Her Football Star Billionaire Groom (Bachelor Second Chance Cowboy Book 2) Read online

  The guys continued. “On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love rescued for me, six chickens after they escaped the coop, seven inches of snow shoveled, and an eight-a.m. breakfast delivery.”

  By then Rachel could hardly contain her laughter and even Thistle chuckled a bit.

  They paused, drawing their breath then went on. “On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave nine hundred care packages for soldiers, ten thousand dollars in donations to the animal shelter, and served eleven homeless families dinner.”

  Despite JJ’s professional skills and natural talent leading them they were all a little off-key and out of breath by the time they reached the twelfth day. “On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, twelve men singing carols at Honey Bea and Thistle’s part-ee!”

  The room erupted in clapping, but they weren’t done. They went all the way back through the song until they reached the first day of Christmas line. “And an engagement ring under the tree.”

  Ryan stepped forward and took Rachel’s hand, leading her over to the tree. He got down on one knee and produced a box. It was wrapped in the same paper covered in cats who wore Santa hats and tied with a red ribbon as the present JJ had insisted that she open from under the tree at KB Ranch. Ryan stood and passed the box to her. It was heavier than she expected.

  Their eyes met and he nudged his chin for her to open it. Her hands trembled and the edges of the room took on a fuzzy quality. She knew what was coming and her heart raced to keep up with her anticipation. Everyone gathered fell into a hush.

  She tore the paper and pulled out a Boston Bruiser’s hat. Under that was a pair of brand-new running sneakers.

  Ryan smirked then plunked the hat on her head. “If we run, we run together.”

  She glanced down at his feet and realized instead of dress shoes or boots, he had on his trainers too. He took her hand in his and then lowered onto one knee. From under the tree, he pulled out another, much smaller velvet box.

  His eyes shone as he lifted the lid. A traditional Claddagh ring inlaid with a diamond rested inside. “The symbols on this ring represent what needs to be present in a relationship. The hands represent friendship, the crown means loyalty, and the heart, love.” Ryan drew a deep breath.

  Rachel had nearly stopped breathing.

  “Rachel, please say yes to our relationship, to everlasting friendship, loyalty, and love. Will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

  Tears sprung to her eyes. She finally found her breath and burst out, “Yes, yes I will marry you.”

  Ryan slipped the ring on her shaking finger and then lifted to his feet. He spun her around as the music started to play again. They danced a jig that time and everyone gathered in. As they moved round and round the room, Rachel spotted the local pastor. He smiled and waved.

  “Glad to see you here,” she said.

  “I’m sure glad to hear about your mother’s recovery and wouldn’t have missed this shindig. The Christmas parties at the Honey Bea and Thistle are legendary. Even more so now. I think this is the first marriage proposal at one of them. Congratulations.”

  Rachel felt like her smile reached her ears. “I think you’re right. In fact, wait. Would you perform the service?” It was perfect, everyone was in town, her mother would be home the next day, and it was nearly Christmas.

  “Right here? I couldn’t.”

  “I meant tomorrow at the church.”

  “Christmas Eve is a busy time. But a hopeful one as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. I suppose we could squeeze you in.” He smiled.

  Ryan was in deep conversation with Niles and she gestured they come over. Rachel explained her idea. Ryan brightened. “That would be perfect.”

  Niles nodded. “Well, I guess you honored your father’s wishes after all.”

  Ryan’s shoulders relaxed.

  Niles clapped him on the back. “He’d be proud. Your mother too.”

  They made arrangements then danced a bit more, getting the pastor out there with them. Old friends and new offered them congratulations. Ryan announced when the wedding would be and invited everyone to join them. “Consider this the reception.” He laughed.

  As the music played on, Rachel and Ryan found a quiet corner by the fire.

  “Thank you for sharing your mother’s journal with me.” She laced her fingers in his.

  He gave her hand a squeeze. “Did she ask a question that helped you come up with your own answer?”

  Rachel nodded.

  “What was it?”

  “My question was what if I gave you a second chance.”

  “And what was your answer?” He smirked.

  “I think you know. I said yes.” She lifted onto her toes and kissed him. “How about you? Did your mother’s entries help you?”

  Ryan nodded, “My answer was to turn it all over to God. To let him take the wheel and whatever happened, well, that was up to Him.”

  “And?”

  “And you said yes.” He dipped his head and kissed her.

  She smiled, lifting onto her toes and wrapping her arms around his neck. The brim of the baseball hat bumped him on the forehead.

  “I hope the sneakers fit because, as I said, if we run, we run together. In sneakers, on the trail, under the sun, in the snow, and hand in hand.”

  “Always.” Rachel’s eyes blinked shut.

  Once more, Ryan pressed his lips gently to hers.

  Her heart lit up brighter than the nearby tree decorated with twinkle lights.

  After a moment, Ryan said, “After everything that happened, I was afraid I’d never be able to feel joyous at Christmas again.”

  Rachel turned her gaze toward the window where the stars shone in the night sky.

  “But now I do,” he said, beaming with a smile.

  “That makes sense. After all, this is the season of hope,” Rachel said, squeezing him tight in a promise never to let go.

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  Her Horse Racing Groom by Rachael Eliker

  “I can’t believe he did this,” Clark muttered under his breath for no one except the darkness to hear.

  It was nearing midnight and though his car had warmed up enough since driving it from the O’Hare airport parking garage, there was a distinctive chill that had sunk deep into his bones that had nothing to do with the typical November temperatures in Chicago. Usually, the flutter of crisp snowflakes drifting down from low-hanging clouds seemed so serene but as he watched them collect on his windshield, quickly melting into droplets of water, they did little to help his mood.

  After returning from the Kelly Brother’s Ranch in Colorado where he’d listened to the family’s lawyer, Niles, read their father’s will while he and his four other brothers listened, Clark had been in shock. They’d always known their father, Jack Kelly, was a strong-willed, visionary man but the terms he’d put on his sons inheriting their share of his billion-dollar fortune were hard to swallow. Be married by Christmas—all of the brothers—or risk losing their inheritance as well as their individual charities they’d set up wit
h their father when they were each twelve. The brothers had been raised with a strong connection to God, country, and family, and Clark knew their dad was testing it.

  It’d been a while since Clark had thought about Racing for Home Thoroughbred Rescue, his retired racehorse rehoming and rehabilitation program. As a boy, it’d been so exciting to have a project for only him and his dad. But, like it always seemed to, life got in the way. Clark had been so busy finishing his college degree and focusing his efforts on climbing the corporate ladder in a job he felt lukewarm about that the charity had become little more than a passing thought. He knew he had distanced himself from everything he’d once loved but he’d done it to protect himself. Heartbreak had that effect on him.

  The idea for the charity had grown from Clark’s love of horses and recklessly fast speeds. Jack Kelly had always supported Clark in his dream to become a jockey but once he turned seventeen and shot up to six foot three, filling out with muscle, that dream quickly faded. Clark hated the looming feeling that his father thought he was living beneath his potential when he turned his back on horses and instead of finding some other fast-paced career, Clark had settled on marketing. It wasn’t always glamorous but he had a knack for it.

  “This is never going to work,” Clark said bitterly. He gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles were white. In the distance, the Ferris wheel on the pier spun lazily while it lit up the dark sky with a dazzling light display. It almost felt wrong that something so lively and beautiful could exist in the world while Clark felt so lost and broken.

  Still, never one to be deterred from a challenge, Clark worked the muscles of his jaw and pulled his phone from his suit coat pocket. Scrolling through his phone, he landed on his girlfriend Gemma’s number. If she hadn’t been out-of-town to Boston on a work trip of her own, he might’ve driven over to her apartment and knocked on her door, even if it was after midnight. Instead, he pushed the call button and jiggled his leg, hoping she’d pick up.

  “Clark?” she said, a hint worry in her voice. “Is everything alright?”

  Rubbing his hand across his eyes, he said, “Yeah. I just got back.”

  “I figured. How’s everyone doing?”

  “As well as can be expected,” Clark said. “I think we’re still kind of in shock about the whole thing. I never thought I’d be an orphan at twenty-four.”

  “Oh, Clark,” Gemma said, her tone tender.

  He could visualize her as she spoke. Her eyebrows would be pushed together and her full lips tugged down in a slight frown as she concentrated on what Clark was saying. She was a beautiful woman with copper hair and hazel eyes, slender and tall enough that she could almost look levelly at him in the eyes. She came from the Applegates, a wealthy family the Kelly’s had run together within social circles for years. Clark and Gemma’s match made sense. Not only did she come from a good stock, she was a funny, sophisticated, compassionate woman…but Clark wasn’t sure there was a spark there. So far as Clark knew, he’d only felt that feeling with one other girl. Too bad she’d dumped him the second he pulled out an engagement ring and got down on one knee.

  “I can’t imagine how rough this all must be. For all of you,” Gemma said.

  Clark grunted, “Yeah. It sucks.”

  His palms started to sweat as he thought about what he was about to say to Gemma. Wiping his free hand on his slacks, he drew in a calming breath and coached himself that it was no more intimidating that pitching a marketing plan to one of the multi-million-dollar companies he oversaw at work. Chuckling to himself, he thought how ironic it was that he was thinking of proposing to Gemma as little more than a business transaction.

  “What’s so funny?” Gemma asked through a yawn.

  “I was…” Clark rubbed his hand down his face. “I was thinking about you and me.”

  “What about us?”

  “We’ve been dating for nine months, right?”

  “About,” Gemma agreed. “You know how bad I am about keeping track of dates like that.”

  “Me, too. But nine months is a long time. I’ve been thinking that maybe it’s time to take it up a notch.”

  “What are you saying? I thought we were on the same page that moving in together wasn’t the route we were going to take. I think either one of our parents would kill us if we even thought about it.”

  “No, I know.” Clark tapped his fingers against the steering wheel and quit dancing around what he was trying to say. “I meant maybe it’s time we get married.”

  Clark wasn’t sure what he was expecting from Gemma—squeals of delight? outright laughing to his face? His suggestion was met with silence.

  “Gemma?” he said tentatively.

  “I’m sorry, Clark. This is all a bit of a surprise for me.”

  Clark wanted to divulge everything, hoping that maybe if she understood the constraints he was under that Gemma would take pity on him and help him but his father’s will expressly forbid anyone from finding out about the terms of their marriages. All of that aside, he did care deeply for her. Sure, they’d been waiting but honestly, for what? It was time. Clark couldn’t care less about the money he stood to inherit but he knew he wasn’t in a position yet to save his charity. Even if he hadn’t spent as much time with it as he wanted to lately, there was no way he was going to let go of helping all those horses. He was going to be a self-made man like his father—eventually—but most of his wealth was tied up in company stock. His father’s fortune could slip through his fingers but the charity felt like the one connection he’d had to his parents and family, back when life was simpler and happy.

  “I guess my dad’s passing has put a lot of things into perspective. Life’s short, you know? Why wait?”

  Another long pause. “I’ve been thinking, too.”

  “Is that right? About what?”

  More silence.

  “Gemma?”

  “I think we should break up.”

  Her words slammed him back against his seat and his heart was surely going to crack through his ribcage if it pounded much harder. “Break up? Why?”

  Gemma spoke kindly but decisively. “You’re a great guy, Clark. Really. I think maybe in another life we could’ve worked out but there’s this voice in my head that I can’t ignore that keeps telling me we’re not right together.”

  Pushing a hand through his wavy brunette hair, Clark asked, “What can I do to convince you that we are?”

  “Nothing. Breaking up isn’t a hasty decision. It’s been on my mind for a while but the timing has been all wrong. I really didn’t want to do it since your father’s death and it being so close to Christmas…”

  “You’ve been thinking about breaking up for a while?”

  “Look,” Gemma said softly, “I should go. I have an early morning meeting tomorrow and you should really get some rest after your trip. Goodnight, Clark.”

  Gemma didn’t wait for him to respond and hung up, leaving him alone with his thoughts. Looking out through his windshield, the consuming darkness of the night sky felt like a representation of Clark’s life. What had seemed so bright and hopeful was now crashing down on him. If he was the only brother who didn’t marry, then none of the brothers would receive their inheritance or support for their charities. Sure, maybe Parker would go rogue, but J.J. was pretty convinced he’d come around. Clark had been one of the closest ones to having a relationship that was ready for marriage but there he was, unexpectedly back at square one. If his brothers saw him then, they’d never let him live it down.

  Hearing a laugh before he realized it was his own, Clark dropped his head into his hands. He’d definitely been blindsided by Gemma’s confession but he refused to be down for the count. She was right. All he needed was sleep to clear his mind. Then he could logically think through the problems facing him.

  Putting the sleek black Jaguar sedan his father had gifted him on his twenty-first birthday in reverse, he pulled out of the parking lot and pushed the engine until it growled as he dro
ve toward home.

  At a stoplight, he dialed Hugh, knowing without a doubt one of his closest friends was going to answer, regardless of how late it was on a weeknight.

  “Clark! What’s up, man?”

  Clark smiled grimly to himself. “I just got back from the reading of my father’s will. How do you suppose I’m doing?”

  “Oh,” Hugh said, subduing his tone. “Sorry. I forgot. I’ve been busy.”

  “Working?”

  “Sort of. Keeping up an image is pretty much a full-time gig.”

  Clark chuckled as he shook his head. “You’ve been partying the whole time I’ve been gone?”

  “I call it networking. It keeps people from thinking that everyone in my family is a total stick in the mud. Speaking of family, I’m surprised you’re not on the phone with my cousin right now. As handsome as I am, I figure you’d much prefer the company of Gemma at a time like this.”

  A jolt of annoyance bittered Clark’s mood at the mention of Gemma but he pushed it aside and forced out a laugh. “Actually, she just broke up with me.”

  “Dang,” Hugh said, sucking in a breath. “Gemma’s always been the sweet, perfect cousin. I would have never suspected her of something that cold. Breaking up with a man when he’s grieving? Ouch.”

  “It’s fine,” Clark said, taking a turn a little too tightly, smirking as the wheels squealed on the pavement. “I think deep down, I knew it was coming.”

  “Well, that’s gonna make family reunions awkward..”

  “Um, if I remember correctly, you’re the one who set us up when she moved to Chicago. You were asking for it.”

  Hugh laughed. “I’m teasing, man. It’ll be fine. I was hoping maybe you two would work out and you could be a new brother-in-law.”