Chapter 20
Liberty was on the warpath.
After she and Jesse got in a huge fight, she moved out of Mrs. Fields’ and into Cloe’s house, then called an emergency Holiday Secret Sisterhood meeting for the following morning.
An in-person meeting.
Noelle came in from Dallas and Hallie from Austin. Since they couldn’t go to the Holiday Ranch, the six sisters gathered at the Remington Ranch—sending Rome, Casey, and Sam Remington fleeing as soon as the doorbell started ringing.
Belle hadn’t stayed the night with Liberty at the Remington Ranch. Instead, she’d stayed at Corbin’s trailer. She had told Liberty it had to do with Sam’s No-Animals-in-the-House rule. But secretly she had hoped Corbin would show up.
He hadn’t.
Now, there she sat in the midst of her sisters at Cloe’s kitchen table, feeling heartbroken. Not because of Corbin’s hurtful words. She knew his words and anger had all been a product of his pain. Trust was a huge issue for him. And now the two people he loved the most, Sunny and Jesse, had broken his trust.
He thought Belle had broken it too.
He would never believe she wasn’t part of Jesse and Sunny’s scheme. There was no way Corbin would believe Liberty had kept it from her. That, and it wasn’t like Belle hadn’t tricked him before. It made sense she was tricking him again. Still, she wished he had given her the benefit of the doubt. Or at least given her an opportunity to tell her side of things. But she understood why he hadn’t. He only knew what he’d been taught—that people you loved couldn’t be trusted.
Not that he loved her.
But what if he did?
What if he was just dealing with his pain the same way Liberty was dealing with hers?
“I can’t believe I was so gullible!” Liberty brought her fist down on the table, causing all their coffee and tea mugs to jump. “I can’t believe I let love cloud my eyes from seeing what a stubborn, opinionated jackass Jesse is. He actually had the gall to defend Corbin after what he did, saying that he was like me and used anger to deal with his pain. I don’t use anger to deal with my pain!”
All the sisters glanced at each other as Liberty turned to Belle. “And I just want to say that you were right, Belly. I should never have agreed to marry a man I don’t even know. It’s a good thing I figured it out before it was too late and broke off the engagement.”
A few weeks ago, Belle would have been thrilled to hear those words. Now, they didn’t make her happy. Especially when she could read the heartbreak in her sister’s eyes. She completely understood how her sister felt. Her own heart felt like it had been trampled beneath the hoofs of a thousand head of cattle.
She took her sister’s hand and squeezed it. “You can’t break things off with Jesse, Libby. You love him and I know he loves you.”
“Wait a second.” Noelle jumped in. “I thought you wanted Liberty and Jesse to break up. Isn’t that why you called the last Secret Sisterhood meeting? To figure out how to keep Liberty from marrying Jesse?”
Hallie heaved an exasperated sigh. “Way to spill the beans, Elle.”
Liberty jerked her hand from Belle’s. “You called a meeting without me? And to break up my engagement?”
Belle nodded. “But now I see what a mistake it was. You love Jesse and you can’t let your anger and hurt ruin what you have. Yes, Jesse came up with a bad idea, but he was only trying to do what he thought was right. Which was convince his brother that ranching was harder than he thought and get our family’s ranch back. There was only one problem . . . Corbin really does want to be a rancher.”
Liberty stared at her. “What are you talking about, Belly? Has sex with Corbin screwed with your head? He doesn’t even know how to ride a horse.”
Noelle looked at Belle. “You had sex with Corbin? I don’t think sleeping with the enemy was what Mimi was talking about when she wanted us to befriend him.”
“I wasn’t following Mimi’s plan,” Belle said. “And Corbin is not the enemy.”
“He’s taking our family’s ranch, Belly. What would you call him?”
Belle didn’t hesitate to answer. “A man who has never had a place to call home.”
“I knew it!” Liberty threw up her hands. “You fell in love with him.”
All her sisters turned to her. There was nothing to do but speak the truth.
“Yes. I fell in love with Corbin. If anyone should understand that, Libby, you should. You didn’t want to fall in love, but you couldn’t stop it. I didn’t understand that a few weeks ago. I do now. You can’t choose who you fall in love with. It just happens.”
“Amen to that,” Sweetie said.
“Amen,” Cloe echoed.
“Amen,” Noelle chimed in. When everyone looked at her with surprise, she shrugged. “I haven’t had time to tell y’all that I’m in love with George.”
“George?” Sweetie said. “What happened to Luc?”
“Oh. That wasn’t love.” Noelle’s eyes got dreamy. “But what I feel for Georgie is the real thing.”
Hallie rolled her eyes. “Y’all have all lost your wits as far as I’m concerned. And I don’t care anymore who had sex with who or who y’all think you’ve fallen in love with. All I care about is the ranch. Are we going to be able to save it or not?”
A sadness filled Belle and it was hard to answer her sister. “The ranch is Corbin’s. I think we need to accept that and try to figure out where Daddy, Mama, and Mimi are going to live once they move out at the end of the month.”
“Once I get royalty money for my songs,” Sweetie said. “Decker and I want to build them a house right next to ours. Until then, they can live with me and Deck.”
“You don’t have the room, Sweetie,” Cloe said. “They can live here.”
Hallie shook her head. “Bad idea. I know you think Daddy and Sam have made up, but I think moving them in together is like putting two bulls in the same pen. I’d invite them to come live with me, but Mimi won’t be happy living in the city. Besides, there’s a good chance I might be jobless soon.”
Cloe turned to her. “Why?”
“The brewery I work at was sold and the new owner is an arrogant jerk. Y’all know I struggle to keep my thoughts to myself.”
Noelle laughed. “That’s putting it mildly, Hal. But if you do get yourself fired, you can come live with me and George in Dallas.”
“You’re moving in with George? Don’t you think that’s a little soon?”
“When you know, you know. Georgie has a big old house that will have plenty of room for you and Mama, Daddy, and Mimi. Although you’re right. I don’t think any of them are going to like living in a big city.”
“Then it’s a good thing they don’t have to.”
They all turned to see Sunny standing in the doorway of the kitchen. She lifted a hand in an awkward wave.
“Hey, y’all. I hope you don’t mind me comin’ on in. I knocked, but you were talking so loudly, you must not have heard.” She glanced around. “Please don’t tell me this is a Secret Sisterhood meeting? The rumor around high school was that you wore cool matching pink Sisterhood jackets, lit a ton of scented candles, and had a pile of guy voodoo dolls you stuck pins in.”
Noelle laughed. “That would have been cool.”
Sunny grinned. “It’s never too late to change things up. But I didn’t come here to talk about pink jackets or voodoo dolls. I came to tell you that Corbin moved out of your family’s house. I’m not sure what he plans to do with the ranch. But the house, barn, and acreage they sit on he plans to sign over to your parents and Mimi.”
All Belle’s sisters jumped up and started hugging each other and Sunny while talking excitedly.
Belle just sat there.
Corbin had left?
She’d thought her heart hurt before. It was nothing compared to how it felt now. While her sisters were celebrating with Sunny, she got up and slipped out of the room. She needed to cry and didn’t want to upset her sisters’ celebration. Unfortunately, she was stopped before she made it to the front door.
“You love him, don’t you?”
Belle turned to find Sunny standing there with a concerned look in her eyes. Belle couldn’t have lied if she’d wanted to.
“Yes. But it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t love me.”
“I think you’re wrong. Corbin does love you, Belly. But he’s not gonna come riding up on a white horse to declare that love. You see, Corbin has never trusted those three words. I think it has to do with my mama saying them every time she dropped us off with another relative. ‘I love y’all,’ she’d say right before she drove away. Which is why Corbin has no faith in love. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel it. He just shows his love through actions instead of words.”
Images popped into Belle’s head. Images of Corbin buying a safety harness for Gilley. Bringing her Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Wild Cherry Pepsi. Worrying about her staying in a seedy hotel or falling out of the hayloft. Thinking of any excuse to stop by the trailer or have her come out to the ranch.
But the sweetest image was of him giving her heated kisses as he ran his hands over her body in soft caresses. It hadn’t just been sex. He’d made love to her. Sweet, caring love.
Tears filled Belle’s eyes as hope bloomed inside her. “But he thinks I was part of your and Jesse’s plan.”
“I don’t think he thinks that. I think he was just scared of how much he was starting to care for you so he thought he’d push you away before you could push him.”
“So what do I do?”
“You do what our mama never could.” Sunny smiled, but this time with tears in her eyes. “You don’t let him go. Please don’t let him go, Belle.”
Belle realized Sunny was right. If she was ever going to prove her love to Corbin, she had to do it through actions not words. “Where is he? Did he go back to Houston?”
“Not yet. He’s at the trailer. But you need to hurry.”
“Tell Cloe to keep an eye on Gilley.” Belle turned to head out the door and ran into Jesse. He pulled her into his arms as if he never wanted to let her go before he drew back as if burned.
“Sorry. Wrong Holiday.” His eyes were wild and filled with fear. “Please tell me Libby’s here, Belle.”
“She is.”
He sighed with relief. “I guess she’s still pissed.”
“Yes, and I’m sure she’ll explode as soon as you walk into the kitchen.”
He smiled. “Then I guess it’s a good thing I love fireworks, Belle.”
She returned his smile. “I guess it is. And call me Belly.”
“Well, don’t just stand there grinning, you two,” Sunny said. “You got some stubborn hearts to win.” She flapped her hands. “Move!”
Belle had never been a fast driver, but she drove like an Indy car racer on the way into town. When she arrived at the trailer, she was relieved to see Corbin’s truck parked out front. She didn’t knock on the door. Instead, she just walked right in. Corbin sat on the couch eating Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and looking like he’d been put through hell. He jumped to his feet when he saw her and her name came out in a croaked voice that broke her heart.
“Bella.”
She wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around him and tell him she loved him. But she remembered what Sunny had said and kept those words inside.
At least for now.
She took the bag of Cheetos from him before she sat down on the couch. “So what are we watching?”
“Hope Floats.” His voice sounded strained . . . and endearing.
“Good choice.” She popped a Cheeto into her mouth and stared at the television, praying he wouldn’t ask her to leave. A nerve-wrecking moment later, he joined her on the couch. They continued to pretend to watch the movie until she went to set the bag of Cheetos down on the coffee table and noticed the drawing. A drawing of the ranch with Gilley and Tay and Mama and Daddy and Mimi . . . and her and Corbin.
A drawing that had Cory’s Dream written across the bottom.
Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them back. “Nice drawing.”
“It is, isn’t it?” He hesitated. “My sister knows me better than I know myself.”
She finally turned to him. “Then why did you give the house back?”
“Because that wasn’t the most important part of my dream. I didn’t realize what the most important part was until I lost it.” His eyes held vulnerability . . . but also hope. Hope was a good thing. Hope meant he believed.
She reached out and cradled his face, her thumb tenderly caressing the bruise beneath his eye. “What makes you think you lost it?”
He covered her hand with his and closed his eyes as if her touch healed him. “Did I?”
“How can you ask that question when I’m here, Corbin Whitlock? It’s going to take more than a few careless words to get rid of me.”
He opened his eyes. “I didn’t mean what I said, Bella. It wasn’t just sex to me. It was so much more.” He hesitated. “I need you.”
Because she knew how much he’d been through—how hard he’d worked to prove he didn’t need anyone—those words meant more to her than I love you.
“I need you too. I figured that out when I thought you had left and there was this big empty hole in my chest.”
He took her hand from his face and placed it over his heart. “This didn’t start beating again until you walked through that door. I was going to show up at the Remington Ranch with Jesse . . . but I was scared. Scared you could live without me when I can’t live without you.”
Tears filled her eyes. Instead of blinking them back, she let them fall.
He pulled her close. “Bella baby, don’t cry. Please don’t cry. It breaks my heart when you’re sad.”
“I’m not sad. I’m happy because you feel the same way I do.” She hesitated before she took a leap she hoped wouldn’t come back to bite her in the butt. “And since we both can’t live without each other, I think we should get married.”
His entire body tensed and she rushed on before she lost her nerve.
“I know you’re feeling a little blindsided. But you’re the one who taught me that when I find something I love, I’ll know it. And I love you, Corbin Whitlock. I think I started loving you on our very first date. But I didn’t know how much until I got to really know you. And just like lemon drop martinis and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and ornery dogs, now that I’ve found you, I have no intentions of letting you go. Ever. Because once I love something, I love it for life.”
He drew back, his eyes filled with wonder. “You love me?”
“With my whole heart. I know the words don’t mean much to you. So I intend to spend the rest of my life showing you just how much. Which is why I think we should get married as soon as possible. I’m thinking the Fourth of July would be nice.” She grinned. “Maybe a double wedding with your brother and my ornery sister?”
His eyes widened. “That’s only a couple weeks away, Bella.”
She frowned. “So when you said you needed me, you meant just for sex.”
“No! That’s not it at all. I just . . . you want to marry me?”
“Yes, Corbin Whitlock. I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life loving you. Do you have a problem with that?”
He opened his mouth and then closed it. He sat there for a nerve-wrecking moment before a huge smile spread over his face. A smile that lit up the room . . . and her heart.
“Would it matter if I did? If I’ve learned anything in the last few weeks, it’s that once you set your mind to something, Belle Holiday, you can’t be dissuaded. So if you want to love me for the rest of our lives, I guess I’ll have to let you.”
She laughed. “Damn right, you will.”
She pushed him back on the couch and started proving her love right then and there.