Love at Last

  Love at Last

  Love in Bloom Series

  Melissa Foster

  This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.

  LOVE AT LAST

  All Rights Reserved.

  Copyright © 2017 Melissa Foster

  Google Play Edition

  V1.0

  This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Cover Design: Elizabeth Mackey Designs

  Cover Photograph: Sara Eirew

  WORLD LITERARY PRESS

  PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

  A Note from Melissa

  If this is your first introduction to the Bradens, please note that this is a flirt not a full-length novel. Love at Last follows Cal Hayden and Rachel Gray, friends of the Bradens, and also features several of the Colorado Bradens. Love at Last is a great way to get to know the Braden family, and then you can go back and read each of their love stories. Like all Love in Bloom books, flirts are written to stand alone, so jump right in and enjoy the fun, sexy, and emotional ride.

  What is a Flirt?

  The Love in Bloom big-family romance world has become so widely enjoyed, I have been asked by thousands of readers to write the stories of our beloved side characters. While I couldn’t possibly fit in writing full-length novels for each of them while maintaining my normal publication schedule, I’ve created flirts. Flirts vary in length, and cover twenty-four to forty-eight hours of two side characters’ lives on their path to their happily ever after, while also updating readers about their favorite main characters. I hope you love these quick, fun, sexy stories as much as I enjoy writing them.

  If this is your first Love in Bloom story, then you have a whole series of loyal, sexy, and wickedly naughty heroes and smart, sassy heroines to catch up with. The characters from each family series within the Love in Bloom world cross into other family series and make appearances in future books so you never miss an engagement, wedding, or birth.

  Start reading the Love in Bloom big-family romance collection FREE with Sisters in Love, the story that started the sensation, the very first of the Love in Bloom books.

  www.Melissafoster.com/LIBFree

  Visit my website for family trees, reading order, and publication schedules.

  www.melissafoster.com/reader-goodies

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  Thanks for reading!

  Melissa

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  A Note from Melissa

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Excerpt from Taken by Love

  More Books by Melissa

  Meet Melissa

  Chapter One

  “THREE GIRLS WALK into a diner. One’s recently married and the happiest she’s ever been, one’s pregnant and ready to pop, and one’s lusting after a man who has no clue she fantasizes about his big—”

  “Stop!” Rachel Gray slapped her hand over her friend Emily’s mouth as they neared the town diner. Emily had recently returned from Italy, where she’d married her long-time fiancé, Dae Bray, and her sister-in-law Callie was eight and a half months pregnant. They were two of Rachel’s closest friends and they were living their dreams, while Rachel crushed on a man who had been flirting shamelessly with her, toying with her emotions. It was so different from the gentleman she knew him to be, it made for a roller coaster of emotions every time she saw him. The fact that he’d never asked her out only amped up her frustration, which was why she’d made up her mind the last time she’d seen him that she was done letting Cal Hayden get under her skin.

  Or at least she was trying to be done.

  “Do not go there,” she said to Emily. “And for Pete’s sake, please don’t say a word about that in front of Margie.”

  Margie Holmes had worked at the diner forever. She was the eyes and ears of Trusty, Colorado, their quaint hometown, and Rachel would like to stay out of her gossip web, thank you very much.

  “If you think Margie’s gossip tentacles don’t stretch far and wide, you are wrong.” Callie patted her burgeoning belly and said, “Margie knew I was pregnant before Wes and I did.”

  Rachel laughed as she opened the door for the girls to pass through. Today was the Trusty Spring Festival, one of the biggest events of the year. Most of the shops had closed for the event, including Rachel’s hair salon, but the diner remained open. Residents liked to joke that it was Margie’s way of keeping tabs on them.

  “Hot cowboy alert,” Emily whispered as she passed through.

  Rachel followed them in and stopped cold at the sight of the most perfect Levi’s-clad butt she’d ever seen. She’d know that sculpted perfection anywhere. Heat chased up her spine as she took in the strong lines of Cal Hayden’s trim waist and the way the soft white cotton stretched across his broad shoulders and back as he leaned over the counter chatting with Margie. Cal was one of the most sought-after horse trainers in the area, and he was six-plus feet of pure Rachel-wrecking virility.

  He turned and, sweet baby Jesus, his black Stetson shaded his cerulean-blue eyes, which reached right into her chest and stroked her heart. Yes, her heart, because despite his flirting-on-steroids nonsense of late, he was the epitome of a gentleman. There were lots of hot guys around, cowboys even, but single gentlemen who looked beyond a woman’s figure, who knew the importance of family, and who could dance like Fred Astaire? Not in her small hometown. Cal was one in a million.

  He leaned to the side, revealing Li’l Hal Braden sitting on the counter, safely nestled in the circle of his arm, and she melted right there on the spot. Li’l Hal was just shy of a year and a half, with a mop of dark hair like his parents, Emily’s cousin Rex and Rex’s wife, Jade. Yes, Li’l Hal was cuter than a litter of kittens, and seeing all that cuteness wrapped up in Cal’s hotness sent Rachel’s hormones into overdrive.

  So much for resisting Cal Hayden.

  “Hey there, darlin’,” he said with a rich drawl as a slow smile spread across his too-handsome face. “You going to come in and join us, or stare at my butt all day long?”

  “I was looking at the baby,” she protested as she stepped inside.

  “Yeah, the baby,” Emily mumbled.

  “Mm-hm, it’s all about the baby,” Callie said with a laugh.

  “How’s it going, girls?” Margie asked from behind the counter. “Go ahead and take a seat. I’ll be right over.” She winked at Rachel and said, “You might want the booth by the window. Great view of the counter from there.”

  Ohmygod.

  Cal’s lips tipped up in a cocky smile. Rachel tried to keep from blushing, but she could feel her cheeks burning.

  “I’ve got it. I want to get off my feet anyway.” Callie went to claim the booth.

  “Look at what you started,” Rachel whispered sharply to Cal as Emily reached for Li’l Hal.

  He leaned in and spoke in a husky voice, just loud enough for her ears only. “Did you like what you saw? Because I sure do.” His eyes d
arkened, and he added, “Be sure to save me a dance at the festival, darlin’.”

  Her stomach somersaulted.

  Before she could respond, Emily asked, “Why do you have my adorable nephew?” She bounced the little one on her hip, earning sweet baby giggles.

  Cal rose to his full height, bringing every delicious inch of him into focus. “Rex is at the festival, and Jade’s morning sickness was bad this morning. I offered to watch him for a few hours.”

  “Did you hear that, Rachel?” Emily said sassily. “Cal likes babies.”

  Rachel rolled her eyes, opening her mouth to deny that she cared, but Cal was watching her like a hawk, and her ability to respond flitted away. Oh, how she hated that! She was not a mousy girl who withered at the sight of a hot man! Just a woman who had fallen so hard for one it bordered on ridiculous.

  “I like things that come in small packages,” Cal said with a lift of his brow.

  The door to the diner opened, and the brisk air snapped Rachel’s lust-addled brain into gear again. Okay, big boy, that was a direct hit. Rachel was barely five feet tall. It was time for that cowboy to ride or get out of the stable.

  “Funny, I prefer big packages,” she said with enough snark to cause the man sitting at the other end of the counter to mumble, “Damn.”

  Cal’s eyes smoldered, and she felt the heat follow her all the way to the booth. She sat across from Callie, her back to Cal, and whispered, “I can’t believe I said that!”

  Callie tucked her dark hair behind her ear and said, “I can’t believe you two are still dancing around each other.”

  Rachel turned and stole a glance at Emily, who was handing the baby back to Cal. Heck if seeing that baby snuggled up against him didn’t send her insides into another wild flurry. She turned around and inhaled deeply, needing a distraction. “So, Wes is riding in the rodeo at the festival? Are you excited to watch him?”

  “Yes, but even after all this time it still makes me nervous.” Callie hadn’t even ridden a horse before meeting Wes, and while he was a thrill seeker, she was a demure librarian who preferred fairy tales to danger.

  Emily slid into the booth beside Callie, and half a second later, Cal placed a high chair at the table catty-corner from them and settled Li’l Hal into it. Rachel had just started to calm down, and his close proximity made her pulse kick up again. She tried not to watch him, but as he pressed a kiss to the top of Li’l Hal’s head, his eyes connected with hers and he winked.

  Could this get any more embarrassing? The guy was leading her on, and she was hanging on to his every breath. She needed to get a grip, and this time she meant it. She was going to forget about him if it was the last thing she did. Clearing her throat, she forced herself to focus on her friends instead of the beefcake who was currently reading the menu to a baby.

  Good Lord.

  Thankfully, Margie appeared to take their order. “Okay, what can I get y’all? The usual?”

  “Yes,” they said in unison—though Rachel thought, I’ll take one hot cowboy with a side of baby.

  “Coming right up,” Margie said, and moved to take Cal’s order.

  Do not look at him.

  “I brought the wedding pictures.” Emily pulled a wedding album from her purse and set it on the table between them.

  Do not listen for his order. Rachel’s eyes skimmed the gorgeous pictures of Emily and Dae.

  “It was chilly, but that’s better than hot, right?” Emily said as she turned the page, describing every detail of her wedding.

  Rachel hadn’t been able to travel to Italy for the wedding, and she wanted to hear about it, but even as she kept her eyes on the pictures, she couldn’t register a word Emily said. She was too busy trying not to concentrate on Cal.

  “I’ll take a big piece of blondie pie, with extra whipped cream,” Cal said.

  Rachel’s gaze snapped to his. He was staring right at her with a smile that made her insides go crazy.

  “You do realize it’s breakfast time?” Margie asked.

  Without looking away, Cal said, “I could eat it morning, noon, and night.”

  Holy moly.

  Rachel’s cell phone rang, startling her out of her reverie. She fumbled in her purse, silently chastising herself for getting lost in Cal again, and stared out the window as she answered the call from Emily’s cousin’s wife. “Hi, Max.”

  “Hi. Are you around?” Max asked frantically. “I know you’re not working today, but Dylan just cut off one of Adriana’s ponytails, and we have family photos next week. I only turned my back for a second to wipe Bryce’s nose, and Dylan had those little kid scissors. The ones with the rounded tips. I didn’t even know they could cut hair.” Bryce was Max’s newest baby.

  “It happens all the time,” Rachel assured her. “Don’t worry. I’ll fix her right up and she’ll be cute as a button. I’m at the diner. Can you meet me at my shop in ten minutes?”

  After she ended the call, she pushed to her feet. “I’ve got to run.”

  “What’s wrong?” Emily asked.

  “Dylan cut off one of Adriana’s ponytails.” Not that Rachel was happy about Adriana’s plight, but selfishly, she was glad for the excuse to leave. If she looked at Cal Hayden one more time, she was likely to go up in flames.

  Callie and Emily gasped.

  “Max must be so upset,” Callie said. “She loved Adriana’s long hair.”

  “That little rascal,” Emily said. “I can’t believe he did that.”

  “It’s more common than you think. I better run. I’ll catch up with you at the festival.” She put a few dollars on the table and ran out the door.

  LATER THAT AFTERNOON, Cal stood outside the arena and scanned the festival grounds for the hundredth time since he’d arrived, hoping to catch sight of Rachel.

  “Hey there,” a stacked brunette said with a flirtatious wave.

  Cal nodded and turned back to the mare he was grooming. He was riding one of Luke Braden’s horses for a show soon, and couldn’t escape the barn. Unfortunately, these events brought out every cowboy-seeking woman there was from all the surrounding towns. The place had been mobbed—and he’d been hit on—all freaking day. As much as he loved these events, and he really did love community events, he could do without the women wasting his time with stupid comments like I bet you’re great at riding bareback. They thought they were irresistible in their cleavage-baring shirts, and clever with their double entendres, but Cal only had eyes for one green-eyed girl, and she didn’t have to rely on tricks to get his attention. She’d had it for years, and he was finally in a position to make his move. If only he knew where she was.

  He saw Luke approaching from the far side of the barn with his brothers Jake and Pierce. They were a formidable force, the three brawny Braden men. Solid country stock, as his father would have said, rest his soul. They’d grown up in Trusty, whereas Cal had grown up just outside the city limits. But the horse community was closely knit, and he’d known the Bradens for years.

  “How’re my beautiful girls?” Luke asked as he joined Cal by the stall of one of his horses. Luke was the best gypsy horse breeder in the States. Gypsy horses were stunning creatures, with silky manes and tails and feathering that covered their hooves. They were a needy breed in general, and Luke had showered each of his horses with love, which they gave back in droves, as the horse was doing now, pressing her head into the center of his chest.

  “They’re ready and waiting.” Cal extended a hand to Pierce, who owned resorts all over the world and lived in Reno. “Haven’t seen you in months. I hear congratulations are in order.”

  Pierce took his hand and pulled him into a manly embrace. “On the wedding or the pregnancy?” He and his wife, Rebecca, had eloped a few months ago, and word around town was that Rebecca had gotten pregnant on their wedding night.

  “That’d be both,” Cal said, and turned to Jake, who worked as a stuntman and lived in Los Angeles with his wife, Fiona. They came back for the festival every year. “H
ey, man. Good to see you.”

  “How’s it going?” Jake embraced him. “Sorry to hear about your old man.”

  Even after six months, the realization that his father was really gone still stung. He’d battled cancer for almost two years, and not a day passed when Cal didn’t miss him. “Thank you.”

  “How’s your mom holding up?” Jake asked.

  “She’s good. Thanks for asking. She’s around here somewhere, hanging out with the women from her book club.”

  “Good,” Jake said. “It’s nice that she’s got close friends. You haven’t seen my wife around, have you? She took off with Emily and a few of the girls and I haven’t seen her since.”

  “Fiona?” Cal shook his head. “No, but there are so many people here, I could have just missed her. Was Rachel Gray with them by any chance?” When she’d run out of the diner, Emily had told him she’d had a hair emergency to take care of, whatever that was. He’d been this close to bringing her breakfast to the salon when Emily mentioned she was heading over with it. Now it was nearing six o’clock and he had yet to set his eyes on her.

  “Rachel? Yeah, she was with them,” Jake said. “She told me about Dylan cutting Adriana’s hair.”

  “That must be the hair emergency Emily mentioned.”

  “Oh yes. Adriana’s now sporting a pixie cut, at least that’s what Rachel called it.” Jake laughed and said, “But Dylan? That boy’s gonna get into some shit when he’s older.”

  “Reminds me of someone else I know,” Pierce said with a smirk.

  “Proud of it,” Jake said, and smacked Cal on the back. “What’s up with you and Rachel?”

  “Not enough,” Cal said. “But I’m fixin’ to change that if I can find her.”

  “After our show, please,” Luke said, tapping his watch.

  They spent a few more minutes catching up, and then Cal and Luke saddled up and rode two of Luke’s finest horses into the ring. Cal handled all types of horse training, and he’d helped Luke with trick training his girls. As they trotted out to the center and got into position with the horses facing each other, Cal did another quick visual sweep of the area and spotted his blond beauty watching from the far side of the ring. He sat up taller and lifted his chin in her direction, but she turned at that very moment to Cutter Long, one of Wes’s employees at his dude ranch. Cutter was a nice guy, but the idea of the dark-haired cowboy hitting on Rachel made his blood boil.