"Yeah? Well, I'm the lawman, padre, and I say the circumstances are legal. Binding too. Open your book."
Wes grinned, coming to her left side and giving her hand a squeeze. Zack crossed to Cord's right and winked at her.
Brown raised a mutinous chin. "This is all highly irregular. Highly irregular, and I cannot—"
Suddenly, he was staring down the barrels of three guns. He gulped, turning whiter than his collar. With all those dizzy bubbles dancing in her brain, Fancy nearly giggled. The poor man! No doubt he was making history. This was probably the first wedding on record where the preacher—not the groom—was standing under the gun.
"Er... since you put it that way, gentlemen." He glared at them all. "Very well." Clearing his throat, Brown opened his book and smoothed a page. "Dearly beloved—"
"Aw, hell, Preacher, speed it along," the driver grumbled. "I got a run to make, you know."
"Yeah!" one of the passengers bellowed. "Hurry up so we can watch the kissing part!"
Hoots and snickers rocked the stage. Cord grinned down at her, lacing his fingers through hers. Brown harrumphed. Thumbing forward through several pages, he frowned, readjusting his spectacles.
"Miss... er, Holleday, is it?"
She nodded, too happy to care if he disapproved of her.
"Very well."
Brown raised his eyes to hers. Maybe it was just her delirium, but his displeasure seemed to lessen when his gaze touched hers.
"Miss Holleday. Do you take Marshal Rawlins to be your lawfully wedded husband... for better for worse... for richer for poorer... in sickness and health... and forsaking all others... for as long as you both shall live?"
Cord's hand tightened over hers. "I do," she whispered giddily.
"And do you, Marshal Rawlins, take Miss Holleday to be your lawfully wedded wife.... to have and to hold..."
She stared up at Cord, and he smiled. It was the warmest, tenderest smile a woman could ever hope to know. In that moment, she knew she had found a love to last a lifetime. Never again would her heart be on the run. Together they would rebuild the ranch and start anew. She wasn't afraid of hard times because she'd worked through so many. Cord was hers, and she was his. That, quite simply, was enough.
Parson Brown had stopped speaking.
"I do," Cord said quietly.
"Then by all the powers invested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife."
Hoots and whistles shrilled from the stage. Amid the clapping and stomping, the whooping and backslapping, Cord pulled her into his arms. He kissed her as if she, and she alone, were the only light in his life. The world began to spin, flashing around her. The prairie became a kaleidoscope of rainbows, a symphony of sound.
And above it all—the music, the laughter, the heartbeats, the clamor—she heard an impish chuckle.
"See?" Wes whispered triumphantly near her ear. "I told you I'd see you two get hitched."
The End
Want more from Adrienne deWolfe?
Page forward for an excerpt from
TEXAS LOVER
Wild Texas Nights
Book 2
Excerpt from
Texas Lover
Wild Texas Nights
Book 2
by
Adrienne deWolfe
Award-winning Author
TEXAS LOVER
Awards & Accolades
AWARDS:
4.5 Stars! ~Romantic Times
Winner, K.I.S.S. Award for Heroes
Romantic Times Magazine
REVIEWS:
"A romance of immense power and deep emotions. Adrienne deWolfe's three-dimensional characters will warm your heart as her powerful story grips your imagination."
~Kathe Robin, Romantic Times Magazine (4.5 Stars)
~
"Hot, sexy... with plenty of humor and a pinch of naughtiness that is pure delight."
~ Marta Kiss, Belles and Beaux of Romance Newsletter
~
"I loved Texas Lover! This book was too perfect for words. It is going on my keeper shelf and on my list of all-time favorite reads."
~Maudeen Wachsmith, Editor, Rawhide & Lace
~
"Her story is warm and exciting. Texas Lover stole my heart."
~Jennifer Blake, National Bestselling Author
"Go ahead, Miss Merrilee," Wes said in a brave voice, "Miss Rorie will fix me."
I'll fix you all right.
After the child had finally left the room, Rorie planted her fists on her hips and glared at the scapegrace sitting on her desk.
"Ah, my angel of mercy," he drawled.
"Mercy's the last thing you'll get from me, Wes Rawlins."
"You sure do have a lot of flash in those eyes. Reminds me of a Winchester when its brass receiver catches the sun."
"Don't change the subject." She tugged the taffy box from his hands. "Don't you have any scruples?"
"Now don't go spitting smoke. I was only going to eat one tiny, little piece."
"That is not what I meant, and you know it. Lying to the child that way—"
"What, you don't think I have a bee sting?"
She blinked, her reprimand faltering on her tongue. It had never occurred to her that he really might.
"Do you?"
"Yes."
She wasn't sure she liked the silky tone of his voice. "Where?"
"On my belly."
For the first time since arriving in the room, she noticed the wilted wildflower tucked into the belt loop of his denim work pants. A bee sting in such a tender area probably throbbed worse than a sore tooth.
"I see." She cleared her throat. "Very well. Unbutton your shirt while I get the salve."
She stepped to the cabinet, flustered by self-recriminations. She couldn't have turned her back on him for more than half a minute—and yet, by the time she'd retrieved her jar of salve, he'd stripped off his vest and shirt.
Her jaw dropped when she faced him again. The jar of salve nearly did too.
Perfectly at ease in all his bare-chested glory, he settled back on the desk, every sinew rippling in shameless display. She tried not to gawk, but it was impossible, given his striking virility. Broad and brawny in the shoulders, lean and narrow in the hips, Wes had hidden a whole world of wonders beneath his faded cotton work shirt: knotted biceps, corded forearms, and a rock-hard abdomen that would have taken a stinger of steel to scrape, much less to puncture.
She swallowed, and he flashed a dazzling smile.
"You don't mind me unshucked, do you, ma'am? I figured since you were a doctor's wife and all, you'd grown kind of used to fixing up patients with their shirts off..."
Texas Lover
Wild Texas Nights
Book 2
by
Adrienne deWolfe
~
To purchase
Texas Lover
from your favorite eBook Retailer,
visit Adrienne deWolfe's eBook Discovery Author Page
www.ebookdiscovery.com/AdrienneDeWolfe
~
Discover more with
eBookDiscovery.com
Complete your journey and page forward for an excerpt from
TEXAS WILDCAT
Wild Texas Nights
Book 3
Excerpt from
Texas Wildcat
Wild Texas Nights
Book 3
by
Adrienne deWolfe
Award-winning Author
TEXAS WILDCAT
Awards & Accolades
AWARDS
4.5 Stars! - Romantic Times Magazine
Winner, Best Historical Romance of the Year
Calico Trails Magazine
Winner, Cameo Award for Strong Woman Characters
Calico Trails Magazine
Winner, K.I.S.S. Award for Heroes
Romantic Times Magazine
Finalist, Reviewers Choice Award (Best Book in a Series)
Romantic Times Magazine
"With a true understanding of a woman's heart, Adrienne deWolfe brings two special people together. Snappy dialogue, sharp repartee, a realistic portrait of the era—as well as plenty of passion."
~Kathe Robin, Romantic Times Magazine (4.5 Stars)
~
"Wonderful! Will set your heart racing..."
~Carmel Vivier, Under the Covers
~
"...A series destined to become everyone's favorite read."
~Genie Romance and Women's Fiction Exchange
~
"...An excellent, fast-paced novel."
~Harriet Klausner, Paint Rock Reviews
"You know what your problem is?" Zach ground out, lowering his face within inches of hers. "Your daddy spoiled you rotten."
"He did not!"
"He spoiled you and coddled you. What he should have done was turn you over his knee."
"My daddy knew how to treat a woman," Bailey flung back, "which is more than I can say for you, Rawlins!"
That was it. The final straw. He'd borne her public insults to his manhood too many times. With a surge of primal instinct too confused to clearly define, he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her hard against him. He heard her gasp, saw the shock flare in her sapphire eyes. Then his mouth swooped to cover hers.
For an instant, the barest of moments, she swayed on tiptoe. Her hands clutched his shirt sleeves; her chest collided with his. Suddenly, his anger was snuffed out in a blaze of desire. He slanted his mouth, demanding an entry to the enticing wetness that lured him deeper...
She was kissing him eagerly now, hungrily, demanding a response that every sizzling part of him ached to provide. God have mercy on his soul.
Texas Wildcat
Wild Texas Nights
Book 3
by
Adrienne deWolfe
~
To purchase
Texas Wildcat
from your favorite eBook Retailer,
visit Adrienne deWolfe's eBook Discovery Author Page
www.ebookdiscovery.com/AdrienneDeWolfe
~
Discover more with
eBookDiscovery.com
Adrienne deWolfe is an award-winning author, professional journalist, publicist, and fiction teacher, who calls Austin, Texas, home.
Recipient of 48 writing awards, including the Best Historical Romance of the Year, Adrienne loves to mentor aspiring authors. Her non-fiction e-titles include How to Write Wildly Popular Romances, How to Write Romance Heroes with Sex Appeal, and How to Write Sensual Love Scenes.
When Adrienne isn't writing books, she is blogging at www.WritingNovelsThatSell.com, where aspiring authors find lots of tips, inspiration, writing resources, professional story critiques, and online writing workshops and courses.
You can follow Adrienne at
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/AdriennedeWolfe
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Writing.Novels
GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/Adrienne_deWolfe
Google Plus: plus.google.com/109088666107201832076
Table of Contents
Cover
A Note from Adrienne deWolfe
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
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Excerpt from TEXAS LOVER – Wild Texas Nights, Book 2
Excerpt from TEXAS WILDCAT – Wild Texas Nights, Book 3
Meet the Author
Texas Outlaw (Wild Texas Nights, Book 1) Page 34