Counting on Love (Contemporary Cowboy Romance) (Carson Hill Ranch series: Book 3) (10 page)

Joseph rode for what seemed like forever, the pounding in his heart never slowing, only increasing as fears that he was looking for Emma in the wrong direction took hold. More than once, he was tempted to turn back, if only to see if Amy had had any more luck looking for her. But his instincts told him that Emma would return to Hale. The girl who’d faced the firing squad of that town was the one who’d return to show them all that she was a somebody after all.

Ahead of him, a small colorful shape beside the road made his breath catch in his chest. He kicked at Brandy lightly, begging her to run faster, as pieces of the frozen ground crumbled under her thudding hooves. As he neared the shape, he was relieved to see movement, tears from the cold and from his racing heartbeat blurring his vision.

He pulled the reins to stop Brandy, then jumped down before she stopped, wincing as the ground met his feet and jarred his frame. He dropped down beside the lump of clothing, reaching out his hand to smooth back Emma’s hair and search her face.

“Emma? Emma, wake up!” he called to her, shaking her to wake her. She turned lightly, and he was shocked by how cold her skin was and by the blue tinge to her lips. She kept her eyes closed, but whispered his name. “Emma, don’t move.”

Joseph returned with the blanket and shook it out before taking off his jacket and wrapping it over her. Then he wrapped her in the blanket before pulling her close to him, warming her with his own body heat. He pressed his warm hands to her cheeks until he felt the skin beneath his fingers warm slightly. He kissed the top of her head as he held her close, and spoke her name over and over in a soothing voice.

“Where were you going, Emma?” he finally asked softly, not really expecting an answer but surprised when she did speak, her voice so soft he wasn’t sure she actually answered.

“Away.”

He laughed quietly at the response that was so typical of her, so Emma. “You didn’t need to go away, silly. I wanted you there. I mean, I want you there.”

“You don’t need me any more,” she mumbled miserably through shivering lips. Joseph tightened his hold on her, feeling the cold wrack through her body before pressing his face against her skin to try to warm her.

“That’s crazy. Of course I need you. I was just too stupid to realize it until I woke up and you weren’t there.” He kissed her again, his heart stopping briefly when he realized she hadn’t said anything. “Emma, I want you to come back with me.”

“And do what? Pretend I’m not who I am? I don’t belong there.”

“No! You belong anywhere you decide you belong. No one else can make that choice for you. But I am asking you to return to Carson Hill. The choice is still only yours to make.”

Emma finally opened her eyes and turned to look up at Joseph. Her indecision was clear and he watched her struggle with what to do.
At least she’s thinking about it
, he thought to himself sadly. He pulled her up to sitting and smiled at her, knowing that in that moment and with that one look, he was letting her go.

****

Joseph hoisted himself into saddle before reaching for Emma’s cold hand, pulling her up to sit sideways in front of him. He wrapped the blanket around both of them, cocooning her in their body heat. She rested her head limply against Joseph’s good shoulder as he clucked to the horse, pointing them toward town.

He couldn’t expect Brandy to run with both of them on her back, but he also didn’t want this trip to end a moment sooner than it had to. Joseph was content with the ambling walk he kept Brandy to, as it gave Emma more time to think and him more time to hold her.

They rode in silence the rest of the way to town, speaking only when something important came up in the terrain. Sooner than he would have liked or thought possible, the pair arrived at the restaurant, dropping down from Brandy’s back and heading inside.

“Look who I found out on the ranch!” Joseph called out, waving to Tommy as he walked past the bar toward the kitchen, an arm wrapped around Emma’s bundled shoulders. Jennie burst through the kitchen door and grabbed Emma in her tight embrace, rocking slightly as she held her.

“Emma Gray! I should get my baseball bat after you!” Jennie teased tearfully. “What were you thinking, running away like that? I was so scared!”

“I’m sorry, Jennie, I just thought I should leave after…”

“Never! You don’t ever need to leave, not unless it’s because you want to. But have to? Never!” the older woman repeated, smoothing Emma’s hair back and feeling her cold cheeks. “Come here, sit down! Tommy! Bring her something warm to put on!” Jennie turned back to the two of them. “You two stay put, I’m gonna get you both some hot coffee to warm you up.”

Joseph watched as Jennie flitted around, moving from place to place while deciding what to do next. She eventually returned with cups of hot coffee, handing them over to their grateful and still very cold recipients before excusing herself to the kitchen and leaving Emma and Joseph to talk.

“So what happens now?” Joseph asked, watching Emma’s face over the rim of his cup as he drank. He saw movement in the kitchen window and chuckled, knowing Jennie was hovering nearby and within earshot, hoping to hear Emma’s answer, too.

“If they’ll have me, I’m gonna stay here with Tommy and Jennie,” Emma replied, not looking at Joseph. A startled noise in the kitchen made them both smile, knowing full well Jennie had heard her answer and was probably dancing for joy. “They’ve been really good to me, and I need to finish what I started.”

Joseph was thoughtful as he finished his coffee, then set his cup down on the table in front of him. “What about us?” he finally asked.

“Is there an us?” Emma asked in reply.

“I kind of thought there was. I mean, I hope there is. But it’s your decision,” he said, still not looking at her, afraid that seeing her face would melt his resolve and cause him to twist her arm. This had to be a decision Emma made on her own, not one she let others make for her. He looked around the room while waiting an impossibly long time for her to answer.

“I’d like there to be an us, but how can this work? You know what people will say, how they’ll talk. Have you thought about how people will talk about you? The things they’ll say about you for dating the…” Emma let her voice trail off at the end, unable to bring herself to say the horrible things about herself she knew everyone whispered.

“I don’t care what people have to say. And one thing I can bank on is that no one will say them to my face. Who cares what people say behind closed doors? I know the truth, and I know that you’re pretty amazing.”

Emma stood up and came to sit in Joseph’s lap. “Those words are easy to say when you haven’t had to test them out, not for real. I just want you to be sure.”

“I am sure,” he answered solidly, taking her small hands in his. “I’m sure that I wouldn’t be where I am right now if it weren’t for you, and I don’t just mean in this bar. I mean…alive. I really think I would have just given up if you hadn’t come along and given me a reason to get better.”

“But that’s not enough either, Joseph. You can’t fall in love with someone as a way to pay her back. It doesn’t work that way.” She looked down at the way their hands fit together, fingers laced on top of one another, and wanted to hold on.

“That’s not why I care about you…why I love you…” Emma finally looked Joseph in the eye, seeing the genuine emotion there for the first time. When he reached his hand up to hold her cheek, she let him, sliding her own hand on top of his and feeling his warm skin beneath her fingers. He brought her lips to his, and she closed her eyes as they met.

The heat of the late spring sun shone down on the crowd of people assembled in the wide, grassy front yard. Impeccable rows of white chairs, each row joined with a simple white bow, faced the low wooden dais that had been set up across from the house. All six of the Carson boys, along with their father, faced the house as they waited for the bride to emerge. Joseph caught Emma’s eye and winked, warming her heart and sending a rosy blush to her cheeks before they both faced forward again, standing taller in their places in line.

“Are you sure about this, bro?” Casey leaned forward and asked jokingly.

On his other side, Joseph leaned over to Carey to speak. “It’s not too late to back out, we already have a horse saddled and ready to go, just in case you have cold feet.”

“One hundred percent sure,” Carey answered, waving his hand at his side to tell Joseph to be quiet and get back in line. At that moment, the music changed and swelled and the door to the ranch house opened as Amy stepped across the threshold, her long white train ruffling lightly on the Texas breeze. She put her hand in the crook of her father’s outstretched arm and together, they made their way to where Carey waited for her.

All through the simple ceremony, Joseph snuck glances at Emma, who was purposely not looking at him. The sight of him in his simple black suit and Stetson hat was too much for her to handle without taking her breath away. There would be time for breathlessness later but this was Amy’s moment, the moment when another woman joined the Carson clan and made another cowboy’s life whole.

After the ceremony, all bets were off.

Emma danced with Joseph under the twinkling white lights strung among the trees and the beams of the massive backyard pergola, absentmindedly playing with the hair that curled above his shirt collar at the back of his tanned neck. She shot him a playful warning smirk any time his hands traveled to near her backside for polite company to witness.

“I love that smile you’re wearing right now, but what brought it on?” Joseph asked in her ear, sneaking a kiss on the skin just below her earlobe and earning another warning look.

“Just thinking,” she answered.

“That’s what girls always say. Because us guys never think, we don’t know why you’re doing it. So what are you thinking about?”

“I was just thinking, that six months ago, I never would have thought I’d be right here, and could have never dreamed I’d be right here with someone like you,” she replied, giving him a sweet peck on the lips. As she began to pull away, he caught her and held her, drawing out their kiss long past what was presentable and earning a few whistles from guests dancing nearby.

“I second that,” he managed to whisper. “Six months ago, I’d have been grateful just to walk, let alone dance. But I’d be happy to go back to crawling around in pain as long as you were there, too.” Emma looked into his eyes, her own eyes beginning to moisten.

“I wouldn’t let you crawl. I’d find a way to carry you, if that’s what I had to do,” she answered, her mood turning serious.

“You mean like this?” Joseph asked mischievously, sweeping her legs out from under her and scooping her into his arms, cradling her as she laughed in surprise. Instead of setting her down, Joseph continued to dance, eventually making his way slowly to the edge of the small crowd and out into the darkness that was punctuated by light from the house.

From their spot as the center of attention, Amy and Carey watched the couple disappear from the party, a contented smile on their faces. Knowing Joseph was healing and happy was the best part of an already incredible day, and the happy couple smiled at each other as they danced.

“There goes the happy couple,” Amy remarked with a contented sigh, and Carey wrinkled his brow in confusion.

“Wait a minute, I thought we were the happy couple of the day.”

“We’re the ecstatic couple,” Amy corrected him. “Happy just doesn’t cover it right now.”

“I know what you mean,” Carey answered, leaning toward her for what had to have been their millionth kiss of the evening. “I didn’t tell you earlier, but you look gorgeous, Sheriff.”

“None of that mushy stuff for now, cowboy, or I’ll have to get out my handcuffs.”

“Promise?” Carey asked suggestively.

“They’re already in my overnight bag,” Amy whispered in his ear, nibbling at his earlobe then pulling back before anyone would notice. Carey laughed out loud and held her even closer.

“Are you going to put me down yet?” Emma asked Joseph as they finally left the party in the distance. He hitched her up higher in his arms as though he was getting a feeling for her weight, and shook his head.

“Nope, I’m good with you right here.” He leaned over her and kissed her, slowing his steps to enjoy the feeling of her in his arms.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were just showing off how strong you’ve become. No one likes a showoff,” she teased. “Although, I do have to admit, I love these biceps you have.”

Joseph laughed as Emma ran her hands over the smooth muscles tightening under the fabric of his shirt, squeezing his arms for emphasis. Because he obviously wasn’t in a hurry to put her down, she leaned closer, resting her head against his shoulder and breathing in the scent of him.

When he finally stopped walking, Emma looked up to see a serene setting in front of her, a small picnic that Joseph had arranged overlooking a pond. A large blanket on the ground held candles and a picnic basket, a small bottle of wine for her, a bottle of sparkling water for him. She tore her eyes away from the tranquil spot to look up into his eyes.

“I love you, you know,” she said with a grin.

“I think that’s come up in conversation once or twice.” He grinned his heart-stopping smile and kissed her before answering, “And I love you, too.”

The End

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