The Cowboy and the Angel (37 page)

Derek shrugged. “Then stay here longer.” The thought of her staying indefinitely sent spirals of desire to his loins.

She gave him a sarcastic grin over her shoulder. “Are you asking me to shack up, Mr. Chandler?” He didn’t miss the gleam in her eye and knew she was joking. Suddenly, it didn’t seem like a bad idea.

He grabbed her hips and turned her in his arms, giving her a lopsided grin that he hoped was charming. “Might be fun.”

“And do what? Live off Mike’s hospitality?” She shook her head. “I need a job.”

“Well, there is this thing we call the Internet. I think I know this sexy reporter who constantly used it to do research. And I know this guy who could get you into any rodeo you want.” He paused for effect. “You could report on every event, with behind-the-scene access and interviews, and broadcast it.”

A
NGELA’S EYES LIT
up at his suggestion. A web show? She could certainly edit her own film; she’d done it before. To do what he was suggesting would take some time to build an online following but no more than putting together a new reel and landing another job. She bit her lower lip. It was definitely within the realm of possibilities.

“Don’t do that,” Derek groaned.

“What?” She looked up at his dark eyes, wondering how in the world she’d ever come to this place, in love with a cowboy.

“Bite your lip like that. It makes me want to nibble on it, too.” He smiled down at her and she could see the mischievous gleam in his eye. “You know I love you.”

She smiled up at him. “I think you mentioned that earlier.” She saw the flicker of amusement in his eyes.

“You love me, too,” he assured her.

“I don’t recall ever saying that,” she teased, knowing with every fiber of her being that it was completely true.

He nodded. “That’s where you’re wrong. You did say it. Last night.”

Angela furrowed her brow. “I think I would have remembered.”

“Not if you were falling asleep at the time.” A blush crept up her neck to her cheeks as she vaguely recalled their conversation after they made love and she began to drift to sleep. “See,
now
you remember.”

He sucked at her bottom lip, nipping the soft flesh with his teeth. “Marry me, Angel.”

She gasped—whether from his request or his kiss she wasn’t sure. “You barely know me.”

He unclasped the necklace and slipped the ring from the chain. Grasping her hand, he slipped the ring onto her finger. “I’m pretty sure I know you better than anyone else ever has. Do you want to say yes?”

She looked at her mother’s ring on her hand. She’d lost so much as a child and carried so much regret that she’d never allowed herself to live. Derek had shown her that she could be vulnerable and still remain strong. She could love someone and be loved in return in spite of her flaws. He’d shown her how to lay her burdens down in order to grasp happiness with both hands. Her mother and father might have been in love at one time, but they pushed each other away. Derek wasn’t her father, and she wasn’t her mother. She reached for his waist and pulled him closer, sliding her hands up the corded muscles of his back, and looked up at him.

She nodded, blinking back tears that clouded her vision. She wasn’t sure if they were tears of joy or anxiety.

He ran his thumbs over her jaw. “I know you’re scared. But I know this is right.”

“Say yes already.” Mike’s voice was loud through the screen as Derek and Angela spun to see the entire family watching them. She laughed.

“We’ll have as long of an engagement as you need.” He twined his fingers through hers, her mother’s ring pressing against her finger. “I love you, Angel.”

She searched his eyes and saw that he meant every word he said. He would wait for her as long as it took for her to be ready. “I love you, Derek. I have never met a man like you.”

He gave her an impish smile, and she could see a remnant of the boy who must have tugged at Silvie’s heartstrings. “Will a week be enough time to convince you to marry me?”

She laughed as Jen and Sydney burst through the door and hugged them both. Scott and Clay clapped Derek on the shoulder, causing him to wince and then laugh. She looked over Derek’s shoulder in time to see Mike’s arm around Silvie, looking proudly over their family. Her father stood in the background, smiling, his eyes watery as if he were about to cry. She moved away from Derek and met her father at the door.

“I don’t understand why you lied, but you’re the only father I’ve ever known.” She wound her arms around his waist and pressed herself against his chest. “I know it’s going to take time, but I want us to be a family.”

“Angie-girl, you have no idea how happy that would make me.” He ran a hand over her hair and looked at Derek. “He’s a good man,” he whispered to her. “He’ll take good care of you.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, and she felt another chipped brick fall from the wall she’d built around her heart.

“No, thank
you
for all that you’ve done to try to help me since you were little. I’m so sorry, Angie.”

“We’re moving forward from here. No more looking backward.”

Angela realized she meant it. She didn’t want to live in the past with its regrets and recriminations any longer. There was too much for her to look forward to. Derek’s arms circled her waist, and she heard his sharp intake of breath.

“We need to get you to the doctor,” she insisted.

“I’m fine. Listen to you, already nagging like a wife.” He nuzzled her neck.

She frowned at him. “To the car, now.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Get used to it. This is just the beginning.” Scott laughed as Sydney punched his arm.

“You sure you don’t mind marrying a manure jockey?” he teased.

A blush flooded her cheeks at the memory of their first meeting. He’d taught her so much about herself in a short period of time. “I think I can manage to be happy as Mrs. Manure Jockey.” She kissed his jaw where it was beginning to swell from Joe’s attack. “Now, get into that car before I give you another goose egg on the other side.”

Epilogue

A
NGELA TURNED OFF
the computer and leaned back from the desk, raising her arms above her and stretching the stiff muscles of her back.

“Done?” Derek leaned against the doorway of her office.

“For now. I have more editing for next week’s segment, but the voiceover copy is done.” Since leaving the station, she’d started an online rodeo show and had been picked up by a small local news station. She loved being her own boss without the stress of someone telling her what to report and when. She reported what she wanted and it allowed her to go to every rodeo with Derek.

His eyes flashed with mystery. “Then come here, I have something to show you.”

“Is it from the lawyer?” She knew they were expecting the finalized court documents against Joe. Derek’s lawyer had contacted the station and Joe had been fired, but he’d decided to try to take his story public. It backfired when Findley Brothers sued him for libel and won, forcing him to pay far more than he’d ever be able to afford.

“No, I forgot to tell you we got those yesterday, along with the restraining orders. I think Joe’s learned his lesson about tangling with a cowboy.” He winked at her. “But I think you’ll like this even more.”

She followed him through the house. It had taken nearly six months to finish it to Derek’s exact specifications, but it had turned out beautiful: a majestic three-story cabin with plenty of room for the large family they were talking about starting right after their wedding next week, on her mother’s birthday.

Derek curled his fingers around her hand and pulled her through the front door toward the stream. She could see it from a distance: a magnificent wooden gazebo overlooking her favorite spot by the water. As they neared the structure she could see personal touches, from intricate carvings of her favorite flowers on the pillars to their initials and wedding date carved into the designs on the railings. She ran her fingers of the carved surface, awed by the effort and beauty of his creation.

“This is beautiful. I can’t believe you made this.”

Derek shrugged off her praise. “I had help.”

She wound her arms around his waist. “I love it. I’m glad it’s still warm enough that I can use it.”

“I thought we could use it this weekend.” He leaned back against the railing and pulled her to stand between his legs, his hands curving on her spine, molding her body against his. “We could get married in here. Put some lights up there and a few flowers.”

She looked around her at the arches and carved vines twisting around the beams. “I think it’s perfect the way it is.” She pressed her lips against his, allowing her desire to ignite his, her hands finding the back of his head. She curled her fingers into his hair and drew him closer. “Cowboy, do you have any idea how happy you’ve made me?”

“I’m hoping you’re going to take me back inside and show me.” He gave her a wicked smile.

“I think I can take care of that.”

Derek grew serious and he leaned his forehead against hers. “You’re sure you’re ready for this?” He brushed the back of his knuckles against her cheek. “I want you to be completely comfortable with this decision.”

She kissed him, stepping closer, pressing herself against him, and she heard him groan deep in his throat. “I can’t wait to marry you.”

Derek stood, lifting her as he did. She curled her legs around his waist as he carried her back to the house, took her into their bedroom, and laid her on the top of their new king-size bed. He’d made everything about this house an oasis for her, reminding her how much he cherished her, and she wanted to show him she adored him for it.

“Derek,” she whispered as his lips worked magic over the tender flesh of her neck. She pulled her shirt over her head. “I have a wedding present for you.”

His palm slid over her hip to the button of her jeans. “I know. You told me you wanted to buy the . . .”

She shook her head. “I didn’t buy this.” He drew back to look down at her, and she smiled up at him and reached for his hand. “I know you want to start trying to have a baby right after the wedding.” She moved his hand to her stomach.

“Angel, if you want to wait, we can.”

“It’s a little late for that,” she laughed. “We’re going to have a baby next spring.”

“What?” His eyes grew wide as he looked toward her stomach, where his hand splayed over her flat abdomen.

“You’re going to be a father.” She pulled him down toward her again. “And you’ll be a great father,” she whispered against his lips.

Derek laid his cheek against her flat stomach. “A baby?” he whispered. “Angel.” He sounded awestruck. “Are you okay? I mean, can we . . .”

She laughed, cupping his jaw in her palms. “You better not even think of stopping now.”

He smiled rakishly, the rasp of his day-old stubble rubbing against her flesh as he moved up her body, driving her wild. She squirmed beneath him as need vibrated over every nerve ending. Derek kissed her, sending her senses spinning as she slid her hands over the ridges of his muscled chest.

“Cowboy, you were the best story I never reported,” she teased.

“Huh.” He nuzzled at the curve of her neck. “I knew you were trouble the first time I laid eyes on you.”

“Open book?” she asked.

He returned her smile at what had become their inside joke. “Of course.”

She grabbed his hand and laid it over the left side of her chest, just above her breast, feeling warmth spread over her. “You’ve knocked down every wall I built. I trust you more than I ever thought I could trust anyone. And somehow you managed to rebuild a relationship with my father I’d given up on.”

“Angel, if it hadn’t been for you, I’d still be trying to live up to a phantom image of who I thought I needed to be. Because of you, I know the man I am is enough.” He cupped her jaw in his calloused hand. “You make me enough.”

Tears sprang to her eyes at his tender admission. She hadn’t been looking for him, but fate had been generous and brought him to her anyway. She couldn’t imagine where her life would have ended up without him. He’d helped her find her way in her career and face the recriminations of her past, and he’d taught her to hope for a future.

“You gave me back my hope, Derek.”

“You are my hope, Angel. Everything I ever hoped for and more.” His hand slid over her stomach again. “I think we have a name if it’s a girl.” He smiled against her lips.

Hope. She would be the culmination of their dreams together.

“Hope,” she whispered as his lips claimed hers in a scorching kiss that spoke of a future filled with love and promise.

Want more rodeo?

Check out T. J. Kline’s first book in the rodeo series,

RODEO QUEEN,

to see Sydney and Scott fall in love.

An Excerpt from

RODEO QUEEN

T
HE DRAWLING VOICE
of the rodeo announcer boomed over the loudspeakers. “Ladies and gentleman, we’d like to welcome you to the Fifty-first Annual West Hills Roundup Rodeo! But first, let’s have one last look at the ladies vying for the title of your rodeo queen!”

The array of glitter, sequins, and beads was dazzling in the April sunlight, nearly blinding her. She patted her dapple-gray stallion to calm him as he shifted eagerly at the end of the line, kicking up dust in the newly tilled rodeo arena. Sydney looked down the line of young women on horseback, spotted her friend Alicia first in line, and gave her a reassuring smile.

“First, let’s welcome Alicia Kanani!” Sydney watched as her best friend coaxed her gelding from the line, taking off into a slow lope along the fence. Alicia cocked a two-fingered salute to the crowd, her black tuxedo shirt glittering with silver and gold sequins, before filing back into the line of contestants. The next seven contestants duplicated Alicia’s queen run. “And, last but not least, Sydney Thomas!”

Pressing her heels into Valentino’s sides, Sydney made a kissing sound to the stallion as he took off from the line like a bullet from a gun. Leaning over his neck, Sydney snapped a sharp military salute while facing the audience. The sequins of her vest were a blinding flash of red light as Valentino stretched his body into a full run, his ears pinned against his head. Sydney reveled in the moment of flight as she and the horse became one, his hooves seeming to float over the tilled earth. As they rounded the last corner, Valentino slowed to a lope and Sydney sat up in the saddle. Reaching the end of the line, Sydney sat deep into her saddle, cueing the horse to bury his hocks in the soft dirt and slide to a dramatic stop. As the blood pounding in her ears subsided to a mild roar, she could still hear the audience cheering.