Orchard Valley Brides

  “He’s here,” Valerie whispered when Norah answered the phone. “Dad’s talking to him now, and he’s doing a masterful job of keeping a straight face. He’s pretending he doesn’t know where you are.”

  Norah scrambled into an upright position. “You mean Rowdy’s there…in Orchard Valley…right this minute?”

  “Yup. None too happy, either, by the looks of him.”

  “Aren’t you going to tell him I’m in Houston?”

  “I might. Then again, I might not.”

  “Valerie Winston, that’s cruel! Put Rowdy on the phone. I insist. Do you hear me?”

  “I’ll make it up to him,” Valerie promised with a delighted chuckle. “Colby and I have talked it over and I’ve decided to accept Rowdy’s offer to head up CHIPS Northwest. Hold on a minute, and I’ll get him for you.”

  A minute had never lasted longer. Although she strained to hear what was happening in the background, Norah could only catch bits and pieces of the conversation. The next instant Rowdy was on the line.

  “Norah?”

  “Hello, Rowdy. I—”

  “Valerie says you’re in Houston. Is that true?”

  “Yes.”

  He cursed under his breath. “No doubt Valerie put you up to this. If I wasn’t so grateful she’s agreed to take on the Northwest assignment, I’d have her hide for this.” Norah could hear her sister saying something in the background and Rowdy saying something in return.

  “Listen, I’m on my way back to Houston. Will you meet me at the airport?”

  “Of course. I love you, Rowdy. I kept thinking of all the things I should have said to you and didn’t. It wasn’t until I got back to the hotel that I realized I hadn’t said the most important thing of all, and that was how much I love you.”

  “I love you, too. You are going to marry me, aren’t you?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  “Bring your list. There’re a couple of points we need to discuss. Oh, before I forget, Bill Somerset’s my new vice president.”

  “Oh, Rowdy, I do love you!”

  “You know,” he said with a heavy sigh, “I could get used to hearing you say that. Fact is, I could even get used to being a husband—and father.”

  “I’ll be waiting at the airport when you land,” Norah promised eagerly.

  She met him four hours later. Rowdy walked into the arrivals lounge and directly to Norah. They just stood there for an instant, staring at each other, before he pulled her into his embrace.

  “What do women want, anyway?” he murmured, then kissed her hungrily.

  “Who, me or Valerie?” she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck. He’d lifted her clear off the floor, leaving her feet dangling.

  “Both of you.”

  “Love isn’t a business deal, Rowdy. It’s you and me settling our differences. I don’t ever want to go through this again.”

  “You?” he cried, and buried his face in her neck. “I don’t think my heart could take it.” He laughed shakily. “Until I met you, Norah Bloomfield, I didn’t even know I had a heart.”

  Gradually he lowered her back to the floor. His eyes, so loving and intense, continued to hold hers. “I thought I’d go insane the past couple of days,” he admitted. “So did everyone around me. Ms. Emerich was so furious with me she threatened to resign.”

  “She really is a dear.”

  Rowdy chuckled. “Maybe, but I advise you not to make her angry.”

  Norah laughed softly and slipped her arm around his waist. “What changed your mind?”

  Rowdy kissed the top of her head. “Something you said a long time back.”

  “Something I said?”

  He nodded and kissed her cheek. “About what’s really important in life. You said love and fulfillment came from people and relationships. I was sitting at my desk last night, and I realized I was working myself to death for no good reason. I was filling up all the emptiness I’ve felt in my life with business. What I really wanted was you. I wanted you to lecture me about my cholesterol. I wanted you to argue with me about what we’re going to name our children and where we’re going to spend our vacations. I wanted you to kiss me.”

  “Oh, Rowdy.” Tears spilled from her eyes until his face blurred before her.

  “I’m crazy about you.” He drew her into his arms again. “Let’s start with the kissing part,” he whispered.

  Norah smiled through her tears. “That’s one thing I won’t argue about.”

  Epilogue

  “Oh, Rowdy, I’m so anxious to see my family,” Norah breathed as she settled into the airplane beside her husband. She didn’t know if she’d ever grow accustomed to flying in the small jet Rowdy kept for personal use, but it was a definite convenience since the Lear could land at the tiny Orchard Valley airport.

  “I don’t know why Valerie had to plan a big reunion three weeks before your due date,” Rowdy said, glancing at Norah’s swollen abdomen. A toddler slept in his arms, head resting on Rowdy’s broad shoulder. Rowdy lovingly held his hand against his son’s back.

  “Don’t fuss. She planned this get-together a year ago, before we knew about the baby.”

  “I still don’t think you should be traveling.”

  Norah smiled reassuringly at her husband. “We couldn’t be in finer company. If the baby does decide to arrive early, Colby will be there to help with the delivery. Besides, Jeff arrived a week late.”

  “Colby’s a heart surgeon,” Rowdy said.

  “He knows everything there is to know about babies,” Norah countered, smiling softly to herself. She never would’ve believed Rowdy would worry so much over her pregnancies. He was fiercely protective when it came to Norah and their family.

  For the first time since they’d entered the aircraft, Rowdy grinned. “Colby certainly should know about babies. Even now, it’s difficult for me to picture Valerie as the mother of twins.”

  “Valerie amazes me,” Norah said with a genuine sigh of admiration. Her eldest sister continued to head CHIPS Northwest, cared for both her sons and accomplished more in one day than Norah thought about doing in a week. Her family and CHIPS were both thriving.

  Rowdy’s eyes softened as they met Norah’s. “You amaze me.”

  “I do?”

  If there’d been any surprises in her marriage, they’d come from the changes she’d seen in Rowdy. No wife could ask for a more attentive husband. He’d learned to delegate duties, and CHIPS was now served by four vice presidents. He’d promoted Valerie almost immediately after she’d accepted the Northwest position.

  The most incredible thing had happened as Rowdy gradually released the tight control he held over every aspect of his company. CHIPS prospered. The stock had nearly doubled in the two and a half years since Norah and Rowdy’s marriage.

  “I have so much to thank you for,” Rowdy said, slipping his arm around her shoulder and drawing her closer. He rested his free hand on her stomach and Norah watched his eyes widen as he felt their child kick against his palm.

  “The baby moved!”

  Norah laughed. “Yes, I know.”

  Rowdy’s grin broadened. “The closer the time comes for this one to be born, the more excited I get.” He kissed Jeff’s blond head. “I’m still surprised by the way anyone so small could take up so much of my heart,” he said solemnly.

  “You’re a wonderful father,” Norah whispered. “And you know what else?” she asked, nestling against him despite the seat belt. “You’re a wonderful husband, too.”

  “You make that very easy, angel face.” He settled his arm around her shoulders and Norah felt him kiss the top of her head. He rested his chin there. “I was thinking the other day that if we have a girl, we should name her Grace—after your mother.”

  Norah smiled to herself. “I’m so happy you said that.”

  “Does your father think baby number two will be a boy or a girl?”

  Norah sighed. “Just because he was right about Valerie and Colby having twin boys, and
Steffie and Charles having a little girl, that doesn’t mean what he predicted for us will come true. Having six kids is probably excessive—even for us!”

  Norah felt Rowdy go still. She raised her head to look into her husband’s dark eyes. “You’re thinking about those children again, aren’t you?” she said quietly, referring to the recent, tragic death of one of his employees, who’d left two orphaned children.

  Rowdy nodded. “I know what it’s like to lose your mother and father. I hate the thought of those two spending the rest of their lives being shuffled from foster home to foster home the way I was.”

  “You have a soft heart, Rowdy Cassidy. I have a distinct feeling we’re going to end up with six children, after all.”

  “Would you mind?”

  “I wouldn’t mind in the least,” she assured him.

  The drone of the airplane quickly put Norah to sleep. When she awoke, it was nearly time for them to land. Steffie and Charles had volunteered to pick them up at the Orchard Valley airport and drive them to the house.

  Norah stepped off the plane first and was greeted with a hug from Steffie. Marriage hadn’t changed her. Steffie was as graceful as a ballerina and so beautiful that it took Norah a moment to stop looking at her.

  “It’s so good to see you,” Steffie squealed. Charles was holding a squirming toddler against his hip. “Hello, Amy,” Norah said, holding out her arms to her ten-month-old niece. “Do you remember your auntie Norah?”

  “She might,” Steffie teased, “but I don’t think she’s so sure about the tummy.”

  “She’s far more interested in getting reacquainted with Jeff,” Charles said as the two cousins eyed each other.

  They began walking toward the car. “How’s Dad?” Norah asked.

  “Never better,” Charles answered. “He’s so excited about this family get-together he can hardly stand it. I swear he must’ve been up since the crack of dawn. Wait until you see the spread he’s arranged. The front yard’s all ready for the barbecue.”

  “Dad’s turned into a professional grandpa,” Steffie put in. “He’s wonderful with Amy and the boys. I never thought I’d see him down on his hands and knees giving horsey rides. Trust me, it’s a sight to behold.”

  Norah grinned. It seemed impossible that a few years ago she’d been convinced they would lose him. He’d lost the will to live and given up the struggle to regain his health.

  They talked on the phone at least once a week, and sometimes more often. Her father loved to fill her in on Orchard Valley news. Since Charles was the local newspaper publisher and editor, David had an inside track on the town’s affairs. Something always seemed to be going on. Their weekly calls had helped Norah those first weeks, when she’d missed home so much….

  David Bloomfield was standing on the front porch, waiting for his family. When Rowdy helped Norah out of the car, he saw his son-in-law watching her tenderly as he carried young Jeff. Charles and Steffie and little Amy appeared next. David saw the communication between his second daughter and her husband, saw how proud Steffie was of him and how deeply they loved their child.

  Valerie and Colby, who’d been occupied playing with their identical twin sons on the swing set, waved and shouted a cheer of welcome. The two boys took off running toward the parked car, laughing, their eyes shining with joy. Hand in hand, Valerie and Colby followed them. The children’s laughter rippled through the early-afternoon air, and David grinned. His heart swelled at the sight of his three daughters and their families. Valerie and Colby with the twins, Steffie and Charles with their little girl, and Norah with her son and another one due within the month.

  “It’s just the way you said it would be,” David said hoarsely, looking to the heavens. “More than I ever dreamed it would be.” He wiped a stray tear from his eye and whispered, “Thank you, Grace.”

  LONE STAR LOVIN’

  To Diane DeGooyer—a friend forever

  One

  “You’re a long way from Orchard Valley,” Sherry Waterman muttered to herself as she stepped out of her PT Cruiser and onto the main street of Pepper, Texas. Heat shimmered up from the black asphalt.

  Drawing a deep breath, she glanced around with an appraising eye at this town, which was to be her new home. Pepper resembled any number of small mid-Texas towns she’d driven through in the past twenty-four hours.

  The sun was pounding down with a vengeance, and Sherry wiped her brow with her forearm, looking for someplace to buy a cold drink. She was a couple of weeks early; she’d actually planned it like this, hoping to get a feel for Pepper and the surrounding ranch community before she took over her assignment. In an hour or so she’d drive on to Houston, where she’d visit her friend Norah Cassidy for a couple of weeks, then double back to Pepper. Although it was considerably out of her way, she was curious about this town—and the job she’d accepted as a physician assistant, sight unseen, through a medical-employment agency.

  Her car didn’t have air-conditioning, and she’d rolled down both windows in an effort to create a cooling cross-draft. It had worked well enough, but along with the breeze had come a fine layer of dust, and a throat as dry as the sun-baked Texas street.

  Clutching her purse and a folded state map, she headed for the Yellow Rose café directly opposite. A red neon sign in the window promised home cooking.

  After glancing both ways, she jogged across the street and hurried into the, thankfully, air-conditioned café. The counter was crowded with an array of cowboy types, so she seated herself by the window and reached for the menu tucked behind the napkin canister.

  A waitress wearing a pink gingham uniform with a matching ribbon in her hair strolled casually toward Sherry’s table. “You’re new around here, aren’t you?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Sherry answered noncommittally, looking up from the menu. “I’ll have an iced tea with extra lemon, please, and a cheeseburger, without the fries.” No need to clog her arteries with extra fat. The meat and cheese were bad enough.

  “Iced tea and a cheeseburger,” the waitress repeated. “You wanna try our lemon meringue pie? It’s the best this side of Abilene.”

  “Oh, sure, why not?” Sherry said, giving up the cholesterol and carbohydrate battle without a fight. The waitress left and returned almost immediately with the iced tea. Sherry drank gratefully, then spread the map across the table and charted her progress. With luck, she should be in Houston by midafternoon the following day. Right on schedule. Her friend Norah Cassidy wasn’t expecting her before Wednesday, so Sherry could make a leisurely drive of it—although she’d enjoy the drive a whole lot more if it wasn’t so hellishly hot.

  The waitress brought Sherry’s cheeseburger on a thick, old-fashioned ceramic plate. A mound of onion and tomato slices, plus lettuce and pickles, were neatly arranged next to the open burger.

  “Don’t see too many strangers coming this way,” the waitress commented, plunking down containers of mustard and ketchup. “Most folks stick to the freeway.”

  “I prefer taking the back roads,” Sherry said, popping a pickle slice into her mouth.

  “You headed for San Antonio?”

  “Houston. I’m a physician assistant and—”

  “I don’t suppose you’re looking for a job?”

  Sherry smiled to herself. “Not really. I already have one.” She didn’t add that the job was right here in Pepper.

  “Oh.” The eager grin faded. “The town council’s been advertising with one of those employment agencies for over a year.”

  Apparently the waitress hadn’t heard that they’d hired someone. “I’m also a nurse and a midwife,” Sherry added, although she wasn’t sure why she felt obliged to list her credentials for the woman. The physician assistant part was a recent qualification.

  The waitress nodded. “I hear lots of women like to have their babies at home these days. Most everyone from around Pepper comes to the hospital, though.”

  “You have a hospital here?” This was welcome news. The town
didn’t look large enough to support more than a café, a couple of taverns and a jail.

  “Actually it’s a clinic. But Doc’s made sure we’ve got the best emergency-room facilities within two hundred miles. Last year one of the high-school boys lost an arm, and Doc was able to save the arm and the kid. Wouldn’t have been able to do it without all that fancy equipment. We’re right proud of that clinic.”

  “You should be.” Sherry gazed longingly at her lunch. If the waitress didn’t stop chattering, it was going to get cold.

  “You have family in Houston?”

  Sherry added the rest of her condiments, folded the cheeseburger closed and raised it toward her mouth as a less-than-subtle hint. “No. A good friend.”

  The woman’s eyes brightened. “I see.” She left and returned a moment later, a tall, potbellied older man in tow.

  “Howdy,” he said with a lazy drawl. “Welcome to Texas.”

  Sherry finished chewing her first bite. “Thank you. It’s a wonderful state.”

  “What part of the country you from?”

  “Oregon,” she replied. “A little town called Orchard Valley.”

  “I hear it’s real pretty up there in Or-ee-gon.”

  “It’s beautiful,” Sherry agreed, staring down at her plate. If she was lucky, this cowpoke would get the message and leave her to her lunch.

  “’Course living in Texas has a lot of advantages.”

  “That’s what I understand.”

  “Suppose I should introduce myself,” he said, holding out his hand. “Name’s Dan Bowie. I’m Pepper’s duly elected mayor.”

  “Pleased to meet you.” Sherry wiped the mustard from her fingertips and extended her hand. He shook it, his eyes gleaming, then without waiting for an invitation, pulled out the chair opposite her and made himself comfortable.

  “Donna Jo here was telling me you’re a physician assistant.”

  “That’s true.”

  “She also said you already have a job.”