by Emily Woods
They were taking one of their customary walks through town, and she felt tall and proud to walk beside this honorable man. People looked at her with respect and she’d come to know and love those who made Bozeman their home. They smiled knowingly at the couple and often said their names together. She hoped it wouldn’t be long before their names would be linked together permanently. Still, there was something niggling her. She knew that she had to be forthright about her romantic past.
Swallowing hard, she said in a solemn tone.
“I think there’s one more thing that you should know.”
“Sounds serious,” he replied lightly.
“Well, perhaps it is and perhaps it isn’t. It’s for you to decide.”
“Go ahead then.” He kept his gaze straight ahead as they walked around the perimeter of the town.
“Uh, well, okay. I was dating this one man when I was back in Poughkeepsie. My parents thought that he would propose, and to be honest, so did I.” She saw Jackson clench his jaw slightly, but he said nothing. “Anyway, he didn’t see the relationship as important in the end. I guess I didn’t either, but at the time, his leaving hurt me. It’s part of the reason that I came out here, the reason that I responded to the advertisement.”
She paused for a moment to let the meaning of her words sink in. Would he be upset? Would it change his mind about her at all? His next words both shocked and thrilled her.
“Well, I guess I should thank him then.”
“What?” She blinked several times and gave her head a slight shake as though she hadn’t heard him correctly.
He turned to face her and she halted. The gentle understanding in his eyes stole her breath away.
“If he had been smart enough to hold onto you, then we wouldn’t be standing here on the edge of something wonderful.”
As the words sank in, she felt herself move almost involuntarily. She took a small step towards him, but it was all the invitation he needed. His hand came up and slid behind her neck, his fingers twining in her hair and pulling it loose from its binds. “If you’ll take this dusty, dirty backward man, then I’m all yours.”
Her eyes sparkled, and at her slight nod, he gently eased her head closer and lowered his mouth to hers. His other hand reached around and pulled her close.
At the soft touch of his lips, unlike anything else she’d ever known, she sighed deeply, and her own hands reached up to grip his shoulders. He felt strong and steady, his muscles taut beneath her hands, and being in his embrace felt right. And in that singular moment, she knew that she could stop running, that she had found the place where she belonged.
The sun beamed down on the two of them, and it felt like the promise of a thousand bright tomorrows.
Thank You
Thanks for reading A Bride for the Sheriff. I hope you enjoyed reading the stories as much as we enjoyed writing them. If you did, it would be awesome if you left a review for us on Amazon and/or Goodreads.
Be sure to check out the first book in the Triple Range Western Romance series, A Gentle Love. The story is about a woman who loses everything and moves in with her aunt to try and start a new life for herself and her daughter. A ranch hand with a secret just might be the right man to help her live and love again. The book is available on Amazon.
amazon.com/dp/B072S7TXB1
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