Marry Me for Real, Cowboy - Valerie Comer Page 0,46
She touched his shoulder. “Ace has gone to a better place.”
Adam shook his head, tears threatening to leak from his eyes. “I don’t know how you can say that. He was much too young to die. Far too much to live for.”
She smiled sadly. “His baby. Vanessa.”
Adam exchanged glances with Sawyer. How much to say? Would she even believe them? But it was too late to overthrow the judge’s decision. Vanessa had somehow proved in court that she and Ace had entered an informal marriage. She carried Ace’s child — they’d run a DNA test to prove it — and the baby was Ace’s heir. Vanessa would make good use of that inheritance in the meanwhile, no doubt.
Just the thought made Adam’s blood boil, but was there any point in stirring things up? Maybe Mrs. Desjardins could win Vanessa over by her unrelenting faith and good nature.
He wasn’t counting on it.
“Won’t you boys stay with me?”
Adam shook his head. “Sawyer and I booked rooms near the arena. I’m sure you’ve got family coming in.”
“But...”
Sawyer gave the older woman a side hug. “We don’t want to get in your way.”
“Don’t leave without saying goodbye. When is your return flight?”
“Friday morning. We need to head to the airport fairly early, though.”
“Come for dinner Thursday?”
Adam glanced at Sawyer. “We can do one better. Let us take you out for dinner that night.”
“I’d like that,” she said wistfully.
“We should get going. If there’s anything you need help with while we’re here, anything at all, you’ve got our numbers. We’d be happy to help.”
“You’re good boys. Such good friends to my son.”
Emotion wrapped its bony fingers around Adam’s throat and threatened to strangle him. “He was the best.”
Was. Man, it was hard to think of Ace in the past tense. It seemed he should be bursting through the back door into the kitchen any second now, finger-pointing fake pistols at him and Sawyer. Gotcha.
But there was no reprieve, just his mama putting on a brave front while tears puddled in her eyes. “Could we pray together before you go?”
Adam managed a single word. “Sure.”
Mrs. Desjardins’ voice broke as she prayed God’s guidance and solace for them. Wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around? Weren’t they here to help comfort a grieving mom?
A few minutes later Sawyer started the rental car, and they pulled away from the curb.
“Where to?” Adam didn’t feel like sitting in the hotel room. He was too restless.
Sawyer raised his eyebrows at him across the car. “Jewelry store.”
“Seriously? I thought Anna was still putting you off.”
“She is. But maybe she just needs to see how serious I am.”
“What will you do if she says no? Texas is kind of far from Montana to return a ring.” Adam didn’t want to think about Riley pawning his, but she would. She’d been clear from the beginning. Maybe Sawyer would just write the money off as a loss, like Adam had.
“You missed something in there, dude. I’m not giving up. Anna is carrying my baby.”
Adam leaned back in the deep seat. “You can’t force her.”
“Who said anything about forcing her?” Sawyer navigated the few blocks to a major street and turned toward the city center.
“Do you even hear yourself?”
“How can it not be God’s will for us to be a family? To raise our son together? Yeah, so we messed up big time in June. I was cocky and full of myself, but I’ve changed. She’s changed. We’re both trying to follow God’s ways. So, I repeat. How could His will be any different?”
“You’ve got logic on your side.”
“I know.”
“But who knows what goes on in a woman’s mind? What’s holding Anna back?” For that matter, what was holding Riley back? Adam needed to do some delving of his own, but it was easier to push Sawyer than himself.
“Not a clue,” Sawyer growled. He threaded across three lanes of traffic and snapped on his right signal. “But she won’t be able to say no to a diamond.” He pulled into the parking lot of a chain jewelry store. “Wish I knew what kind to get.”
Adam chuckled. “I can help with that. Riley had a comment for every ring she saw before picking the one she wanted.” Maybe he could find a Christmas gift for Riley while he was in there.
“I can’t believe you’re fake-engaged.”
It had felt kind of good to let someone in on his secret. Adam trusted Sawyer not to spill the beans, even though Noah shod horses regularly in Saddle Springs.