At the Crossroads (Buckhorn, Montana #3)(76)

She’d been half-afraid of what he had to say. But then he’d said something about a drive and a letter. She’d been worried that the letter was from him. But from his father? That, too, had been a surprise. So Culhane’s father had known about her. Known about them.

They’d driven some distance out of town before Culhane slowed. There was something he wanted to show her. As he turned under an arched sign that read The Crooked Tree, she shot a glance at him. “What is The Crooked Tree?”

He looked nervous again. “You’ll see.”

She felt herself smile. As nervous as he was, she could feel his excitement. He looked happy, his blue eyes shining. She felt such a deep well of love for this man and what he’d been through. The letter from his father had gone a long way to heal some old hurts. In a perfect world, his father would have made those amends before he died, but they didn’t live in a perfect world. Still, she could feel Culhane letting go of the past and embracing the future, so she had to thank his father for that.

Ahead, a wonderful red barn came into view and what appeared to be a stable. She looked over at Culhane again and saw that he was apparently waiting for her reaction.

That’s when they dropped over a rise and the house came into view. She let out a cry of surprise and pleasure at the sight of the main house. It was three stories, white with tons of windows and a covered porch that ran the whole width of the front. It was framed with deep green pine trees and a mountainside with red rock cliffs above a creek.

“What do you think?” he asked as he stopped the pickup to take in the view.

“It’s beautiful,” she said on a breath. She couldn’t help her excitement. The house was like something out of a magazine. All those windows... It was exactly what she would have dreamed of, if she’d ever dreamed anything like this was possible. She’d been too busy with her career to dream too far into the future—until Culhane.

“The owners set it up as a horse ranch,” he was saying. “Over there is pasture enough for a couple dozen horses, and there is more land across the creek and back in the mountains for horseback rides.” He turned to look at her. “Want to see the inside of the house?”

More than she wanted her next breath. “Can we?”

Grinning, he held up the key and drove on down to the house.

“The owners aren’t home?” she asked.

“Not yet.” He parked, and they got out and climbed the steps to the porch. He used the key to open the door, then turned to her.

Before she knew what was happening, he picked her up and carried her across the threshold.

“Culhane?” she cried, confused about what was going on.

“Welcome home—that is, if you like the place,” he said as he kissed her and set her on her feet. “This ranch is what my father had his lawyer pick out for us. According to Earl Ray, who spent quite a lot of time with the lawyer, my father did research to try to decide what you would like. He added that to what he knew about me... Welcome to The Crooked Tree.”

Alexis felt as if she’d walked into a fairy tale. The living room was spacious and yet warm and inviting with its beautiful stone fireplace and soft, comfortable-looking furniture. Over the hearth was an inlaid design of a beautiful tree with wide branches. Beyond the living room was a large, open kitchen, and beyond that was a deck that overlooked the creek and a fenced yard with a swing set and a small children’s fort. As they moved through the house, Culhane was saying that he had had a fort just like it when he was a boy.

The floors were all hardwood, stained with a soft gray that went with the white woodwork. The whole place was filled with light from all the windows. Alexis took a deep breath as Culhane grabbed her hand and said, “Wait until you see the bedrooms.”

“Wait, whose house is this?” she asked.

“Ours, if you like it.”

Like it? She loved it. Everything about it fit her aesthetic as if Culhane’s father had seen into her soul. She started to argue that maybe they shouldn’t just tromp through someone’s house, but she got caught up in his enthusiasm, and she desperately wanted to see the entire place.

The bedrooms were also bright and painted light colors. The owners must have had at least one boy and one girl. There was a blue room and a pink one, wonderfully whimsically decorated. The bathrooms were all tiled and elegantly appointed.

But it was the master bedroom that delighted her the most. There was a large king-size bed and two walk-in closets, his and hers, along with two bathrooms, also his and hers. As extravagant as that was, the room that stole her heart was off the bedroom. All windows, the sunroom had a large overstuffed chair and ottoman next to bookshelves that made her want to curl up and read right there.

“I thought you might like that part,” Culhane said, standing back to watch her. “Look at this.” On the other side of the master bedroom was another room, this one clearly a nursery.

“That’s nice,” she said, avoiding his gaze.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

“The house? It’s beautiful. I love it, but—”

“Alexis.” His gaze met hers and held it. “I made an offer on The Crooked Tree. It’s ours if you want it.”

“Want it?” she repeated.

“Want it and me,” he said. She felt her breath catch in her throat as he took off his hat and dropped to one knee. She noticed that he was also wearing both his lucky hat and his lucky boots. Tears burned her eyes. “Will you marry me?”