With a roll of my eyes, I kept eating.
“What about Jennifer? No desire to have kids?”
His eyes lifted to mine again. “Not that I’m aware of, but I doubt she would talk to me about that. Ava, you’re kind of freaking me out with this baby talk. Is there something I should know?”
“No! God no. I’m curious that’s all. I’m sure your mom and dad are excited, and I was just … curious.”
“Well, as far as I’m aware, Dani’s is indeed the first grandbaby on the way.”
I smiled and took another bite of the BLT.
“This room is beautiful.”
Ryder looked around as he took another bite and nodded. When he was finished chewing, he turned back to me. “This house is actually going to one of the kids when they get married.”
That peeked my interest. “Really? Who?”
“Well, it was Dani’s first pick, but she had no desire for it. Jennifer’s already said she doesn’t want it, so it comes down to me or Nate.”
Everything made such sense. Vanessa is after the house and the only way to get the house is … marry Nate or Ryder.
“How will it be decided?” I asked.
“Whoever gets married first.”
I swallowed hard. “Married first?”
Ryder smiled bigger and winked. “It’s pretty safe to say I’ve got this one in the bag.”
My stomach felt like I was on a roller coaster. “In the bag?” I croaked out.
“Yep. Hell will freeze over before Nate Montgomery ever marries a woman and settles down. I’m sure to beat him to the altar.”
Disappointment swept through my body like lightning as I quickly looked down at my soup. How silly of me to even get my hopes up like that. Ryder and I barely just started dating.
I forced a chuckle out. “Probably.”
We finished eating the rest of lunch in silence. I couldn’t stop thinking about Kate being pregnant. Of course the idea of Ryder marrying anyone but me about had me feeling sick and I had to force myself to eat.
“Ava? Are you even listening to me?”
My head snapped up as I looked into Ryder’s beautiful hazel eyes. “I’m sorry … what were you saying?”
“So what do you think?”
“About?”
“The house, silly. Do you like it?”
Trying to clear the lump from my throat, I swung my legs around the edge of the bed as Ryder helped me to stand up.
“Yes. It’s beautiful and I can’t wait to see more.”
I’d never seen Ryder’s eyes twinkle like they were. It was almost as if someone was shining a light on them.
“Could you ever see yourself living here?”
Without even thinking, I blurted out my answer. “Yes!”
His hands cupped my face as he brushed his lips across mine. “Good, because you’re the only woman I could see living in this house.”
He pulled me closer as he deepened the kiss. My arms wrapped around his neck as I let the moment take control.
When he pulled back slightly he rested his head against mine as I spoke the only word I could manage. “Ryder.”
“That was my very poor attempt at asking you to marry me, Ava.”
My head pulled back as my eyes widened in shock.
Holy shit balls.
“I wouldn’t say that was a poor attempt. It was the most romantic thing ever,” I said in a breathy voice.
He softly chuckled as he kissed the tip of my nose. “So?”
“So?” I asked.
“How long are you going to make me wait for your answer?”
I was positive I hadn’t smiled this much in weeks as I got lost in his eyes.
“Yes. Nothing would make me happier than marrying you.”
“Even if that meant staying here in Montana?”
I chewed on my lip for a few quick seconds as I let it all soak in. “I can design from anywhere.”
Ryder grinned wide as I felt my eyes begin to water up. Wrapping his arms around me, he lifted me as he pressed his lips to mine.
He broke the kiss just enough to softly say, “I love you, Ava Moore. I love you so much.”
I’d never felt like this before. My heart felt as if it was going to explode in my chest.
“I love you too, Ryder. More than you’ll ever know.”
Another quick engagement.
My father is going to kill me … but once my mother finds out I’m going to be living in Montana … she might kill me first.
December
“RYDER, YOU LOOK like you lost a puppy or something.”
Glancing up, I smiled at my mother. “Missing Ava.”
She grinned as she put some cookies into the oven. “Have you talked to her today?”
“Yeah, first thing this morning. She was going to tell her folks today about the engagement.”
My mother stopped what she was doing and smiled. “I still can’t believe you’re getting married.”
Nate walked in and threw his gym bag on the floor while reaching into the refrigerator for a water. “It’s one and done from here out. Poor bastard.”
With her hands on her hips, our mother shot daggers at Nate. “Nate Montgomery, do not talk like that in my house. You were not raised in a barn so why do you think you can drop your stuff right here in the middle of the floor? And don’t be jealous of your brother.”
With his mouth dropped open, Nate stared at her before throwing his head back and laughing. “Jealous? Oh please, Mom. The last thing I am of Ryder is jealous.”
“Really?” she asked lifting her eyebrow. “Seems to me you’ve been in a funk since the engagement.”
Taking a long drink of his water, he shrugged. “It’s only because now I won’t get the house in Helena and I was really hoping to sell that bitch off.”
My mother’s eyes widened in horror. “Nate, you would never do such a thing.”
He winked and kissed her on the cheek. “Well, I guess we’ll never know since Ryder beat me to the altar.”
“I’m not there yet,” I said.
He looked up and thought for a moment. “That’s true. Maybe if we invite Vanessa to hang out, I might have another shot at the house.”
“Shut the fuck up, you asshole.”
“Ryder!” my mother shouted. “Do not use that language in my house!”
“He started it by bringing up Vanessa.” Pointing to Nate, he smirked as he crossed his arms over his chest. “You know not to bring her up.”
“Why? I thought there was nothing there.”
“There isn’t!”
“Ryder. Why are you getting so upset?” my mother asked.
Nate chuckled and responded in a jacked up version of a lovey-dovey voice, “I know why. His love bug left him all alone and he’s sad.”
Walking up to Nate, my mother smacked him across the back of the head. “Knock it off. Christmas is in a few days and I’d really like it if we had no bickering.”
“Like that’s ever going to happen,” my father mumbled. Tossing his keys onto the table, he kissed my mother softly on the lips. “Hello, sweetheart. How was your day?”
“It’s been good. Even better now that you’re here.”
“Oh, for the love of Christ. That’s disgusting!”
My father turned to look at Nate. “It’s always good having you home, Nate. Always good.”
Laughing, I stood and followed my father to his office.
“So, how did the meeting go?”
Sitting in his chair, he sighed and shook his head. “Not as well as I wanted. Seems Chuck thinks he can sell for higher than his place his worth.”
“He’s determined not to keep it?”
He shook his head. “He won’t even give his daughter a chance to learn the ropes and try to run it.”
With a halfhearted laugh, I pushed my hand through my hair. “Well, I honestly find it hard to believe Destiny truly wants to run that ranch, Dad. I think what she wanted was to marry a rancher who would run it
for her and allow her to keep her beloved acres. Do I think she could run it? Yes, if she put her mind to it.”
“Most likely. When I first got there and she asked how everyone was, I told her you were engaged to be married. I thought she was going to fall apart before my eyes and her father didn’t act much better.”
“So, he would rather sell it off to someone else than let us buy it?”
With a quick nod, he replied, “Pretty much.”
An idea hit me as I smiled. “What if we put an offer in on it, but he didn’t know it was us. Go in under another name.”
Trying to hide his smile, he answered, “That’s deceitful.”
“How? He’s being a dick about it when he knows damn well that ranch would thrive under our control. We could even work it into the deal that they would retain a certain amount of land, for Destiny. Word it differently though.”
Leaning back in his chair, he rested his chin on his index fingers. “It could work.”
“Then I say we give it a try, but only if he doesn’t come around.”
With a firm nod of his head, he dropped his hands. “All right. Let’s give him some time to come to his senses, then we take this approach.”
My cell rang in my back pocket with Ava’s ring tone. With a smile, I reached for it and excused myself as I walked out of my father’s office.
“Hello?”
“Ugh.”
“I’m glad to know my voice turns you on so much.”
“I told them. It didn’t go very well.”
Swallowing hard, I felt my stomach drop. “How bad?”
“Well, considering I tried to kind of throw it into the conversation at dinner, it could have gone worse. My father is currently debating if he wants to fly up there and kick your ass.”
“What?”
With a chuckle, she sighed. “Oh man … not really. But they both think we’re rushing.”
“Do you? Do you think we’re moving too fast?”
The silence scared me until she blew out a deep breath. “I called my manager at the boutique and told her I wouldn’t be coming back. It’s kind of a good thing you asked me to marry you, because she really loves my replacement.”
With a chuckle, I breathed a sigh of relief. “Tomorrow I’m going to see if Liza will take me in to Austin. I’ll need to pack up my apartment and all of that.”
My cheeks were beginning to ache from the huge smile I had on my face. “I still have to go back and take care of my place. We can do it together.”
“I like the sound of that. I don’t think it will be too hard to sublease my apartment. I have the ideal location for downtown Austin.”
“What about Maurice?” I asked while my mother motioned for me to help her with getting the dishes on the table.
“That’s not a problem. I can work anywhere for him.”
The sound of her voice stirred the craziest emotions in me. I longed to see her and this feeling of missing someone was totally new.
“I can’t wait to see you, Ava.”
“You have no idea how much I want to cut my visit short and come back to you.” She paused for a few moments and said, “Um … Ryder this is something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”
My heart stopped while I held my breath. “Oh?”
“Nothing bad! It’s about Kate though.”
My shoulders dropped. Ava had decided to merge the wedding dress she was designing with the one Kate was since they were so similar. She had spoken to my mother and father about it and they gave her their blessings for Ava to do what she wanted with Kate’s designs. They did ask that if she was to do anything such as sell them, to give credit to Kate as well which Ava totally agreed should be done. Yet, at the same time, it felt as if she was getting lost in my sister as well as with Robert and Lizzy’s story. She had read over half of the letters in the shoebox we found at the house in Helena.
“Okay. But Ava, maybe you should take a step back from this whole Kate and Lizzy thing.”
“Kate and Lizzy thing? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Taking in a deep breath, I slowly blew it out. “Maybe you’re bored in the stone house. We could move into the main house if you want. Get you away from these crazy ideas you have about feeling a connection with Kate and that you feel a presence in the house. I’m sure Mom could find something for you to do with volunteer work or even learning about the cattle ranch.”
When she didn’t respond, I knew I had fucked up.
“Volunteer work?”
“Well, maybe that wasn’t the word I was looking for.”
“Oh, I’d certainly love to know what word you were looking for. ‘Cause from the sounds of it, I heard I’m a bored, lonely, crazy person with nothing to do so I might as well put on the pants of a bored house wife who has nothing to do with her day other than go sit around and gossip with a bunch of women who are also bored and lonely crazy women. I have a job, asshole, that I do a good portion of the day. I’m not sure if you’ve been aware of it or not, but Maurice has been sending me ideas and asking me for more designs. He’s loving what I’ve been sending him.”
Shit.
“Ava, wait that’s not what I meant.”
I heard a door slam. “Maybe what you’re looking for Ryder is someone like your old buddy, Vanessa. She fits the part of dutiful wife to the tee. By the way, dickhead, I happened to have been raised on a cattle farm and know a thing or two. I could probably repair a fence faster than you … you … you jerk.”
“That’s not what I meant and …”
“You know what? I’ve decided to stay a few extra days here in Texas. Maybe I’ll stay a week longer, possibly two.”
Before I had a chance to say anything, the line went dead. I pulled it away from my ear and stared at it.
“What in the fuck just happened?”
Nate walked by and let out a snicker. “You were bound to fuck it up sooner or later. Hate to say it, bro.”
Turning to look at him, I took my cell phone and threw it at him. Too bad I missed and it smashed against the wall and broke into pieces.
“WANT TO TALK about it?”
I tried to plaster on a smile, but failed. “It’s nothing.”
“I know that look,” Liza said with a warmness in her eyes. “That is a classic I lost my shit on him expression.”
Giggling, I shook my head. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me Liza. At the same time I feel like he deserved it. I hung up on him though.”
She shrugged. “So. I’ve hung up on Walker plenty of times when I’ve gotten mad.”
With a glance out the window, I sighed. “Yeah well, ever since then when I call him it goes straight to voicemail. Like he’s turned off his phone or worse yet … has me blocked.”
“Nah, I don’t see Ryder acting childish like that.”
I huffed. “You didn’t see him and his brother rolling around trying to shove handfuls of snow into each other’s pants.”
She chuckled. “Boys will be boys.”
With a frustrated sigh, I dropped my head back against the seat. It was a beautiful day. In fact, we were driving with the windows down enjoying the fresh air. “Maybe he’s right. I have been submerging myself into Kate’s journal and Lizzy and Robert’s story. It’s so beautiful, though. I mean he left everything to be with her. Walked away from a title to be with the woman he loved. Why aren’t men like that now?”
“Wow. This from a girl who recently got engaged and is ready to build a new life with the man she loves. Ava … are you sure this is what you want?”
Snapping my head forward, I turned to Liza. “Yes. I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life. I can totally see myself living in Montana, being a wife to Ryder and helping him run his family’s ranch. I want that. But, I also want to stay me. And this little adventure I’ve stumbled on has changed me … and maybe it’s Ryder who’s doubting.”
Liza reached for my hand. “I seriously doubt it. I’m sure there is a reason why he i
sn’t answering his phone.”
She squeezed my hand and I fought like hell to hold my stupid tears back.
“Yeah. Maybe.”
“ARE YOU SURE about this?”
Pushing the door open to my apartment, I smiled when I looked around. “Totally sure, Mom. I need to see what all I have that I need to pack up and get rid of, and what I’ll want to take to Montana.”
If I’m still moving to Montana.
It had been almost two days since I’d talked to Ryder. At first I was going out of my mind crazy. What if something had happened to him? I broke down and called Nate last night, asking if Ryder was okay. When he told me all was fine and asked if I wanted to talk to him, I said no and hung up.
It was then I decided to ask my mother to drive me into Austin so I could spend a few days at my apartment. I’d already called Jay, who was over being a new bride and ready for a night out on the town.
“Have you heard from Ryder?”
Oh hell. The last thing I wanted to give my parents was ammunition against my engagement.
“Not today. I think he had some meeting with his father.”
“Ava, you know we’re going to have to talk about when you’ll be moving and all of that.”
My heart hurt for lying to her. “I know. I’m probably going back up to get the cast off and coming right back down.”
“You could get it off here, ya know.”
I dropped my head. She was right. There was no real reason I needed to rush back to Montana. Clearly Ryder wasn’t going to beg me to come back. Maybe we did move too fast.
“I’ll make an appointment and see if they can get me in this afternoon. Lord knows I’m ready for this bitch to be off.”
“Watch your mouth.”
Rolling my eyes, I sighed. “Like you have an innocent mouth.”
She reached for my hand. “Ava, something is bothering you. Please tell me what it is. You were so ready to leave and now you’re coming back to your apartment for a few days.”
Forcing a smile, I rested my hand over hers. “Mom, there is nothing wrong. I need to start getting everything in order. I just need some alone time, ya know? Get in some reading and clear my mind.”
“You’re so much like me, it is unreal.”