Page 38 of Cruz

The wedding was taking place at Cruz’s ranch. She was so shocked when he offered his ranch for them to get married. She didn’t want to get married in town, or at the church. The ranch was part of her life.

In the past month, they had discovered they were three months pregnant, she had moved out of her home, and in with Cruz. Now, they were getting married.

Cruz told her everything—how he helped her with the loan and the business, and how he didn’t say anything, but he wanted her to know she had someone who had her back, which meant the world to her. They didn’t hold back.

He told her how he also gave her mother the ultimatum. She could leave, and he wouldn’t consider it a threat.

She knew everything, and it made her fall a little more in love with the man she was about to marry. Cruz was a good guy. He was grumpy as hell, and that is why they had a completely full yard. She invited the town, because that is what you did when you were in Higher Ridge, and everyone had agreed to it. This had surprised her.

Cruz had hoped with his name on the wedding invitation, people would avoid it. That didn’t happen.

“How much do you think Cruz is going to hate me with how many people arrived?”

Jaxson laughed. “First of all, Cruz is not going to hate you. He loves you. Second, all the people here admire you.”

“Admire me?”

“Yeah, you’re marrying one of the biggest assholes in town, and trust me, Kate, you have a reputation for being one of the nicest people in the world. People are shocked and amazed that you’re going to not only marry him, but also have his kid.”

It was very much public knowledge that she was pregnant.

At Cruz’s insistence, she had to hire a helper at the shop, which happened to be a high school student. Kate didn’t think it was going to work, but she was a good worker, and she knew fabrics, and was obsessed with all things sewing and craft. So far, it was working out well. She couldn’t complain.

“Are you ready for this?” Jaxson asked.

She held out her hand, and he took it, and they made their way outside to where the main reception was being held. There were a lot of people, and Cruz wouldn’t let them park their cars, so most of them were outside, lining the road. The town was closed for this wedding.

Kate felt her heart start to race. She didn’t like being the center of attention, but she and Jaxson made it to the end of the aisle.

“Your chance is running out.”

“I’m not running away. I want to marry him,” Kate said, as her gaze captured Cruz’s, and all the other people faded away, and they were the only two people to exist.

When she needed a guardian angel, Cruz had been there. She hadn’t known at the time, but he’d been the one to handle the loan, to help her pay it back. He was there, giving her the helping hand she needed. Other women might be pissed off, but she wasn’t. She needed that help, but she didn’t know how to ask for it, and he’d been there.

Kate had fallen in love with him long before now. She had watched him come into town, with his scowl and bad language, and she loved every single thing about him.

People thought he was a cold man. He wasn’t. He was full of warmth, and as they got closer, Cruz took her hand, Jaxson stepped away, and Kate knew she was making the best decision of her life. She couldn’t look away, not even as the priest started to talk.

This was her life.

Marrying the grumpiest man in Higher Ridge, and throughout the whole ceremony, even with the town watching, he smiled at her. Cruz Moore did not smile at anyone else.

She knew she was special to him, and that was all she ever wanted.

Epilogue

Ten Years Later

Cruz followed his wife into the kitchen on Christmas morning and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Everything on the ranch was done, so he didn’t need to worry too much, as the cattle were close for the winter, and all the fences had been fixed or replaced.

It had been a long, hard year, with a dry, hot summer that had nearly cost him dearly, then a wet fall, but they made it through.

Kate’s Fabric Shop was still thriving. Over the last ten years, and six kids later, they were still going strong.

Their first child, a little girl named Caroline, had been one of the most stressful births of all time. Kate’s first, and it felt like it had taken days for their baby to make it into the world. It hadn’t, the labor had been pretty standard, but seeing Kate in pain, Cruz didn’t think they would ever have kids again.

He kept saying that, but they now had Robert, Paul, Daisy, Carmine, and Nicolas. Six kids, three dogs, two cats, some bunnies, chickens, and a whole herd of cattle.