung herself into Cord’s arms the second he stepped inside.

“Oh God. You’re here. You’re really here.”

Cord kicked the door shut and just held her. He tipped her face back to look into her eyes. “Before I kiss you, before I touch you, let me say this: I love you. Sweet baby Jesus. I love you so damn much.” He kissed her with a mix of tenderness and passion that had tears springing to her eyes.

When she broke away, she whispered, “I love you too.”

“Then marry me, AJ. Not because we’re compatible, or because you are a born ranch woman, or because you’d make a good mother. Marry me for me. Marry me because I’m a selfish bastard and I want you to be mine forever. Marry me because I don’t know if I’ll survive the rest of my life without havin’ you by my side every damn day. Please say yes, baby doll. Make your home with me. With us. Make me the luckiest man in the world.”

“Yes.”

Cord kissed her again.

All the need and hunger that’d been dormant inside her ignited like a brush fire. She tugged him toward her bedroom.

He gently dug his bootheels into the carpet. “Nuh-uh. No hanky-panky until you’re wearin’ my ring and you’re my wife.”

“But—”

He lifted an eyebrow. “That’s one.”

“Can I have the swat now? I’ll even take my skirt off. Shirt too.” Her hands went to the buttons on her blouse.

“Amy Jo. You ornery cuss. Keep them clothes on.”

“I missed you. I want you. I don’t wanna wait.” She nipped his chin and scraped her teeth down his throat. “Bet I can getcha to change your mind.”

“Probably. But we ain’t got much time, so there’s two things we hafta talk about first.” He reached inside his suit coat pocket and removed an envelope. “Your mama gave me this to give to you.”

“What is it?”

“I have no idea.”

AJ opened the letter and her heart caught at the familiar formal handwriting:

Sweetheart-

I’m glad Cord finally knows the truth about what you did to keep our ranch going. I’m thrilled he’s asked for permission to marry you and I know you’ll be happy to be home in Sundance where you belong and with a man who loves you like crazy.

You’ve no idea the guilt your father and I felt about how you worked so hard and got nothing in return but more work. In hindsight, we knew what we did was wrong. There’s no way to make up for the lost time now, except to offer you this check as “back wages” and hope it eases the way for you to start your own business. You earned it. I’m so proud of you for finishing school. I miss you. Bring your new hubby and son up for a visit after you get settled. Congratulations!

Love you, baby girl,

Mom

She glanced down, in utter disbelief, at the check for thirty-five thousand dollars. “I don’t understand. Where did she get the money?”

“Our buyout was very generous, AJ. But I had nothin’ to do with this.” He pointed to the check. “I ain’t gonna argue that you earned it. You shouldn’t argue either.”

AJ’s mind was already whirling. She could rent that storefront space in Sundance she’d been eyeing. Heck, she had money to renovate even if the loan from the state didn’t come through. She looked up at Cord. “Do you know if that space in the Sandstone Building next to Macie’s restaurant is still up for grabs?”

He shook his head. “Afraid not. It’s spoken for.”

“Shoot.”

Cord put a finger under her chin. “By you. I leased it in your name, AJ, last month.”

“Why? Did you know Mom was gonna give me this money?”

“No. I know you. I have faith in you. I know how good you are at givin’ massages and so will everyone else in the county. Even if you wouldn’t have gotten this unexpected windfall, I figure the state of Wyoming ain’t dumb enough not to fund your business. I didn’t want you to miss out on the space you’d set your heart on.”

“Really? You did it for me?”

“There ain’t nothin’ I wouldn’t do for you.” Just as he bent down to kiss her, the door opened and Keely and Colt burst in.

“Did she say yes?” Keely demanded.

“Of course she said yes. The woman’s been in love with me since she was five.” He whispered, “I’ve got a lot of catchin’ up to do.”

Keely squealed and AJ smacked Cord in the arm before Keely squeezed her tight. “We’re really gonna be sisters now. This is so cool! So, you guys ready?”

“Ready for what?”

Cord cursed.

“You haven’t told her?” Colt grinned. “Typical.”

He sauntered over and hugged AJ. “Welcome to the family. I’m gonna enjoy teasin’ my bro about bein’ a cradle robber for a long time to come.”

AJ looked at Colt. He looked fit and healthy, even when a sense of wariness surrounded him that hadn’t been there before. She whirled back around and faced her intended. “Tell me what?”

“That we’re goin’ to Vegas. Tonight. To get married. Thought I’d surprise you. Colt and Keely are standin’ up for us.”

She stared at him, stunned.

Which caused him to babble. “Come on, baby doll. I love you. You love me. I don’t wanna wait. You told me when we talked about getting married on the phone the past coupla weeks that you didn’t want a big wedding ceremony. Colt and I got three days before we’re needed at home. Keely said she’d kill me if she didn’t get to see us tie the knot. Ky’s staying with my folks, though it’s makin’ him mighty antsy waitin’ for us to come home. I thought we could get hitched, and spend the night in the honeymoon suite of a swanky hotel. Then we’d come back here, pack your stuff and you could come home with me for good.”

She continued to stare at him.

“Ah, hell. Are you mad?”

“No. Just trying to wrap my head around the word
home
and
you
in the same sentence.”

Cord’s eyes softened. “Same thing, in my opinion.”

She melted. The feeling of rightness, of inevitability, flowed over as sweetly as it had when she’d been a young girl. But unlike then, she now knew real, true love earned through trial and error was better than any one-sided fairy tale love from afar.

“You guys gonna stand here makin’ goo-goo eyes at each other? Or are we goin’ to Vegas?” Keely demanded.

“Whatcha say, cowgirl mine?” Cord asked.

She grinned at the man she’d love for the rest of her life. “I say it’s about damn time.”

Want a glimpse of cute little Kyler McKay all grown up?

In June 2016 I’m debuting my Rough Riders Legacy series! This new adult series will feature some of McKay “kids” that readers have been asking for stories about, now that they’re old enough to navigate college, love and life outside of Wyoming.

The cool thing about this spin-off debut series? If you’re a new reader to Lorelei James books, you DON’T have to read all 16+ books in the Rough Riders series to enjoy the Legacy series! These books are not westerns and I’ve created a new world specifically for these newly minted adults

The debut book in the Legacy series,
Unbreak My Heart
, features Sierra McKay and Boone West, the star-crossed teenage best friends from
Gone Country
. Seven years have passed since Boone left Sierra broken-hearted when he joined the army and escaped Wyoming. Now Boone is back in her life and wants a second chance. But Sierra is reluctant to open her heart to him again…

Here’s a sneak peek at the (revised) prologue and an exclusive look at the first chapter of
Unbreak My Heart
, which will release in all digital formats and print in June 2016! Stay tuned to my Facebook page, my website and my newsletter for details on the release date.

Rough Riders Legacy, Book 1

Lorelei James

Copyright © LJLA, LLC 2016

Sierra

I
blamed everything
on the fever.

Everything.

My nausea.

My surliness.

My weepiness.

My utter lack of reaction when he strolled into the exam room.

He gaped at me like I was an apparition.

I continued to stare at him blankly, as if it was no big deal he was here, right in front of me, wearing scrubs and a cloak of authority.

But the truth was I hadn’t seen him for seven years.

Seven. Years.

I should have been in shock—maybe I was in
too
much
shock. This definitely fell under the heading of trauma. Because on the day he waltzed back into my life? I looked worse than dog diarrhea.

I mentally kicked myself for not going to the ER. Or perhaps just letting myself die. Anything would have been better than this.

Screw you, universe. Fuck you, fate. Karma, you bitch, you owe me.

This chance meeting should’ve happened when I was dressed to the nines, not when I’m sporting yoga pants, a ratty Three Stooges T-shirt, dollar store flip-flops and no bra. And the bonus? My hair was limp, my skin clammy, my face shiny from the raging fever I couldn’t shake.

Wait. Maybe this
was
a fever-induced nightmare.

“Sierra?” The beautiful apparition spoke my name in a deep, sexy rasp.

Pretend you don’t know him.

Not my most stellar plan, but I went with it.

I cocked my head and frowned as if I couldn’t quite place him.

His expressive brown eyes turned hard. “That’s really how you’re gonna play this? Like you don’t know me?”

I returned his narrow-eyed stare because I was too sick to fake an air of boredom.

“Fine. I’m Boone West. Your nurse,” he said sarcastically. “I’m here to take your vitals.”

I shook my head. My inability to respond wasn’t from pettiness—I’d lost my voice the day before due to the fever. But my middle finger worked fine and I used it to point at the door as I mouthed, “Get. Out.”

“Nice try. But keep your arm out like that so I can take your blood pressure.”