Country Bride (Country Brides) (5 page)

“I hope to be back sometime next week. How is Molly making out?”

“She’s good, we’re buddies. She likes my table scraps more than her food,” he laughed.

“You’re going to fatten her up.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” he said. “How’s your mother doing today?”

“Good, she’s wrapping up with physical therapy, though she
’ll have some things she’ll still do at home. I can’t believe it’s been six weeks,” she hesitated, “I’ve missed you.”

“And I’ve missed you. I hope you’ll hurry back to me.”

“As soon as I can,” Kristin answered. “Give Molly a hug for me.”

“Will do,” he agreed.

After saying their good-byes, Kristin hung up the phone and sighed. She did miss him, more than she expected to.

It was good to see her parents again, even under these circumstances, but she longed to get back to Ty. It surprised her at first, but once she accepted what her heart wanted, she gave into the feeling. There was something between them, and she needed to know where it was going.

With her mother healing up and getting around easier, Kristin was on her way back to Wyoming the following week.

She couldn’t wait to see Ty and Molly. Heading home, she watched the clock. She’d see them
in less than two hours. Two hours felt like forever after seven weeks. She wanted to speed up and hurry back, but it wasn’t worth risking the ticket or her life. Her heart was beating faster the closer she got to home. She was happy to see Molly, but knew it was Ty making her anxious. She’d talked to him often over the last few weeks, but hadn’t been in his arms since she’d left.

Pulling into his driveway, she was relieved to see his truck. She wasn’t sure what time his appointments ran until. On getting out, he came out to greet her.

She couldn’t help herself, and ran into his arms. She’d missed him so much. On seeing him, she knew what she needed to know – he was the one she needed, the one that made her heart sing. He was the one she wanted to start over with.

Ty’s smile said it all, and wrapping his arms around Kristin, he felt like he was complete. He never expected to fall so hard, but on seeing her again, he knew what he needed to know. She was the one that made him feel like a man, the one that he wanted to take care of, and the one he wanted to start over with.

Tangled in each other’s arms, they stood unmoving, simply enjoying the moment. Molly came out with him, and was running circles around them. Laughing, Kristin pulled away long enough to greet her old friend.

“Have you been a good girl?”
She bent down to pat her on her head.

“We’ve missed you,” Ty smiled.

“It feels good to be home.”

“Home?”

“Home,” she said. “At least for now,” she said cautiously. “All I know is that I need to be here, with you.”

Ty pulled her back into an embrace, holding her close. “Those are words that warm my heart.”

Standing in the driveway, holding Kristin, Ty felt complete. With his hand, he tipped her chin up toward him. Leaning down, he let his mouth speak for him, telling her how much he missed her. Parting his lips, brushing them against hers, he kissed her with love and passion. Kristin accepted the love. It was as if her feet were glued to the very ground. She couldn’t move, didn’t want to the moment to stop.

Ty’s hands moved up into her hair, raking his fingers through it, and pulling her closer. Locked in an embraced, a heated kiss between them, Ty knew things would be okay. For the first time, there was an unspoken understanding. They were in this together, they were both ready to move forward, and they both wanted this.

Taking her hand, he led her into the house. He pressed her to the closed door, needing to taste her sweet lips again. Labored breathing, tiny words slipping out, “I want you,” he whispered.

Their kisses great more heated, and as his hands started to roam, Kristin slowed things down. “I’m not ready to do that yet,” she said, embarrassed to stop him in his tracks. “I do want to go there, eventually, but not yet. Are you okay with that?”

“As long as you’re mine, we can take as long as you need.” His hands came up and stroked her cheek softly. “I’m so glad you’re home.”

Her liquid blue eyes looked into his warm face, filled with wanting, but knew it was the right thing to go slowly. It would be so easy to go there, let go and let passion take over, but she wanted to be sure. She knew she was ready to be in a relationship – but until she was fully committed, until she knew they’d be together forever, she wasn’t ready to consummate their relationship just yet.

“Come here,” she whispered, wanting to taste his kisses one more time.

She didn’t have to ask him twice. Leaning into her, their heated breath between them, their lips came together sharing secrets and dreams.

“It got cool outside,” she said, finally breaking free from the kiss.

“Wyoming does that this time of year.”

“It was chilly at home too, but we get lucky and still get a couple of nice days in the fall.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you, would you like to celebrate the holidays with me? You could go meet my folks, and then we could have a quiet night here.”

“I’d love to spend them with you.”

Falling into his arms, they spend the next hour catching up, snuggling, and then Kristin had to head out. Gathering Molly, she made the trip back to her own home, after making plans to see Ty the following day.

“It’s been wonderful to see you,” she said, not wanting to leave.

“Stay with me tonight,” he whispered. “We don’t have to do anything; I just want to hold you.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she admitted. “I should head home. It’s been a long day.”

“You’re right, maybe another time.”

When the snow fell
, Kristin wasn’t expecting it. It seemed earlier than she was ready for. Ty warned her it would snow randomly all year, though most of it came from the fall to the spring. Once it started, it could go until May, and they’d even get random summer snow. While most of the snow fell through winter, there was no way to know what the weather would be. There was a saying in Wyoming when asking about the weather, that if you wait five minutes, the weather will change. It was unpredictable most of the time, and always kept you guessing.

At least it was a light snow
. Kristin dug around the shed and found a snow shovel. If it was deeper, she’d have trouble driving into town. She had four wheel drive, but wasn’t used to actually needing it.

It was official; it was the s
eason to stock up on essentials. Molly rolled around in the fresh coating of snow on the ground, enjoying the change in weather.

She’d been seeing Ty regularly, and when the holidays rolled around, they made plans to visit his parent’s farm. She was both nervous and excited to meet them. There was no way to know how they’d react, and she wondered if they’d have the same ruffled feathers learning she was from New Jersey. She didn’t see what the big deal was. On the east coast, nobody flinched if you were from another area, but out here, it was almost an insult that she was from the small, congested state.

She wished people wouldn’t have expectations of who she would be. It was just an invisible line on a map; people were people no matter where you went. She never quite understood the reaction.

With Christmas approaching them,
Ty and Kristin talked about family traditions. She shared a story about how the houses in the neighborhood would all put lights along the curbs of her development. The entire road was lit up like a landing strip at an airport. It started with a few houses, and then more joined in. Soon the entire neighborhood was lit. One of her favorite past times was driving through the area, enjoying all the decorations and Christmas lights. One of the neighbors a street over always seemed to outdo themselves with an over the top display. It was gaudy, but she loved seeing it each year.

He shared stories about his parent’s surprising him with a new saddle one year, a highly polished black leather saddle to replace the old brown leather one that he’d been using for years
as a kid.

Kristin made hot chocolate as they shared
more stories of their youth. Curling up on the sofa with Ty, she’d never felt more comfortable. It was a natural comfort. She didn’t have to be something she wasn’t – he took her just as she was.

They would spend Christmas Eve sharing an intimate dinner, and then spend Christmas Day at the farm with Mr. and Mrs. Addison.

The days rolled by quickly, and on Christmas Eve, Kristin took a moment to call home. Checking in with her mom, she was pleased to see she was feeling stronger, and getting around much easier. Her father was glad to hear from her, and mentioned how happy she sounded. She knew it was Ty; he filled the hole that was in her heart.

Ty was coming over to her place, and she had a nice dinner planned. She’d even sprung for some Champagne, and made a cherry cheesecake. She hadn’t been sure what to get him for the holidays, and they didn’t really talk about it, but finally decided on a nice watch with a leather band. It was personal, but wasn’t extravagant.

When Ty showed up, Molly greeted him with a bark and a wag of her tail. Bending down, he offered her a special treat. “Shh, don’t tell your mother, she says I spoil you.”

Kristin laughed
, greeting him with a hug and a kiss.

“How was your day,” she asked, making small talk.

“Nothing exciting, just the usual.” He pulled her back into an embrace, “Come here, you.”

Kristin turned around, letting him wrap her in his arms. Everything felt right in the world.
She never thought she’d be this happy again.

“I’ve got something for you,” he whispered, “but I need more of your sweetness first,” he said, lowering his head. His lips came to hers in a tender kiss.

Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled out a long narrow box. Handing the box to Kristin, she smiled. “What is it?”

“You’ll need to open it.”

Removing the wrapping, she opened the jewelry box. A gold bracelet with a heart charm was inside, and turning to Ty she smiled. “It’s beautiful; will you help me put it on?”

As he put it onto her slender wrist, she thanked him.

Excusing herself for a moment, she went and pulled his gift off of the bookshelf, handing it to him.

“For me?” He grinned and opened the present.

“I love it, it’s perfect,” he said. “It’s rugged and handsome, thank you,” he leaned in for a kiss.

Ty opened the champag
ne, pouring in into the glasses, as Kristin finished supper.

“I don’t have flutes,” she laughed. “These will have to do.”

“It all drinks the same,” he said. “I haven’t had champagne in years.”

After a couple of glasses, they were laughing and sharing dinner. Soon one thing led to another, and bringing the dishes to the counter, Ty swept her into his arms. Kissing her, his hands slowly started to roam. It felt so good, and Kristin had trouble saying no…she wanted to feel his hands on her body. She didn’t want to keep stopping him. She wasn’t even sure why she
did. Maybe tonight would be the night.

But
something told her she should wait. Wait until things were more serious. Wait until they’d made a major commitment. She couldn’t make love to a man only to lose him again. It would crush her soul. She’d wait. If he was the one, and wanted to be in her life – he would wait.

Pulling back, “Ty, let’s go sit down for a bit. I don’t want to lose control of myself.”

“Losing control wouldn’t be a bad thing,” he said.

“For me it would. It’s not that I don’t adore you. It’s just that I’m afraid of what happens after, worried that I’d lose you.”

“I love you, how would you lose me?”

“I love you too, but I just need to wait. I hope you understand.”

“I’ll wait as long as you need. It doesn’t mean that I don’t have urges. I want to be with you, but I’ll wait until you’re ready – you’re worth it.”

Snuggled on the sofa, they talked about the future and what it meant to them.

An emergency house call came in for Ty, and they were reminded that work came at all hours of the night, and even on holidays.

“I’ll be here tomorrow afternoon to pick you up,” he reminded
, before heading out. “Thank you for tonight, and thank you for my watch.”

A quick kiss and
he was on his way. Kristin sat on the sofa, looking at her gold bracelet. She loved that man. She never thought she’d feel like this again. She never thought she’d find love, or even allow herself to love again.

So much had changed, and yet she was so content. She made peace with staying in Wyoming. If Ty was here, she was here. Molly was partial to him too.

Wyoming was a different creature than New Jersey. At first she welcomed her with open arms, but for a bit, she started to fear her differences. Once she finally embraced it, knowing it was a different world, she started to make peace with it. Of course, winter was just starting. Ty was telling here how there were some passes they don’t even plow until spring! She couldn’t imagine roads going for months without being plowed. At least she was getting more comfortable driving on the snowier days. She’d had snow back home, but it was heavier and deeper here most times it snowed.

They’d only just begun, with the heaviest, snowiest season about to greet her. It would be an adventure, maybe even a challenge, but it would let her know what she’d be facing if she decided to stay. She was pretty sure she was staying, but it was truly hard to judge, without having spent a full year here to understand what that meant.

Crawling into bed, she thought about the time she’d spent here already. Her life had changed dramatically, and while she had savings to last through the rest of her year in Wyoming, she realized she’d planned on heading home and finding work when her time was finished here.

If she were to stay, how would she support herself? There was a moment of pause, thinking about the small town she lived near. How far would she have to travel to find a job that would support her? She’d totally forgotten about those kinds of things, since she’d only planned to stay the one year, and had enough to get by, with careful budgeting. Money would be running out by next summer, and then what?

Living out here, finding work would be tough, and her commute could easily be over an hour each way. Reality slapped her in the face. Wanting to be here was one thing, being able to survive and support herself was quite another. Maybe if she was near a city, but she wasn’t, she was out in a remote, rural area. When she set out west, she never dreamed she’d meet somebody that would capture her heart.

She certainly couldn’t ask Ty to take care of her, nor would she. She stood on her own two feet.
Once again she was forced to confront that staying here wasn’t that easy. She’d rented this place for a year, but then she’d be looking for a home to rent all over again, if she could even find work.

One step at a time
, she tried to soothe her mind before overwhelming herself with details. She wanted things to work out, but there were so many extra pieces to the puzzle she hadn’t even thought about. When she got here, she never intended to stay. And now that she was considering it, it might not even be an option. Thoughts circled her mind, with no easy answer. She finally let the words unwind, and drifted off to sleep.

Waking on Christmas Day, she was met with a snow shower. A fresh coating of a white pow
dered snow had fallen overnight. Molly bounced around in the snow, and then came back in, ready to spend the day napping.

Going to call her brother to wish him a Merry Christmas, she couldn’t get signal. The spotty coverage out here was frustrating. What if she had an emergency? If she was going to stay, she’d need to move closer to town.
This just wouldn’t do.

She enjoyed a leisurely morning, and then got ready for Ty to pick her up. She was nervous to meet his parents, and yet excited to learn more about him.

She hadn’t expected his father to be even rougher around the edges than Ty was, and abrasive, so abrasive. Kristin smiled and nodded, as he spewed garbage about a woman shouldn’t be out living alone like she was, and what she needed was to stop looking to find herself and get on with her life, and she was foolish to be so irresponsible.

She felt shell-shocked, and as Ty finally stepped in, trying to smooth things over, Kristin swallowed hard and whispered she’d like to leave.

“We can’t leave already, it’s early. We haven’t had dinner, and it’s Christmas.”

“I won’t have somebody talking to me that way,” she said, trying to keep the peace, and not go off on Ty for not jumping in sooner to save her from the tirade.

Ty’s mother was sweet and kind at first, but she nodded in agreement. “I’m an old fashioned girl, and can’t see just wasting a year like that, but you modern girls tend to make different choices.” She wasn’t rude, but it was obvious she didn’t approve of her decision.

Pulling Ty aside again, “I need to leave. I’m not comfortable, Ty.”

He looked at Kristin, “They don’t mean harm, it’s just their way.”

“I don’t care what
their way
is, it’s confrontational and abrasive. I don’t want to be here. Can you please take me home?”

Ty felt torn, not wanting to offend his parents, while seeing that Kristin was obviously upset.

“Ty, I want to leave.”

He nodded, and made an excuse. “Kristin’s not feeling
well; we’re going to head out.”

“What? You haven’t had supper, and I’ve been cooking all day. She can go lie down in one of the back bedrooms.”

He didn’t want to speak the truth, so Kristin did, leaving Ty in an awkward spot.

“Thank you for your hospitality, but I’m honestly ready to leave. I’m feeling a bit taken back, even attacked. So, I apologize for our departure, but I really feel it’s best.”

They were stunned. “Attacked? You felt attacked? We were just talking, giving our thoughts on the matter,” his father interjected. “All you modern women need your say, need to…”

“Dad, enough! Give the girl a break. The least you could do is be nicer to her. She’s a guest in your home. This is the woman I love, and I won’t have you talking to her like that.”

His father stared at him, shaking his head. “Go on, then,” and walked away.

Driving home, Kristin stared out the window. She was glad Ty finally said something, but it felt a little too late. He sat quietly as his father threw his opinion at her, telling her what a fool she was, and…

A mule deer shot across the road, causing Ty to slam on his brakes. It snapped her out of her thought process.

“Close one,” Ty said, not saying much else.

“Why didn’t you step in and say something earlier?”

“I didn’t want to be disrespectful to my father, when I knew he wasn’t trying to be rude. It’s just his way. And yet I know you’re more sensitive.”