Her Second Chance Cowboy (Crystal Creek Sweet Romances #1)

Chapter Fifteen

The newly finished barn was filled with the soft snuffles and whickers of the horses as Emma made her way down the aisle, checking on Ghost and Daisy to make sure they were settled for the night. It had been a long day of work and worry, with the deadline for the buyer’s offer looming ever closer, but here in the quiet of the barn, surrounded by the warmth and comfort of the animals she loved, Emma felt a sense of peace and belonging that she had never known before.

She was just about to head back to the house when she heard the sound of hooves clopping up the driveway, and a moment later, Cody appeared in the doorway, a crooked grin on his face as he leaned against the frame.

“Hey there, city girl,” he said, his voice low and teasing. “What are you doing out here so late?”

Emma raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “I could ask you the same thing,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Don’t you have a ranch of your own to run?”

Cody’s grin widened, and he pushed off the doorframe, sauntering over to where she stood. “I do,” he said, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “But I had a better idea for how to spend my evening. How would you and Ghost like to join me and Scout for a little camping trip?”

Emma’s heart skipped a beat, her breath catching in her throat at the unexpected invitation. “Camping?” she said, her voice filled with a mixture of excitement and hesitation. “I don’t know, Cody. I have a big day tomorrow, and I should probably get some rest…”

Cody’s expression softened, his hand coming up to brush a stray lock of hair from her face.

“I know,” he said, his voice gentle and understanding. “I know tomorrow is the day you have to make your final decision on the buyer’s offer, and I can’t even imagine how stressful that must be. But that’s exactly why I think you deserve a night off, a chance to forget about all the pressure and just enjoy the beauty of this place, the magic of a night under the stars.”

Emma felt her resistance melting away, her heart swelling with a rush of affection and gratitude for the man standing before her. How did he always seem to know exactly what she needed, exactly what would bring her joy and comfort in even the darkest of moments?

“That does sound pretty amazing,” she said, a slow smile spreading across her face. “But don’t we need a tent and some supplies for a camping trip?”

Cody’s grin turned positively wicked, his eyes dancing with a playful light that made her heart race. “Oh, I’ve got that all taken care of,” he said, his voice low and conspiratorial. “I may have already set up a little campsite for us.”

Emma’s jaw dropped, her eyes widening in surprise and delight. “Oh you did, did you?” she said, a laugh bubbling up from somewhere deep inside her. “You seem pretty confident that I’m going to say yes, Mr. Hawthorne.”

Cody’s expression turned serious, almost vulnerable, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that took her breath away. “Are you?”

She swallowed, searching his face for she didn’t know what.

“Am I right to be confident, Emma?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. “Will you come with me tonight, let me show you the magic and the beauty of this place in a whole new way?”

And as she looked into Cody’s eyes, saw the longing and the hope shining there, she knew that there was only one answer she could give.

“Yes,” she whispered, her voice filled with a quiet certainty. “Yes, Cody, I’ll come with you tonight. I’ll go anywhere with you, as long as we’re together.”

Cody’s face broke into a grin, his arms coming around her in a fierce hug that lifted her off the ground and spun her around. Emma laughed, her own happiness and excitement bubbling up inside her like a fountain.

And then they were off, saddling up their horses and riding out into the night, the cool breeze whipping through their hair and the stars twinkling overhead like a million tiny diamonds.

When they reached the campsite Cody had prepared, Emma’s breath caught in her throat, her eyes filling with tears at the sight before her. He had chosen a spot on a hilltop overlooking the ranch, with a clear view of the valley below and the mountains rising up in the distance. A small fire crackled in a ring of stones, casting a warm glow over the blankets and pillows spread out on the grass, and a basket of food and wine sat nearby, just waiting to be enjoyed.

Emma swung down from Ghost’s back, looking around in awe.

“Cody,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “This is… this is amazing. I can’t believe you did all this for me.”

Cody’s hand found hers, his fingers intertwining with her own as he drew her close. “I would do anything for you, Emma,” he said, his voice low and rough with feeling. “I would move mountains and cross oceans and fight armies, just to see that smile on your face, just to know that I had brought you even a moment of happiness.”

Emma felt tears spilling down her cheeks, her heart so full that she thought it might burst. “I love you,” she said, the words tumbling out of her in a rush of emotion. “I love you so much, Cody Hawthorne. And I don’t ever want to imagine my life without you in it.”

Cody’s eyes widened, his expression a mixture of shock and elation. “Emma,” he said, his voice filled with a quiet intensity. “Do you… do you really mean that? Do you really love me?”

Emma nodded, a laugh bubbling up from somewhere deep inside her.

“Of course I do,” she said, her voice filled with a quiet certainty. “I think I’ve loved you from the moment we met, from the first time we were kids and I saw that crooked grin and those sparkling eyes. And when we were teenagers, when we shared those stolen moments and secret kisses, I knew that what I felt for you was real, was powerful and true. But I was too young then, too scared to trust in something that felt so big and so overwhelming.” She searched his face and saw his open expression, his understanding. She shook her head regretfully. “And then life took us in different directions, and I convinced myself that it was just a teenage dream, and what I felt for you when I came back here was me wanting to relive that memory. But it’s not. I loved you then and I love you now. I just didn’t know how to admit it to myself, didn’t know how to trust in something that felt so big and so powerful.”

Cody’s hand came up to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing away the tears that still lingered there. “I love you too, Emma Brooks,” he said, his voice filled with a quiet reverence. “I love you more than I ever thought possible, more than I even knew I was capable of. And I want to explore this love, want to see where it takes us and what kind of future we might build together, right here on this ranch that means so much to both of us.”

Emma felt a rush of emotion welling up inside her, a mixture of joy and fear and uncertainty that threatened to overwhelm her. “I want that too,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I want to see where this love might lead us, want to discover all the possibilities and adventures that we could have together. But I’m also scared, Cody. Scared of losing myself in this, scared of giving my heart to something that might not last, might not be strong enough to withstand all the challenges and obstacles that life could throw our way.”

Cody’s eyes softened, his hand moving to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear in a gesture that was so tender, so intimate, that it made her heart ache. “I know,” he said, his voice filled with a quiet understanding. “I’m scared too, Emma. Scared of messing this up, scared of not being enough for you, scared of losing the one thing that has brought more joy and meaning to my life than anything else ever has. But I also know that we can’t let that fear hold us back, can’t let it keep us from reaching out and grabbing hold of something that could be so beautiful, so transformative.”

Emma felt tears welling up in her eyes again, her heart so full of love and longing that she thought it might burst. “You’re right,” she said, her voice filled with a quiet determination. “We can’t let fear be the thing that holds us back, the thing that keeps us from exploring all the wonder and magic that this love could bring to our lives. But we also can’t rush into anything, can’t make promises or plans that we’re not ready for, that we haven’t had time to really think through.”

Cody nodded, his hand moving to take hers, his fingers intertwining with her own in a gesture that felt like coming home. “I agree,” he said, his voice filled with a quiet conviction. “We don’t have to have all the answers right now, don’t have to know exactly where this is going or what the future might hold. All we have to do is take it one day at a time, one moment at a time, and trust in the love that we feel for each other, the connection that has brought us to this place and this time.”

Emma felt a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, a sense of peace and rightness settling over her like a warm blanket. “I can do that,” she said, her voice filled with a quiet joy. “I can take it one day at a time, one moment at a time, and see where this love might lead us. And right now, in this moment, all I want is to be here with you, under these stars and with the whole world stretched out before us, full of possibility and promise.”

Cody’s smile was brighter than the stars overhead, his eyes shining with a love and a happiness that took her breath away. “Then let’s make the most of this moment,” he said, his voice filled with a quiet intensity. “Let’s forget about all the worries and fears and uncertainties that might be waiting for us back in the real world, and just focus on the here and now, on the magic and the beauty of this place and this time that we’ve been given.”

And as Emma looked into his eyes, saw the depth of the love and the desire shining there, she knew that there was nothing else in the world that she wanted more than to do just that, to lose herself in this moment and in the love that they shared.

Cody’s hand came up to cup her face, his thumb brushing gently across her cheekbone as he leaned in closer, his breath warm against her skin. “You are so beautiful,” he murmured, his voice low and rough with emotion. “So brave and strong and full of life. I feel like the luckiest man in the world, just to be here with you, just to have the chance to love you and be loved by you.”

Emma felt her breath catch in her throat, her heart pounding in her chest as she leaned into his touch, her eyes fluttering closed as she savored the feeling of his skin against hers. “I feel lucky too,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the crackling of the fire and the distant sound of crickets chirping in the night. “Lucky to have found you, lucky to have been given this chance to explore what we could be together, what kind of love we might be able to build.”

And then Cody’s lips were on hers, soft and gentle, a kiss filled with all the love and tenderness and emotion that had been building between them for so long. Emma felt herself melting into the kiss, her heart soaring with a joy and a happiness that she had never known before, a feeling of rightness and belonging that seemed to fill every corner of her soul.

It was a kiss that felt like coming home, like finding the missing piece of herself that she hadn’t even known she’d been searching for. It was a kiss that spoke of love and connection, of the deep and unbreakable bond that had brought them together and would keep them together, no matter what challenges or obstacles they might face in the future. Of all the dreams and the plans and the adventures that they might be able to have together, if only they were brave enough to reach out and grab hold of them.

As they finally pulled apart, Emma felt a sense of wonder and awe washing over her, a feeling of gratitude and amazement at the incredible gift that she had been given, the love and the friendship and the partnership that she had found with this man who had stolen her heart so completely.

“I love you, Cody Hawthorne,” she repeated, her voice filled with a quiet certainty that came from somewhere deep inside her, somewhere that had always known that this was where she was meant to be, who she was meant to be with. “I love you with all my heart, and I can’t wait to see where this love might take us, what kind of future we might be able to build together.”

Cody’s smile was brighter than the sun, his eyes shining with a love and a happiness that took her breath away. “I love you too, Emma Brooks,” he said, his voice filled with a quiet reverence that made her heart soar. “I love you more than I ever thought possible, and I promise to spend every day of my life showing you just how much, just how deeply and completely and irrevocably I am yours.”

And as they settled back onto the blankets, their arms wrapped around each other and their hearts full of love and hope and possibility, Emma knew that whatever challenges or obstacles might lie ahead, whatever twists and turns and detours life might throw their way, they would face them together, hand in hand and heart to heart.

Because they had each other, now and always. And in the end, that was all that really mattered.