Marrying the Billboard Cowboy (Christmas in Redemption Ridge)

Chapter 18

18

T he wind whispered through the streets of Redemption, carrying the scent of pine and the distant laughter of families preparing for Christmas. Kaitlyn, wrapped in a threadbare coat that had seen better days, stepped inside Second Chances.

The second-hand store had clothes, toys, home goods, and even furniture. Hopefully, no one in Zeke’s family would mind thrifted gifts. She barely had enough saved up as it was. She trailed her fingertips over a soft green sweater in Second Chances. The sweater would be perfect for Cassie.

“Stetson would love this,” she murmured to herself, her gaze landing on a set of wooden toy horses, their manes carved with meticulous care. She could already see her son’s dark eyes lighting up, his small but energetic frame hopping with excitement. Kaitlyn wanted nothing more than to give Stetson the world, or at least a Christmas he’d remember fondly amid the tumult of their lives.

With each potential gift she considered, Kaitlyn’s thoughts drifted to Zeke—deliberate, grumpy yet tender-hearted—whose protective nature had unexpectedly cocooned her and Stetson since they arrived at Redemption Ridge Ranch.

She lingered before a display of cookbooks. Her fingers brushed against a leather-bound volume titled “Flavors of the West,” and she smiled, picturing Zeke frowning in concentration, stubble beard moving as he muttered instructions to himself.

As she turned the corner into another aisle, Kaitlyn’s breath hitched. A shadow loomed, casting an ominous silhouette against the festive decorations. He was built like a wall, exuding danger in the way he occupied space.

“Kaitlyn McCallum,” he drawled, his voice a snarl wrapped in velvet. “Time’s up.”

Her heart pounded against her ribs, threatening to burst. This was her worst nightmare realized, confronting her in a place where she had begun to taste the sweetness of safety and belonging. How had he found her? The man in front of her was no stranger, despite the way she wished she could go back in time. She’d never take his stupid deal in the first place.

“Please,” she implored, “it’s almost Christmas. Can’t it wait?”

“Money don’t celebrate holidays,” he countered coldly, his eyes devoid of any festive cheer. His bulk shifted, effectively trapping her between the shelves and his immovable form.

“Look, I’ll get it to you. Just need a little more time,” she insisted, her resilience flickering like a candle in a storm. Kaitlyn knew there was no reasoning with him, yet she clung to hope, a lifeline in the swift current pulling her down.

“Time’s one thing you don’t have, sweetheart,” he sneered, the threat implicit in his tone. “You owe me fifteen grand.”

“What? I only borrowed five!”

“Interest ain’t cheap,” he sneered. “And since I had to come all the way out here to the middle of nowhere, your rate went up. So you better get me my money or your precious little boy won’t have a very merry Christmas. Got it?”

The stark reality of his words hit Kaitlyn with the force of a winter gale. She imagined Stetson’s dark eyes wide with terror, and her own determined to shield him from this monster at all costs. A chill ran down her spine, and she could almost feel Stetson’s fear, as though her own terror had forged a telepathic link to her child. Her mind raced, desperate for an escape, for the safety of Zeke’s broad shoulders and the surety of his protection.

“I’ll give you until Christmas Eve,” he added, as if granting a twisted form of holiday cheer.

Kaitlyn nodded, unable to muster any sass that would betray her mounting panic. “Fine,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of her own racing heart. “I’ll find a way.”

“Make sure you do.” The loan shark stepped back, his message delivered, leaving a trail of unease that clung to her like the winter’s frost. As the loan shark turned on his heel, leaving her standing amidst the jingle bells and holly wreaths, the world seemed to tilt on its axis.

As he disappeared around the corner, Kaitlyn’s knees threatened to buckle. She reached out, steadying herself against the shelf, the cookbooks blurring before her eyes as the heavy weight of her predicament settled upon her shoulders.

Her hands trembled uncontrollably.

She felt an icy knot form in her stomach, a sickening swirl of dread and nausea. Every beat of her heart was a drum echoing through her body, threatening to crash beyond the confines of her chest. Her breaths came in short, sharp rasps, as Kaitlyn wrapped her arms around herself—a feeble attempt to hold together the pieces of her breaking heart.

She stumbled out of the aisle, her gaze unfocused, seeing nothing of the twinkling lights or the joyous decorations that adorned the store. Her mind was a blizzard of thoughts, each one burying her deeper in despair.

Kaitlyn’s fingers fumbled with the handle of the store’s glass door, her movements jerky and uncoordinated. The cheerful jingle of the door’s bells clashed with the drumming in her chest, an unsettling reminder of the world moving on around her. She avoided the shopkeeper’s concerned gaze, a murmur of apologies escaping her lips as she brushed past a display of Christmas ornaments, nearly sending them crashing to the floor.

“Kaitlyn, are you okay?” the shopkeeper called after her, her voice laced with worry. Kaitlyn had met Piper once, but she couldn’t muster the strength to respond, her mind still echoing with threats that left her feeling cold, despite her brisk pace. She pushed through the exit into the biting winter air, the sharp contrast drawing a shiver from deep within her bones.

Outside, the town of Redemption Ridge bustled with holiday spirit, families and couples strolling arm-in-arm, their laughter a foreign language to Kaitlyn’s ears. She wrapped her arms tighter around herself, her eyes focused on the uneven sidewalk ahead, each step carrying her farther from warmth and light.

She didn’t know how much time passed as she just wandered aimlessly. It could have been minutes or hours.

“Kaitlyn!” Zeke’s voice cut through the dread inside her, warm and familiar. He was striding toward her, concern etching lines across his broad forehead.

“Hey, what happened back there? Piper called me, said you left the store really upset,” Zeke said as he reached her side, his hand reaching out as if to steady her.

She blinked up at him, the comfort of his presence a stark contrast to the fear that still gripped her. “I—it’s nothing, Zeke,” she managed, her voice barely above a whisper. But her trembling hands betrayed the lie, and the way she glanced over her shoulder spoke volumes.

“Kaitlyn, talk to me.” His voice was insistent, gentle yet firm. “Whatever it is, we can face it together.”

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, and for a moment, she considered spilling everything—the confrontation, the threats, the looming danger that had suddenly cast a shadow over their lives. But the words lodged in her throat, stubborn and immovable.

“Please,” Zeke urged, his eyes searching hers, a silent plea for trust.

Under the weight of his gaze, she felt a crack in her resolve. The fa?ade of composure she’d held so tightly began to crumble, revealing the raw fear beneath. Her breath caught, a single sob breaking free as she whispered, “It’s my fault—and they’ll hurt Stetson.”

Zeke’s face hardened, the lines of his jaw set in determination. “Nobody’s going to hurt you or that boy. Not while I’m around.” There was steel in his voice, a promise that lent her a sliver of courage.

Her heart still raced but she no longer felt quite so alone. She looked up into Zeke’s eyes, finding something like hope reflected back at her.

Kaitlyn’s fingers curled into the fabric of her coat, clenching it tight as if it could shield her from the memories that Zeke’s concern had stirred up. A lifetime of abandonment, each person she’d ever leaned on disappearing like smoke—her parents, Stetson’s father—all leaving her to fend for herself in a world that seemed to grow colder with each loss. She’d learned the hard way that reliance was synonymous with disappointment.

“Kaitlyn?” Zeke’s voice cut through the December chill, his presence a solid warmth at her side.

She hesitated, the words swirling in her mind like snowflakes caught in a blizzard. To reveal her vulnerability meant risking the fragile stability she’d constructed around herself and Stetson. Yet, looking into Zeke’s earnest eyes, a part of her yearned to lay down the burden she’d borne alone for so long.

A shiver ran down her spine, not from the cold but from the notion of entrusting someone else with the fears that gnawed at her. But the sincerity in Zeke’s voice was like a beacon, guiding her through the storm of her apprehensions.

“You think I’m so strong. But I’m not, Zeke. I never quit screwing everything up. I’m not strong. We were barely surviving, and I let Stet down so many times. I’m tired of pretending to be strong. I’m tired of carrying so much. I can’t do it anymore. I can’t!” She was sobbing now, the floodgates unleashed, all the emotion and desperation and soul-deep fatigue pouring out of her.

Zeke reached out, his hand enveloping hers, warmth seeping into her chilled skin. “You’re not alone anymore. You have us—me, my family, the whole community here at Redemption Ridge. You have done your best, Kaitlyn. It’s okay to be tired. It’s okay to need someone else. Please, tell me what happened?”

She hesitated, still unsure how to explain the magnitude of the mistake chasing her from the past.

“Last spring, when I missed all that work,” Kaitlyn started, her eyes darting away momentarily before finding the courage to meet his gaze again, “I did something foolish. A man in my building knew a guy who would lend me the money we needed. We caught up on bills. For a bit. But it ended up being money I could never pay back. Now he’s here, demanding money I don’t have. He threatened me, said he’d hurt Stetson if I didn’t pay.” The confession tumbled out, each word laced with the terror of that encounter, her breaths coming in short, sharp gasps.

Zeke’s grip tightened, not with anger but with a protective fervor that made her heart stutter. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? What have I been saying? I’ve got you, Marvel.”

She flinched at the nickname, feeling like the opposite of superhero. He ran his hands down her arms, soothing her. Her defenses wavered under the onslaught of his genuine care. For a fleeting moment, she allowed herself the luxury of imagining a life unburdened by constant fear—a life where she could lean on someone else, where Stetson could grow up without the shadow of danger lurking behind every corner.

“Because I didn’t want to be a burden,” she admitted, her voice cracking with the admission. “I didn’t want to drag you into my mess. I didn’t want you to decide that I wasn’t worth it.”

His other hand cupped her cheek, tilting her face up to his. “You could never be a burden, Kaitlyn. You and Stetson are a part of this community now. My priority. You’ll always be worth everything I have and more.”

Tears, held at bay for too long, spilled over again, tracing cold paths down her cheeks. In Zeke’s unwavering gaze, she saw not just a promise but a sanctuary. With a shuddering breath, she let go of the last strands of her solitary resolve, allowing herself to trust—not just in Zeke, but in the possibility of a future where she didn’t have to face every battle alone.

“Zeke, I can’t ask you to—”

“You didn’t ask, I’m offering.” Zeke’s voice softened, the hard edges blurring as he reached for her hand. His fingers laced through hers, a tangible connection that steadied her more than she cared to admit.

“It’s too much.”

“How much?” he demanded.

“Fifteen thousand dollars,” she whispered, ashamed and overwhelmed by the magnitude of the debt.

“Done,” he said. “It’s yours. I’m yours. And you’re mine.”

Kaitlyn’s resolve crumbled, her breath catching in a sob that fought its way free. Another confession hovered at the edge of her lips, a truth so raw and vulnerable she’d kept it locked away, shielded by layers of fear and independence.

“Zeke, I...” Her voice wavered, a whisper against the storm of emotions raging inside her. “I love you. And it scares me so much.” She blinked rapidly, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over. The admission was a surrender, an acknowledgment of how deeply he had embedded himself into her heart. “Because I’ve always been on my own. Relying on someone else, I don’t know if I know how.”

Zeke’s eyes softened, his broad shoulders seeming to draw in the weight of her fears as if ready to bear them alongside her. He stepped even closer, bridging the last of the physical distance between them, his presence a steady force in the chaos of her world.

“Kaitlyn,” he said, his voice low and earnest, “I can’t promise the ground will never shake, but I can promise to hold you through every tremor. To be the one constant you can count on. You are mine, do you hear me? To provide for. To protect. To care for.” He paused. “To love,” he said shakily.

Her heart thrummed a rapid beat, each word from Zeke weaving a stronger thread in the bond that connected them, fortifying her courage to lean into the trust she so desperately wanted to give.

“Trusting you means breaking down walls I’ve spent years building,” she confessed, her dark eyes searching his for the assurance she needed. “But I want to... with you. I’m tired of being alone.”

“Then don’t be,” Zeke urged gently, reaching out to cup her cheek, the calluses on his fingers a testament to the life he led—a life she was becoming part of. “Let me be the home you come back to, Kaitlyn. Let us be a family. A real one.”

The warmth of his touch ignited something deep within her, a flame of hope that danced with the possibility of a future she had never dared to dream of. And in that moment, she let go of the solitary existence she had clung to, allowing herself to fall into the embrace of the man who offered her everything she needed.

Zeke’s strong arms encased her, a protective circle that seemed to ward off the coldness of the world outside. His heartbeat drummed against her ear, a steady rhythm that whispered promises of security and love.

“We’ll face whatever comes,” Zeke murmured into her hair, his breath warm against her scalp. “Together, Kaitlyn. You, me, and Stetson.”

“Together,” she echoed, the word a soft sigh of contentment. With Zeke’s arms around her, the sense of belonging enveloped her, soothing the jagged edges of her past.