Her smile was slow and slumberous with desire, and it made him ache with need and tenderness, all at the same time. “Is that so?”
“Yup. You’re not a redhead for nothing.”
“My hair isn’t red.”
“See what I mean?”
She laughed, though her eyes were questioning. “Aren’t you worried about that? About the fighting?”
“Nope.” Logan tugged a strand of her bright hair. “Not anymore. Because someone told me the trick is planning to make up. And I have this idea...about the best way to make up.” He nudged her collar to one side and kissed her shoulder.
“I think I’m going to like this idea,” she said thickly.
“Of course we’ll have to experiment.” Logan kissed her again, moving downward, dispensing with the buttons with his usual efficiency. “Test the best ways to resolve our disagreements. Practice, practice...practice. But I’m willing to work at it.”
There was a loud “harrumph” from behind them, and Merrie wiggled upward to look over his shoulder, one hand gathering her shirt together. “Hi, Granddad... Grandma. Logan and I were just...talking.”
Logan stifled a laugh and she poked him.
“I suppose you’ll be wanting another engagement party,” her grandmother said, her hands on her hips.
“Uh, why should I want that?” she asked, feeling guilty. “We already had an engagement party.”
“This one will be different.” Eva Harding tried to look stern. “A real party for a real engagement. I presume you’re actually engaged this time. Aren’t you? Or does your grandfather have to pull out the shotgun?”
“I thought they didn’t ‘do’ shotgun weddings anymore,” Logan whispered, brushing her hands to one side while he helped fasten her buttons. He lifted her jaw, which had dropped at her grandmother’s cool announcement.
“You knew?” Merrie gasped.
“Of course they knew, honey,” said Logan. “These are intelligent people we’re dealing with.”
“But you never said anything, Granddad. You agreed to sell us the ranch.”
Paul Harding shrugged apologetically. “Your young man is right, Merrie-girl. I should have agreed to sell you the Bar Nothing a long time ago.”
“Then you knew we weren’t really engaged,” she said faintly. “This afternoon...when you told me about your agreement.”
“I knew. Logan and I had already discussed the matter.”
Merrie’s gaze locked with Logan’s. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I tried, honey. Believe me. But you weren’t in a listening mood.”
Merrie thought back, realizing she hadn’t given him a chance to explain anything. She’d been furious and unreasonable. It was a wonder he hadn’t gotten scared off completely. “Sorry.”
“That’s okay.” He grinned his heart-stopping grin. “Everything turned out all right.”
“Then you are engaged?” Eva Harding prodded. “For real this time?”
Merrie kissed her fiancé. “Yes, Grandma. We’re engaged.”
“And it took twelve whole days to make up your mind,” Logan teased. “Seven days longer than your grandparents. I’ll have fun telling the children about that.”
They shared a secret loving look.
“Amongst other things,” she whispered.
Epilogue
“Is this everything, honey?”
Merrie smiled at her husband as he worked setting up the tent. It was their fifth anniversary, and they were spending it camping on her special hill. He pounded the last stake into the ground and flipped both ends open to catch the evening breeze.
“We don’t need a lot of supplies. We’re only going to be here overnight,” she reminded him.
Logan snapped a blanket out on the ground. “I know. Get over here, woman,” he ordered in a mock parody of masculine dominance...followed by an endearing grin. “I don’t want to waste any of our valuable time.”
Smiling, she sat snugly cradled in his arms and watched as the sun set behind the Western horizon. It was July 1, and they wouldn’t have a lot of time for private celebrating before their next group of guests arrived. The Fourth of July was a big holiday at the Bar Nothing.
Five years.
She could hardly believe so much time had gone by. Yet they’d been happy years. Logan loved working the ranch with her, and if he was a little overprotective, it wasn’t unmanageable. There were worse things than having your husband want to protect his family.
“It’s so warm out,” she murmured. “I don’t know why you insisted on bringing one of the tents.”
Logan smiled into Merrie’s hair. She rested against his chest, her head tucked under his chin. “Just fulfilling a fantasy.”
She turned her head to look at him. “With a tent?”
“Mmm. Remember that first day we got to Montana?”
“Vividly.”
He chuckled. “I thought tents? How could you have a romantic rendezvous in a tent, surrounded by other tents? I was very frustrated.”
“So you want to make love in a tent.”
“Yup. You are planning to be warm and willing in my sleeping bag tonight, aren’t you?”
“Aren’t I warm and willing all the time?”
“Mmm...yes.” There was a wealth of sensual satisfaction in his voice. “You raise warm and willing to an art form.”
Logan snuggled his wife closer and smiled again. Who would have thought that two little words like “I do” could make him so happy? Merrie had entered his life with the force of a tidal wave, and nothing had changed. She still swept everyone along with her enthusiasm, at the same time managing to be a wonderful wife and mother. As for himself...he’d discovered a life more rewarding than he could possibly have imagined.
Merrie and the children made all the difference in the world. Four-year-old Jennie was a miniature version of her mother—energy and all. And they could hardly keep Kent in the house. Though only eighteen months old, he was fascinated with horses, and not the least bit intimidated by creatures so much larger than himself. He got that from his mother, too.
“Mmm...I forgot to tell you we got another reservation for the Fourth,” Merrie said. “It came in on the fax machine this afternoon. Guess who’s coming?”
At her droll tone, Logan groaned. “Not Gloria.”
“Yup. I think she may be wearing Chip down...he actually looked glad when I told him.”
“Cowed is more like it, poor guy.”
“Stop that. Gloria really loves Chip.”
“Yeah, she loves him the way a wolf loves lamb chops. I can’t imagine those two married.”
“You couldn’t imagine yourself married, either,” his wife said tartly, nudging him with her elbow.
It was undeniably true. “Okay,” he conceded. “But Chip doesn’t have my advantage.”
“And what advantage would that be?”
“He doesn’t have you.”
“Huh,” Merrie mumbled, her face stained pink by more than the sunset.
Logan chuckled. He loved her ability to still blush after five years of passionate marriage, but mostly he loved her. Completely and utterly. Not that they didn’t fight. Hell, they had some terrific battles—sometimes over silly things, and sometimes for important reasons. But marrying her had been the best move of his life.
“By the way, your grandmother sent something along to help us celebrate.” Logan reached inside the tent and pulled out a bottle of champagne. “It was nice of them to watch the kids for us,” he added.
“Nice nothing. They love taking care of Jennie and Kent, and they spoil them shamefully.” Merrie held the glasses while he popped the cork. “I’m surprised they haven’t moved back to Montana, just to play with their great-grandchildren.”
“Eva was hinting about us having another baby,” Logan said, grinning. He glanced significantly at her flat tummy. “And I couldn’t help remembering this was a fertile time of the month for you.”
Merrie dipped
her finger in her champagne and flicked it at him. “You’ve gotten awfully knowledgeable about fertility and such...for a slicker.”
Logan chuckled. “It comes in handy. So what do you say about starting number three?”
“Well...” She arched her neck and licked drops of splattered wine from his chin. “I’d hate to put your expertise to waste, so I guess the answer is yes.”
“A woman after my heart,” he drawled, giving her a long, heated kiss, his hands roaming over her breasts and stomach with growing urgency.
Merrie popped the snap on Logan’s jeans and played with the zipper, smiling at his sudden intake of breath. “That’s not all I’m after.”
“Honey, whatever you want, as long as you want it,” he promised.
“Wonderful,” she purred. “I’ve got a lot of energy to work off.”
With Logan’s eager cooperation, they shimmied backward into the tent, spilling champagne on the sleeping bag, and laughing because it didn’t matter. Then Merrie wasn’t laughing, because Logan’s heart was in his eyes, looking at her with the kind of sizzling intensity most women only dreamed about.
“Happy fifth anniversary,” she whispered. “I love you.”
“That’s good because you’re not getting rid of me. I’ll be around for another fifty years or so...chasing cattle and children around the place. And of course you.”
“Of course,” she agreed.
“It won’t be nearly long enough,” Logan said softly. “So you’d better get used to it.”
And as he bent to kiss her, Merrie knew this was one cowboy she was keeping.
ISBN : 978-1-4592-5954-6
THE MARRIAGE STAMPEDE
Copyright © 1999 by Martha Ann Ford
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The Marriage Stampede (Wranglers & Lace #5) Page 16