To Have And To Hold: Made for Marriage / To Wed a Rancher / The Mummy Proposal

Callie unclipped the lead. “No.”

Lily dismounted and landed on her heels. “Why not?”

“Balance,” Callie replied and handed the reins to her.

Lily frowned. “Huh?”

Callie began walking from the arena. “Every rider needs to start with balance. Once I know you’ve aced it, the lead comes off.”

Lily clicked the horse forward and followed. “And what if I don’t?”

“You will,” Callie said. “You have a good seat and soft hands, essential for a successful rider. Take Samson to the wash-bay and Joe will help you strap him down.”

Lily buried her face into the animal’s neck and smiled. “I can do it by myself.”

Callie raised her brows. “What was rule number five?”

Lily exhaled heavily. “Don’t question the four other rules.”

“Exactly. Go and get Samson sorted. I’ll see you when you’re done.”

When Lily was out of sight Callie considered her options. Hang around the ménage or show some guts and see what he was up to. Her boots made their way across the yard until she reached the house. She stood at the bottom of the steps. Noah had his back to her and she watched him maneuver an old window off its track, make a few adjustments and then replace it. Her heart raced. No man should look that good in jeans. He raised his arms and she got a quick glimpse of smooth skin beneath the hem of his T-shirt. Oh, sweet heaven. Suddenly, he stopped what he was doing, turned and looked at her.

“How was it?” he asked.

She gulped. “Huh?”

“Lily—how’d she do?”

Callie put the image of skin out of her mind. “Very good. She’s a natural.”

He smiled at her and she felt the power of it through her entire body.

“Are you okay?”

It’s just skin. I’ve seen skin before. “Yes,” she replied and swallowed. “I’m fine.”

He stepped away from the door. “She behaved herself?”

“She did,” Callie replied. “She’s quite sweet, actually.”

He grinned. “Well, I’m pleased the two of you are getting along.” He leaned back against the balustrade. “Seeing as that’s out the way, are we going to talk about us now?”

Callie took a quick breath. Here we go. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Yeah, there is.”

“It was just a kiss,” she said, and the moment she’d said the word kiss, she regretted it immediately.

“It wasn’t just anything, Callie.”

He was right. Callie felt it down through to her bones. “Okay,” she admitted. “It wasn’t.”

“So, what shall we do about it?”

Her heart raced. Do? “I don’t know if we … I don’t think we should do anything.” She took a deep breath and inhaled a burst of bravado. “We just won’t kiss again.”

There’s that word again … When the word should probably be bliss. Because she suspected that’s what really being kissed by Noah would feel like.

He smiled and came down the steps. “I don’t think I can make that promise to you, Callie.”

Stupidly, she smiled back for a second. “You didn’t kiss me back.” The words popped out of her mouth. “I figured you weren’t interested.”

He took another step toward her. “Would you like me to prove to you that I am?”

Callie almost swallowed her tongue. He is interested … he wants me. “Right here?” she asked, wondering what kind of madness had taken hold of her.

He shrugged. “Why not?”

Callie took a step backward. He wouldn’t, would he? Kiss her out in the open, where anyone could see? Possibly in front of his daughter? She warmed from head to toe. But no … she looked at him and saw he was smiling. “Are you teasing me?”

“Just a bit.”

Callie didn’t quite know how to react. Teasing and flirting were almost an alien concept to her. Craig had never teased, never flirted. It was always business, always work, always pushing toward being better, being the best. Only now, years later, did Callie realize how little laughter there’d been in their relationship. But Noah had a relaxed sense of humor, a relaxed sense of self. She was sure he worked hard—but he didn’t live to work. He lived for other things. Like his kids. It would be hard alone, raising four children single-handedly.

Craig hadn’t wanted one child.

In the end Craig hadn’t lived to see his son born. And Callie had buried them both within days of one another—her tiny son and the man who was supposed to have loved her but instead betrayed her.

The worst week of her life. Excruciating. Soul-destroying. Heartbreaking.

“Where are the rest of your kids today?” she asked, shifting her thoughts from Ryan. And, for some reason, she wanted to know where his children were and who was caring for them.

“With Evie,” he replied. “I didn’t think you’d want them underfoot while you’re working.”

“You’re right, I don’t,” she said quickly. Too quickly.

He’d heard the tremor in her voice because his brows slanted together for a brief second. “You don’t like kids?”

You don’t like my kids … that’s what his question sounded like.

Callie shrugged again. I adore kids, she wanted to say. If I had my way I’d have a dozen of my own and love them with every fiber inside me.

But that was a pipe dream. Ryan was the only child she would ever have. And I can’t replace him. I won’t let myself love like that again.

“I like kids,” she said softly.

“Me, too,” he said, smiling again. “Can I call you sometime this week?”

Callie was startled. “For what?” she asked, her heart beating wildly.

“Don’t look so suspicious,” he said quietly. “Nothing sinister.”

Callie felt foolish then. “Sorry,” she said on a breath.

“I thought you might like to go out sometime.”

Like a date? She should run as fast as she could. The idea of going out with him was terrifying. Because she sensed it was something she could get used to. “I don’t … it’s just that I’m … I’m better with horses than I am with people.”

“And yet you became a teacher?”

She shrugged. He had a point. She could have turned her skills toward training horses for the show circuit. But teaching the kids … that’s where she found real happiness.

“Speaking of which, I have to get back to work,” she said. “I have a new student starting in fifteen minutes.”

His green eyes scanned her face. “Business looking up?”

“Yes,” she said quickly. “Much better. I had a new student start this morning, plus three calls yesterday and now four new students starting over the next two weeks.”

“That’s good news for you.”

“I know,” she said, a little breathlessly because she always felt as if she didn’t have quite enough air in her lungs when talking with him. “When I lost clients following the incident with the Trent girls I wasn’t sure I’d be able to recoup. Sonja Trent accused me of discriminating against her daughters and threatened to lodge a complaint with the equestrian federation. Nothing came of it, of course, except she managed to persuade half-a-dozen parents to pull their kids out.”

“And then some jerk says he wants to see you lose your license?”

Callie smiled fractionally. “Ah—well, that was a bit of a red flag for me.”

“Rightly so, considering the circumstances. I would never have done it, you know?”

“I know,” she said, softer this time, feeling like their worlds were moving closer. “I lost my temper. When I called you a jerk I didn’t know you.” She paused, searching for the words. “I didn’t like you. But I know you now. I … like you now.”

I more than like you…

“I like you too, Callie.”

Her heart beat like a freight train and it was so loud she wondered if he could hear it.

Minutes later he took Lily and left, leaving Callie standing by the porch with a smile on her face so deep her jaw ached.

Lily arrived unexpectedly at Sandhills Farm on Wednesday afternoon, riding her bicycle. She wore her school uniform, sensible leather shoes and her black hair tied back in a ponytail. The uniform looked oddly out of place with her full makeup. “I’ve come to see Samson,” Lily told her when Callie approached her.

“Does your father know you’re here?” Callie asked.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Sure.”

Callie began her next lesson with Maddy Spears and Lily began chatting with Maddy’s mother, Angela. They seemed to know one another quite well. Her suspicions were confirmed a little later, once Maddy’s lesson had finished and Lily came forward with a kind of indulgent authority and steered Maddy and Sunshine toward the washing bay, flipping Callie an assurance that the gelding would be looked after.

Callie gave the girls an opportunity to do the right thing and headed over to speak with Angela Spears.

“You know Lily?” Callie asked, slipping through the fence.

“Everyone knows Lily,” she replied. “Another marvelous lesson,” the other woman said before Callie could open her mouth. “You are a genius,” she said. “Maddy’s talked of nothing else but you for days now.”

“I’m flattered.”

Angela Spears’s perfectly bowed mouth beamed at her. Callie couldn’t help noticing how immaculately groomed she was. Riding breeches and grass-stained T-shirts had become her usual garb. Too bad—she looked pretty good in a dress. She hadn’t forgotten Noah’s reaction the night of the Twilight Fair dance. He’d looked at her dress, and her legs and her mouth…

“Noah was right about you.”

Angela’s words instantly grabbed Callie’s attention. For a crazy second she wondered if she’d inadvertently said his name without realizing it. “What do you mean?”

“He told me you were an amazing instructor.”

Her curiosity surged into overdrive. “He did?”

Angela nodded. “And he said I’d be foolish to let Maddy miss the opportunity to learn from you and that she couldn’t be in safer hands. Of course, I completely agree now,” she said. “And Maddy’s so looking forward to getting her own pony.” She let out an animated gasp. “Oh, you must help us select the perfect pony when the time comes—I insist. And I’ll pay you a finder’s fee, of course.”

By the time Callie had waved Angela and her daughter goodbye, Lily had disappeared. But she wasn’t hard to find. Callie headed for the paddock behind the house and found her sneaking morsels of carrot to Samson.

“So, Maddy’s your friend?”

Lily nodded. “My best friend.” She gave the gelding another treat.

Callie thought about the three new students she acquired that week. “And what about Jacinta and Skye Burrows and Chrissie Drew—are they friends, too?”

“Nope,” Lily replied. “But I think my dad knows Mr. Burrows.”

Callie’s heart skipped a beat. He’s looking out for me. It felt like forever since anyone had done that.

Normally she would have resisted the gratitude that coursed through her. On some level she should probably have resented it. Because interference meant involvement. It meant … intimacy. It meant she had cracks in her armor.

But she experienced none of those feelings. Only a deep-rooted appreciation.

And an overwhelming longing to see him again and tell him so.

Callie headed into Bellandale the following morning. She found the address for Preston Marine via the business card Noah had given her and parked outside the large building situated in the center of the town’s newest industrial estate. She got out of her truck and ran her hands down her jeans.

She was impressed the moment she walked into the showroom. A long and luxurious-looking cruiser was to her left and three smaller boats, including a catamaran with full sails, sat to her right. Printed designs on easels flanked each of the boats and more designs were framed on the walls. A circular reception area greeted her as she stepped onto the tiled floor and a fifty-something man came toward her. He wore pressed trousers and a shirt with Preston Marine logo sewn onto the breast pocket.

“How can I help you?” he asked politely.

Callie hung on to her nerve. “I’d like to see Noah Preston. Is he here?”

The man, whose name badge read Len, nodded. “He’s out back in the workshop.”

“Oh,” she shrugged. “If he’s busy I can—”

“You can wait in his office,” Len suggested and walked ahead, motioning her through a door on the left. “I’ll call him.”

Callie followed with unusual obedience, passing a small, efficient-looking woman who sat behind the reception desk, tapping on computer keys and wearing the same style shirt as Len. When she entered the office Len quickly excused himself, and Callie sat on a long black leather lounge. As far as offices went, this appeared better than most. And it was as neat as a pin.

She didn’t have to wait long.

“Callie?”

Noah stood in the doorway, dressed in chinos and the same corporate shirt as his staff. He stared at her with such raw intensity she was relieved she’d been sitting. Her knees would surely have given way if she’d been standing. “Hi.”

“Is everything all right?” he asked as he closed the door.

“Oh, yes. I just wanted to speak with you.” Callie felt absurdly self-conscious beneath his penetrating stare. “This is a nice office,” she said, desperate to fill the silence rapidly smothering the space between them.

“Do you think?” One hand moved in an arc, motioning to the chrome and glass furnishings. “I’m not sure. I’ve only had this place for about six months. Grace did the decorating. It’s a bit too modern for me”

And just who was that? “Grace?” she asked as she stood.

“My other sister,” he explained.

Stupidly relieved, Callie scanned the room again. “It is modern but appropriate, I think.” She relaxed a bit. “You said you’d just moved here?”

He nodded. “I’ve kept the original workshop down by the Port, but the business needed larger premises.”

“And a showroom?”

“Buyers are keen to see the finished product,” he replied. “Would you like a tour?”

“Maybe after we’ve talked.”

He closed the door and walked farther into the room. “Okay, let’s talk.”

Callie clutched her hands together. “I just wanted to … to thank you.”

Noah tilted his head. “For what?”

“For Maddy Spears, and Jacinta and Skye Burrows and Chrissie Drew,” she said. “And as of this morning I have another two students starting next month.”

He shrugged. “It was only a couple of phone calls.”

Callie knew it was way more than that. “It means so much to me,” she admitted. “My business …” She paused, and then shook her head. “My horses …”

“They’re important to you?”

“They’re everything,” she breathed.

Noah saw the emotion in her eyes and his chest tightened. “Because they don’t let you down?”

She took a shaky breath. “I … I …”

“Someone did,” he said and figured there was no point in holding back. “Husband? Boyfriend? Lover?”

“Fiancé,” she confessed on a sigh.

“What did he do?” Noah asked, preparing himself for the worst.

She hesitated for a moment. “He lied to me.”

Lies and deception went hand in hand—Noah knew that from experience. The fallout from his ex-wife’s infidelity had broken his world apart. “Then he wasn’t worthy of you.”

The emotion in her eyes shined brighter and Noah fought the impulse to reach for her. Everything about Callie affected him on some primal level. He wanted to hold her, soothe her and protect her. He’d never felt such a blinding need before.

She nodded and the gesture spoke volumes. “The horses … they make it simple, you know—uncomplicated.” Her hands came together. “Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for helping me. I guess I’ll see you Sunday.”

“How about Friday?”

“What?”

“Friday,” he said again. “Tomorrow night. Dinner and a movie?”

Callie stilled. “I don’t really think a date is—”

He smiled. “Oh, believe me, this wouldn’t be a date. Just you, me, a DVD and the kids squabbling over a bowl of spaghetti.”

“Noah, I can’t.”

“Sure you can,” he said easily. “You wanted to thank me—so, thank me.” His voice faded for a moment, and then he spoke again. “Dinner, movie, simple.”

Silence stretched between them. He expected another refusal and waited for it.

Instead, she nodded and said softly. “Dinner. Yes, okay.”

Chapter Six

Noah picked the kids up from Evie’s that afternoon. He found his sister and three youngest children in her pottery/art studio, all four of them cutting up cardboard and crepe paper. Pots of glue and an assortment of other hobby equipment lay on the big table in the middle of the room.

They all cheered a round of hellos when he walked into the room and perched on a stool near the kitchenette to the right of the door. Evie left the kids to their crafting and joined him.

“Coffee?” she asked and grabbed a couple of mugs. He nodded and she poured from the pot of filtered brew. “You’re early today.”

Noah glanced at his watch. “Not by much.”

His sister raised her brows. “Bad day at the office?”

“Not particularly.” An unusual day. A day filled with thoughts of Callie. Like most of his days lately.

“Trevor has a video-game party planned for tomorrow night,” she said of her fifteen-year-old son. “Do you feel like coming round for dinner? M.J.’s coming over, too.”

“I have plans,” he said and drank some coffee.

Evie’s eyes widened instantly. “A date?”

Noah didn’t know what to call it. “Sort of.”

“Anyone I know?”

Like a dog with a bone, Noah knew his sister wouldn’t let up. Besides, he had nothing to hide about his relationship with Callie. Relationship? Is that what it was? It felt … he didn’t know what the hell it felt like. Something. Everything. Like she was the air inside his lungs and he couldn’t draw in enough breath. His desire for Callie burned a hole through him. And I haven’t even really kissed her. He’d thought about it, though. He’d imagined it. Dreamed about it. Wanted it so much he could barely think about anything else.

“Callie.”

Evie didn’t bat a lash. “No surprise there.”

“I suppose not.” He finished his coffee and stood. “I should get going.”

“Sometimes you have to try people on,” Evie said quietly. “To see if they fit.”

Noah looked at his sister. “That’s not the problem.”

“So there is a problem?” she asked.

He shrugged and felt like spilling his guts, but he didn’t. Because what he felt, what he knew was that beneath the sassy, quick temper and barriers she’d erected around herself was an incredibly fragile woman. A woman who’d been hurt.

I’m going to get my heart kicked in …

That’s what he felt deep down. That she was all risk. Like the wildest ride at a theme park. Like parachuting without a chute. But … despite feeling that way, Noah was unbelievably drawn to her. He wanted her, even with the threat of losing himself. And knowing he was prepared to take that chance turned him inside out. Because Noah never risked himself emotionally. He couldn’t afford to. The kids needed stability—they needed a parent who could be relied upon to always do the right thing by them. And if he was to bring another woman into their life, that woman had to do the right thing by them also. They needed unreserved love.

Could Callie do that? Could he trust her to love them? He just didn’t know.

“There’s no problem,” he said to his sister. “Thanks for watching them. I’ll see you soon.”

As Callie zipped up her favorite sundress—the white one with sprigs of tiny blue flowers—and stepped into a pair of silver sandals, she could hear Fiona’s voice calling from the kitchen. Her friend had arrived to work her horse and had stayed for a coffee and chat.

“So, you’re going on a date with Noah?”

“It’s not a date,” Callie insisted as she headed from the bedroom. “It’s just dinner.”

When Callie reached the kitchen Fiona was standing by the sink. “At his home? With his kids?” Her friend raised both brows. “That’s a date.”

Of course it’s a date. I like him. I’m attracted to him.

Just because they weren’t going out dining and dancing alone didn’t mean it was anything other than a real date.

I shouldn’t go. I should keep to my plan and not get involved.

But Callie knew it was too late for that.

She arrived at the Preston home at exactly six o’clock. She grabbed her tote, locked the truck and headed toward the front porch. At the top of the few steps lay a sleepy-looking golden retriever who barely lifted its head at her presence. It made her smile, thinking of Tessa and her boundless energy.

“That’s Harry,” said a small voice. A young boy stood behind the screen door. He opened it and stepped in front of her. “He’s very lazy.”

She smiled “So I see. Not much of a guard dog, then?”

Jamie giggled. “Nope. And he snores really loud.” He opened the door and stood to the side. “I’m Jamie—are you coming inside?”

Callie filled her lungs with air and stepped across the threshold.

The polished timber floors, brick-faced walls and warm textures of the furnishings appealed to her immediately. She caught sight of a huge stone fireplace and headed for it, settling her sandaled feet on a thick hearth rug in the middle of the room. The two sofas were covered in a soft caramel color, and a large stone lamp was nudged between them on a round coffee table. The sideboard along one wall was dotted with an assortment of bric-a-brac, most of it obviously created by young, eager hands. The warmth radiating in the room was undeniable and she experienced a deep longing behind her ribs.

“This is the living room,” Jamie informed her. “And my TV.”

“Your TV?” she asked, noticing the huge flat screen and shelving either side showcasing a few hundred movie titles.

“Well, Dad’s, really. Do you like spiders?”

“Well, I …”

The sound of feet on floorboards caught her attention, and Callie turned as Noah came down a staircase at the rear of the living room.

He stopped on the bottom step. “Hello.”

She hadn’t realized the home had more than one level and he must have caught her look.

“The loft,” he explained. “The previous owners used it for storage but it seemed a shame not to make use of the view up there, so I had it turned into a master bedroom.”

“And bathroom,” Jamie supplied.

Noah’s bedroom … where he slept. Callie was suddenly rooted to the spot, absorbed by the way he looked in worn jeans and a soft white T-shirt. His feet were bare and it seemed incredibly intimate somehow. His hair was damp, too, and she figured he’d just showered. Which made her think of soap and skin and water cascading over strong muscles. Before Callie could say anything the twins scrambled into the room on fast little feet and planted themselves in front of her.

The little girl touched the hem of her dress. “Callie’s here!” she announced excitedly. “You look really pretty. Daddy won’t let me wear nail polish.”

Callie smiled, amused despite the fierce pounding of her heart. “I wasn’t allowed to wear it either until I was …” She paused, looked at Noah and took a gamble. “Sixteen.”

Noah smiled. “Good answer.” He dropped off the step and took a few paces toward her, his eyes not leaving hers. “You do look lovely.”

Eaten up with nerves, she almost told him that he looked lovely, too. But didn’t. Because lovely wasn’t the word. He looked … hot. And so incredibly sexy in his jeans and bare feet that she had to swallow a few times to regain her composure.

“Okay, guys—give Callie some room to breathe.” He moved forward and took Matthew’s hand. “I have to get these two in the bathtub. I won’t be long. Make yourself at home.”

“Where’s Lily tonight?”

“At a sleepover at Maddy’s,” he replied as the trio padded off down the hall.

Callie relaxed fractionally. Until Jamie repeated his question about liking spiders. She had an awful thought he might have one in a jar for her to inspect. Within seconds he was off down the hallway. Callie dropped her tote by the sofa and moved toward the mantel. About a dozen framed photographs caught her attention. Most of them were of the children, and one was of three women. Callie recognized Evie and could see the resemblance in the striking woman beside her with dark hair and perfectly symmetrical features. The other woman, clearly younger, looked familiar, and Callie remembered M.J. from the Twilight Fair. An older couple, his parents for sure because she recognized his mother, filled another shot and then there was a picture of Noah with Cameron, both holding up a fish on a hook and both laughing in a way that only best friends could.