Read Once and Always (Women of Character) Online
Authors: Grace Brannigan
Once and Always (Women of Character) (30 page)
Tyler shook his head.
"No."
She looked at him, not
understanding.
"I meant it when I said it
was over," he said. "The people that matter will always know my dad
was innocent. The rest don't matter."
Tears came to her eyes.
"You'd do that for Danny?"
"I'm not letting anyone else
be hurt by this. It's done."
Anna put her arm over his
shoulders. "How did you learn such generosity?"
"From you," he said,
squeezing her. Tyler pulled away from her. "Before we were interrupted you
said you'd sell the ranch?"
She lifted her chin, feeling very
certain of herself. "Yes. Don't doubt for one minute your importance in my
life. I've already contacted Gill Dakins. He wants to buy it."
He grinned, and then he began to
laugh. "You are full of surprises. When I think that I didn't want to come
back here . .." He let his voice trail off. "But that was
before," he added softly.
Looking into his eyes, her heart
beat so loudly she could hear it in her ears. "Before?"
"Before I was honest and
admitted how much I loved you," he said, his voice intense. "Before I
got smart and realized I'm not letting anything come between us. I have to tell
you I never seriously considered the offer with the Rollaway Center. I told you
the truth. They pursued me relentlessly until I gave them an interview."
She looked at him, bewildered.
"But you let me think it was done."
"No. You believed what you
were certain I'd done. I got angry that you jumped to conclusions, thinking I'd
abandon the ranch. That I would walk away from you."
Anna tried to remain calm.
"Tyler, don't say this because you think it's what I want to hear. We have
to be honest with each other. I know this offer meant everything to you."
"No, Annie," he said
gravely, "not everything. Only you mean everything. You make me a better
man. You make me whole. How could I come here and put all this time and effort
into the ranch unless I was doing it for us? Not that I knew that in the
beginning, but it slowly grew on me."
"You came back to avenge your
family."
"I admit that's what I
thought, but I also came back to see you. I couldn't let us go. I tried to
avoid the truth for six years, but not having you in my life has been eating me
up inside."
It was everything she had ever
wanted to hear from him. Anna pushed her shaking hand into her jacket pocket
and pulled out a slightly crumpled envelope. "I had Randal France draw up
this release." She handed him the envelope. "It frees you from the lease."
He slid the envelope open and pulled out a legal-size, double-folded paper.
"When I was faced with losing you, I woke up." Tightness gripped her
throat. "I had all night to think of what I was throwing away. I could not
let you walk away from me."
He took the paper and slowly tore
it in half, then in half again.
"Tyler!" Shocked, Annie
looked at the pieces of paper dangling from his fingers. With a flick of his
wrist they scattered to the ground.
"I'll reimburse you the
lawyer's fee," he said as she continued to stare at the paper.
Annie leapt forward and pressed
her mouth to his, but pulled back after several moments when his arms began to
tighten. "About the job offer," she gasped. "I think you should
take it. Maybe you can work something out where you work seasonally."
"It's not necessary. We'll
work this place together."
"I think it is
necessary," she stated. "If we're going to be married, we should talk
about it."
Tyler shook his head in amazement.
"You can be pretty pushy when you get an idea in your head."
"You haven't seen anything
yet." Annie gave him a secret smile.
"You realize people might say
I married you to get my hands on the Double B, since it's such a prime piece of
real estate."
Annie wound her arms around his neck. "When people see
how happy we are they wouldn't dare think our marriage is anything other than a
love match. But then, we know it's not about what others think. . .don't
we?"
Spring had come to
the mountains once again and with the green grass and budding of trees, a new life
had also enriched their lives. Gracie Stanton, with eyes as deeply blue as her
father's, rode happily in the baby carrier on Tyler's chest.
Anna and Tyler finally reached the
summit of the hill overlooking the Double B, and they paused to look down at the
house and barns below, which were in tip-top shape after a long winter. Anna
breathed deeply of the cool, crisp air. "There's nothing like a spring
morning at the ranch. I admit to liking our place down south, but I'm so happy
to be back. Do you suppose we'll ever get tired of looking at it?" she
asked now, smiling at Tyler.
"Nope." Tyler carefully
unsnapped the baby's protective harness from his chest and turned her so she
faced the ranch below. Anna leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on silky
dark curls.
Together Anna, Tyler and the baby
faced the ranch. Tyler held his daughter aloft while she gurgled, her tiny
hands waving in the air.
"Is this a new tradition
we're starting?" Anna asked, tossing her husband a big smile.
"Yes. Each spring we hike to
this summit so we're reminded of all we have." Tyler clasped Gracie
protectively to his chest and dug in his jeans pocket with his free hand.
"There's another tradition I'd like to start." He held out a small,
tissue-wrapped object.
Anna took it and slowly peeled the
tissue paper away. Inside she found an emerald ring flanked by diamonds.
Breathlessly, she touched the emerald with her fingertip. She blinked quickly
and looked at her husband. "It's so beautiful, Tyler, thank you."
"This is the beginning of a
Stanton tradition," he promised solemnly. "I wanted to get you
something special for our second anniversary."
"You mean more special than a
new show saddle or a state-of-the-art glass band saw?" she teased.
"You need the saw so you can
cut your glass quicker and have more time with me," he said reasonably.
"And I couldn't resist the saddle."
Anna stared at her husband, her
glance taking in the faint shadowing of beard along lean cheeks and the dark
hair spilling over his forehead, a tough man who held their daughter as
tenderly and securely as he held her heart. She marveled that she'd once been
afraid to love this man who now filled her life with joy. "Oh, Tyler,
you've already given me more than I'd ever dreamed possible."
He reached out an arm and pulled
her close. "More great things are ahead, Mrs. Stanton," he promised
solemnly. "I can feel it."
∞ THE END ∞
Thank you for purchasing
Once and
Always
. Stop by my page for other titles.
http://www.GraceBrannigan.com
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