Catching the Cowboy: A Small-Town Clean Romance (Summer Creek Book 1) Page 25

  “Thank you, kind sir,” she said, gazing at him with what he was sure was love in her marvelous blue eyes. “Where are we going?”

  “Someplace special.” He squeezed the hand he held. “Just trust me.”

  “I do, Hud. More than anyone.”

  At the edge of the pasture, he lifted her up and swung her over the fence, setting her on the other side before he placed a hand on the post and jumped over it. He took her hand in his again and guided her to a table set beneath a grouping of trees. He’d carried the table and two chairs out there earlier, but Jossy and Parker had been the ones to add the final touches as he took Emery the long way around to get to it. They could have driven over from the house in half the time it took to walk across the pasture, but he needed to give his cohorts-in-crime time to get everything set up.

  “Oh, Hud,” Emery gasped as she saw the table, covered in one of his great-grandmother’s vintage tablecloths and set with the forget-me-not china set he’d discovered Emery had taken quite a liking to at the junk store.

  She picked up one of the delicate teacups filled with steaming, fragrant tea, and turned to him with tears glistening in her eyes. “How could you know? How did you know how much I wanted this?”

  “A little birdie told me.” And he would never confess the birdie’s name was purple-haired Mrs. Russell. The woman had practically tackled him when he’d stopped at Whitey’s. She’d barreled across the parking lot and informed him of Emery’s fascination with the china set. He’d gone in right then and purchased it, wanting Emery to have it.

  The look on her face, one of such gratitude, made him glad he’d purchased it and incorporated it as part of his plans to woo her. With help from his grandmother, Jossy, and Parker, a Victorian tea awaited them.

  “I love these pieces so much, Hud. I can just picture all the tables they’ve sat on, all the family meals they’ve served. They might have been a wedding gift from a man who treasured the woman who fell in love with him. Or they could have been a special gift from a husband to a wife for their anniversary, or maybe when they welcomed their first child. Thank you.” She set down the cup, then threw her arms around his neck, giving him a tight hug. When she started to pull back, he held on, rubbing his hands up and down her back, about to lose himself in the thrill of holding her close. The feeling was one he never wanted to end.

  The breeze blew loose tendrils of her hair around him while her feminine fragrance filled his nose. Entangled with her on every level of his senses, he might have felt overwhelmed by it all if he hadn’t been so deeply, so irrevocably, in love with Emery.

  “Emery, you popped into my life back in March without a bit of warning. I’ll admit I wasn’t too keen on the idea at first, but then I got to know you, know the incredible person you are. I’m so happy I had a front row seat to watch you change yourself, your life, while working to transform this town into something better. I admire you, Emery, respect you, and cherish the friendship we’ve developed.”

  She pulled back from him, just enough to look into his face, and rested her hands on his shoulders. “I admire, respect, and cherish you, too, Hud. You gave me a chance here at the ranch and in Summer Creek when I didn’t deserve one. Your friendship and encouragement mean the world to me.”

  “I’m glad to hear that, Emery, for many reasons. If you truly want to leave Summer Creek, I won’t try to talk you into staying, but if you think you might like to stay here, stay on the ranch with me for say … the next fifty or so years, you’d make me the happiest man in the world.”

  A tender smile lifted the corners of her far too kissable mouth. “What, exactly, are you saying, Hud?”

  He knew he should have practiced a speech instead of trying to wing it. “What I’m attempting to say, to ask, and doing it so badly, is that I don’t want you to leave Summer Creek or the ranch, Emery. Not ever. The town is coming to depend on you. Grammy and Jossy think you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And my daughter adores you.”

  “I adore her, too. She’s wonderful, Hud, and you are such an amazing father to her.”

  “Thank you, but I’d like to be more. I mean a father to more children. Our children.” Hud released a frustrated breath. “Emery Magnolia Brighton, I never expected to give my heart to anyone, not after Bethany destroyed it. Never thought I’d be capable of falling in love, yet I have. With you. My love for you, all the feelings I have for you, have just rolled in wave after wave until I’m practically drowning in them, but I don’t want to be anywhere else. Only with you. I know you think being on the ranch with us has saved you, but you’re the one, Emery, who was sent to save me from wallowing in the past, from unending loneliness, from myself.”

  Hud pointed to the table. “I want to see you and Cricket having tea parties with these dishes, see them on our table to celebrate the holidays. Someday, I want them to tell our story. I know it seems sudden, and you can take all the time you need to think about it, but nothing would make me happier than your staying here in Summer Creek, staying with me. Please, Emery, be my wife, be a mother to our children, and grow old with me.”

  Emery remained silent as tears rolled down her cheeks. Afraid she was about to say no, Hud was unprepared when she pressed against him, and whispered, “Yes! Yes, of course, I’ll stay and marry you,” in his ear.

  When she pushed his hat up and twined her arms around the back of his neck, Hud wasted no time in delivering a fiery kiss filled with all the hunger and longing he’d bottled up for far too long. Passion exploded between them as the kiss grew more ardent, more demanding, until they finally broke apart to gaze at one another in a state of blissful euphoria.

  “Wow! That was … ” Emery didn’t finish her thought as he kissed her again until they were both so breathless, he finally lifted his head, smiling at her with his heart in his eyes, reflecting the love in hers.

  “I love you, Emery. We’re going to be so happy together.”

  She laughed, the sound winging into his heart. “I love you, Hud. I’m already happier than I’ve ever been. Thank you for giving me a place where I finally feel at home.” She settled her hand over his heart. “I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be than right here with you and our family. Forever.”

  “Forever,” he muttered, offering her a gentle, sweet kiss bearing the promise of a future together. As she melted against him, he knew they had a lifetime of joy and love ahead of them. He raised his head and smiled a slow, seductive smile. “For our honeymoon, I don’t suppose you’d be willing to bring along those fancy underpants everyone has seen online.”

  She glared at him and shook her head. “Hudson Cole!”

  He gave her a teasing wink. “I’d sure like a private viewing.”

  “Hud … ” she warned.

  “I’m just saying, darlin’, it would be … ” Her hand settled over his mouth.

  “Stop talking, cowboy, and kiss me again.” Emery moved her hand then pressed her lips to his.

  Hud happily obliged.

  Life with Emery was going to be an incredible, spectacular, love-filled journey.

  Recipe

  Known as Mexican Wedding Cakes, Russian Tea Cakes, Snowballs, Butterballs, and Mothballs, these delicious, buttery cookies have always been one of my favorites. You can bake them plain, or add nuts or other goodies for a special treat.

  When I was a little girl, before my mother discovered I was allergic to walnuts, my aunt served these cookies one New Year’s Eve. I thought they were the best things ever, until I ended up sick. I still love these yummy cookies, though! Enjoy!

  Mothballs

  1 cup butter, softened

  ½ cup powdered sugar

  1 teaspoon vanilla

  2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

  ¼ teaspoon salt

  ½ cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts are delicious options)

  1 cup powdered sugar

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

  Mix butter, ½ cup powdered sugar, and vanilla in l
arge bowl. Stir in flour and salt until dough sticks together. Add nuts.

  Mold dough into walnut-sized balls, placing cookies about two inches apart on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

  Bake 6-8 minutes, until set but not brown. Cool slightly on cookie sheet, then roll cookies in bowl of powdered sugar. Cool on wire rack completely. Roll in powdered sugar again. If you have any left, store cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to five days.

  Yield: approximately 24 cookies.

  NOTE: Instead of nuts, you can also add mini chocolate chips, peppermint pieces, dried cranberries, or caramel bits to the dough.

  Author’s Note

  Several years ago, the idea for a new modern-day western romance series trickled into my thoughts. I knew I wanted the setting in a remote area and liked the idea of it being close to Burns, Oregon. At the time, I thought the story would be set south of Riley, heading toward Lakeview.

  I had ideas for the first three books in the series, tucked them away, and thought about them from time to time.

  Last summer, I was on my way to church on a gorgeous Sunday morning and took a back road to get there. I drove past a ranch sign that had summer in the title. It made me think about different summer names, and Summer Creek popped into my head. I started thinking about ideas for a series that could be based on a ranch named Summer Creek.

  Fast forward six months to when Captain Cavedweller and I were on a three-hour winter road trip. I looked over at him, told him about the ideas for the two series, then said, “What do you think about combining the two ideas and calling the town Summer Creek?”

  The entire drive, we brainstormed, bounced ideas around, and I took pages and pages of notes. By the time we returned home, I was giddy with excitement. And that’s how the Summer Creek series began.

  As for the town of Summer Creek, no real town exists anywhere except in my imagination. Inspiration for Summer Creek, though, comes from a mixture of the little town that was near our farm during my growing up years, a small community we currently live close to, and how I envision Summer Creek might appear if it were real.

  The small town that I used to call my hometown had a few old, old buildings. In my younger years, every time I walked past them, I used to imagine what they looked like when they were new, what they might look like again if someone restored them. Two of the old buildings are still there. One is in dire need of repair, but I still play the “what if” game whenever we drive past it.

  That same town also had a fountain that used to work, until it didn’t. I remember one winter was so cold, the fountain froze, and ice cascaded down it like something a fairy waved her wand and created. It was beautiful. So that fountain inspired the idea for the fountain in Summer Creek.

  When I was a little girl, our town had a grocery store named Neil’s. I loved it when my mom went shopping there because the grocery connected through a doorway to a department store that had everything from shoes to saucepans. I’d always ask if I could go wander through the toy department while she shopped and as soon as Mom said yes, I’d race through the wide doorway that joined the two businesses, rush past the fabric racks and clothing until I stood amidst two tall aisles stocked with toys. The owner of the grocery store was a friendly, kind man who always had a smile for everyone and could often be found bagging groceries, sweeping the floor, or stocking shelves.

  And I should mention Shirley’s machine shop. My dad knew a man named Shirley and he was the inspiration for the name of the business. And Deena who owns the shop in the story is a tip of the hat to a girl I once knew who could weld better than any boy in her class.

  It was such fun for me to develop the businesses in Summer Creek and their owners. I hope you come to love the community of Summer Creek as much as I do and look forward to finding out more about Emery’s Walk Through 1910 as the project unfolds in coming stories.

  What businesses do you think might come to town and move into the old buildings once they are restored?

  The horse Hud is riding that throws him off is inspired by a horse we once had. He was a ranch horse that had been abused. My brother brought him home, and Dad and I rode him. That horse was contrary and stubborn, and did everything he could to keep from being ridden. He’d try to brush me off on tree branches, run into the fence, and if all else failed, plod along at such a slow pace I was ready to hop off and walk home, but I had many, many fun experiences with him.

  CC was the one who suggested having Emery drive around the elderly ladies in town. I could just picture her behind the wheel of a big boat of a car with the “gang” of blue-haired old women. The moment I started describing the car, the song “Hot Rod Lincoln” popped into my thoughts so I had to add it in.

  Also, the peanut butter concoction Hud enjoys … the one he calls stir-round? My grandpa used to make stir-round all the time. And so did my dad. If we didn’t have Karo syrup on hand, honey worked, too. Recently, Dad gave me an antique pitcher that he said Grandpa used to pour the syrup on his stir-round. Although I haven’t had stir-round in a while, I know my cousin enjoys it and carries on our family tradition. If you want to give it a whirl, the measurements are totally up to you, but you could start with a tablespoon of peanut butter to a teaspoon of syrup. Stir until mixed, then spread on bread and enjoy.

  If you’d like to read more about Office Tipton and his horse Sugar Bear, be sure to check out Saving Mistletoe.

  Finally, I want to mention CC’s grandmother, Nell. From the moment I met her, she was so loving and welcoming, I always felt like her granddaughter, not just her grandson’s wife. She was a wonderful cook and baker, and it’s all her fault I have such a passion (obsession!) for Bundt cakes. She shared her recipes and love with us, and I’m forever thankful for the time we had with her. Now that she’s gone, I miss her often, especially when I’m baking a Bundt cake.

  If there are characters in Summer Creek you’d like to read more about, please let me know. I plan to have several books in this series, so you never know who might next find romance!

  Thank you for coming along on this adventure with me!

  And many thanks to Shauna, Leo, Katrina, Alice, Linda, Allison, Jo-Ann, and all my hopeless romantics for making this book the best it can be.

  Reader’s Guide

  1. If you were in Emery’s position, left in Summer Creek by family, what would you have done?

  2. Hud and Emery both took a journey in the story. How are they similar? How are they different?

  3. Friendships are so important. Were you surprised by the friendships Emery formed in Summer Creek?

  4. What’s one way the community supported each other?

  5. Were you surprised by any decisions Hud or Emery made during the course of the story?

  6. Near the end of the story, Emery reflects on how much she’s changed since coming to Summer Creek. Have you ever had a moment when you had a similar realization? Was there an event or situation that led to the discovery?

  7. There is a moment when Hud realizes Emery turned out to be nothing like he expected, yet exactly what he’d needed. What do you think this says about Hud? Have you ever met someone like that? Someone who was far different than you anticipated?

  8. How did you like the town of Summer Creek? Is it a place that seems welcoming?

  9. Emery’s father tells her “I believe in you,” at one point in the story. Have you ever had someone say that to you? How did that feel?

  10. Do you think Emery’s plan for the old buildings in town is one worth pursuing? What other resources can Summer Creek utilize to bring business and life back to town?

  Thank you for reading Catching the Cowboy. Now that you’ve finished Hud and Emery’s story, won’t you please consider writing a review?

  I would truly appreciate it. Reviews are the best way readers discover great new books.

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  If you enjoyed meeting Hud and Emery, get ready for more romance in Summer Creek!.

  Her hero has arrived

  Even if she doesn’t realize it . . . yet

  Widow Jossy Jansen intimidates people, mostly by accident. After all, her soon-to-be sister-in-law refers to her as a cowboy version of Wonder Woman. Jossy can’t help it if she’s strong, capable, and bursting with restless energy. Never one who needed a man to rescue her, Jossy struggles with her feelings for an unlikely knight dressed in Armani.

  Life as a corporate attorney has left Nathaniel Knight overworked, stressed, and going soft. He hardly recognizes the person he’s become. When his father insists he help out the small community of Summer Creek, Nate dreads spending time so far from civilization. Then he tangles with a rancher far too stubborn for her own good and far too lovely for his.

  Can Nate convince Jossy he’s more than just a city boy out of his element?

  A sweet romance brimming with heart, humor and hope, Rescuing the Rancher is a story of redemption, trust, and discovering true love.

  Continue reading for an exclusive preview of Rescuing the Rancher,

  book 2 in the Summer Creek series!

  Rescuing the Rancher Preview