The Right Ranger (The Men of at Ease Ranch) Read online

  “I love you, too.”

  A growl emanated in his throat a second before his kiss turned intense, deep, hot enough to send shouts and cheers around the crowd. And if her lips hadn’t been otherwise preoccupied, she would’ve joined in.

  When they finally broke for air, he set his forehead to hers and kissed her nose. “I have a surprise for you.”

  She drew back to smile at him. “You already gave me everything I could ever possibly want or need.”

  Confusion wrinkled his brow. “What?”

  “Your trust,” she replied simply. “That’s the best thing you could ever give me. I don’t want anything else.”

  A wicked gleam entered his eyes. “You sure about that?”

  Heat spread out, warming the deep freeze from her body. “Okay, let me rephrase that. I don’t need anything else. But there is a lot of you I want, and I’ll take that every day and twice on Tuesday.”

  “Only twice?” He smiled. “You’re slipping.”

  She smacked his shoulder. “Didn’t you say something about a surprise for me?”

  “Yes.” He grabbed her hand and tugged her through the crowed to his truck, then stopped in the front. “Stay here.”

  She nodded, and he went around to the back of the horse trailer.

  Her heart dropped to her stomach then raced in her suddenly too tight chest. “You got me a horse?”

  No one had ever done anything like that for her before.

  “Not just any horse,” he said, walking toward her, leading the most beautiful horse in the world.

  She gasped. “Gypsy?” Stepping close, Haley hardly dared to blink in case all of this incredible morning had been just a dream. But it was her horse, the one she’d been forced to sell nearly three years ago. The tears were flowing now as Gypsy caught her scent and nudged her with her nose. “How?”

  “Pete helped me track her down,” Cord replied, setting a big hand on the small of her back. His touch reassuring and warm and strong.

  “I don’t understand how this day went from awful to amazing, but God, I’m so grateful. So damn grateful.”

  Cord turned her around and brushed a finger across her cheek to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I want you to know that I meant what I said before. You really are everything to me.”

  “Even though I’m stubborn and jump to wrong conclusions?”

  “Especially because you’re stubborn and jump to wrong conclusions.”

  The empty, hollow space in her chest was now full to bursting. “Another good answer.” She gently tugged his face closer and kissed the man of her dreams, next to the horse of her dreams, on the ranch of her dreams, and Haley knew she didn’t need to dream anymore, because she had the real deal. She had everything.

  She had the right Ranger.

  Epilogue

  A month with the right woman made all the difference in the world to Cord’s life and his outlook on that life. Loving and being loved by Haley was a gift, one he’d never take for granted. She brought a smile to his face and a contentedness to his heart that went a long way to quieting that darkness that used to so often invade. Acknowledging some hard truths about his dead friend had been important, too.

  He knew Drew had loved Haley in his own way. He’d just loved her wrong. Not a mistake Cord would ever make. He’d waited too long to get his chance, and now that he had the beautiful, giving woman in his life, he was not going to mess it up again. Once was bad enough, but he’d learned his lesson and he was a quick learner. Honesty and communication were key and rules he lived by now.

  “I can’t believe we’re getting married soon,” Jovy said, wrapping her arms around Stone who pulled her in for a kiss.

  “What about you two?” Brick asked. “Are you tying the knot this year, too?”

  Ever since Brick popped the question the previous week—and his sister had said yes—the two kept throwing hints to him and Haley to take the plunge.

  “Yeah, you’re already living together, why not make it legal?” Stone grinned.

  After Haley’s Haven opened and Haley forgave him for being an idiot, Cord hadn’t spent a night anywhere else. At-Ease was special to him and he was damn proud of what they were accomplishing, but it no longer required his presence twenty-four-seven. He decided to commute from Haley’s and hadn’t regretted it once.

  Besides, she came first in his life now, and he was the luckiest son-of-a-bitch, because she always put him first, too.

  A simple rule that made all the difference in the world.

  “So, is that a yes? A maybe? Perhaps?” his sister prodded, slipping her arm around Brick and leaning into him as they all relaxed in the rec room after that week’s session.

  Jovy nodded. “Beth just wants to see you happy.”

  “I am happy.” Evidence of it warmed his chest and surely it reached his eyes, because he no longer held anything back.

  “I can see that.” His sister’s gaze grew misty and she sniffed.

  Brick stiffened and panic crossed his face. “Ah hell, Cord. Did you have to make your sister cry? You know I don’t do tears.”

  He laughed. “Good luck. My sister feels things deeply. She’s always going to have a tear in her eye.” He winked at her. “She also has deep feelings about spiders, so you’d better prepare your eardrums.”

  Lizzie punched his arm. “Brick is well aware how deeply I feel things, and trust me, he isn’t complaining.”

  Cord groaned. She had to play the tease-my-brother-about-sex-with-his-buddy card.

  “Okay.” Haley joined them, running her hand up his back. “How about we talk about the wedding. When is your friend arriving from Philadelphia?”

  “Tomorrow.” Jovy grinned. “She’s bringing my cat, finally. An hers, too, since they’ve become buddies.”

  Vince stiffened. “Cat? Uh…and it’ll be staying here?”

  “Yeah.” Jovy frowned. “They both will, until…Oh no, don’t tell me you’re allergic.”

  “Okay, I won’t. But I am.” Vince grimaced. “Sorry.”

  Cord smiled. “Since your friend is staying in my old room, maybe she can keep the cats in there for a while until you figure out a solution.”

  Vince pointed at him. “What he said. Listen to Warlock. He’s wise.”

  Both Brick and Stone groaned.

  “Okay, now that that’s solved,” Beth said. “What role is Lula Belle playing?”

  “I was thinking about making her my best man,” Stone teased, and received a backhand across the chest from his fiancée. “What? I said best man, not my best girl. You’ll always be my best girl, Jovy.”

  For that he received a totally different kind of smack. Right on the lips.

  Haley shifted into Cord, and when he leaned in to kiss her temple he felt her chuckle. He drew back to catch her gaze, but it was trained outside the French doors, where the cow in question was rearranging Jovy’s flowers. Again.

  It’d become a ritual with those two over the past few weeks. Sooner or later, something was going to give…most likely someone’s patience.

  “Hey, Jovy, here’s an idea,” Haley said, winking up at him before returning her attention to the soon-to-be bride and nodding at the door. “What if Lula Belle was your flower girl?”

  A curse left Jovy’s lips when she saw the mess the cow was making of her garden. “That’s it.” She released Stone and moved so fast even Cord had trouble tracking the spitfire. She reached under the couch, pulled out a water gun bigger than her arm, then marched for the door Beth opened just in time for the determined woman.

  “Okay, Lula Belle. Game on.”

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  Acknowledgments

  A huge thank you to my editor, Heather Howland, for all your time, patience, and suggestions for helping me make Cord and Haley the very best they could be! I love them together! />
  Once again, I’d like to thank the whole Lovestruck team! Working with everyone at Entangled makes writing fun. You all rock!

  To my husband, family, and cats for supporting my “writing” habit/addiction. Love you all!

  A big shout out to the Minions, and the Hoods! You know who you are!

  And, finally, to you, the readers, thank you for your support, the kind words, and wonderful reviews. This one’s for you.

  About the Author

  Donna Michaels is an award winning, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of Romaginative fiction. Her hot, humorous, and heartwarming stories include cowboys, men in uniform, and some sexy, primal alphas. With a husband in the military fulltime, and a household of nine, she never runs out of material to write and has rightfully earned the nickname Lucy…and sometimes Ethel. From short to epic, her books entertain readers across a variety of sub-genres, and one was even hand drawn into a Japanese translation. Now, if only she could read it.

  To learn more about Donna Michaels and her books, or to join her mailing list, visit www.DonnaMichealsAuthor.com.

  Thanks for reading,

  ~Donna

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