Sealed With a Kiss (33 page)

John put his hands over his ears and Rachel
laughed. “I’ll save that fact for later.” She turned to see where
Bella and Tank had gone. “What are they doing?”

Bella and Tank were skating toward Rachel,
holding a silver tray in their hands. On the tray was a container
covered with sparkly jewels.

She looked at John. “Do you know what they’re
doing? I don’t remember this scene from
The Wizard of
Oz
.”

“It’s not from the play.”

“It’s not?”

“No. Listen to the music.”

Rachel focused on the music coming from the
speakers. “It’s a Nat King Cole song. Tess played it at her
wedding. It’s called,
When I Fall in Love.
” She still didn’t
understand what was going on.

Bella and Tank stopped in front of her.
Rachel looked at John, hoping he’d help her work out what they
should do next.

He took an envelope out of the container that
Bella and Tank were holding. “This is for you.”

Rachel looked at the envelope and smiled.
“That’s the card that Bella sent to The Bridesmaids Club. You kept
it?”

John nodded. His frown started to make her
feel nervous.

“Read it again,” Bella whispered.

Rachel knew what it said. She’d memorized
each word, looking for any clue about who could have sent it. She
wiped her hands on her jacket and took the envelope out of John’s
hand. She slid the flap open and pulled the letter out.
“Dear
Bridesmaids Club. Can you please help my daddy find a
bride?”

John put the letter on the tray and held her
hands. “When you came into my office and gave me Bella’s letter, I
didn’t know what to think. I’d never met anyone that made me feel
so much, so quickly. You annoyed me, and intrigued me, and made me
want to know you better.”

He took a deep breath. Rachel’s heart pounded
and her vision started to get a little blurry around the edges. Her
skates wobbled and John steadied her.

“I love you, Rachel. I’ve loved you from the
minute you walked into my office. I can’t imagine my life without
you. You make me happy and you make Bella happy. I didn’t expect to
feel this way about anyone.”

Rachel tried to think of something to say,
but her mind had gone completely blank. John looked at her with so
much love in his eyes that she had to remember to breathe.

He looked at Bella. “We wanted to take you to
The Wizard of Oz
for different reasons.”

“I like Dorothy’s shoes,” Bella said with a
grin.

“And I wanted to let you know that you’ve
changed my life.”

Rachel let go of John’s hands and blew her
nose. “I don’t know what to say.”

John looked at her closely before reaching
into the container. He handed her a piece of paper that had been
rolled into a tube. Someone had tied a pink bow around the
middle.

“That’s from me,” Bella said with pride.
“It’s a certificate for being the best teacher in the world. The
Wizard of Oz gave the Scarecrow a certificate, too. Except he
wanted to be brainy. I’m happy with the way I am.”

Rachel took the certificate out of Bella’s
hands and gave her a hug. “Thank you. I’m happy with the way you
are, too.”

Tank reached into the container. With one
hand he took out a medal attached to a bright blue ribbon. “And
this is from all of us. For being brave when we were all scared,
and for finding Bella when no one else could.”

With a little help from John, Tank put the
medal over Rachel’s head. “The Lion in
The Wizard of Oz
wanted to be brave.” Tank looked at the medal, then into her eyes.
“He deserved his medal as much as you do.”

Rachel wiped fresh tears off her face. “Thank
you, Tank.”

Bella looked at her dad. “It’s your turn,”
she whispered.

John put his hand inside the container and
pulled out a small red box. “And this is from me.”

Rachel held her breath as he got down on one
knee.

“Bella and I love you, Rachel. Will you marry
me and be part of our lives?”

She looked at the beautiful heart-shaped
diamond. “The Tin Man wanted a heart,” she whispered.

John wiped his eyes and stood up. “He wanted
to know what love felt like. Every day that I’ve known you, you’ve
shown me what it’s like to be loved. I’d like to spend the rest of
my life showing you how much I love you. Will you marry me?”

Rachel nodded. Tears slid down her face as
Bella and John wrapped her in their arms. She glanced at Tank and
smiled as he blew his nose.

She closed her eyes and felt joy unfold
inside her. Like Dorothy in
The Wizard of Oz
, she’d found
what she’d been looking for. And it had been there all along.

THE END

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Sealed with a Kiss
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Keep reading for a preview of
Playing for
Keeps
, Sophie and Ryan’s story in the Emerald Lake
Billionaires series!

A FREE BOOK FOR YOU!

If you enjoyed meeting Tess in
Sealed with a
Kiss
, download your FREE copy of
All of
Me
, Tess and Logan’s story, today. I’ve included an
excerpt at the end of this book for you to enjoy.

PLAYING FOR
KEEPS

EMERALD LAKE BILLIONAIRES, BOOK TWO

Three billionaires, an emerald lake, and a
lifetime's worth of happy endings.

Ryan sat in his truck and watched the people on the
sidewalk. Downtown Bozeman wasn’t exactly the center of the
universe, but it was as close as he’d gotten in a long time. For
the last four months he’d been building his dream house on the
shores of Emerald Lake and hiding from a past he wasn’t proud
of.

But that was all about to change. In ten
minutes he’d be meeting his publicist, strategizing about the best
way to deal with his crazy ex-wife and the media frenzy that was
about to hit town.

Dorothy Patterson was nothing if not
punctual. She strode along the sidewalk like the leader of a
marching band; back straight, head high, and with the kind of
serious expression that didn’t bode well for a good meeting.

Dorothy had made the journey from Nashville
to Montana in record time. She had as much to lose as he did. If
his ex-wife’s photos hit any of the publications she was
threatening to use, they’d both be going down in flames.

He got out of his truck, shut the door, and
prepared for one of the most important discussions of his life. By
the time he made it inside Angel Wings Café, Dorothy had already
found a table at the back of the room.

“You’re late,” Dorothy said with a forced
smile. She looked like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth but
underneath the girl next door veneer, there was a woman with a
heart of steel. If anyone could get him out of the mess he was in,
Dorothy could.

“I’ve been waiting in my truck. Have you
spoken to her?”

“The only person Cindy is talking to is her
lawyer. He called me four hours ago and told me her terms and
conditions haven’t changed. She wants half of the royalties from
the song you wrote when you were married. If you don’t pay her,
she’s going to release the photos. Sit down. I’ve ordered
coffee.”

Ryan wasn’t surprised to hear that his
ex-wife hadn’t changed her mind. The only thing consistent about
Cindy was that when she made up her mind she never changed it.
“She’s not getting any royalties from the song. My lawyer has
already spoken to her lawyer. There’s no way a judge will give her
what she wants.”

Dorothy smiled at the waitress as she left
their drinks on the table. She leaned forward, her blue eyes boring
into his. “You can’t afford to let her release those photos.
They’ll kill your career.”

“I divorced Cindy six years ago. She took
half of what I owned then. There’s no way she’s going to get more
money. If you can’t speak to Cindy, tell her lawyer that she won’t
see another dime from me.”

Dorothy pulled a folder out of her bag. “I
thought you’d say something like that. I’ve been working on a plan
to salvage what we can of your reputation. Are you sure she hasn’t
got more photos?”

“She sent me copies of all of them. They’re
so out of focus that she’ll be lucky if anyone believes her.”

“It doesn’t matter what they believe. What
matters is that they’ll be available for everyone to see. If Cindy
can’t get her hands on the money she thinks is hers, she’ll take
what she can. If that means destroying you in the process, she’ll
do it.”

“She’s not that calculating.”

“I wouldn’t bet on it.” Dorothy turned the
folder around and opened the cover. “Tell me what you think.”

Ryan started to read the document in front of
him but didn’t get very far. Dorothy’s suggestions for combating
his ex-wife’s demands were almost as bad as releasing the photos.
“What do you mean, sing for a charity? I’m living in the middle of
Montana, being hounded by my ex-wife, and you want me to give a
charity concert?”

“I don’t care how you do it or where you do
it, but you need to start generating some positive publicity.
Hiding in Bozeman will only fuel speculation that you’re guilty and
the photos are genuine.”

It was Ryan’s turn to lean forward. “They are
true. I’d had too much to drink. I was twenty-one-years-old, and
we’d been married for less than a year. I learned my lesson.”

“It looks as though Cindy did, too. She’s
probably kicking herself that she didn’t take more.” Dorothy
pointed to the list in front of him. “We need photos of you at your
new house, with your clothes on and a tool belt around your waist.
That will let people know that you’ve got more than a
pretty...”

“I get the idea.”

“Let’s hope everyone else does, as well.”

Ryan didn’t bother looking for a smile on
Dorothy’s face. He’d given up years ago believing that she actually
had a sense of humor. He looked back at the list and frowned. Out
of all the options she’d come up with, having his photo taken
wearing a tool belt made the most sense.

He read the next bullet point on her list.
“You’re not asking for much. I haven’t written any new material in
the last six months. How do you expect me to write, produce and
record an album in the next six months?”

“Your ex-wife was your inspiration for Sad
Time Coming. It made you an overnight success. Use that same energy
to produce your next number one hit. Maybe you could call it
Goodbye to Bad News.”

This time, Ryan did look for a smile.
Dorothy’s mouth was tilted at the corners. “And here I was,
thinking you didn’t have a sense of humor.”

Dorothy’s smile disappeared. “I hide it well.
Getting mad doesn’t achieve anything, but at least getting even
makes you feel better. Cindy won’t be impressed if her threats make
you another million dollars.”

“Especially if she can’t get her hands on any
of it,” Ryan muttered.

He would have laughed at the next bullet
point if it had been someone else’s life they were talking about.
“What do you hope to achieve by setting me up with another woman?
The only thing I need is a good lawyer and a plan to keep Cindy
away from me.”

“A new girlfriend is my emergency option.
After what happened with Cindy, you could be asking for trouble.
But, after a lot of soul-searching, I believe it could be your
saving grace.” She reached across the table and pulled another
piece of paper from the back of the folder. “She would have to meet
certain criteria. You can’t afford to make the same mistake
twice.”

Ryan didn’t bother reading what Dorothy had
put in front of him. There was no way he’d date another woman to
make his publicist happy.

Dorothy sipped her coffee and watched him
read the rest of the list. “You haven’t had a serious girlfriend
since you left Cindy. If you’re not willing to do anything else, at
least think about it. I might be a miracle worker, but I’m not
Cupid.”

“I’m not paying you to be Cupid,” Ryan said.
“I’m paying you to look after my career. I’ll take the list home
and read it. If I have any questions, I’ll give you a call.”

“I’ll be in Bozeman until four o’clock this
afternoon. I’ve got a meeting with your lawyer in half an hour. If
there’s anything else you need to tell me, call me on my cell
phone.” Dorothy put her coffee cup in the middle of the table and
stood up. “If you hear anything from Cindy, call me straight
away.”