Eve breathed easier.
“Eve?” the judge asked, a concerned expression on his sharp face. “It’s your turn.”
“Sorry. Can you repeat that?” After he did, Eve parroted the wedding vows in a strong voice, holding on to that smile she’d been using lately, the one that reassured folks she was fine, even if she wasn’t.
At the appropriate time, Eve slid a ring on Hayden’s finger. Then he slid one on hers. He’d told her these were his grandparents’ wedding rings. His grandmother no longer wore hers. And for that, Eve was relieved. She’d been worried he’d give her the ring he’d chosen for Violet.
All too quickly, the judge said, “You may now kiss your bride.”
Hayden stared deeply into Eve’s eyes before lowering his mouth to hers.
Eve was expecting a chaste kiss. A brief formality to seal their bargain.
Instead, Hayden kissed her sweetly, lingeringly, as if this was their third date and he’d saved up some serious longing for this moment, wanting to get it right.
Eve’s heart pounded. Her pulse raced.
And she kissed him back as if this marriage was the real deal.
Chapter Seven
“Hay-Hay.”
Hayden was riding through a sunny wheat field when he heard someone whisper his nickname. He pulled Red from a gallop into a slow walk, glancing around. Seeing no one. But…the horizon seemed hazy.
“Hay-Hay.” A gentle whisper from a young voice.
Hayden stood in the stirrups and searched the wheat field.
Only it was no longer a wheat field. It was the church where he was supposed to marry Violet. The pews were full. And someone was beckoning to him from the vestibule to one side of the altar. A beautiful blond in a pink bridesmaid dress.
“Hay-Hay.” More impatient now.
Hang on. That’s not how the woman in pink had sounded.
Hayden opened his eyes to the gray light of dawn coming through his bedroom window. A little blond girl stood at the side of his bed. “Katie?”
“Morning, Hay-Hay,” Katie said cheerfully. She wore pink princess pajamas and carried a fuzzy pink blanket.
The events of the day before came back to Hayden. The wedding ceremony. That unexpected kiss. The lunch at the best restaurant in town, where toasts had been made and a more chaste kiss exchanged for Nellie’s and Gran’s benefit. Then he’d helped move Evie’s and Katie’s things to the ranch, few though they were. Evie had been pleased with her room. Later, she’d made them a simple dinner, answering patiently every time Gran forgot her name. After their meal, Hayden had checked the horses in the barn, wanting to be by himself. And then they all went to bed. In separate rooms. It was all very anticlimactic. But…
Of all the things I expected from this marriage, I never expected my stepchild to be my alarm clock.
“Do you know why Mama and me love cowboys?” Katie asked.
“No, ma’am.” She’d told him the day they’d met but he couldn’t remember.
“Because Mama says they’re brave and always do the right thing, even if it’s hard.” Katie sighed. “I guess that’s why she loves you.”
Hayden sucked in air.
“Katie?” A whisper out in the hallway. Evie’s whisper. “Katie, where are you?”
“In here,” Hayden whispered in return.
The little minx leaped up onto the foot of the bed, curled into a ball, and then covered herself with her fuzzy pink blanket.
His bedroom door creaked open. Evie poked her head in. She wore a loose gray sweatshirt over black pajama pants. Her long blond hair floated freely about her shoulders, looking soft and touchable. Her blue eyes widened when she saw where her daughter was. “Katie? Katie, come here.”