“Disappointed?” he asked curiously. “Misty, I’m far from disappointed. I’m thrilled!” He hugged her tightly, kissing her softly then pulled away so he could rest his hand on her belly. “I’m going to be a father,” he said astonished.
She rested her hand over his and they shared one long silent moment together.
“Now,” she said, bringing his attention back to the present. “What do you say we stop ignoring that pretty bed over there and practice for the honeymoon?”
He caught on to her mood quickly and swept her off of her feet, carrying her to the four poster bed.
***
“By the power vested in me, by the state of Texas and the almighty God above, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Dylan removed his cowboy hat and drew Misty close, gently joining his lips with hers. The small crowd of friends and family cheered, clapped, and threw in a few whistles. When the kiss ended, Dylan and Misty turned to face their friends and family with the glow of newlyweds on their faces.
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Dylan McCoy.”
Dylan and Misty made their way down the aisle and walked over to the backyard where a small reception was to be held. Everyone else followed and took their seats at the tables. The band started up and Dylan and Misty shared their first dance as husband and wife.
“You look very pretty, Mrs. McCoy,” Dylan complimented Misty as he took in her appearance. She had chosen a simple white floor length spaghetti strap dress for the occasion. Her hair was styled in a simple half up half down do with soft curls.
“Thank you, Mr. McCoy. You look pretty dashing yourself.” She always did like the way he looked in his black wranglers, black boots, and crisp white shirt, topped off with his black cowboy hat.
“Are you happy?” he asked as they swayed back and forth to the music.
“More than happy,” she replied. “I don’t think there are enough words to describe how I feel right now.”
“I feel the same. I’m definitely looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you, Misty,” he said, kissing her softly.
“Me too.”
EPILOGUE
8 months later…
Dylan wiped the sweat from his hands on his jeans as he walked down the corridor of the hospital. When he opened the doors to the waiting room, fives heads popped up in his direction with anticipated looks.
He took in a deep breath and exclaimed, “It’s a boy!”
Everyone jumped up in excitement, giving hugs and wiping away tears of joy.
“And a girl,” Dylan shouted above the commotion.
Everyone stopped dead in their tracks and gave him a confused look.
“Twins?” Katherine asked.
Dylan nodded. “Yup.”
“How come you didn’t tell us?” Maggie asked.
“We didn’t know.” Dylan laughed softly. “The ultrasounds never picked up the other baby. She was hiding behind her big brother.”
“Well this is a wonderful surprise,” Beth said and leaned her head down to the baby in her arms. “You’ve some new cousins to play with, Miss Charlotte Ann Mason.”
“Congratulations,” Alan said, taking his turn to shake Dylan’s hand. He leaned forward and whispered under his breath, “I’ve got some congratulatory cigars for us to smoke later.”
Dylan nodded and took turns receiving hugs and kisses from all the ladies.
“Can we go see her and the babies?” Maggie asked in a hopeful tone.
“Let me go check and I’ll come back and get you when it’s ok. The doctor was just finishing up when Misty told me to come tell y’all the good news.”
“Well get back in there, son, and give my daughter a kiss for me,” Jack said, giving Dylan a gentle nudge towards the door.
“Will do!” Dylan made his way back to the room and opened the door slowly. Misty was lying in the bed, propped up with pillows and holding the babies; one wrapped in blue and the other in pink.
“Hey, sweetie,” he whispered and walked over to the bed.
“Hey you,” she replied with a dreamy smile. “Do you want to hold one?” she asked.
“Of course,” he said and lifted the bundle of pink carefully into his arms.
“What do you think we should name them?” Misty asked with a content smile.
“I was thinking Wesley Donovan McCoy for our son. Do you like that?” he suggested.
She smiled. “I love it.”
“Any ideas on girl names?” he asked.
She thought about it for a moment and replied, “How about we stick with the family names and call her Katy Margaret McCoy, after your mother and my mother.”
“I like that, and I think they’ll like it too,” Dylan said, staring down at his daughter. He turned to look at Misty and she watched as a tear slipped from his eye. “You’ve made me so happy, Mis.”
She smiled softly and rested her head back against the pillow. “I told you I’d keep things exciting.” She chuckled quietly.
“You sure did, Misty. You sure did.”
The End
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for reading my very first novel, When the Heart Falls. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. As you may know, I have many people that I need to thank for helping me along the way and getting me to where I am now. First I would like to thank my parents, Louise and Gerald, for always supporting me and encouraging me with my creativeness. I love you both so much and appreciate everything you’ve ever done for me. I couldn’t ask for better parents. I would also like to thank my brother, Michael, for helping me out with my cover by posing on horseback till I got that perfect shot. It was a long process of me yelling out commands and him dutifully following them, and I truly appreciate his patience with me. Next I would like to thank my best friend, Ashley, for keeping me going through the writing process and reading every single chapter as I finished them. You gave me the will to keep going with your positive comments and I truly appreciate that. I would also like to note that the whole reason I even decided to write a romance novel was because of Ashley. She got me into reading them and the inspiration to write my own came soon after that.
The next two people I would like to thank are my Aunt Jan and my cousin Kristi. They were nice enough to offer to proof read my novel after I completed it and give me their feedback and suggestions, both of which I appreciate very much because it made my novel better. They are two of the most honest people you will ever meet and I am truly grateful to have them in my life. I would also like to thank my mother in law, Stephanie, for being a positive influence and being genuinely excited for me. I love her very much and I am lucky to have a friend like her to keep me going and help me along the way.
And last but most certainly not least I’d like to thank my husband Rob. I don’t know about other author’s out there and how they go about writing their novels, but with me I was trying to be sneaky about it and keep it a secret, even from my dear and loving husband. Of course all of that went down the drain when he caught me one day in the midst of writing. And although I was immediately embarrassed, that feeling quickly faded away when he told me how proud he was of me and I couldn’t be happier now because none of this would have been possible without him. He took it upon himself to look into the best ways for marketing and was even able to get a professional opinion on my novel from someone in the writing industry. I would also like to add that he graciously read every chapter, even though romance novels aren’t his thing, and gave me his positive comments and suggestions. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful, smart, caring, and loving man as my husband.
And I’m not forgetting you dear reader. Thank you so much for taking a chance on an unknown author. I truly hoped you enjoyed this novel and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy my next few stories which I hope to have completed soon. Thank you again!
With sincerest appreciation,
Kimberly Lewis
In November of 2011, author Kimberly Lewis stepped into the writing world with her first original western contemporary romance novel, When the Heart Falls.
Born and raised on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, this country girl at heart caught the creative bug at an early age, doing everything from drawing to writing short stories.
After the birth of her son, Kimberly found the inspiration to pick up a pen, or in this case a laptop, and began writing her first novel. Since then she has continued to write and credits her husband Rob and her wonderfully crazy family, who with their love and joking demeanor provide her with the ideas that inspire her novels.
In her spare time she enjoys reading, horseback riding, and spending time with her amazing family.
To learn more about Kimberly and her books, please visit her at kimberlylewisnovels.blogspot.com
The following preview was provided by the author of the preview.
Enjoy this preview of Gallagher’s Pride
By MK McClintock
Gallagher’s Pride
GALLAGHER NOVELS BY MK MCCLINTOCK
Gallagher’s Pride
Gallagher’s Hope
For a complete listing of all MK McClintock novels,
visit www.mkmcclintock.com
Gallagher’s Pride is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. If you purchase this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher received any payment for this “stripped book.”
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work is whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. The publisher and author do not have any control over and do not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.
Copyright © 2012 MK McClintock
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States of America
Trappers Peak Publishing
Bigfork, Montana
McClintock, MK
Gallagher’s Pride; novel/MK McClintock
ISBN-10: 0615669158
ISBN-13: 978-0615669151
Second Edition
Edited by: Magnifico Manuscripts, LLC
www.mkmcclintock.com
1
WORLDS APART
The weariness settled in not long after her ship arrived in Boston. The anger, the pain, and the betrayal still consumed her heart. The grandness of the wild territory looming ahead did nothing to assuage these feelings. It seemed so long ago that she held her father’s hand as he lay dying, though barely eight months had passed. She still remembered his final words as though he’d spoken only a moment ago. “Ye’re not alone in the world me darling girl.” Gazing out the train window, across the expanse of land that marked only the beginning of her journey, Brenna realized her father couldn’t have foreseen where those final words would lead her.
In the countryside of Borthwick, Edinburghshire, Scotland–1869
The mare fought bravely to bring the young filly into this world and her struggles paid off. The beautiful silver-coated filly glanced around curiously as it sought purchase on its wobbly legs. Her mother nudged the little one until it stood triumphantly and quickly sought out nourishment. The young girl on the cusp of womanhood watched with rapt attention at the miracle which just took place, then turned from the stall and raced to the main house.
“Papa! Mama! Come quickly!”
Brenna jumped up and down in the doorway of the parlor, turned around, and headed back for the stable, not bothering to see if her parents followed.
Her father chuckled at the retreating girl and his wife smiled and said, “You did promise her a new filly.”
“So I did,” he laughed again. “Let us go and see if that’s what she’ll be getting.”
Duncan and Rebecca Cameron walked along the green grass to the stable which had born dozens of foals and fillies over the years. Brenna impatiently waited in great anticipation for this one day to come, for this special filly to be born. Her first horse to raise just as she chose and the most perfect gift she’d ever received.
The couple walked up and stood beside their daughter, looking over the stall door at the young filly staring curiously back at them.
“It will be a bit of time before she can be ridden, but she’s a fine-looking filly Brenna.”
“She’s beautiful Papa!”
“That she is,” her mother said, placing an arm around her shoulder. “What do you say we leave her to her mother.”
Brenna looked up at her father, pleading with him to let her stay out there. Her “just a little longer plea” almost always worked when she looked at him with her small smile and wide eyes.
“Not this time darling girl.” He pulled his daughter and wife close to him and began walking toward the stable entrance.
“There’ll be plenty of time for ye to spend with her, but your mother’s right.”
“Well, may I come out tomorrow? At sunrise?”
Her father chuckled again. “Yes, at sunrise.”
Brenna knelt over the recently tilled soil, side by side with her mother. Together they sowed the flower seeds for a new garden they chose to plant near the orchard. It had always been one of her most cherished times, those hours she spent with her mother in the gardens or with her father at the stable. Very few young people Brenna’s age lived in their small village, but she didn’t mind.
Her parents and the people who worked at Cameron Manor were her family and her friends. She took her school lessons every day after she and her mother tended the gardens, her parents insisting she be educated. Her tutor Mrs. Parks, a delightful older woman from London, spoke French and even traveled to Africa before her husband died. She encouraged Brenna to think freely and beyond the ideas written in textbooks. Brenna felt only delight when her father presented her with a beautiful globe shipped from London. She spent hours asking him about his travels and how he met her mother.
Brenna remembered asking him once about her birth and if she had any other family. Her father grew quiet for a time, smiled at her, and said all the family she needed lived at Cameron Manor. He seemed so sad—she didn’t ask again.
When she was ten years old, Duncan tried teaching her how to fish in one of the lakes on their estate. Brenna loved being outside, riding horses, and gardening with her mother, but she certainly didn’t like worms or watching fish squiggle and squirm on the hooks. Her father seemed happy, though, so she smiled and tried not to grimace much. Secretly she thought he knew how she felt because he didn’t take her fishing again after that. Instead, they enjoyed walks through the woods as he pointed out the various plants, trees, and wildlife when fortune favored them enough to catch a glimpse. Her father carefully showed her the boundaries of their land so that she wouldn’t wander into areas where hunters may mistake her or her horse for wild game. Over the years, Brenna led a sheltered life at Cameron Manor, but she felt loved beyond measure and she couldn’t imagine spending her life anywhere else.
In the countryside of Borthwick, Edinburghshire, Scotland–1875
One week after Brenna’s eighteenth birthday on a rare spring day when the sun shone with enthusiasm, Brenna’s parents hoped she would join them for a leisurely ride. Brenna’s mare, Heather, enjoyed a good run that morning so she opted to ride another mount for the afternoon. Brenna often woke early to go riding so her father wouldn’t discover that she preferred to ride without a saddle. She discovered early on that though saddles offered convenience, she and Heather preferred riding without the confinement. Her mother ended up riding one of the geldings since her mare carried another foal.
The family coveted such beautiful days. Scotland’s weather could change abruptly, so they took immediate advantage of such glorious weather.
An hour into their ride, a light sprinkling of rain began. Brenna thought nothing of it because the sun still shone brightly through the clouds. When the wind picked up, she turned a worried look over her shoulder toward her parents.
“We’d best head back in!” Her father’s shout carried across the howling wind. “The storm’ll have us soaking before long!”
Brenna turned around to answer her father, but shouting against the wind proved fruitless. She quickly closed the distance between them when a crack of thunder shuddered through the sky and frightened the animals. They started back as quickly as they could without causing injury to anyone, but another crack of thunder sounded close by and she watched as her mother’s horse frightened. Rebecca couldn’t calm the animal and it reared back, dropping her off the saddle before catching its leg in mud and falling over on top of her.
Duncan shouted for his wife, dismounted and ran toward her as quickly as his legs allowed. The gelding had broken his leg and couldn’t move, pinning Rebecca under its heavy mass. Brenna jumped off the mare and ran toward her parents, shielding her eyes from the pelting rain that began to fall in earnest, ignoring the stinging pain as the drops made contact with her skin.
When the Heart Falls Page 19