"Yes, sir," Clancy saluted. "I shall take every known advantage of her, Red. And I'll be damned glad when you're back on the job to answer all my questions, because she's the competition and she's pretty close-mouthed when it comes to information I could use."
"Good for you." Red looked at Angel with pride. "Keep him on his toes and make him work for what he wants. In the business and in the bedroom."
"Red!" Angel blushed.
"Get on out of here." The older man waved them away. "I've got a decision or two to make and I don't have your instincts. I have to think," he told her. "Let me know when you decide to tie the knot. I've got a great honeymoon in mind. Hell, me and Anna just might go with you."
"No, we will not!" Anna exclaimed. "The doctor said no honeymoon activities for a while, you old lizard."
"See you." Angel kissed Red on the forehead. "But when and if Clancy and I decide to waste time and money on a honeymoon, we'll go alone."
"If you two are even thinking about a honeymoon, just remember that the wedding has to come first," Red said firmly. He tucked his chin in and studied her over the top of his gold-rimmed glasses.
"I know that." Her tone was as firm as his.
"Well, damn it all, Anna. She ain't softened up one bit with someone to love her, after all," Red grinned.
"See you at work tomorrow, Clancy." He waved as they left the room.
They left town in the Bronco, Clancy behind the wheel, his knuckles getting whiter as they got closer to the Hendrix bridge. His jaw was set in determination and he turned on the radio to distract himself, but he didn't talk to her. He would drive fifty extra miles a day not to have to look down at the Red River flowing under that rickety old bridge, but if she wanted to go this way, then by damn, this was the way they would go.
"Clancy, turn this car around and go the other way," Angel said when they were about a mile from the bridge. "Or else move over and let me drive."
"Hell, no!" he practically shouted. "I'm driving this way and I'm driving across that bridge."
"Have it your way." She clammed up and stared out the side window. She couldn't fight his phobia for him, so he was going to have to overcome it or learn to let her drive. She sure wasn't going to fight this war every day.
His heart started doing double time when he saw the bridge ahead. Two kids riding bicycles were crossing, coming toward them, so he had to edge the Bronco off to the side and stop to let them across. He gripped the steering wheel as tightly he had the first time his father had let him drive at the age of eleven, and started across the bridge. He wanted to close his eyes, but knew better. Right in the middle, he stomped the brakes and sent up a silent prayer that the bridge wouldn't collapse and send the Bronco and both of them into the Red River. If it did, at least they'd go out of this life together.
"Come here," Clancy said hoarsely, and she moved across the bench seat to his side. "Sit by me and let me feel your warmth, Angel. I've been thinking ever since we left the hospital. I'm scared of this new change and I'm damned scared of this stupid bridge. But I can overcome anything with you beside me."
"That's right, Clancy . . . you can." Angel snuggled against him. "Now, let's get across this bridge. We've crossed worse, you know. In the past month, we've crossed a lot of bridges. I've met you in the middle of some of them, and you've had to meet me in the middle of some that were higher than this. We can make it together, honey. Let's go home."
"Before we do, I want to ask you right here on top of this hellacious bridge if you'll marry me, Angel. I still don't deserve you after what I did, but I'm hopelessly in love with you." He kissed her and forgot about where they were.
"Okay," she said. "Whenever and wherever you say. When you're ready, call the tune, and I'll dance to it. But darlin' there's a pickup waiting for us right now, so any more discussion has to wait until we get home."
He looked up to see a farmer grinning from ear to ear, waiting patiently in a beat-up, rusty red truck on the other side of the bridge.
"She said she'd marry me!" Clancy shouted to the farmer when they drove past, and the man gave him another big toothless smile and a thumbs-up sign.
Hilda opened the farmhouse door for them with a big smile on her face. She could tell at one glance that Angel had found happiness at last. Although this big, handsome man had done her wrong at one time, he could make up for it by spending the whole rest of his life taking care of her Miss Conrad. The housekeeper put a supper fit for royalty on the table, then declared she had to get home to her own family and couldn't possibly stay to help them eat.
"Just stack the dishes on the counter when you're finished. I'll put them in the dishwasher tomorrow morning, but I won't be here until after you leave for work. My great-granddaughter has a dance recital tomorrow and I promised her I would attend." Hilda hung her apron on the hook beside the stove. "And one more thing, young man," she pointed her finger at Clancy's nose and didn't smile or blink, "if you ever make Angel cry again, you'll have to deal with me. And when I finish, the buzzards get the leftovers. Now have a good supper."
"Whew!" Clancy exclaimed when Hilda was gone. "Did I pass inspection at last? I can't tell by the way she talks."
"Yes, of course," Angel smiled. "Now will you hold me one more time and tell me what you said on that bridge? Now that you're not scared you're about to fall into the Red River. I think you proposed."
He dropped down on one knee and took her hand in his. "Will you marry me, Angel . . . next Friday night?"
"Yes, Clancy, I'll marry you, but why next Friday night?" she asked.
"You'll see." He stood up and gathered her into his arms for a kiss that sealed their promises and their hearts together forever and ever.
Epilogue
"What am I doing?" Angel looked in the mirror the very next Friday night. The same old girl she saw every morning looked back at her, but she didn't have any answers to the questions in Angel's heart. "Well, it's time," she said to her reflection. "Feels kind of crazy, but hey, I said whenever and wherever. If this is what Clancy wants, I'm willing to do it."
Angela got into her shiny Jaguar and drove down Main Street in Tishomingo. The city rolled up the sidewalks at five o'clock and only one red light worked after ten, even if it was Friday night. She passed a few cars full of kids out for a drive, but mostly the little town was quiet. She made a sharp right turn across the Pennington Creek bridge and carefully drove her car to the sandbar where a few people waited in folding chairs.
Red met her at the car. He wore his best western-cut suit with a carnation on the lapel, and his brand-new eelskin boots he'd just gotten from his bootmaker. "You're beautiful, and I'm glad for this honor." He took her arm.
Fiddle music began off to one side. Then she heard Mindy on the keyboard, playing a few soft chords. This was a surprise! Clancy had said there would be a few people and the girls, but that their wedding would be small, and now the band was set up to one side playing as Red led her down the aisle between the two rows of chairs.
"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" the minister asked, but his voice didn't boom like it did in the church.
"Her friends and I do," Red said as he handed Angel's hand to Clancy.
Dillon continued. "We are gathered here because this is the time of night that Clancy first met Angel. . . and this is the time of night, I'm told, that they parted company exactly ten years ago this day. Clancy says this is what he should have done that night. And now we're doing something not everyone gets to do in their lifetime. We're getting to go back in time."
"Angel, I've got something to tell you," Clancy said loud and clear, remembering the words he'd spoken ten years ago. She was even more beautiful tonight, standing before him in a simple white cotton dress with white baby roses braided into a crown for her unruly hair.
"And I've got something to tell you, Clancy," Angel repeated the words she'd said and wondered what they were supposed to do next, since there weren't exactly alone. This time she couldn't tel
l him she was pregnant, because she wasn't. . . not yet.
"I'll go first," Clancy said, looking down into her beautiful green eyes. "I love you with my whole heart, Angel. It's been branded with your name for the past ten years and I want to stay with you forever, through this lifetime and eternity."
Her five friends brushed away tears of joy as Angel responded in an almost inaudible voice.
"Clancy, I took one look at you when we were still kindergarten and I wanted to stay with you forever. And now I will, through this lifetime and eternity, too."
The minister spoke again.
"Angela Conrad and Clancy Morgan have made their vows. These solemn promises are binding in the sight of God and these witnesses, and we come to the giving and receiving of rings," he said. And the otherwise traditional ceremony continued, up to and including a very untraditionally passionate kiss.
Later that night, in the privacy of their bedroom at the farmhouse, they ate the cheese and fruit left by Hilda, and tasted the sweetness of a bottle of Asti. Then Clancy undressed her slowly in the moonlight, wonder filling every fiber of his soul, that Angel was actually his wife. And then he carried her to the bed, where he gently laid her down.
"I love you, Mrs. Morgan, and I hope we have a dozen children," he whispered into her ear.
"I love you, too, Clancy. Now let's get started . . ."
Author Bio
Carolyn Brown is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author and a RITA finalist. With 68 published books and seven more on the list for publication in the next several months, she has written historical, contemporary, cowboys, country music mass market paperbacks and has recently crossed over into the women’s fiction market as well. She and her husband, a retired English teacher and author of mystery novels, live in southern Oklahoma. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young. And no, her husband does not edit for her because she can’t afford a divorce.
Carolyn can also be found online:
WEBSITE: http://www.carolynlbrown.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/carolyn.brown.16568
FB AUTHOR’S PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carolyn-Brown/198727816879253
Note from the Author:
I love, love, love hearing from my readers! You can catch me on my website (contact us page), on FB (personal and author pages) or email me at [email protected]
I try to answer all my mail personally but sometimes if I’m working on a deadline, it may be a couple of days. Without readers, authors would soon top the list of extinct species so please know that you are appreciated.
Please also take the time to share your thoughts on this book with other readers on Amazon or GoodReads.
A few of Carolyn Brown’s other Romances Available on Kindle:
An Old Love’s Shadow
Honky Tonk Angel
Red River Deep
Bride for a Day
How to Marry a Cowboy
The Cowboy’s Mail Order Bride
The Cowboy’s Christmas Baby
Billion Dollar Cowboy
Cowboy Seeks Bride
Just a Cowboy and His Baby
Mistletoe Cowboy
One Hot Cowboy Wedding
Darn Good Cowboy Christmas
Red’s Hot Cowboy
Love Drunk Cowboy
Honky Tonk Christmas
My Give a Damn’s Busted
Hell, Yeah
I Love This Bar
Getting Lucky
One Lucky Cowboy
Lucky in Love
The Ladies’ Room
Hidden Secrets
The Blue Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee
The Red Hot Chili Cook Off
A Forever Thing
In Shining Whatever
Life After Wife
Sweet Romances, Spicy Cowboy Romances, Historical, Women’s Fiction…Carolyn Brown has something for everyone:
Praise for other Carolyn Brown Romances: Wonderful characters, seamless writing, and a firecracker romance has Carolyn Brown at the top of her game.”—Wendy’s Minding Spot
“There are authors who write good stories and build good characters. Carolyn Brown writes and excellent story and creates characters so alive you think you could sit down and chat with them. Her dialog is snappy with liberal use of humor and Texas speak.”—Sia McKye
“I loved the characters in this book, and could easily see myself settling into the world they inhabit. They are all so well-written, they leap from the pages.”—Romance Reader at Heart
“The delightful humor, the uniquely regional sayings, and the appealing setting along with sassy dialogue bring a true-to-life aliveness to the events, and make this love story enchanting.”—Long and Short Reviews
“Carolyn Brown wowed me with this book and her expertise in crafting a perfect romance. Put me down as her newest Super Fan!” —Cheeky Reads
Coming Soon from Carolyn Brown:
The Burnt Boot Series
Cowboy Boots for Christmas (Cowboy Not Included), Oct. 2014
The Trouble with Texas Cowboys, Jan. 2015
One Cowboy Too Many, Summer 2015
The Cowboy’s Christmas Miracle (working title), Oct. 2015
The Red Dirt Road Series
Long, Hot Texas Summer, Aug. 2014
Daisies in the Canyon, Dec. 2014
The Cadillac Texas Trilogy
The Yellow Rose Barbecue Ball, Apr. 2015
Available now:
The Blue Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee
The Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off
Red River Deep
A Vintage Carolyn
Brown Romance Novel
By Carolyn Brown
Copyright 1997 by Carolyn Brown
Cover by Go On Write
“City and country gals alike will enjoy this fun, sassy and fast-paced romance…Brown does an amazing job creating a down-home atmosphere.” RT Reviews
“Underlying themes of self-confidence and self-identity run throughout this sometimes humorous, sometimes touching story. Readers who enjoyed Pamela Morsi’s Red’s Hot Honky-Tonk Bar (2009) will also take to Brown’s latest.”—Booklist, Starred Review
“Carolyn Brown spins a charming tale of love, loss, and joy with an expert hand.” —Minding Spot
Brown’s novel will warm your heart, and bring you characters so real, you’ll swear they’re flesh and bone.”—Love Romance passion
Carolyn Brown takes me away from the present and takes me on a journey where I can vicariously enjoy other people’s love story. It’s like watching a movie in print.”—This Book For Free
Ms. Brown writes witty characters that stay with the reader long after the novel ends. You want to see them fight, laugh, love, and succeed in their lives. You feel a part of the story as well. You can almost smell the hay, corn, and live stock. The details set the mood for the story.”—Long and Short Reviews
With love to my husband from his rebel wife
who loves him Red River deep.
Dear Readers,
In 1997, I started my writing career with four contemporary romance books written under the name Abby Gray. Writing was going to be my vice and no one was going to know about it, but alas, my sister was so happy that I was finally published that she called three newspapers and everyone found out.
I’ve decided to reissue those four Abby Gray books as Vintage Carolyn Brown Books in digital and paperback formats. This is one of those books, which originally sold as Love is the Answer. It has a new title, Bride for a Day, and a new cover, but the content is the same, hence the Vintage imprint. And since my vice isn’t a secret anymore and all the rest of my books are written under Carolyn Brown, then these are, too.
Getting married was the last thing Cassie O’Malley wanted and she was grateful for the sexy farmer for pretending to be her fiancée. Then suddenly she had no way out other than to marry, Ted Wellman, the man she’d just met. But it was only for a day, just until she could rake up the money
for an annulment or a divorce.
I firmly believe that love and emotions have been the same since the days of Adam and Eve. Times change. Clothing changes. Attitudes change. But love is the same, generation after generation and that is why I left the story exactly as it was written in 1997.
Seventeen years later and more than sixty books later, I have a special place in my heart for all my characters, but Bride for a Day, is special because it’s one of those first four books that kick started my career in writing romance.
If you like this one, look for Honky Tonk Angel, Bride for a Day, or pick up An Old Love’s Shadow, all vintage Carolyn Brown books!
I would love to hear from you. Email me at [email protected] or visit my website at www.carolynlbrown.com or look me up on FB.
Happy Reading,
Carolyn Brown
CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Prologue
Austin jerked his T-shirt over his head hard enough to split the seams over his broad shoulders. He combed his dark brown hair with his fingertips, picked up his worn blue duffel bag, kicked a pile of dirty clothes out of his way, and headed for the living room door.
"Austin, don't you dare walk out that door. It's pouring rain and it's turning to sleet. I'll take you back to the dorm even if you are pigheaded and hateful."
Tracey came out of the bedroom hopping on her right foot while she tried desperately to get a high-top athletic shoe on her left. She had slipped on a top, but she wasn't wearing a bra and her jeans were still unzipped. Austin scowled at her.
Small Town Romance Collection: Four Complete Romances & A New Novella Page 15