Military Romance Collection: Contemporary Soldier Alpha Male Romance (11 page)

“No,” Ada said. “He told me it was completely nuts. That’s how I knew it was the right decision.”

“Do you always do the opposite of what he tells you?”

Ada shook her head. “Only when I want to,” she said, and squeezed his hand. “In this case, I really, really wanted to.”

Her cell phone beeped, and she dropped his head in order to check it. “Okay, that’s just my alarm telling me I need to get my ass out of bed right now if I want to make it to the Austin office on time.”

“So you’re ahead of schedule,” Charlie said. “We could have stayed in bed that much longer.”

“We could have,” Ada agreed with a smile, “But I wanted to go over with you what you need to do in order to get this tax situation resolved today. And we do need to resolve it today, because my supervisor is not going to let this case slide one hour longer past this deadline.”

“Did you get grief for working with me on this?” Charlie asked. “I’m sorry.”

“No,” Ada said. “It’ll be fine, because I’m bringing the money in. After all this time? That’s like a home run.”

“You’ll be the super star,” Charlie agreed. “They’ve been after Grandpa forever and a day. Right on up to the day he died.”

“You know what they say,” Ada said. “Death and taxes.” She raised her coffee cup like she was making a toast. “One of these days I’ll have to try making an honest living.”

“Have you ever thought about ranching?” Charlie blurted out.

They stared at each other for a long, long moment. Ada caught her breath before exhaling slowly. “Charlie Daniels, what are you asking me?”

“Hey,” he said, trying to turn it into a joke. “It’s not everyone who gets to marry a famous country music star!”

“I’m not interested in being a famous country music star’s wife,” Ada replied. “But from what I can see, I’d be very interested in learning more about being a saddle bronc rancher’s wife.”

“Luckily, we have openings available in that very department,” Charlie said with a smile. “I realize it’s too soon.”

“It’s never too soon to let me know what you’re thinking. What you’re feeling.” Ada smiled. “When I’m your wife, I’d like to be the first to know things. I’m not a woman who likes surprises.”

“I like some surprises,” Charlie said. “This whole thing with Grandpa? Not a great surprise. But meeting you?” He leaned across the table and gently planted a kiss on Ada’s lips. “Best surprise ever.”

She smiled, and took a deep breath. “I’ve got to make sure I’m smart about this,” Ada said. “It’s … unorthodox … for an agent to lend a citizen the funds to discharge their tax obligation as it is. I never even should have mentioned it to my Dad, although I’m sure he won’t say anything.”

Charlie nodded.

“So before things can go forward between us, I’ve got to make sure this entire situation is wrapped up, officially.” She shook her head. “If I don’t, it’ll be professional suicide. And I want to make sure I can still make a living if it turns out I’m terrible at raising horses.”

“You’re going to be great,” Charlie said. “I’m sure you’re great at everything you do. You’re going to be great at raising horses.” He cocked his head. “And if you’d like, I’m sure you’re going to be great at raising kids.”

Ada smiled, a deep smile that caused dimples to appear in both of her cheeks. “Easy, cowboy. One thing at a time.”

“You see how hard it is to keep me focused even when you have your clothes on?” Charlie said with a smile.

“I am definitely going to have to keep that in mind,” she replied. “There are three steps we’ve got to accomplish. First, I have to take possession of the funds to settle the debt…”

“I’ll write a check right now,” Charlie said.

“Then I have to deposit those funds in the IRS account. It takes twenty-four to thirty-six hours for those funds to clear, and then I can release the lien. That stops all seizure proceedings, and you’re free and clear.”

Charlie counted on his fingers. “So that means we could get married this weekend,” he said, “if we get that money in the bank this morning.”

Ada laughed. “We’re going to put a wedding together by this weekend?”

“We’ve got a great venue right here,” Charlie said, nodding toward the window. Outside, the early morning sun had illuminated every inch of the farmyard. The horses were beautiful, grazing peacefully in the green grass. “If we can get your family here, I’ll get my brother Matthew and his wife to come down and join us. I’m sure we can find a preacher man somewhere.”

“What about your other brother?” Ada asked. “Wouldn’t you want him to be there?”

“I would,” Charlie said, “but he made me make him a promise before he was deployed not to hold off on doing anything at all just because he wasn’t around to be part of it. Besides,” he added, kissing her fingertips, “I’ll marry you all over again when he gets home.”

“That sounds like a deal,” Ada said. “It’s crazy – it’s too fast – but it feels so right.” She nodded at Charlie. “Go get your checkbook.” She stood up. “I’ll get my briefcase out of the car. Why put off becoming Mrs. Charlie Daniels any longer than I need to?”

Writing a check for ninety thousand dollars was not something Charlie did every day. His hand trembled a little bit as he wrote the numbers. “That’s a lot of zeroes,” he said.

“I know,” Ada said. “It’s a lot of money to pay off your Grandpa’s debt.”

“Well, most of it was earned by his horse,” Charlie said, “So I guess it’s only fair the horse paid off a good chunk of the taxes.”

Ada smiled sadly. “Still, I wish you hadn’t had to sell him.” She took the check from Charlie’s hand and laid it on the table in front of her. “For obvious reasons, I’m going to be putting my share in in cash.” The envelope she took out of her briefcase was almost half an inch thick. She carefully counted out ten thousand in hundred dollar bills. The envelope was still pretty full when she was done.

“Exactly how much money were you planning on sinking into helping me save this place?” Charlie asked.

Ada blushed. “You’re going to think I’m crazy.”

“You’ve agreed to marry me. I know you’re crazy,” Charlie said.

“Fifty thousand dollars,” Ada said. “It’s pretty much every penny I have.”

Charlie’s eyes teared up. He stood up and walked away from the kitchen table, standing in front of the window and facing into the sun.

“Hey,” Ada said, standing up to join him. “Are you all right?”

“I just can’t believe my good fortune.” He reached out and squeezed Ada around the shoulders. “How did I get so lucky as to have you show up in my life?”

“Sometimes good things happen to good people.”

Matthew wasn’t hearing any of it. He’d finally answered his phone after Charlie had left two messages and sent two texts about his wedding plan. “Good things happen to good people? What the hell, Charlie. Did you find a woman or a Disney princess?”

“Hey,” Charlie snapped back. “I’m asking you to come down and be part of our wedding. Not for your permission.”

Matthew took a deep breath. “I know.” He paused, and then said, “It just seems very sudden.”

“It is sudden. But I’ve known Ada for a month, and I knew it was just meant to be.”

“You were on the ranch a week when you knew that was meant to be,” Matthew said. “I feel like you’re flinging yourself into one commitment into another.”

“That’s pretty rich coming from the guy who was giving me hell about security the last time we talked,” Charlie said. “Can’t you just try being happy for me?”

“We’ll be there,” Matthew said. His tone suddenly became hushed and secretive. “And don’t say anything to Amy about you know what. I’ve almost got that situation sorted out.”

“Oh.” Charlie blinked. “That’s good news, then.” His mind whirled as he tried to figure out how his brother had raised a quarter million dollars in less than seven days. “You haven’t done anything stupid, have you?”

“Oh,” Matthew said in his normal voice, “I do stupid things all the time. You know how I am.” Then the phone went dead in Charlie’s ear.

“That’s really weird,” David said, when Charlie relayed the conversation he’d had with Matthew to him. “Something is definitely up.” His younger brother shook his head. “There’s no way to get that kind of money without doing something extremely illegal.”

“Can you win a quarter million betting on MMA fights?” Charlie asked.

“I guess you could win a quarter of a million betting on anything,” David said, “but that’s only if you win, and only if you’re betting with people who are going to honor a debt like that.” He looked exhausted. “Damn it. I wish I was back there to keep him from getting in over his head.”

“He’s got me,” Charlie said.

David laughed. “No offense, big brother, but what are you going to do?”

Charlie shrugged. “I’ll set Ada on them. People are terrified of the IRS.”

“Good people, maybe,” David said. “But those aren’t generally the same people who are running illegal sports betting operations.”

“We don’t know that’s what is happening,” Charlie said. “Matthew could be coming up with the money some other way.”

“That’s true,” David said. “Maybe he’s selling his ass.”

“I couldn’t even sell Bad Ass’s ass for a quarter million,” Charlie replied. “And people are interested in his babies.”

David laughed. “Then it’s probably good old fashioned embezzlement. I guess we’ll never know.”

As it turned out, Charlie’s little brother was both right and wrong. Both of the Daniels boys found out exactly what Matthew had done to restore the money to the family bank accounts, so David had been wrong about that. But he’d been absolutely on point with his guess that Matthew had embezzled the money from his employer.

“I’m calling to inform you that your brother won’t be able to attend your wedding this weekend,” Amy had said. It was the very first time Charlie could remember ever talking to his sister-in-law on the phone. “The police arrested him this morning.”

“Has the judge set bond yet?” Charlie asked. “How much money do we need to get him out of jail?”

“I have absolutely no idea,” Amy said. “I’m not the least bit interested in getting that sorry son of a bitch out of the slammer. Do you have any idea what he’s done to me? To my reputation? To my future?”

“I’m sorry, Amy.”

“You want to know what you can do with your sorry?” Amy shrieked. Charlie held the phone away from his ear. Her voice was so shrill it actually hurt him to listen to her. “You can take your sorry and shove it up your…”

Charlie hung up the phone. Then he called Ada.

“Well, I guess we can get a smaller cake,” he said. “My brother won’t be going anywhere for a while.”

“Why, what happened?” she asked.

Charlie explained, and Ada exploded. “And his wife isn’t going to stand by him?”

“Well, he did pretty much screw her over,” Charlie said. “I’m guessing she’s going to pursue her own charges against him, in addition to whatever happens with this embezzlement charge.”

“So much for better or for worse,” Ada said. “If you’re not tuned in enough to notice that your husband’s blown through that kind of money gambling, you’re not paying nearly enough attention to your marriage.”

“She’s not the easiest woman to be married to,” Charlie said. “But she didn’t deserve this.”

“That’s what I love about you,” Ada said. “You’ve got such a pure sense of right and wrong about you.”

“I think most people are like that,” Charlie replied. He was pleased by her compliment though; it made him feel seen in a way he seldom was.

“That’s because you don’t work for the IRS,” Ada said with a laugh. “I have to go, honey. But Mom, her husband Mike, and Cassie will be coming out with me on Friday. Dad’s coming on Saturday. And that’ll be our wedding party.” She paused. “It’ll be small, but I don’t want to wait.”

“Don’t worry, honey,” Charlie said. “I’ll see what I can do to make the party a little livelier.

Delores was delighted to see Charlie. “You came back!” she screeched. “Am I to take this to mean that you’ve been able to save your Grandfather’s ranch from the evil clutches of the IRS?”

“More than that, Ma’am,” Charlie said. “I’ve saved the ranch and found true love as well.” He told the librarian almost everything about meeting and falling for Ada, carefully leaving out the part where she lent him the money to finish paying off the tax debt, as well as anything that happened in their bedroom.

Some of this, however, Delores apparently guessed. “Young love!” she crowed. “Hormones have always been more powerful than common sense, and thank God for that.” She winked at Charlie. “Our species would have died out ages ago if it wasn’t for sheer physical attraction.”

“This is more than that,” Charlie protested with a smile.

“Of course it is, darling,” she agreed. “Of course it is.”

When he invited Delores to join them at the wedding, Charlie thought the old woman was going to die from sheer delight. “Of course!” she said, clapping her hands together. “I’ll be there with bells on! Wild horses couldn’t keep me away!”

She was still smiling when Charlie excused himself from the library. He still had one more person to invite.