Marry Me, Cowboy by Stacy Dawn
Marry Me, Cowboy This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental. Marry Me, Cowboy COPYRIGHT © 2008 by Stacy Dawn All rights reserved. This is an “unedited” as is title. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. Contact Information:
[email protected] Cover Art by RJ Morris The Wild Rose Press PO Box 706 Adams Basin, NY 14410-0706 Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com Publishing History First Yellow Rose Edition, May 2008 Free Read Published in the United States of America
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Marry Me, Cowboy
Squinting one eye open, Dane McCord winced as the dust billowed up from where he’d landed flat on his back in the dirt. Short breaths enabled him to get enough air into his lungs to ensure he wouldn’t pass out. The gleeful whiney of the wild chestnut mare who’d just thrown him mingled with raucous feminine laughter growing in a shadowed form against the glaring noon-day sun. He blinked open both eyes to a waterfall of raven hair leaning over him. Kathleen’s twinkling blue eyes sized him up from his Stetson-bare head to his prone cowboy boots. A small lift of rose red lips caused instant heat to seize his gut—if he wasn’t still trying to replace the air into his knocked lungs, he’d have rolled the beautiful cowgirl in the dust with him. “That the best you can do, McCord?” she taunted. “My granny could stay on longer than you did.” “Yeah, well I know your granny,” he choked out. “No doubt, her petticoats would be over her head in the dirt with that there filly, too.” Slowly, he propped himself up on his elbows. “If you think you can do better, go ahead. But that horse doesn’t want 1
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to be broke.” She dropped to her haunches and stared him in the eyes, one thin, dark brow raising. “I will...on one condition.” Damn, she’s beautiful. His lips curved as he fingered a silky strand that had fallen over his hand. “And what would that be?” Slender fingers reached out to hold his chin firm. “If I ride Flamin’ Jane, you marry me.” Dane gaped, unable to stop his brows from shooting to the top of his forehead. “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” she muttered, giving his chin a hard chuck before she stood. How did she find out? Muscles groaning their complaints far beyond his thirty-two years, Dane heaved himself to a standing position. He brushed the dust off his backside in a ruse to make sure the ring was still in his pocket. But how could she possible know? He’d driven six hours and out of state to buy it. He narrowed his eyes, studying Kathleen’s annoyed features. If she did know, then why was she so peeved? Didn’t she just ask him to marry her...sort of? Frustrated, he turned away from her cool stare and winced as sore muscles raised his hand to rake through dust-caked hair. “Runnin’, just like the mare.” Running? Him? A smile split his lips. She didn’t know. Whatever she was up to, she didn’t know about the ring...and that meant he still had a chance to keep it a surprise. He pivoted back. “Now, hold up there.” “Why? I’ve been holdin’ up for two years now. I thought we”—she waved a finger between them— “were going somewhere in this relationship.” “We are...I mean...” Dane clamped his jaw tight. This was going all wrong. He’d been waiting all morning, thinking up different ways he could 2
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produce the ring—but this scenario didn’t even make the ‘maybe’ list. Kathleen bent down and swiped up his fallen Stetson then slapped it to his chest. “Well? That all you have to say?” She’d always had a temper beneath the raw beauty and he loved it, loved her. She challenged him, pushed him, made him laugh and made him strive for more than he’d ever thought possible...like her hand in marriage. But he was just as stubborn; he wanted this done right— and his way. Casually, he dusted the brim of his hat. “So, you want to make a bet that you can ride her?” He tried to throw some humor in his voice, hoping she’d follow suit. She didn’t. Her blue eyes darkened. “I don’t want to make a bet, McCord...Dane. I want your word. If I can ride Flamin’ Jane, you finally put a ring on my finger.” Setting his Stetson back on his head, Dane glanced over his shoulder at the red-maned filly batting her head around and strutting on the other side of the stockyard. There was no way Kathleen would be able to ride her, no way. A slow grin creased his face. And if she couldn’t ride her, his proposal would be even more of a surprise in her depressed funk afterwards. “Okay.” “Okay?” She eyed him warily. He nodded and held a hand out towards the horse. “Go on, give ‘er a try.” “Don’t be giving me that cocky brow, McCord. I mean it—I ride her, you give me your word that you’ll marry me.” His grin broadened. “You have my word.” She snapped her chin in a sharp nod. “Not the way a lady wants a proposal, but sometimes we 3
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gotta take the bull by the horns to get through a man’s stubborn head.” He chuckled as she turned to walk away. On impulse, he grabbed her arm, swinging her back against his chest. Slanting his lips over hers, he took advantage of her gasp of surprised and kissed her soundly. She melted beneath him, her hands clutching his shirtfront as she rose on tiptoes, demanding more. His whole body ignited when her tongue dipped in to battle along with his, giving, taking, receiving, loving. Reluctantly, he let her go, brushing a windward strand of hair from her cheek. He loved this woman more than life itself and couldn’t wait to see her face when she got what she deserved...him, for life. Her dreamy gaze flickered over his face. “Nice try, cowboy. But you aren’t gonna distract me from my goal.” He chuckled. “Then let’s see what you got, cowgirl.” She eased from his chest and sashayed towards the filly. Dane eyed the slender backside outlined in snug Wranglers. Damn. The denim at his own waist grew tight. Dane moved back behind the gate and rested his elbows on the top rail. He hated that she’d have to be humiliated first, but the ring would surely help buffer the bruised ego...and butt. Even with Kathleen’s talent for breaking horses at her daddy’s ranch, this mare would take longer than a few minutes on a Sunday afternoon for her to be able to get on the russet back, let alone ride. Hmm, maybe I’ll give her Flamin’ Jane as a wedding present. Grinning at his brilliant thought, he watched Kathleen, one hand extended, approach the chestnut mare. The cool breeze brought to him her gentle words, soothing the beast and gripping his heart. 4
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What if she gets hurt? The words snuck into his mind and his spine stiffened. He’d never worried about her with a horse before, why now? Dane gripped his knuckles in a tight fist and forced back the disturbed thoughts. The mare cast her head back and snorted but Kathleen kept cool and stayed with her, patting her neck and murmuring to the skittish filly. Next thing he knew, in one smooth motion, his cowgirl hefted herself into the saddle, her own thick, raven mane dancing in the wind as she guided the horse around the stockyard. His mouth hung open; he knew because of the cool air on his tongue. She’s done it! She’d actually ridden Flamin’ Jane. Stung pride warred with admiration. He scratched his chin and gave a slight, awed shake of his head. Damn. He watched avidly as, after a few more rounds, she gracefully dismounted and patted the horse. She strutted back to him, her eyes twinkling as bright as the Montana sky. He held the gate open for her. “How’d you do that?” “When a woman wants something bad enough,” she began, grazing his chin with her fingers and laughing. “She doesn’t let anything get in her way.” Kathleen rose on tiptoes and kissed him long and hard. “Now, you owe me a ring and a wedding date, cowboy.” Dane licked his kiss-swollen lips and smiled. This filly would keep him on his toes for the rest of his life...and he was looking forward to every minute of it. Snaking one arm around her waist to drag her closer, he used the other to pilfer the ring from his back pocket. “Will this do?” He couldn’t hold back a chuckle at her wide eyed, wide mouth stare as he 5
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held the diamond between them. “I’ve loved you from the first moment you cussed me out for kickin’ up dirt near your daddy’s training ring. That you agreed to a date after that plain blew me away...and you’ve been blowing me away every day since. I love you, Kathleen, with all my heart. Will you marry me?” Her mouth popped open and closed like a goldfish as her gaze jumped from the sparkling ring to him and back again. When she didn’t speak, he held her close, inhaling her glorious dust-covered lilac scent as he rubbed his face in her hair. “What? That not a good enough proposal for you?” he murmured, planting small kisses across her forehead. “It...it was perfect.” Her voice cracked and he pulled back, surprised at the moisture sparkling in her sky-blue eyes. His own grin was shaky as he slipped the ring on her finger. “Is that a yes?” “Yes! Oh yes,” she cried, flinging her arms around his neck and hanging on tight. Her warm body plastered against his sent every nerve—and certain other parts of his anatomy—into overdrive. “I love you too, Dane,” she whispered in his ear. With a heart that threatened to burst, he swung her around, her melodic laughter circling him in the most amazing song he’d ever heard. “Well, you sure did good there, Miss Kathleen.” At old Jake’s rusty voice, Dane set her back on her feet and grinned at the ranch’s foreman standing in the barn doorway. “She let you sit her a lot sooner today,” Jake continued. “All those late nights working with the filly really paid off.” “All those late nights working with the filly?” Dane repeated, casting a dubious gaze down at his 6
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wife-to-be. Pink tinged her cheeks, burning the tops to a bright red. “I...uh...” “Set me up...that’s what you did.” He held her at arms length and bit back a grin. “You set me up.” She had the nerve to scowl. “Now, hold up there just a minute. I set you up?” Kathleen waved the diamond near his face. “And what? This ring just appeared in your back pocket out of thin air?” “I...uh..” Dane’s words stuttered. He quirked a grin as the foreman’s ensuing chuckles disappeared back into the barn. “Mmm-hmm,” she drawled. Dane yanked her back into his arms, muffling her laughter with a sound kiss. When he came up for air, he drew in a deep breath, then let it out on a low chuckle. “How about we chalk it up to great minds think alike?” Kathleen’s beautiful face softened in a dreamy grin. “Just what I was gonna say.”
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