chapteR SIXTEEN

"What do you mean I can't come there?" Rob shouted into the cell phone he'd just activated.

"I told you," the woman, Cathi Davidson, replied. "The police were here. They said I could be arrested for starting that donation account for you because the money wasn't going to help you get custody of your child.

"They said some wealthy family with lots of power called in the Feds and reported you, and the Feds will probably put a lock on that account so you can't take any more out, and they'll probably freeze your bank account.

"And they said if I have anything to do with it, I could go to jail, so you can't come here ever again. I thought I was helping you get your kid, but you were lying the whole time, and now I could get in trouble."

"That's a load of shit, baby. It's just someone trying to scare or con you."

"No, it's not. It's real, and I'm not going to jail, so leave me alone."

That tore it. Rob's rage exploded, and before he knew it, he was screaming into the phone with spittle flying with each word. "You fucking cunt, you better not mess with my money, or I'll rip your fucking heart out."

"No, you won't," her voice sounded a little stronger this time, which puzzled Rob. Until now, she'd been easy to control. What happened? Was she telling the truth?

"My phone's tapped. The police are probably recording this right now, so if I were you, I'd stop making threats and just turn yourself in."

"Fuck you!" He threw the phone out the window, started the car, and ran over it. No one would find him using that phone.

Now, he had to hurry and get the rest of the money out of that donation account, clean out his bank account, and hit the road. Not to run but to get somewhere.

Wyoming. If those hillbilly Blackstones thought they could screw him out of what he wanted, they had another think coming. He had time to make the drive, grab the kid, and be a hundred miles away before anyone was the wiser.

And then he'd be the one calling the shots.

They thought they could screw with him? Well, they were about to find out that he was smarter than the lot of them, and before it was over, he just might own that damn ranch.

Rob had no doubt he'd win. People talk big when they think they have the upper hand, but they comply fast enough when they see they aren't in control.

And that's just what he'd teach them. They either met his demands or never saw that kid alive again.

*****

Hope stood and turned her back to the fire, looking upwards. The sky here was incredible, so beautiful it brought tears to her eyes. She found herself wishing this was a sight she could witness every night.

Thoughts of returning home now brought sadness and a newfound sense of loss. She scolded herself for thinking such things. Brady was never hers to lose, so she needed to get a grip. Just enjoy the time she had and tuck it away in her memory.

She needed to but couldn't seem to accomplish that. Like it or not, wise or not, she was in love with Brady and didn't think anything could change that.

"So what do I do?" she asked the sky. "Send me a sign."

The sky and the wind remained constant. There were no whispers in the wind, no flickering or flaring of stars, just clouds starting to gather. She took that to mean that the Universe had no desire to meddle in the affairs of men. Or one single mother. Which meant she was on her own.

A slight drizzle had her pulling her coat more securely around her and hurrying to pack things onto the wagon.

It took a bit longer than she anticipated, and before she finished, the sky opened up, and a downpour had her soaked to the skin.

As she stood there, trying to decide what to do about the things that were now drenched, she heard the sound of an ATV. Within seconds, headlights lit the landscape, and Brady stopped beside her. "Climb on," he said, making space for her.

"I'll get you soaked."

"No more than I already am."

"Okay." She climbed on behind him, and he turned and headed for his house. Within seconds, he pulled up at the back door and turned off the engine.

Together, they got off the vehicle and ran to the door. Hope hated to step inside. Water ran off her in rivulets. She'd never felt this kind of cold. Even her bones felt cold. Still, she didn't want to mess up his house. "The floor will be a mess in two seconds," she said as he opened the door.

"It'll clean, get in."

She did as ordered, and he entered, closed the door behind him, and looked at her. "Kick off your boots," he said as he did the same. "Come on, we gotta get you warm."

Hope toed off her boots, and Brady peeled his coat off, tossed it on a rack in the laundry room where they'd entered, and helped her out of hers.

It was crazy that now she was inside she couldn't stop shivering. "C-c-cold," she stuttered the word.

Brady reached around her to turn on the light switch. He looked at her and acted without hesitation, scooping her into his arms. Straight to the master bathroom, he went. He set her on her feet long enough to reach inside the oversized walk-in shower with dual shower heads, turned on the water, and then turned his attention back to her.

"We have to get you warm," he said as he shrugged off his coat, shirt and pulled his t-shirt over his head. He then made fast work of getting out of his jeans and underwear.

Brady noticed the way Hope's eyes moved over his body and the blush that brought two bright spots of color to a face that looked remarkably pale.

"You have to take off your clothes, Hope."

He saw something he read as fear on her face and decided it was best to retain control of the situation, so he set about undressing her.

She didn't fight him, but she also didn't look at him. He didn't have time to analyze why. He just stripped her down, picked her up, and stepped into the shower.

"It b-b-burns," she chattered the words.

"Not for long," he adjusted the temperature slightly and pulled her into his arms, letting the spray from one shower head pour onto her back while the other poured on him.

It took longer than he imagined for her to stop trembling, but finally, he felt her body still. She looked up at him and raised one hand to touch his face. "Brady."

How could the sound of his name undo him? She spoke it like a prayer or mantra, with such emotion and reverence. He'd never heard anyone say his name that way.

He'd also never seen any other face wear the expression on Hope's face. She pressed up against him, and he felt her still taut nipples like cold marbles against his abdomen and the cool touch of her lips on his chest.

Until that moment, his focus had been on her well-being. Now that was changing, and his entire awareness was on the feel of her lithe, naked body against him.

"Hope." His voice sounded more like a growl, even to his own ears, or was it a groan? Probably the latter since all he could think about was the feel of her.

"Brady." She pulled back and looked up at him. "I know this may be all it ever is, that when this camp is over, you'll come to your senses and realize I'm not the woman you want.

"If that's how it's to be, then I'll understand. I'm not a woman to die for, go to war for, sell your soul for, or give up anything you want for. I'm just a single mom from a small town. But…"

She paused and extricated herself from his hold, took a small step back, then raised her hands, put them both on his chest and let them start a slow, sensuous slide down his body.

"I realize I don't have a lot of experience, and goodness knows, no practice and probably not a lot of skills, but I'm a fast learner and willing to bet that no one has ever wanted you as much as I do right now. Heck, as much as I do every day.

"I don't know what will happen when this camp ends, but I do know that the one thing I want to take away with me is the memory of your hands and mouth on me, of you in me and me being allowed to love you, if just for this one moment."

No one had ever said anything like that to him. Ever. Yes, women had asked or even begged him to stay, to not walk out their door, to never be seen or heard from again.

Some had cried, some screamed, some threw things. But none of them had ever asked him to let them love him.

"You are the most incredible woman I've ever met, you know that?"

"No, honestly, I don't. I've met some amazing people, been blessed by an angel, and had my son's life saved. I think I'm lucky but not incredible at all."

"I disagree and think it's time you saw yourself for who you are. A woman to be respected, admired, and loved."

"And one who deserves a hero?" she teased, running her hands slowly down his body.

"Oh, most definitely."

"Well, in that case, since I'm warm, what do you think about taking this party to the family room in front of that magnificent fireplace. I'd love to see the firelight play on your skin and reflect in your eyes."

"Your wish…" he said and turned off the water.

It took only minutes before they were dry and lying naked on a thick rug on the floor before the fireplace. Brady added another log to the fire, then lay beside her, propped on one elbow, letting the fingertips of his free hand trail over her skin.

"Can I ask you about something?"

"Sure," she agreed.

"It's about Joe. Do you really believe he was an angel and that he saved Andy?"

"How could I not?" she asked. "Every test indicated that he had weeks to live. But look at him. He's healthy and happy and hasn't been sick a day since Joe healed him."

"And then you did that for Eli and Cal's baby. Why? Weren't you afraid it would hurt or kill you, giving away all that life force?"

"I considered it but didn't think there was another way. I was given the most precious gift – I get to see my son live and grow. I had to honor that gift and pay it forward, and who better to receive it than Eli, Cal, and their son?"

Brady was once more seized with assuredness that the feelings he had for Hope were, indeed, real. There was something magical about her. Her kindness was like a light, and man, it was some kind of beautiful.

He loved that she could laugh at herself and life and that she was curious and interested in everything. She asked a million questions about what he did and how he did it, about his family, the land, and its history. She was interested in every rock, insect, and animal and found beauty where others did not see it. He'd never met a woman like her.

Then there was Andy. Brady wouldn't have believed it possible, but that kid had cast a spell on him. Brady looked forward to the time they had together. He'd wondered what it would be like for him, Hope, and Andy to live as a family.

That wondering somehow turned into a yearning, which kind of threw him for a loop. But he wouldn't trade it for anything. Falling in love was the best thing that'd ever happened to him.

If he knew Hope wanted the same thing, he'd call it quits now, become a rancher, and with luck, have a passel of kids. That sounded like a good life.

Now, the question was, how did he figure out if he had a chance at something like that with Hope?

Why not just ask, knucklehead? He could hear his brother's voice in his head, making him grin. Yeah, why not?

"I've never known anyone like you," he admitted. "You do what Jud said. You make me want to be a better man."

"How could you possibly be better, Mr. Brady Blackstone?"

He heard the tease and smiled. "I could be a whole lot better if you married me."

Hope's eyes flew open wide in surprise. "Mar—marry you?"

"Yeah, you know, do you take this man and all that?"

She just stared at him, blinking back tears. Brady started to think she was going to say no.

Hope sniffled and wiped her face. "If this is a dream, please don't let me wake. Ever. I fell for you the first time I saw you. And the second and the third. In fact, every time we're apart, the moment I see you, I fall in love with you all over again.

"Just like I fall for you when I see you with Andy. It's like a dream or a wish so close that you can almost touch it and make it real. Andy has always wished for a father."

"I don't have any experience being a father, so I don't know if I'd be good at it."

"Well, you sure had a good role model. And I've watched you with Andy. You'd make an excellent dad.

"If you wanted to be, that is."

"I do. More than anything. So what do you say? Want to give it a try? You and Andy can move in. You can open that shop in town if you want, and your mom is welcome to stay. I'll do whatever it takes. Just say yes, Hope. Tell me you love me and want a life with me."

The smile she rewarded him with made something swell inside him. "Oh, Brady, that would be a dream come true."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then what now?"

"Now?" She reached up to cup the side of his face with one hand. "Now, kiss me, make love to me, and don't stop until the stars disappear."

Brady smiled and pulled her to him. "Yes, ma'am."

And when their lips met, he was seized with the strongest certainty that he'd just made the best and most important decision of his life.

He'd found Hope, and because of that, he knew what it meant to have the kind of love that made everything else fade in importance.

Brady had found the start of the life he never knew he wanted more than anything, and heaven help anyone who ever tried to take it from him.