She pulled the covers up and locked her legs around his. Celia didn’t speak at all. Not to patronize him. Or chew his ass. Or add more guilt to the pile he already carried. She just held him and let him clutch her like the lifeline she was.

The shakes stopped when he felt consciousness fading. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For showing me once again you’re the better person than me in so many ways.”

“Kyle.”

“I’m serious. You’re intimidating as hell, Celia. You’re so freakin’ smart. Although I don’t tell you that twenty-four/seven, because I don’t want you to get a swelled head.”

“Usually you’re the one with the swelled head. I ain’t talking about this one.” She tapped his forehead.

“I’m too tired to do anything about that right now.”

“That’s a first. Now get some sleep.”

As he drifted off, he said, “Don’t leave.”

“I won’t. I’m right here.”

“No. Don’t ever leave me. Not now. Not in six months. Not in sixty years. Be my wife forever.”

“Kyle. You’re exhausted and upset. You have no idea what you’re babbling about.”

“But I do. I’m perfectly…capable of…telling you…that I…” He chased the thought until sleep overtook him.

Chapter Twenty-two

With the birth of the last calf, things slowed down some. If the first six weeks of their marriage had been a whirlwind, the last six weeks were a tornado. Losing three calves wasn’t good, but it could’ve been so much worse.

It’d ripped her up, seeing Kyle’s devastation the night that cow had died on his watch. Hard lesson to learn, the importance of vigilance, but one he would never forget. She considered how different the season would’ve turned out if she hadn’t been here. If Kyle had had to muddle through everything on his own. What would he have done if she hadn’t been around to guide him?

As much as she’d made herself indispensable, she didn’t want her husband looking at her and seeing a ranch hand. She wanted Kyle to see her first as his wife, second as a good ranching partner. Especially after he’d begged her not to go when he’d said he wanted her as his wife forever. At the time she feared it’d been exhaustion talking. But over the last few weeks, things had changed between them again. Their bond had strengthened. She’d never been happier in her life and she wanted Kyle to know it.

As Celia curled against Kyle’s side last night, content in the aftermath of his very thorough loving, she came up with a simple, small way to prove she wanted this marriage to be real in every sense of the word too—she would change her name. On her driver’s license and her Social Security card. She’d make it official.

After checking the herd, Kyle jotted down a list of supplies. Normally Celia tagged along when he went to town, but she opted to stay home and he left after a late lunch.

In the office, she pawed through the binder they’d started for keeping track of important paperwork. They would soon need a better system because papers and receipts were already getting jumbled together. She sorted through copies of their birth certificates, vehicle titles, Marshall’s will, and the land plat survey. But no marriage license.

Hadn’t Kyle mentioned taking care of that weeks ago?

What the devil had he done with it? Maybe he’d put it in a different place. They were supposed to keep everything together for easy access.

So why is your bank statement still hidden?

Why hadn’t she told Kyle about it? Because it was an escape hatch? Because she didn’t want to share the money with him?

No. As Kyle’s wife she was entitled to fifty percent of his inheritance. So while the amount her brothers had given her was generous, it was a drop in the bucket compared to what this ranch was worth.

She grabbed her bank statement and the course requirement printout from her hiding spot behind the stack of Cowboys & Indians magazines. She stared at the dollar amount, still shocked she had that much money. Leaning against the window frame, she looked out across the snowbanks, which had started to melt, revealing lots of fences to fix this spring. Other ranch and household improvements loomed. Kyle didn’t need this money to make those changes happen. Would he see her offer to put the money in a joint account as a sign she wanted to meld their lives together on all fronts? Yes.

Celia set the bank statement and college information on the ironing board to keep it separate from the other paperwork. After a half an hour of fruitless searching, she figured Kyle had gotten so busy he must’ve forgotten about obtaining a copy of the license. She went online and tracked down the phone numbers to request that a copy of the marriage license be sent to their current address.

Took ten minutes until a real live person came on the line. Celia explained the situation—twice—and bit back her frustration at being transferred again.

“Miss Lawson? Sorry to keep you waiting. I did some checking and nothing has changed with regard to Trade Winds Casino since the facility was closed. Since the sixty-day grace period for permits had passed, unfortunately right before your ceremony, the marriage is invalid.”

She froze. “Excuse me? I must’ve misunderstood. I heard you say the marriage is invalid.”

“The marriage is invalid,” she repeated. “Just like I explained to Mr. Gilchrist when he called—”

“What? Kyle has been in touch with your office? When?”