Chance
Page 21
“Are you crazy? If they knew, they’d make pests of themselves. You know how they are. Especially Ace.”
She couldn’t help laughing at the annoyance she could hear in his tone. “All right. We’ll keep it our secret. Did you already take up the supplies?”
He nodded. “Just what I thought was necessary. A case of Dom Perignon. Some steaks to grill on the fire. And I laid in enough firewood that I may not have to leave that range shack for a week.” He looked suddenly contrite. “You haven’t changed your mind? Are you sure you wouldn’t rather go to some island paradise?”
She shook her head. “I can’t think of any place I’d rather be with you than in a secluded cabin for two whole weeks.”
He paused a beat, then cleared his throat. “I have a confession to make.”
“A confession? Sounds ominous.” She waited.
“About that trip to San Francisco…”
“What about it?”
He looked genuinely embarrassed. “I took you there because I wanted to impress you.”
“I know.”
His head came up. “You do?”
She couldn’t help laughing at the look of astonishment on his face. “Don’t worry. It worked. I was suitably impressed.”
“Good.” He bent to kiss her, but she put a hand to his chest to hold him at bay. “Now I have a confession of my own.”
He arched a brow.
“I made every exotic dish I could think of, just to impress you with my skills.”
“You did?”
“Yes.”
He threw back his head and roared. “Why, Maggie. You devious woman. It had even more of an impact than my San Francisco trip. But the truth is, even if you couldn’t cook a lick, I’d still be hooked. The minute I laid eyes on you, Maggie, I knew you were different from any woman I’d ever known.”
As he bent to kiss her again, there was a furious pounding on the door, and the sound of Cody’s muffled voice. “Better get a move on, you two lovebirds. Reverend Young is here. And if you don’t get this show started soon, he’s liable to keep us all afternoon.”
That was enough of a threat to have Chance fumbling to unlock the door. As he opened it, he glanced at the flowers he’d set on a hall table. “I almost forgot. These are for you.” He handed her a nosegay of white violets.
“Oh, Chance.” She buried her face in their fragrance, then lifted shining eyes to him.
Minutes later she placed her hand on his arm and they walked together toward the waiting preacher.
As the guests murmured and whispered about the beautiful woman who had captured the heart of Chance Wilde, his two brothers merely smiled.
Ace turned to Hazard and whispered, “I’ll lay another twenty that they won’t stay away more than a week.”
“Are you crazy? Why would they rush home in a week?”
“Because that’s when Simmons expects to have the new contracts ready for the Saudi deal.”
Hazard accepted his handshake. “You’re on. I say even the Saudi deal won’t pry Chance away from his honeymoon with Maggie.”
The preacher glared at the two brothers, then launched into one of his long-winded monologues.
Halfway through, Thelma leaned close and whispered, “Reverend Young, I think I smell fire. Maybe you’d better get to the vows.”
With a look of confusion the reverend thumbed through the pages until he came to the words he’d been seeking.
Chance breathed a sigh of relief and tightened his grasp on Maggie’s hand. His. His woman. His wife. At long last.
He spoke his vows in loud, clear tones, suddenly grateful that so many friends had gathered to share his joy. He caught sight of his brothers standing proudly beside him and winked, before turning to stare into those loving eyes that would forever remind him of warm honey.
As Maggie repeated the words pledging her love, she thought again about how far she’d come. She’d lost her sister, her job and her direction in life. She’d bought a one-way ticket to Wyoming, fearing for her safety. And now, in just a matter of weeks, she’d found everything she’d ever longed for. Her good name had been restored. She’d been given a family, in the form of two brothers, who had already accepted her as one of their own. She had the opportunity to be part of an exciting, vital adventure at the Double W, unlike anything she’d ever known before. And most of all, she’d discovered this wonderful man. A man who would love her, without condition, for all time.
She had the feeling that life with Chance Wilde was about to become the most amazing adventure of all.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-1808-6
THE WILDES OF WYOMING—CHANCE
Copyright © 2000 by Ruth Ryan Langan
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 300 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017 U.S.A.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and TM are trademarks of Harlequin Books S.A., used under license. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
Visit us at [http://www.romance.net] www.romance.net
† Texas Series
* The Highland Series
‡ The Jewels of Texas
§ The Wildes of Wyoming
Table of Contents
Letter to Reader
Dedication
Books by Ruth Langan
About the Author
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Epilogue
Copyright
Table of Contents
Letter to Reader
Dedication
Books by Ruth Langan
About the Author
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Epilogue
Copyright