“Wait. Thank you. I love you, honey, and I always will.” He embraced her. “We better get to our party before you turn me into an un-alpha. My buds will ride my ass thinking I had to come up here to…well, guys will be guys. Let’s go.” Nudging her, he said, “That part will definitely come later.”
“You’re too funny. If you want, we’ll insinuate that we did a quickie, you know, to keep up with your image. Come on, Sergeant Carlson. Out there to have a dance with our little boy.”
They went outside and Gracelyn took her son from her mother. “We have a dance to take care of.” Gracelyn hugged her mom. “I’m so happy you’re all here. This is great, isn’t it? I’m really lucky. I do love you, Mom.” This time she meant it.
Anne held Gracelyn tight, and her dad came over to join in. “Oh, Grace,” said her mother. “We all love you so much. You’ll have a wonderful life here. Make sure you come home as often as you can. Grandma wants to see this little guy as he grows.”
“We will. I promise. Take a look at his daddy and you’ll see his future. You all take care of one another.” Gracelyn hugged her father. “You come back, okay.”
“We will. Now go dance with your husband,” said her dad.
Bailey was on the dance floor dancing with the Carlson kids. He looked happy and fit right in. When she left her parents, she sought out her brother, Seth. He danced with a pretty girl who came with Sergeant Hanson and his date, so she’d not interrupt. Grabbing his attention, though, she did give him a smile and wave across the way.
Gracelyn had anticipated a dance with Dane, but instead, he stood on the stage beside his brothers. She took a seat at the round table where Judy and Martyn sat with the rest of the family. Her parents made their way over. “Judy, you look fantastic today.” In a sing-song tone, she said, “Martyn, you’re so handsome. Everything turned out perfectly. You’re an excellent party planner, Judy.”
“Well, I try my best, dear. Your mother was a big help this week, so were Brenna and Nora. We may have to move your family over here to Arizona.” Judy laughed. “Parties are something I cherish, but I suppose it’ll be a while before we have another big one.” Giving a beaming smile, she said, “Next week for Christmas, we’ll have a little family get-together as usual. How wonderful for you, Dane, and little Will to be here.”
Gracelyn glowed with happiness, and she gave Will a big hug. He looked up at her with all the love a little baby could muster. What a handsome little guy you are. My son who looks like his daddy. Life was complete. Her attention was directed to the stage when Tristan spoke.
“Well, here we go again. Seems I was recently up here singing for Halloween. Now that little brother is home, he might have to take over singing here at the ranch.” Tristan turned to Dane. “Dunk tanks with the little lady there, too.” He picked up a glass of champagne from the floor in front of him and lifted it to the crowd then to Jase and Dane.
Gracelyn perked up when she heard those words and peered at Judy. “Dane take over the singing? What does he mean?”
Judy clasped her hands on the table. “I believe you’re about to find out. My boys are full of surprises. They like to spring them on you at the last minute. Every single one of them has shocked me more than once. Listen up, Grace, honey, and keep your eyes open.”
Brenna and Nora both nodded in agreement. Their smiles didn’t seem like they minded.
She’d witnessed a couple already. Gracelyn gazed back toward the stage. Tristan handed the microphone to Dane. She gulped. What is he up to?
Dane winked at her across the way. “A few months ago, my bride asked me if I could sing and play a guitar like my brother Tristan.” Dane gave her a thumbs up. “I guess you’ll have to be the judge of that yourself. This one’s for you and my boy. I love you both like crazy.” He turned to Tristan and nodded.
Tristan spoke into the microphone. “Jase and I were about to sing this song and dedicate it to Dane.” He glanced back at Jase on the keyboard. When he faced forward, he brushed his hand over Dane’s head to mess up his hair. “Our brother can sing these words better.” He handed the guitar over, and microphone back to Dane. “Your time to shine.”
“Holy heck,” she said in adoration when he began to strum and sing. Attentive and still, her hand clamped over her mouth. She’d heard the song before, and had turned up the volume one day in his truck. They were right—the perfect choice for him. His voice rang out deep and strong. Her mom took Will from her arms. Judy walked up to the stage with her guitar to join in as backup.
Gracelyn didn’t even try not to cry as she watched him. Her husband, always so humble, sang words of a proud man, and she couldn’t have loved him more. She clasped her hands against her face, enthused by his honor and classiness. A true example of what a hero should be.
***
When the song ended, Gracelyn ran toward him as Dane left the stage. Her arms went tight around his neck and he lifted her off her feet, twirling in a circle with his lips pressed against hers. He released her back to the ground. “I guess you approve.” His mom sang another song with the Country Gals as Dane led her away from the stage to a secluded spot.
“I loved it. Your voice is terrific and you managed the guitar. You’ve kept that secret?” She laid her hand over her heart. “I had no idea.”
“Our barn made for good acoustics for practicing, but come on now. Nothing more than singing someone else’s words. I don’t do it often.”
“That’s debatable,” said Cooper as he came up to them. “Don’t let him fool you. We made him sing the National Anthem when a ballgame came on.” He and Dane did a fist bump then he knelt to pat Boston. Rising, Cooper turned his attention back to Dane and introduced his date to him and Gracelyn. “I have to take off. By time I get Desiree home, I’ll have to hightail it to Phoenix to be sure I make that hop back to Georgia. Those pilots won’t wait.”
Dane patted Cooper’s back. “It meant a lot for you to be here. Take care of yourself and stay safe wherever you end up.”
“Yes, sir, Sergeant, Carlson. You stay in touch.”
“Plan on it,” Dane said.
Gracelyn shook Desiree’s hand, but hugged Cooper before he walked away. “Thank you, Sergeant Hanson. For everything.”
He nodded then walked on hand in hand with Desiree, catching the girl who came with her on their way out.
Dane laughed to himself. “The meeting with the girl in Apache Junction turned out for him.” He knelt down to pat Boston who watched Cooper walk away, but he seemed contented to be right here. Dane stood beside his wife. “Let’s get back into some normal clothes. How about leather? The bike’s all cleaned up and waiting at the back door for our trip to town.” He wiggled his eyebrows and grinned. “Something easy to get out of later.”
“Yes, sir. Think you’ll be able to get me out of a sexy black gown?”
Sir again. “Affirmative, ma’am.” He did a slow gaze from her eyes to her sexy red shoes and back again. “I already have you out of it.”
“You send chills up my spine with your words. My anticipation is great. We’ll get Will’s things together for his grandmothers’, so everything will be ready when you and I leave for the hotel.” She made a motion as if she revved the throttle. “Vroom, vroom.”
“No sweat, darlin’. I’m ready now. First…” Dane rubbed at his chin. “Hmm…”
“You’re being sneaky about something. What?” she asked with a comical grin. “We have to change Will and put him in his PJs. Our parents’ will have him spoiled before the nights over. I love that he’s so loved by our families.”
“We’ll take care of him first. Then, I’ll help you out of your wedding dress, before the hotel. A primer so to speak?” Dane nudged her arm as they walked over to the family. She took William from her father’s arms.
“See you later, Dad. We’ll get him ready then bring him back. All you grandparents have him for the rest of the night.”
Dane kissed his son on the head as Gracelyn held him. On
the way inside, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Doing this all over again wasn’t too bad.” Her loving smile heated him up, and he reflected back to the night he met her—how those twinkling eyes captured his heart, and they still did. How he truly loved this woman, the mother of his child, the keeper of his sanity.
At the top of the stairs on the front porch, he stopped a moment to glance around at the ranch, the party, and the house itself. His son sucked on his fists. Every now and then his thumb slipped inside his mouth. Ahh, peace. Music played off to the back. Chatter from so many people who all cared about them filled his ears.
The evening sun set in the west and spread a warming glow over all that was his. Dane stared upon his family and listened to the horses neighing in the barn. A gentle calm rested in his soul and heart as he squeezed her hand. He had everything that made life complete. This was home. This was where he belonged.
THE END
“What we find in a soul mate is not something wild to tame, but something wild to run with.” ~Robert Brault (With permission)
To My Readers
Thank you for reading. Although this book can be read alone, complete in itself, it contains spoilers for the characters in the first three books in the series. Our hero is a soldier, but I don’t classify this book as a military romance. If that’s your preferred genre and you picked it up, I hope you enjoyed the story.
Writing Dane’s story was a challenge in many ways. To portray Dane as a soldier and a cowboy with his internal conflict took some long nights and teary eyes, not to mention a lot of research. It was my goal to honor my character in his role as an Army Ranger, and to give this Elite team my utmost respect.
Dane is the last of the Carlson brothers. Does that mean the series is over? Book four is planned.
To discover the music I mentioned in this book, visit my Playlist page. Each of my books has a theme song.
On occasion, the Carlson cowboys will mention their cousin who is a professional bull rider. He didn’t make an entrance in Dane’s book. Maybe he was too busy racking up those points for a World Championship, or vacationing in Hawaii. You can read about Caulder and Velia in their story in the Bull Rider Series—books with a more serious and dramatic tone.
Please keep in mind, reviews are important to authors. You don’t have to write much. Thank you in advance. I’ll take this opportunity to personally say thanks to those of you, who have left reviews.
Visit my website if you’d like to leave a private comment. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for purchasing and reading my books.
You’ll also find a Glossary of Military acronyms and abbreviations at the back of this book.
Mary~
Click here http://eepurl.com/WyOcn for my Mailing List signup to receive information on new releases and important book updates. Thanks!
Other Works of Fiction
Longer Descriptions of books, and buy links, can be found
on authors Website.
http://www.maryjdresselbooks.com
Double Dutch Ranch Series:
Love at First Sight #1
Cowboy Boss and his Destiny Can be read alone
Unlike the other books in this series, Cowboy Boss and his destiny is lighter in content. Romantic and Passionate without all the drama and conflict. Warm your heart and give your nerve endings a tingle at the same time. Looking for more conflict? Start with Tristan’s Destiny.
Tristan Carlson can’t keep her out of his arms. Before he can let his heart go, he has to know she’s different from women he’s met, who don’t want a package deal. But he’s falling hard. Nora Trinity returns home after a long absence. Hired by a local rancher to help with his ranching magazine, she’s profoundly attracted to him. But, is she ready for this sexy cowboy and his four-year-old daughter?
Double Dutch Ranch Series:
Love at First Sight #1.5
Tristan’s Destiny, Bonus Book
Author Note: This is “bonus book” 1.5 and takes place directly after Cowboy Boss and his Destiny ends. This book can be read alone, but contains spoilers regarding that book.
Together, Tristan and Nora see a future filled with sunny days. Although their days and nights are happy, fun, and bursting with passion, every day isn’t filled with sunshine. As they embark on a new path filled with love and romance, their bond still needs to be strong enough to overcome obstacles. In this story, a man and his family vow to love without limits, to prevail—even though circumstances beyond their control attempt to prove them wrong.
Double Dutch Ranch Series:
Love at First Sight #2
Heartbreak’s Reward Can be read alone
Tough yet torn—rancher Jase Carlson is a man tormented by his ex-wife, as he struggles to maintain control around the sexy Brenna Page, a woman with her own struggles and secrets. She didn’t expect her heart to fall for a cowboy. He didn’t expect her to be everything he didn’t know he needed. One wrong turn. Two broken families. Brought together by chance and need.
Bull Rider Series #1
The Carlson’s cousin—Caulder and Velia’s beginning.
Howdy, Ma’am Can be read alone
Six months into Velia's well-ordered life alone, bull rider Caulder McCutchen saunters in with his howdy, ma’am and flame-blue eyes, offering a job any photographer would find hard to refuse—to travel the circuit with him for a season and photograph a year in his life. On the journey, she realizes they both have their own obstacles to overcome. Staying out of each other’s arms is only one of them.
Reader’s Advisory: Occasional harsh and unsavory language. Sensual love scenes.
Bull Rider Series #2
Hey, Cowboy
Emotional and Compelling. Passionate and Romantic.
He hired her for a season. Now the season is over.
A short break in the bull riding season finds Velia and Caulder back in Tucson until the new season starts— Family, friends, and rowdy cowboys are brought together to share in joy, and sometimes pain. Their burning love needs to be strong enough to overcome enemies plotting against Velia’s family—and a possible career-ending injury for Caulder.
Reader’s Advisory: Occasional harsh and unsavory language. Sensual love scenes.
Upcoming Books
Double Dutch Ranch Series:
Love at First Sight
Book #4 in the Double Dutch Ranch Series. A new love blooms.
Bull Rider Series
Book #3 is planned.
Visit Mary’s website for more information and buy links for her books.
Acknowledgement
Once again, I couldn’t have written this book without help from some very specialized people. A special acknowledgement and thanks to the following for help with research:
Don: Soldier in the U.S. Army who, at the time of this writing was serving extra time in Afghanistan. Don took the time to answer, and to confirm some very important details of my research. Thank you so much, Don. I’m honored.
Edd Voss: U.S. Army Airborne Veteran and Author. Your help was appreciated, Edd.
Larry: USAF, Ret. I’m grateful for your time.
In addition:
D.P. Lyle, MD at The Writer’s Forensics Blog.
Richard Johnson, former police officer and trainer, for his help and expertise with police matters.
My editor at Creative Manuscripts.
Period Images and Jason Alexander Charchan for doing a special photo shoot for the hero on my cover. Learn more about Jason here and here. Thank you for both the cowboy and military shots.
Robert Brault for allowing me to use another of his quotes in this book.
My family, friends, online friends, and author/writing groups.
Readers—thank you for the time you invest in reading my books.
To the men and women of the Armed Forces both here at home and wherever else you might be in the world. A special shout out to United States Army Rangers 75th Ranger Regiment. Rangers Lead the Way. You all have my utm
ost respect and pride.
75th Ranger Regiment Motto:
Sua Sponte, Latin for “Of their Own Accord”
About the Author
Early days of reading romance novels and women's fiction laid the groundwork for Mary to take up the pen and write her own memorable love stories. She writes sensual contemporary western romance with strong family ties. Some of her characters don't have an easy time of getting what they want, but their reward is sweet and sexy. Other times Mary’s stories are sensual and heartwarming with less conflict and drama. On occasion she writes paranormal romance, and romantic fiction outside of the western genre.
She’s the proud mom of two sons and a loving fur baby dog. Photography is her hobby—another way her muse runs free. After a career in education, Mary now writes full time.
Let’s Connect Online
Sign up to be notified of New Releases
http://eepurl.com/WyOcn
Website:
http://www.maryjdresselbooks.com/
Blog:
http://maryjdresselbooks.com/posts/
Author Page on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Mary.j.McCoy.Dressel.Books
Follow on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/maryjdressel
Glossary
Of The Cowboy's Own Accord (Double Dutch Ranch; Love At First Sight #3) Page 32