“Saw that rig you rented to get her here, Rock,” Tony said, a teasing glint in his eye. “You must have a mighty big soft spot in your heart for my little sis to spend that kind of money. This ‘marriage of convenience’ has made you a pauper. Reckon I need to chip in.”
“Well, that’s how I knew I loved her from the minute I saw her, Tony. She’s worth every penny.” Rocky leaned over to kiss Melanie gently. “She deserves only the best. I guess I was hoping that things would turn out just the way they did.” He glanced at Tony. “You don’t owe me a thing.”
****
Rocky tucked the covers around Melanie’s sleeping form. She opened her eyes, then smiled as she snuggled deep into the soft sheets.
“Come keep me warm, Rocky.”
“Glad to, Mrs. Taylor.” He pulled her naked body closer to him.
“Rocky, that carriage…how’re we going to get that back to Ft. Smith? It must be costing a fortune with each day we keep it.”
“Worried about that at a time like this?” Rocky teased. “I’m losing my touch already.”
“You’ve taken such special care of me. Even before you decided to marry me.” She spoke haltingly. “You didn’t really decide…you were forced—”
He drew back, propping on an elbow. “Is that what you think? I can’t remember the last time I was ‘forced’ into doing something I didn’t want to do.”
She gave him a questioning look.
“I decided to marry you long before the preacher gave us the opportunity.”
“You did? When?”
“Been thinkin’ about that. I’m not really sure. But…I think it was when we were eating dinner at Lucy’s…you looked up at me so sincerely. I saw honesty in your eyes—something I never saw in Eleanor’s expression. You can’t imagine how that felt—to know you were telling the truth, every time you spoke. And…when I saw love in your eyes, I knew that was real, too.”
“So, you loved me while we were eating roast beef?” She smiled. “Well, you must have, to rent such a beautiful carriage—I felt like a fairy-tale princess.” She gave him a shy look. “I know that sounds silly.”
“I didn’t rent it.”
Melanie fell silent. “What? You didn’t rent—”
“I bought it. I bought it for you, Melanie.”
Tears started in her eyes as she gazed up at him.
“See, I knew it took some mighty desperation for you to leave everything familiar and come west—to marry me—a man you didn’t even know. Suddenly, it was important for me to make things comfortable and easier for you.”
“Oh, but Rocky! That carriage—it’s magnificent. So beautiful…”
Rocky leaned forward, his lips touching hers in a gentle caress, then taking her mouth in a heated lover’s kiss.
“You’re worth it, Melanie Taylor. I love you with everything in me.”
Melanie smiled and pulled him down to her once more. A mail-order bride and a once-jaded deputy had managed to find love, despite the odds against them.
Some would talk. Some would call it a marriage of convenience. But Melanie knew better.
She thought of the last lines of Mr. Browning’s poem she’d read so many times and dreamed of finding for herself:
And a voice less loud, thro' its joys and fears,
Than the two hearts beating each to each.
That wondrous love had come, and found them both. Christmas truly was a time of miracles, and this mail-order bride and her lawman were living proof.
About the Author—Cheryl Pierson
Cheryl is a native Oklahoman with eight novels to her credit as well as numerous short stories and novellas. Founding Prairie Rose Publications with Livia Reasoner is a dream-come-true for her—there’s something new every day. Helping other authors is at the top of her list, and she enjoys every minute of it. Cheryl is the current president of Western Fictioneers, a professional organization for western authors. She has two grown children and lives with her husband and her rescue dog, Embry, in Oklahoma City.
See Prairie Rose Publications’ website for more of Cheryl’s work: www.prairierosepublications.com
Amazon link: www.amazon.com/author/cherylpierson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cheryl.pierson.92
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A Mail-Order Christmas Bride Page 38