down a perjuring witness.
“That was my initial response,” Kael admitted. “I got
scared. Terrified that if I stayed I would unwittingly hurt
you and Travis in a million other ways. But I made it as
far as Oklahoma City before I realized I just couldn’t do
it. I love you and Travis with all my heart and soul.”
“Do you love us enough to stick out the rough times as
well as the good? Are you in for the long haul, Kael, when
things are just flat boring? Can you give up bull riding and
settle down once and for all?”
He stepped the few feet between them, caught her hands
in his. He met her gaze and held it tight. “Yes, Daisy, I
can. Over the course of the past few weeks, getting to know
my son, falling in love with you all over again, I’ve learned
there’s no bigger thrill, no greater challenge than being
married and raising a child.”
“Why should I trust you?” She pulled away from him,
saw the hurt on his face.
How she wanted to believe him! To know she could
count on him now and forever. To know he’d be waiting
for her no matter what happened. To wake up every morn-
ing in those strong arms and to go to sleep each night,
wrapped in the glow of their love. The love that had re-
mained unbroken despite misunderstandings and seven
years’ separation.
“I bought the ranch from my dad,” Kael said. “I’m
taking over the business. I canceled my knee surgery. And
I got this for you.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black
box and passed it to her. With trembling fingers, Daisy took
the gift. Tentatively she opened it and her breath caught in
her chest.
A gorgeous one carat diamond solitaire that eclipsed the
gold band he’d bought her before, winked in the sunlight.
Kael took her hand and slipped the ring on her finger.
“Will you marry me again, Daisy Hightower? This time
for real. Not because you need money or because Travis
needs a father but because I love you and I want to commit
to you. In good times and bad, in sickness and in health,
for the rest of my natural life.” His hazel eyes pleaded,
and Daisy, washed away in the vortex of emotions, simply
nodded her consent.
Kael pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Sweetly,
tenderly, hopefully.
“From now on, we talk things out. No more running
away from me and no more hiding behind your pride for
you. Agreed?”
“Okay.” She smiled at him, and a joy unlike anything
she’d ever known rushed through her. At last. At long last
“I’ve loved you since that time I first kissed you in the
honey house,” he said. “Remember?”
“How could I forget?” Daisy blushed at the memory.
She’d just shown him how to steal the comb without up-
setting the bees. The honey house had been hot, his kiss
even hotter.
“You taste the same now as you did then—sweet, deli-
cious and so tempting.” He gazed at her with desire in his
eyes and brushed a strand of hair from her face. “Know
what I was thinking?” he asked, inclining his head toward
the honey house.
Daisy giggled and the sound filled the air. “What?”
“We might re-create the scene for old time’s sake, ex-
cept this time we might take things a little further.”
“Kael Carmody!”
“After all,” he grinned. “We are married.”
“It’s not very practical,” she began, but before she could
continue her protest, Kael swung her into his arms and
started for the honey house.
“That’s one thing that’s going to change around here,”
he said sternly. “You’ve got to start having more fun.
You’ve got someone to share your burdens now, so lighten
up.”
“Oh, yeah?” She raised an eyebrow, and for the first
time since her parents’ deaths she felt young again.
“Yeah.”
And that’s when Daisy Hightower Carmody knew she
had hooked herself one honey of a husband.
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Did you love Kael? Then you should read Tucker by Lori Wilde!
Stranger on her doorstep!
Perpetual do-gooder July Johnson's latest cause was no straggly ally cat but six feet of pure male. And though the stranger was surely hiding secrets, something told July that beneath Tucker's gruff exterior was a soul longing to be loved.
Undercover lawman Tucker Haynes had chosen July's apartment as his hideout. But cozying up with the exasperating July had the cool cop seeing stars. For his feisty housemate had him dreaming of a future that could never be.
Tucker is the fifth installment in Lori Wilde's heartwarming series, Texas Rascals. Get your copy today.
Read more at Lori Wilde’s site.
About the Author
Lori Wilde is the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers’ Weekly bestselling author of 85 works of romantic fiction. She’s a three time Romance Writers’ of America RITA finalist and has four times been nominated for Romantic Times Readers’ Choice Award. She has won numerous other awards as well. Her books have been translated into 26 languages, with more than four million copies of her books sold worldwide. Her breakout novel, The First Love Cookie Club, has been optioned for a TV movie.
Lori is a registered nurse with a BSN from Texas Christian University. She holds a certificate in forensics, and is also a certified yoga instructor.
A fifth generation Texan, Lori lives with her husband, Bill, in the Cutting Horse Capital of the World; where they run Epiphany Orchards, a writing/creativity retreat for the care and enrichment of the artistic soul.
Read more at Lori Wilde’s site.