Some women might have found that a bit rude, but not Tina. She smiled at him and kissed him lightly while she rested a hand on Bella.
“‘The world was conspiring’?” Tina giggled at the idea. “I think maybe God was guiding us toward each other.”
“I guess that’s another way to put it.” Vince drew her closer, enjoying her warmth and strength and good sense. “But there’s even another way to think of being stuck together.”
Wrinkling her nose, Tina said, “You make it sound like we had honey spilled over our heads.”
“What I’m thinking of is my friends, and now our wives and all our children, and how we’ve made a home in the wilderness, a decent home where our children can grow up strong. It’s because we never quit on each other. None of us. Each of us ran into trouble, and through it all, right up to today, we all stuck together.”
Tina took up baby Bella and then placed her hand on Vince’s arm. “And we always will, because we have a bond that is closer than a brother.”
Jonas’s favorite verse from the Bible. That earned her another kiss.
They heard screaming coming from the other room, the little ones squabbling again.
Tina said, “Let’s go eat.”
“You didn’t let Glynna help with the meal, did you?”
Tina laughed and shook her head as they went to join their friends.
Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys. She’s the author of the acclaimed KINCAID BRIDES, LASSOED IN TEXAS, MONTANA MARRIAGES, and SOPHIE’S DAUGHTERS series. Mary has been nominated for a Christy Award, was a finalist for a RITA Award, and is a two-time winner of the Carol Award. She lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her very own romantic cowboy hero. They have four grown daughters—Joslyn, married to Matt; Wendy; Shelly, married to Aaron; and Katy—two spectacular grandchildren, Elle and Isaac, and one more on the way. Learn more about Mary and her books at:
maryconnealy.com
mconnealy.blogspot.com
seekerville.blogspot.com
petticoatsandpistols.com
Books by Mary Connealy
* * *
From Bethany House Publishers
THE KINCAID BRIDES
Out of Control
In Too Deep
Over the Edge
TROUBLE IN TEXAS
Swept Away
Fired Up
Stuck Together
A Match Made in Texas: A Novella Collection
Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook
Website: www.bethanyhouse.com
Facebook: Bethany House
Stuck Together Page 25