“Did you see that?” Hannah turned to face him, both hands palm flat on his chest.
“The nod? Yeah. I wonder if they have a nervous tick or something. One of them did that to me the first night I saw it.”
She turned back to the street and the dogs. “Where’d they go?”
“They’re right…” Dale’s stopped and scanned left then right. “They’re gone. What’s that all about?”
“It’s a long story. And we have to get to town and meet up with the others.”
The puppy yapped again, tail wagging, and tongue lolling. When neither Dale nor Hannah moved, the little guy yapped again and jumped up against them.
Dale looked around one more time, then bent down to pick up the pup. “I’m not totally sure, but I think he’s ours now.”
The puppy yapped, nodded, licked Dale’s face and then scurried out of his arms and almost knocked Hannah over, crawling into her arms and licking her face too.
“Ours, you say?” Hannah smiled, squinting as the puppy loved on her. “I think I like the sound of that.”
EPILOGUE
“I Finnegan George Farraday, take you, Joanna Marie Gaines, to be my wife…”
This ceremony made four out of five Farraday weddings in less than a year. Ian Farraday hadn’t been all that surprised when Adam got married, or even Brooks. But when the rest of his cousins, one after the other, were struck by the love bug, Ian had to admit if he hadn’t seen the passionate look in everyone’s eyes for himself, he never would have believed true love could strike a family almost all at once.
Of course, nothing had been as surprising for him as showing up at the ranch a few weeks ago to meet the newest Farraday, baby Helen, and discovering his kid sister was head over heels in love. With a cop, no less. At least the guy would soon be joining the Tuckers Bluff police force. Not that Ian had anything against the Dallas PD, but as a Texas Ranger he understood better than anyone the risks a person takes when he wears a badge and a gun to work every day. Especially knowing Dale’s intentions toward Hannah, Ian was dang glad the man wouldn’t be working a big city any more.
“You may now kiss the bride.”
For a few seconds, Ian wasn’t sure Finn would remember they were in public, and from the way the preacher cleared his throat—loudly—it seemed he wasn’t so sure either.
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I present for the first time in public, Mr. and Mrs. Finnegan Farraday.”
“Finn married.” Ian shook his head and turned to his sister beside him just in time to see Dale lean in for a quick peck on the lips and a promise in his eyes of more to come. As one of her older brothers, Ian preferred to think that promise was reflective of the ring Dale intended to put on her finger as soon as the nasty business with the Famiglia crime boss was over with. Not that Hannah knew anything about the ring.
Last night in the hotel bar, Dale had corralled their father and declared his plans to settle down in Tuckers Bluff, and when the time was right, ask Hannah to marry him. The funny thing was he seemed to think he needed time to win her over to the idea of marrying him. If this guy didn’t know Hannah’s answer right now would be a resounding yes, then there was more truth in the old expression love is blind than Ian had thought. Hell, even he could see the stars in her eyes every time she glanced in Dale’s direction. When most girls were going from teen crush to crush, Hannah was all about the horses. Not anymore. His little sister was definitely all grown up. And when the heck had that happened?
Row by row, the guests exited the pews, and like cattle following the leader, worked their way through the receiving line and out the door to wait along the church steps.
“What’s this?” Ian looked down at the cone shaped container his sister handed him filled with…something.
“Lavender.” She grinned.
“For what?”
Hannah rolled her eyes skyward. “To throw, silly.”
“It’s eco-friendly.” Dale came to stand on the steps beside Hannah, one arm comfortably looping around her waist. “At least that’s what they tell me.”
“I thought bird seed was the thing now?” Ian never understood why they stopped throwing rice. There were plenty of scientific studies to show it did no harm to birds.
Hannah wound her arm around Dale’s middle and leaned in. “Bird seed might not be too bad for the birds, but apparently if you get a guest with a good arm, the seeds can hurt. And a lot of brides complain that it gets caught in their dress and other …fun places.”
Now Ian really didn’t like the way Hannah looked up at Dale grinning. TMI for a big brother.
“Move over, cuz.” Two cones in one hand, DJ and his wife Becky came to join the group. “You ready for some real work?”
“Ha ha ha.” While Finn and Joanna were on their honeymoon, Ian requested vacation time to help out at the ranch. “Says the man who sits behind a desk most of his day.”
DJ lowered his voice, “Finn says they’re missing another calf.”
“Only one?”
“Sure looks that way.” DJ shrugged.
Ian didn’t get it. Most rustlers took as much cattle as they could fit in a trailer. If it weren’t his cousin telling him only one was unaccounted for, he’d assume there was a break in the fence line and the rancher was too stupid to figure it out.
“Here they come,” Hannah squealed, sliding her arm away from Dale and preparing to bombard the young couple with lavender.
Following the bride and groom making a mad dash to the horse and buggy waiting to whisk them to the reception, the crowd continued to cheer and shower the couple until the carriage pulled away.
Ian, on the other hand, kept his eyes on his sister holding hands with Dale. He was starting to get used the idea of her as one half of a couple.
“I’m not sure who’s going to make it to the altar first.” DJ looked to Hannah and Dale. “Those two or Grace.”
“He has to ask first.”
“Should be sooner than everyone thinks.”
Ian drew his gaze away from his sister to face his cousin. “You know something the rest of us don’t?”
“Between the deposition from the guy who wound up in the hospital, the recording on Dale’s phone, his deposition to the grand jury, and multiple eyewitnesses to Marie Stewart threatening to shoot Dale, she and several key players are plea bargaining as we speak.” DJ crossed his arms.
“Don’t they make a lovely couple?” Ian’s mother sidled up beside him. What he wasn’t sure of is if she was referring to his cousin Finn or to Hannah.
“Yeah. They do.” It was true for both couples.
His mother looped her elbow into his and started walking. “You know, there are going to be a lot of nice girls at this reception.”
Ian didn’t miss how DJ rolled his eyes and smothered a laugh.
“I’m sure there will be.”
“I’m serious.” The smile slipped from his mom’s face. “You’re not getting any younger, you know. You and your brother should have found a nice girl a long time ago.”
“I know, Mom.” Ian shot his cousin a stop-laughing-glare over his mother’s head. He loved his mom, but his line of work didn’t leave a lot of time for dating, nice girls or not.
His mother blew out a resigned sigh and Ian wondered if she really could read his mind.
“At least promise me you’ll ask a girl or two to dance?” she asked.
“I promise.” Ian patted her arm. “And one of these days I’ll find the right woman, just don’t get your hopes up it will be at the reception.”
“I don’t care where you find her so long as she’s not behind bars.”
At least that was one promise he should easily be able to keep.
****
If you enjoyed Hannah, at the end of this boxed set, please take a second to leave a review.
Now, turn the page to see who falls in love next!
For Texas Ranger Ian Farraday, nothing beats catching bad guys, except family time in Tuckers
Bluff. When fate steps in and brings him face-to-face with one curvy—and unforgettable—damsel in distress, all it takes is a stray puppy and a few missing cows to turn his ranch vacation upside down.
Attending a wedding isn't supposed to land Kelly Morgan in jail. Lucky for her, the Farraday men are always ready to save the day—especially one long, tall Texan. Too bad the embarrassing mishap turns out to be the least of her worries. After all, every woman needs a knight in shining armor once—or twice—in a lifetime.
CHAPTER ONE
There are many things in life which are never a good thing. Death, taxes—and like now—the reflection of flashing red and blue lights in the rear-view mirror.
“I should’ve stayed at the reception,” Kelly Ann Morgan muttered to herself, pulling to the side of the road. “Stupid feet.” Despite her mother’s warning, she’d opted to wear the sexy slingbacks with five inch heels that made her look tall and something closer to svelte, but even having kicked them off two long hours ago hadn’t helped the ache still shooting up her arches. Once Finn and his bride had left the reception, all she could think of was getting off her throbbing feet and crawling into bed. With the others still dancing the night away, she’d convinced the groom’s sister to catch a ride with her brother so Kelly could leave on the heels of the newlyweds. If not for her stupid feet she’d still be at the reception dancing with all her friends instead of stopped at the side of the road with a police car on her bumper.
Searching her beaded clutch for her license, she sucked in a calming breath and replayed the last few blocks in her mind, wondering what she could have done wrong. License in hand, she lowered the window and took a quick glance at the windshield. No expired registration. At least that was a good thing.
“Evening, miss. License and proof of insurance please?”
“Yes,” hiccup, “sir.” She stretched out her hand. “I’m sorry.” Hiccup. “I get hiccups when I’m nervous.”
The officer raised his attention from the license to her face. “I see. Wait here, please.”
Maybe she had a burned out tail light or something. Staring intently at the rear-view mirror, watching the officer get into the front seat of his patrol car did nothing to ease her unsteady nerves. He was just checking her insurance. Routine. Standard Operating Procedure. Nothing to be concerned about. After all, she wasn’t a criminal on the run.
The towering man sauntered back to her door, his expression unreadable.
Impatient, she blurted out, “Did I do something wrong?”
“There’s a stop sign a few blocks back.”
“Stop sign?”
His gaze scanned the interior of the car in one swift motion. “Where are you coming from, miss?”
“My friend’s wedding.” Sucking in a deep breath and swallowing hard, she tried to suppress the stupid nervous hiccups.
“Celebrating?” he asked evenly.
Kelly nodded. She didn’t dare open her mouth.
“Have a few drinks?”
“No, sir. Well, yes, sir, but I’m perfectly sober.”
The officer nodded and took half a step back. “If you’ll step out of the car, please?”
“I had my last drink at least a couple of hours ago.” She dangled one foot out the door then another. “Trust me, no one would have let me out the door of the hall if I’d had more.” Hiccup.
The man’s gaze dropped, and for a few exhilarating seconds, she thought he was admiring her legs. “Miss, where are your shoes?”
“Shoes?” Did he mean those miserable expensive torture devices? She flung her thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the backseat only to suddenly realize she had no recollection of tossing them there in the first place. “I… think I forgot them at the reception.”
“If you’ll please stand with your arms out and raise your right foot six inches off the ground.”
“Yes,” hiccup, “of course, but I can straighten this whole thing out if I could just have a minute to call someone. You see…” Arms spread, she toppled sideways, balancing on one foot had never been her strong suit. She’d flunked out of ballet class at the age of six. Regrouping, she tried again, wobbling precariously before almost tipping over once more. “Oh, forget this. If I could just call—”
The officer raised his flashlight. “Are you refusing the field sobriety test?”
She sucked up her nerve and straightened her shoulders. If standing on one foot was part of the test, she’d never pass it. “I am.”
“Then you’re definitely going to get your one phone call.”
****
“Mom is going to be extremely disappointed the party’s almost over and instead of dancing with an eligible female you’re dancing with me.” Ian Farraday’s little sister, Hannah, smiled up at him.
“Only because DJ tapped his future brother-in-law into helping load the wedding gifts.” Across the floor he spotted his mother approaching the square patch of dance floor at his father’s side. “Besides, if Dad doesn’t fade before the song ends, Mom will never notice.”
Hannah chuckled. “I guess you and Jamie are lucky she loves dancing more than she loves to sing.”
“But Jamie isn’t dancing with his sister.”
“No.” Hannah frowned. “That blonde has monopolized him since Joanna cut the cake.”
“You’re losing your touch, sis. The blonde was reeling Jamie in before they poured the first glass of champagne.”
Hannah’s gaze shifted across the big hall to where her eldest brother and the Marilyn Monroe wanna-be twirled to the music. “Jamie had been the one who took best to those dance lessons Mom insisted we all have.”
“Helps that he was old enough to understand all the girls love a guy who can take a turn on a dance floor without stepping on their feet.” Ian was only a few years younger than his brother, but at the time he’d considered the dance lessons a major imposition on his youthful fun. Not till he was in college and had easily mastered the two step—and winning the best girls—did he realize that once again his mom had been right. Which only made him wonder, briefly, why she’d picked now to harp on his bachelorhood.
The disc jockey announced the last song of the evening and Ian spun his sister to the first notes of the popular tune “Time of Your Life.” By the end of the song they were laughing, out of breath, and ready to call it a night.
A few feet from their empty table the sound of a cell phone ringing caught Ian’s attention. Quickening his step, he followed the sound, and under the napkin by DJ’s seat, uncovered the culprit. The caller ID showed Lew Sterrett Justice Center. Normally he would have let another person’s phone go to voice mail, but this late at night, he opted to answer. “Hello.”
“DJ?”
“No. DJ will be back shortly. This is Ian. Can I help?”
“I hope so.” He heard the catch in the caller’s voice. “It’s Kelly Morgan and I’ve run into a small problem.”
If she was at Lew Sterrett, he’d venture not so small.
“They think I’ve been drinking.”
Think? Everyone in the place had been drinking. The parents of the bride hadn’t pinched pennies. Not with the historic art-deco location, the food, or the free-flowing booze.
“I refused the field sobriety test.”
Which meant the officer involved brought her into the station for blood tests. She didn’t sound drunk to him, but he had no idea how long she’d been held in jail before getting her phone call.
“I need DJ to come here and explain that I’m not,” a heavy sigh sounded through the phone, “… a drunk. They can,” she sucked in a deep breath and he swore he could almost hear her swallowing. “…they can let me go home.” She blew out a ragged breath, exposing the fear under the confident bravado. “Soon, please.”
“We’ll be there.” Disconnecting the call, he scanned the large hall, then turned to his sister. “We need to find DJ. Fast.”
Hannah pointed to the stairs leading down to the semi-circle reception area by
the front doors. “He’s coming in now.”
Not waiting for his sister, he walked as quickly as was practical without drawing attention to himself and caught up with his cousin. “We’ve got a situation.”
DJ’s brows dipped into a frown. “What’s happened?”
“Kelly called you.” Ian handed DJ his phone. “She’s been detained. DUI.”
“What?” DJ’s brows shot high on his forehead.
Dale, the most recent man to leave the Dallas PD, stepped up around his friend. “Where is she?”
“Lew Sterrett.”
“Let’s go,” DJ and Dale echoed.
Ian turned to his sister and tossed her his keys. “You take my car back to the hotel. I’ll meet up with you later.”
“I’ll follow you.” Hannah leaned across a nearby table and grabbed for her purse.
“No,” Dale and DJ said in unison again, before DJ continued, “Not a good idea. We’ll handle it, and better not tell anyone what’s going on. No sense in worrying them until we find out more.”
Ian could see the argument forming in his sister’s head, but with a slow nod, she agreed.
The jail was a short jaunt from the reception hall at the fairgrounds and Ian and the others were rushing through the doors in no time.
The officer at the front desk lifted his gaze as the three men pushed their way into the building. The second his gaze settled on Dale, his shoulders relaxed and a hint of something akin to friendship lit his eyes. “What brings you in at this hour?”
“Here about a friend.”
The officer’s head took in the men at either side of Dale, both with their badges now clipped to their belts. Focusing on DJ, the older man frowned and narrowed his gaze. “Farraday?”
DJ nodded but the smile was forced. He wasn’t in a mood for small talk and Ian understood why.
This time the officer’s stiff stance didn’t ease as he turned to Ian’s familiar Texas Ranger badge. “Who do we have in custody that warrants two former Dallas PD and a Ranger gracing us with a visit at one o’clock in the morning?”
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