Her Colton P.I. Read online

  “I still can’t believe she was really going to kill me herself. I mean...it’s one thing to want someone dead. Hiring someone to do it—that’s worse. But killing someone yourself...looking them in the face and pulling the trigger...” She shivered. “That’s so cold. I can’t imagine hating someone enough to do that.”

  Chris drew Holly into his arms again, staring down into her face. “Forget that,” he told her dismissively. “I have a bone to pick with you, and I’m not deferring this conversation until you have time to come to terms with what Mrs. McCay was going to do to you.”

  Holly shook her head, puzzled for a minute. Then her eyes widened in understanding. “You mean...?”

  “Yes, I mean...” he replied. “You sure can pick your times, Miss Holly,” he teased. “Dropping a bombshell on me, then walking out cool as you please to face down murderers.”

  Warm color rose in her cheeks. “I didn’t mean to tell you— Well, yes, I did, but not— And anyway... You see, the thing is...”

  “The thing is you love me.”

  It wasn’t a question, but she answered it anyway. “Yes.”

  “If you’d waited half a second instead of rushing out, you’d have heard me say the same thing.”

  If anything her eyes grew even bigger. “You mean it?” she whispered. She clutched his arms. “Don’t say it if you don’t mean it. Please don’t.”

  He tightened his hold on her. “I never say what I don’t mean, Holly.” He drew a deep breath. “I don’t know how it happened, honest to God I don’t, because I was determined it wouldn’t. But it did happen. And now...”

  A hint of a smile appeared in her eyes. “Is this where I say I love you and you say ‘ditto’?” she teased, referring to an incredibly romantic movie more than twenty-five years old she’d seen on cable. “Because if that’s the best you can do...” Her smile melted away, replaced by a touch of uncertainty. “I need the words, Chris—I think you understand why. So please...please...”

  He tilted her face up to his with one hand and, with heartfelt conviction, said, “I love you. I need you. I can’t live without you.” He’d mocked Ethan—not once, but twice—with those same words the day Ethan and Lizzie’s baby was born. But he’d never been more serious in his life. “If any of those statements match how you feel, Holly...please tell me. Because I’m dying here.”

  “I can’t believe you even need to ask.” She touched his lips. “I already told you in the office earlier.”

  “Tell me again.”

  She smiled tenderly. “I love you, Chris. I need you in my life. And I don’t think I can live without you anymore, either.”

  He grinned as a weight lifted from his shoulders...and his heart. Even though he’d already figured it out on his own, even though she’d told him right before the McCays had arrived, he’d needed those words from her, too, and not uttered in the heat of the moment.

  Then his grin faded and he said, “I don’t just want you, Holly. I want Ian and Jamie, too. I want to be their father. Not that I want to replace their real father. From everything you’ve told me about Grant, he was a decent man and the twins are his legacy—I would never want them to forget him. But I love your sons, and I want the chance to be the kind of father I never had.”

  * * *

  How was it possible to love Chris even more than she already loved him? Holly didn’t know, but when he said things like this, she didn’t have much choice. “The other day you said you were no role model. And I told you to think again. I knew then that I loved you. And I knew there couldn’t possibly be a better role model for Ian and Jamie than you. You want to be their father? You can’t want that more than I do—I would be honored to share them with you.”

  They kissed then. Not a passionate kiss, but a sacred pledge for the future.

  “You don’t read poetry, do you?” Holly asked when their lips finally parted.

  “Not unless country-and-western lyrics count.”

  She laughed softly. “That wasn’t exactly what I was referring to, but I’ll keep it in mind.” She cupped his cheek and said, “Robert Herrick wrote a sonnet hundreds of years ago that begins, ‘How Love came in, I do not know.’ That’s how I feel. I don’t know how it happened, just that it did. And I wouldn’t change it for anything.”

  He chuckled. “Okay, so now’s the time I say ditto.”

  “Chris...” she warned, but in teasing fashion so he’d know she wasn’t serious. Much.

  He shook his head at her. “I already told you I have no idea how it happened for me, but I wouldn’t change it for anything, either.” He drew a deep breath. “So, Miss Holly. If I were to get down on one knee and ask you to marry me, what would you say?”

  Her heart sped up, then slowed down, but not back to normal. Not by a long shot. “Ask me and see,” she murmured.

  She thought he’d been joking, but when he gently pushed her into the armchair and knelt on one knee, she realized he was dead serious. Yes, yes, yes! her heart was already answering, but she waited.

  “I know you loved Grant,” he began. “But I also know you love me. I don’t want to replace him in your heart, Holly. But I do want to build my own place there. Will you marry me?”

  She was barely able to contain her gasp, because Chris was saying almost exactly the same thing she’d told herself yesterday. She didn’t want to replace Laura, she just wanted to be the woman he loved now. Now...and in the future.

  “I would be honored,” she answered softly. She framed his face with her hands, the face that had become so incredibly dear to her in such a short time. “I would be honored to be your wife.”

  Chapter 21

  Two weeks later the doorbell of Holly’s Clear Lake City house rang at a quarter past six in the morning, waking her from a not-very-sound sleep. A jumble of dreams centering around Chris had woken her every few hours, and she was just dozing off again when she heard the chime.

  She grabbed her robe and scrambled into it as she hurried to the front door, her only thought being Please don’t wake the twins! Ian and Jamie had been fractious ever since the three of them had returned to Clear Lake City—apparently they were missing their life in Granite Gulch as much as she was—and she didn’t want them to start off the day short of sleep.

  The chime sounded again just as she reached the door, and she glanced through the peephole, intending to give whoever it was a piece of her mind for ringing the bell this early. Then she gasped and fumbled with the locks in her haste.

  “Chris!” Holly threw herself at him, and his arms closed around her. “Oh, my God, what are you doing here?”

  “I couldn’t bear it without you a minute longer,” he said when his lips finally let hers go. “I couldn’t sleep because I was thinking of you, so I threw a few things in a bag, jumped in my truck and hit the road. Made good time, too.”

  “No speeding tickets?”

  He grinned at her. “Not even one.” His eyes softened as he gazed at her. “But if I had gotten one, it would have been worth it.”

  * * *

  Two weeks’ worth of yearning was obliterated in less than fifteen minutes. They snuggled in the aftermath, their hearts racing, both still having difficulty breathing.

  “Wow,” Holly said. Then, “Do that again.”

  Chris started laughing so hard he wheezed. “Give me five minutes—ten max—to recover, and you’ve got yourself a deal.”

  She joined Chris laughing helplessly. “I didn’t mean now. Just sometime. Sometime soon.”

  He rolled her beneath him before she could protest. Then stroked his fingers over her still-hypersensitized flesh, making her breath catch in her throat. “Sometime soon can be now, Holly,” he whispered seductively. “Just wait. I’ll prove it to you.”

  And he did. All she could think of as her body took flight w
as that Chris was a man of his word. Then she couldn’t think at all.

  * * *

  “When are you coming back to Granite Gulch?” Chris asked over the breakfast table an hour later. “I’m not trying to rush you—okay, yes, I am. The house just isn’t the same without you and the twins.”

  “You’re living in the house?”

  He nodded. “I moved all my things out of my apartment the day you left. I also talked to Annabel and my brothers about the farmhouse in Bearson—what you said about not leaving it as some sort of shrine. So whenever you’re ready, you can go through the farmhouse and pick out what you want for our home.” A slow smile spread over her face, and Chris asked again, “So when are you moving back?”

  “I’ve already listed this house for sale,” she temporized.

  “Yeah, I saw the sign on the front lawn.”

  “But I can’t just move in with you,” she began.

  “The heck you can’t.” His voice was pure steel, his expression obdurate, but then he grinned suddenly. “Hey, did you hear that? I didn’t even have to think about it, I just said heck instead of—” He broke off suddenly, glancing at Ian and Jamie, who weren’t paying the least bit of attention to the conversation—they were eating their Cheerios with complete unconcern.

  A lump came into Holly’s throat. How she loved this man, especially at moments like this. But... “I can’t just move in with you,” she repeated. She tore her gaze away from Chris and looked at her boys, then back at him, praying he’d see what the problem was. “I don’t want people to think—”

  “That you’re living in sin?” Chris waggled his eyebrows at her.

  She flushed. “I know it’s old-fashioned. And if it was just me, I wouldn’t care, honest. But I don’t want anything said that the twins might hear. They understand a lot more about what’s going on around them, and I—”

  Chris put his hand on hers. “You don’t have to justify it to me, Holly. I told you two weeks ago, I love you. I need you. I can’t live without you. I wasn’t kidding. I asked you to marry me, and you said you would. So in my mind we were officially engaged the minute you consented to be my wife.”

  “Mine, too,” Holly said softly.

  “If it was up to me, we’d find a justice of the peace and make ‘engagement’ a thing of the past.” She started to speak but he stopped her. “No, let me finish. I know weddings mean a lot to women. And I know you were denied a fancy wedding when you married Grant. I intend for this to be the last chance you have for the kind of wedding women dream of—so we’ll do it right. Formal engagement party, formal wedding, and everything that entails.”

  Holly smiled at Chris through sudden tears. “Thank you for understanding.”

  “But once we’re formally engaged, you’re moving back to Granite Gulch, right?” The eagerness in his voice touched something deep inside her. She’d sworn she’d never again marry a man who didn’t love her, heart and soul, but that would never be an issue with Chris. “I need you, Holly,” he added in a low tone. “These past two weeks without you—life’s too short. We both know that. So please don’t—”

  “I won’t,” she assured him. “They say suffering is good for the soul. I don’t know about you, but my soul has suffered enough.”

  He laughed softly. “Mine, too.”

  They stared at each other for endless seconds, then Holly cleared her throat. “So regarding an engagement party—would you believe I was going to call you about this today?—I was thinking next week would be good.”

  “We always go to Ethan and Lizzie’s ranch for family celebrations now. I’d have to check with them.”

  Holly gave Chris her best “are you kidding me?” look.

  “What?” he asked, obviously clueless.

  “Lizzie just had a baby. Do you have any idea of the kind of work involved in a party like this? Even if it’s potluck, the hostess—and the host, too—have a mountain of work both before and after. No way are we having our engagement party at their ranch.”

  “Then what do you suggest?”

  “Peg offered to have it at her house, but I don’t want to put that responsibility on her, either, any more than I want to do it to Lizzie. What about renting out the Granite Gulch Bar and Saloon for the afternoon? It’s plenty big enough, it’s right there on Main Street in the center of town and everyone would be free to enjoy themselves—no one would have to worry about the food or drinks or anything. And before you ask,” she told him, “I already inquired. It wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg, and besides, I have the money.” She flushed a little. “My money, not money from the twins’ trust.”

  Chris shook his head, a stubborn expression on his face. “We haven’t talked about money, Holly, but I guess now’s as good a time as any. I’m not a millionaire—not yet—but I’m not hurting, either. Your money is yours. Whatever our family needs I’ll provide. You want to be a stay-at-home mom until the twins are in school? Fine. I can afford it, no problem. I can afford to pay for our engagement party, too.”

  Holly lifted her chin, her eyes narrowing as she prepared to do battle. While she understood Chris’s desire to provide for his family, to feel that he was taking care of them, there were a few things he needed to get straight before they went any further. She loved him with all her heart, but she couldn’t be anything other than the independent woman she was. Not even for him.

  She almost retorted that their marriage was going to be an equal partnership, with each of them pulling their own weight and all decisions made jointly, or else no deal. But then an idea occurred to her. “You’re not the boss of me,” she said softly. Hoping Chris would get the message.

  The stubborn expression vanished and a lighthearted grin replaced it, followed by a reluctant chuckle. “Okay,” he said after a minute. “We’ll split the cost of the party fifty-fifty. But I’m buying the engagement ring. That’s not up for negotiation.”

  In that moment Holly knew everything was going to be all right. Chris could always make her laugh...but she could always make him laugh, too. And that was just as important as love in building a relationship that would last a lifetime. There would be arguments in the future—of course there would be—but neither of them would ever go to bed angry with the other, because one of them would always make sure of it...with humor.

  Epilogue

  The engagement party was in full swing when Chris wandered over to one of the large coolers packed with ice and cold bottles of beer and cans of soft drinks. He helped himself, removed the bottle cap and let the ice-cold brew slide down his throat. It was only the end of May, but the day was hot and humid—typical north Texas weather—and even though the room was air-conditioned, the beer hit the spot.

  Chris turned and watched Holly for a moment, the center of a small gaggle of women across the room, Annabel and Peg among them. Holly’s dress was golden yellow—God, he loved her in yellow. Loved her in anything, really. But he loved her best when she was wearing nothing at all except the tender look of love she reserved for him alone. Their eyes met across the room, and there it was again—the expression that melted his heart every time he saw it.

  “How did I ever get so lucky?” he asked himself quietly.

  The rowdy song the band was playing came to an end, and the strains of a popular ballad soon filled the air. As Chris watched, Jesse Willard, Annabel’s fiancé, walked up to her and touched her on the shoulder. The loving face Annabel turned to him was matched by the expression on Jesse’s face, and a wave of happiness for his twin washed through him as the couple began to slow dance. All he and his brothers had ever wanted for Annabel was for her to find a good man to love her. She had that in Jesse. But Annabel was her own woman, the consummate professional police officer, finally doing the work she loved. Chris could underst
and that—he loved his work, too.

  Peg was soon claimed by Joe for a dance, and Chris smiled. Peg and Joe were the best friends a man could ever have. Peg could have resented Holly on her sister’s behalf—and he wouldn’t have blamed her. But there was too much love in Peg for her to wish unhappiness on someone else. She deserved a steady-as-a-rock man like Joe to make her happy. And Joe, Chris knew, was counting his blessings, too.

  Chris glanced away, and his gaze fell on his younger brothers. Ridge dancing with his high school sweetheart, Darcy, whom he’d finally reconnected with after all these years. Sam with Zoe, who was the best thing that had ever happened to him. And Ethan, with his arms wrapped tight around Lizzie, not really dancing, but swaying back and forth to the music.

  “How did we all get so lucky?” Chris asked himself now.

  Only Trevor was alone, and Chris’s heart went out to his older brother. At the same time he promised himself, Soon. Holly’s right. I have to ask Trevor why.

  Suddenly Holly was standing right in front of him. “Howdy, cowboy,” she murmured. “You look familiar. Do I know you?”

  Conscious that eyes were on them, Chris tamped down the urgent desire to kiss her until she was too dazed to tease him. Instead, he raised her left hand to his lips—the hand wearing the engagement ring that was his pledge to her—and kissed it. A romantic gesture he would have felt foolish making a few weeks ago. Before he’d known Holly.

  “Okay, cowboy,” she drawled, “you’ve made your point. I don’t know who you are after all.”

  Chris laughed and feigned hurt. “And here I thought you’d be impressed with how romantic I could be.”

  Holly’s soft brown eyes turned misty, and she whispered, “You’re romantic enough for me, Chris, just the way you are. Every single day.”

  That deserved a kiss, and he didn’t care how many people saw him do it. When he finally raised his head and took in the dazed expression in Holly’s eyes, he couldn’t help it—primitive masculine pride surged through him...particularly a certain body part.