Page 55 of The Cowboy's Secret Babies

“You’re going to have to build that house pretty quick,” she told him, as they sat together on that couch in his Airstream, tangled around each other while the boys slept hard in the next room. “And the way we’re going, you better put in a bunch of extra rooms. We might get really crazy and decide we want to try a third time, so we should plan right now for that to turn into two as well.”

But she didn’t sound panicked. On the contrary, she smiled at him as if this was every dream she’d ever had, coming true.

He intended to see to it that they did. He was Ryder Carey, after all, the hometown kid who made himself a star on the circuit, so he knew a thing or two about dreams coming true. And he had four brothers who could help him build her the house she wanted, to start.

“Rosie, love of my life,” he told her, nipping at her chin to make her laugh, “it would be my pleasure.”

And then he made sure, that night and every day forward, that it was her pleasure, too.

Epilogue

There wasn’t muchZeke Carey liked more than a good wedding.

Belinda had been muttering about missing the exchange of vows since she’d heard it was happening, but Zeke wasn’t particular. Just give him the happy couple—especially if one of them was a son of his—and a little bit of a party, and he was good to go.

He had such a good time in the old lodge that night that Belinda had to warn him to settle down.

“You don’t exactly look like you’re at death’s door, do you, while you’re out here two stepping like a fool,” she told him.

While two stepping along with him.

But he took her point. Though with three sons down, he had to admit that he was feeling his oats.

“I hope you’re ready for what’s next,” he told her as they walked from the center of the makeshift dance floor. He made sure to look like he was holding onto her, as if he needed her to keep him upright.

Belinda shot him a look, her eyes dancing. “Don’t you threaten me with a good time, and Zeke Carey. I let you lead the way with Alice’s boys, as was only right and proper. But now? It’s time for me to tag in.”

And when she looked into the crowd of people and indicated Boone over by the food table, talking intently with Sierra, as always, Zeke laughed. And then laughed even harder when she turned in the other direction to find Knox in a loose group of folks who didn’t know, yet, how much they would miss being so young and so beautiful. Though to Zeke’s eye, Knox looked like he was going out of his way not to interact with that pretty new doctor.

“This last year of my life sure has been interesting so far,” Zeke drawled.

Belinda turned back to fix him with that same look of hers. “I suggest you make certain to stay healthy, my love. Or you will wish this year really was your last.”

He was still laughing about that when he wandered away from the party, and down one of the hallways toward the bathroom. Zeke had always loved this old lodge. He and his Alice had come here while the Stark grandparents were still around to run it. He thought of her as he walked, because he thought about her always.

But specifically here. On a night like this, when they’d gone ahead and married off all three of their sons.

He saw the bathroom down one corridor but he turned the other way, stuck his hands in his pockets, and let his memories lead him down the hall that was less cared for, maybe, than the others. But he could still see the care that had once been put into the worn wooden floors.

And there were still those pictures on the wall. He smiled and looked more closely because if he wasn’t mistaken…

He found the picture he was looking for, small and easily overlooked, there on the wall with so many others.

Zeke looked at it and smiled. Then he reached out to touch her pretty face.

His Alice. His sweet, lost Alice, young and bright and wreathed in smiles.

They’d come here on their first anniversary. Zeke had saved up all year to make sure that they could splash out. They done it up. They’d stayed in a fancy suite and had eaten their meals in the overwhelmingly quiet and glamorous ballroom, too upmarket for a cowboy and his lady. Or it had seemed that way to him at the time, anyway.

Alice hadn’t been able to stop laughing, certain that at any moment someone would see that she was using the wrong fork and toss her out.

Afterward, they’d walked in this very same hallway, holding hands and talking about all the gorgeous things their future would hold.

“Some of them came true, my love,” he told her now. “Some of them you got to see on this side, but I know you’re watching from where you are. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

And for a perfect moment, Zeke was sure that he could hear her laughter once again. It rang in him like bells and he felt his eyes go damp, because he was always so afraid that he would lose even that. Even such a sweet memory as the sound of her laughter.

He let it wash all over him. When it was done, he nodded his thanks, leaned forward, and pressed a kiss to the dusty old picture of the two of them.

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