Read Online Wyatt: Return of the Cowboy by Cathy McDavid - Free Book Online Page A

He crossed the hardwood floor, guests and the wait staff magically parting to let him through. Paige stood frozen, her mouth forming a very appealing O , her eyes wide and shining.
    At least she wasn’t bolting, which was one of the scenarios that had played out in his head on the long drive over.
    “You came back,” she stammered when he reached her.
    “I never left.”
    “You didn’t?” Hope flared in her eyes.
    “I would have. Fate, or should I say the weather, intervened. I’m glad it did. Dinah told me something this morning, something I wish I’d known from the beginning.”
    “What was that?”
    He dipped his head. “Be honest. Did you send me the invitation?”
    She started to shake her head, then stopped and nodded.
    “You should have told me.”
    “Can you blame me for keeping it a secret?” She squared her shoulders, the demeanor a familiar one to Wyatt. She was once again the tough-as-steel teenager, protecting herself from hurt and misery.
    Wyatt had no intentions of hurting her. Given the opportunity, he’d cherish her always.
    “I did it for your mother,” Paige insisted. “She missed you.”
    He cradled her face with his hand. “Was she the only one?”
    Paige held out for only a moment. Then, her invisible guard crumbled. “No,” she whispered.
    He lowered his mouth to claim her kiss.
    “Hey!” Seth protested.
    Wyatt’s mother swooped down on them. “Wyatt! Oh, my goodness. I can’t believe it.”
    With a grin, he released Paige. Later, when they weren’t surrounded, he’d tell— show her—the full extent of his feelings.
    “Happy anniversary, Mom. I forgot my gift.”
    “You being here is the best gift ever,” she said in a wobbly voice as they embraced. She included Paige in the hug. “I’m so happy for you both.”
    He glanced around. Everyone was smiling at him, having apparently jumped to the same conclusion as his mother.
    The only one not wearing a besotted expression was Seth. Understandable that he’d be protective of his mother. Wyatt wasn’t sure how, but he’d find the right words to ease Seth’s worry and gain his trust.
    “Does this mean you’re staying?” Wyatt’s mother asked.
    “He’s staying.” Paige linked arms with him. “He’d better be staying.”
    “For good this time.” He met her gaze and held it. “Count on it.”
    The tinkling of a fork being tapped against a glass drew everyone’s attention. Jay climbed onto the small stage where the band was setting up, a microphone in his hands, his wife and daughters standing stiffly and dutifully to the right of the stage.
    “Your brother’s making a toast,” Wyatt’s mother said and hurried off to join his father at the bar.
    Wyatt tried to gauge his father’s reaction to his unexpected appearance but he turned away before Wyatt could see. Disappointment cut deep.
    Paige’s fingers tightened on his arm. “One step at a time.”
    Good advice. And it would be easier with her by his side.
    “Welcome,” Jay began. “I want thank everyone for coming today and helping my parents celebrate thirty-five years of wedded bliss.”
    Wyatt listened as his brother continued, citing the names of those who had made the party possible. He fully expected Jay to launch into several anecdotes about the early days of their parents’ marriage, stories that elicited laughs and sentimental sighs.
    To Wyatt’s amazement, Jay recounted the story of the accident. The real story, not the one they’d fabricated.
    “It’s important, not just to Wyatt,” Jay said, all eyes in the room darting between him and Wyatt, “but to me, too, that the truth finally come out. It’s not fair he take the blame for my mistake, and I want to publicly apologize to him. I didn’t realize until recently how difficult it is to lose one’s family.” Jay looked longingly at his wife and daughters. When he continued, it was with a shaky voice. “I shouldn’t have put you through what I did. You’re a good cowboy and an