Page 57 of A Family With the Cowboy

Swallowing against the huge lump in her throat, she nodded. “Yes, Hayden. I will marry you. Any day, anywhere. But there is something I must tell you. I need to be honest with you…”

He stopped breathing.

“I fell in love with Luke long before I met you.”

For another heartbeat, he stared at her before he pulled her close. “No wonder I’m besotted with you,” he whispered brokenly in her ear.

Relaxing against him, she slipped her arms around him. “Tell me about Walker and Madeline.”

*

They were verylate for Sunday lunch. Everyone was still sitting around Arlene’s table. When Luke saw them, he jumped up and ran toward them, Molly and Jessie on his heels. Thinking he was going to his father, Laura stepped aside, but the little boy’s focus was on her, and he threw his arms around her legs.

Crouching down, she hugged him. “Have you left any food for us?”

“Grandma had to stop Becket from eating all the chicken,” he whispered loudly.

As everyone laughed, they joined the others at the table. Luke pulled his chair close to Laura’s before he sat down. Laura looked for Molly, but she was already sitting on Cooper’s lap.

Willow was grinning from ear to ear, but for once, she didn’t say anything.

The food was lovely, but Laura hardly tasted a thing. She was still walking on clouds. Hayden loved her and he’d asked her to marry him. If she had her way, she’d be shouting it from the top of Copper Mountain, but they’d agreed to wait before they told everyone. There was a little boy they had to talk to first.

From what Hayden had told her, it was clear the family had still been grieving Walker’s untimely death when Madeline fell ill. She now better understood his reaction when she’d ended up in a ditch.

Her mom’s death had taught her about grief. It was a process. Some days you could go about your daily tasks without thinking about it and on other days, when you least expect it, it grabbed you at the throat. It would be the same for Hayden. She knew and accepted that.

When they’d all finished lunch, Arlene got up. “Becket, Cooper, and Willow, you are the cleaning crew today. Luke, why don’t you show Miss Anderson the books I’ve bought you? I think she has something she wants to tell you, too. Hayden, come with me, please?”

As they all got up, Hayden leaned over to her. “You want to talk to Luke alone, or do you want to wait for me?”

Before she could answer, Luke tugged at her hand. “I just want to know if I can now call you ‘Mom’?”

Everyone fell silent. Hayden crouched down in front of his son. “That means she’s going to be staying with us. Are you okay with that?”

Luke rolled his eyes. “I know that. You’re going to marry her.”

A collective gasp went up before Willow rushed closer and threw her arms around them. “I’m so happy for you guys!”

Grinning, Hayden shook his head. “Do I even have to ask how you all know?”

Cooper slapped him on the back. “You know we know. Congratulations, bro—I’m happy for you.” He pulled Laura into a hug. “He messes with you, you come to me, okay?”

Then Becket was there, a huge grin on his face. “Now I understand why my lines didn’t work on you.” Again, she was enveloped in a bear hug.

Tears clogging up her throat, she turned to Arlene. The older woman opened her arms. “The only thing that would make me happier than this moment”—the older woman sniffed, hugging Laura—“is to hear that my other three children have also found love.”

“Dream on, Mama,” Becket teased as he gathered the plates on the table. “Not falling into that trap.”

Grinning, Cooper kissed his mother’s cheek. “You know I prefer animals.”

“You can’t marry them!” Arlene cried.

Cooper was already walking toward the kitchen. “Exactly!”

Laughing, Willow followed her brothers. “One out of four ain’t bad, Mama,” she drawled.

“You wanted to talk to me?” Hayden asked his mother when they were alone.

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