The Rancher And The Runaway Bride: Part 3 (5 page)

Read The Rancher And The Runaway Bride: Part 3 Online

Authors: Susan Mallery

“Me, neither.”

He nodded. “I’ve asked your mother to dinner and she’s accepted. Seeing as I had an
opinion about you and Brady it only seems fair to let you voice yours about your mother
and me.”

She studied the tall, proud man. He was about ten years younger than Melissa, but
that wasn’t likely to bother either of them. “Does she know what you do for a living?”

“I told her right off. She knows I was in the marines, too.”

Randi laughed. “Let me guess. She wants to see your tattoos.”

He grinned. “We’re negotiating that.”

Tex and her mother. “I wouldn’t have put the two of you together, but if you think
you really like her, then have a good time. Don’t worry about me being here to cramp
your style. I’m leaving.”

He looked at the packed suitcase. “Going anywhere special?”

“Back to the ranch. I’m going to make Brady see sense, whether he likes it or not.”
She clenched her hands into fists. “Am I making a mistake? Has he forgotten all about
me?”

Tex moved next to her and gathered her into a bear hug. “That boy’s moping around
like a she-cat without her cubs. He won’t eat, can’t sleep. Generally, he’s suffering.”

Some of the pain around her heart eased. “Good. He deserves it. I’m determined to
convince him that we belong together.”

“I don’t think he’ll need much convincing.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I generally am.”

She stepped away and glared at him. “Then, why’d you go and tell Brady that Ty and
I were involved? We weren’t.”

The ex-marine grinned. “Hell, I knew that, but I thought it might give Brady something
to think about.”

“You lied!”

“Uh-huh.”

“I should warn my mother about you.”

“I think the lady can take care of herself.”

* * *

At noon the next morning Randi pulled off the side of the highway. To her left was
the beginning of Brady’s ranch. She gazed at the familiar, desolate landscape and
wondered how Brady had ever thought she would want to live anywhere else.

While her sense of homecoming gave her courage, she wasn’t sure how to approach him.
She needed the exact words to tell him that she loved him and that they belonged together.

The sun warmed the car and she unrolled the window. A flicker of movement caught her
eye. She squinted, then laughed as she recognized a familiar canine making her morning
rounds. She stepped outside and called the dog. “Princess! Over here.”

The shepherd yipped joyfully and trotted toward Randi. She squatted down and hugged
the dog, then scratched her ears.

“How you doing, girl? You look much better.” She checked the animal’s paws and found
they’d healed. Princess licked her face, trotted a couple of steps toward the ranch,
then paused expectantly.

Randi slowly rose to her feet. Princess barked encouragingly, as if telling her to
come on. As ideas went, it wasn’t a bad one. Maybe she wouldn’t have to say anything
at all to Brady. Maybe she could just show up.

After making sure her car was out of the flow of traffic, she locked the doors and
started after the dog. They were only about a mile from the main house. While she
got her morning workout, she could think of what she wanted to say to Brady.

* * *

Brady stared at the bowl of stew in front of him. Although the food was excellent,
he wasn’t hungry. He hadn’t been hungry in days. He couldn’t survive much longer if
he didn’t start eating, but nothing tasted right. And it wasn’t because Tex had decided
to deliver Randi’s belongings. The temporary cook prepared fine meals, at least that’s
what the men told him.

He dipped his fork into the rich mixture, then grimaced. He wasn’t himself. Nothing
was going wrong, but it wasn’t right, either. The ranch, usually his refuge, had become
a prison. The joy was gone and he knew why.

But knowing why and fixing it were two different things. So he missed Randi. He hadn’t
expected any different. He loved her and she wasn’t with him; life was hardly going
to be happy. Before, with Alicia, he’d been able to bury himself in work. Now that
wasn’t an option. He couldn’t escape the memories, the wanting, the needing.

Ty slammed down his fork and glared across the table. “I quit,” he said.

The already silent room became charged. Everyone stopped eating and stared.

Brady looked at his second-in-command. “That’s your right.”

“Damn straight.” Ty stood up. “Wanna know why?”

Brady had a bad feeling he knew what was coming. “Not really.”

“That’s what I thought. You want to get off easy. You want to take the coward’s way
out.”

Brady deliberately set his napkin on the table and rose to his feet. “Maybe you and
I should take this outside.”

“Fine.”

Ty stood up and stalked to the doorway. Once there he glared over his shoulder. “You’ve
had this coming for a long time.”

Brady followed silently.

They stopped in the yard, under the shade of the trees planted by his great-grandfather
nearly eighty years ago. Ty tossed his cowboy hat aside and raised his hands to chest
level.

“Come on, boss man. You go first. Hit me. Hit me hard, because maybe then you can
forget you were stupid and cowardly enough to let her go.”

“Is that what this is about?” Brady asked, furious the other man dared to bring up
Randi. “You wanted her for yourself and you lost her. Is that it?” He assumed a fighting
stance.

Ty shook his head. “I never loved her, but if I had I would have kept her here instead
of abandoning her in a place that never once made her happy. So hit me, dammit, because
I’m looking forward to beating some sense into you.”

Brady circled the cowboy. “I didn’t abandon her. She belongs there.”

“Then, why was she crying over you?”

“Over me?” He made the fatal error of dropping his hands. The blow came sharp and
fast, clipping his chin and sending him staggering across the yard. The pain was unexpected
and sharp. He’d forgotten that fighting hurt like a son of a bitch.

The other men spilled out of the bunkhouse. “W-what are you d-doing?” Ziggy demanded.

“Getting his attention,” Ty said grimly. He glared at Brady. “You ready to listen
now?”

Brady touched his split lower lip and felt blood. His chin throbbed, and he was going
to have a bad case of whiplash.

“There’s nothing to listen to. You’re not making any sense, Ty. I did the right thing.”
He realized all the men were staring at him, their expressions accusing. “I did,”
he said defensively. “You should have seen her mother’s big house. The family has
money.”

“And you don’t?” Quinn asked.

“That wouldn’t m-matter to her,” Ziggy said.

“She loves you,” Ty yelled.

“I love her, too,” Brady yelled back.

“Then, why the hell were you stupid enough to leave her behind?”

Brady stared at his men. Their concern touched him. All they wanted was for him to
be happy. They thought Randi was the woman to make that happen. They were right.

“Damned if I know,” he said, and knew it was true. Because he was afraid, maybe? Because
he hadn’t wanted to take another chance? He’d played it safe and now he was paying
the price. He was going to have to learn to live without her.

Impossible, he thought, knowing he would rather risk rejection than spend the rest
of his life wondering what could have been.

He looked at the men in the yard, at Ty willing to quit to make him see reason. They
were his friends. He’d started out rescuing them, but somehow it had changed. Now
he was the one in need of rescuing.

“So I just go ask her to come back?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “What if she says
no?”

Ty exhaled impatiently. “She won’t.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“She loves you,” Ziggy said. “Don’t blow it.”

Brady touched his still-bleeding lip. “Fine. I’ll drive to Grand Springs and tell
her I want her to come back. We all want her to come back. But I’m the one who’s going
to marry her. Got that?”

A cheer erupted from the men. Ty stepped forward and slapped him on the back. Brady
faked a glare. “Didn’t you just quit?”

“Nope.”

“I didn’t think so. I’m going to leave right away. While I’m gone—” A familiar barking
cut through his conversation. Brady groaned. “Not another cat. I refuse to accept
even one more.” He turned toward the sound. “Princess, you take whatever you found
and—”

But the figure following his dog wasn’t a stray cat. Brady thought his brain might
be playing a trick on him, punishing him for acting so stupidly. But she wasn’t an
illusion brought on by no sleep or food. She was heartbreakingly real. He wanted to
say or do something, but he found he couldn’t move.

Randi paused by the barn and smiled tentatively. “Hi.”

The men mumbled greetings. There was an awkward pause. Ty gave Brady a shove in her
general direction, then said, “Good to see you back. We’ve got work to do. We’ll see
you later.”

She nodded, but her gaze settled on Brady, not the other men.

As the cowboys drifted off, he moved toward her. He took in the casual shirt she wore,
the worn jeans and boots, her hair pulling loose from its braid. “You’re beautiful,”
he said.

She flushed. “Thanks. Ask me why I’m here.”

“Why are you here?”

“Because I have the answer to your question.”

She waited expectantly. He frowned, trying to recall what questions they would have
in common. Then he remembered. “I asked you if you would stay here when all your other
problems were solved.”

She nodded.

He stared at her face, at the emotions flickering in her eyes. How could he ever have
considered living a life without her at his side? “You didn’t have to come back to
me,” he said. “I’m glad you did, but I would have come to you.”

She touched his lower lip and winced. “I can see you had a little help making that
decision.”

“No. Ty helped me figure it out, but I already knew the truth.” He touched his chest.
“In here. Where it counts.” He took her hand in his and brought it to his mouth, then
kissed her tender skin. “I love you, Randi. I know you have a family and a life in
Grand Springs, and I have no right to ask you to give that up, but I’m asking, anyway.
All I have to offer you is this ranch, this crazy existence out here in the middle
of nowhere. I want to marry you. I want us to have a bunch of kids and grow old together.”

Her smile was radiant. “Are we going to drive to the tip of South America when we’re
old and gray and explore the continent?”

“Maybe.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” She flung herself at him. “I love you, too,” she
said, her voice muffled against his chest. “I have for a long time. Grand Springs
isn’t home to me anymore. This is where I belong. With you and the land. With the
cowboys and Princess and all the cats.”

He pressed his lips to hers, ignoring the faint throb from his cut. The tender kiss
ignited a contentment deep in his heart. He felt something blossom inside, a happiness
so steady and so bright he knew it would last a lifetime…maybe beyond.

She pulled back and frowned. “I have to warn you, Tex might not be coming back. He’s
at my mother’s house right now. Doing Lord knows what. I know it sounds strange, but
I think they might really be right for each other.”

“Tex and your mother?” Brady tried to imagine the couple and couldn’t.

“I’m not kidding. He brought Peter and my things.” She flashed him a smile. “Mom didn’t
only take a shine to Tex, but also to the kitten, so although I brought my stuff back,
I didn’t bring Peter.”

“Good. We have too many cats now.”

She laughed. “I swear one of these days I’m going to get you to admit you actually
like the cats.”

“Maybe.”

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her to the house. They had a lot of
catching up to do. First, though, he was going to take her upstairs and make love
to her. Then they would discuss the details of their wedding. Finally, they would
get on with the business of being happy together.

She paused at the base of the stairs and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Did you
formally propose?”

“Yes.”

“Did I formally accept?”

“I don’t think so.”

She kissed him. “Brady Jones, I’m proud to marry you.” She started up the stairs and
paused. “Maybe my mom and Tex will come and live here.”

He groaned. “Don’t even think about it.”

She laughed and he joined in. They linked hands and continued climbing the stairs,
taking the first steps of a journey that promised a lifetime of laughter, joy and
love.

The spring storm left a mark on everything in its path, destroying the landscape and
ravaging peoples’ lives. Grand Springs, Colorado, would never be the same. The mayor’s
murder continues to resonate. Who is Jo and was she the one who administered the deadly
needle that killed Olivia Stuart? Was Randi’s ex-fiancé and Olivia’s son, Hal, involved?
And who is Martin Smith? The cops have no answers yet, but they are getting close…but
with the killer still on the loose, is anyone in Grand Springs safe? Read on and see….

Up next,
Marriage by Contract
by Sandra Steffen.

A pounding rainstorm hits the town of Grand Springs, Colorado, causing blackouts and
mudslides. As the people of Grand Springs are forced to come together, find out who
will find love, family and each other.

Be sure to check out all the titles in Harlequin E’s first serial,
36 Hours
, a story told in 36 parts, by these bestselling authors:

When Lightning Strikes: Parts 1, 2 and 3
by Mary Lynn Baxter

Strange Bedfellows: Parts 1, 2 and 3
by Kasey Michaels

Ooh Baby, Baby: Parts 1, 2 and 3
by Diana Whitney

For Her Eyes Only: Parts 1, 2 and 3
by Sharon Sala

Cinderella Story: Parts 1, 2 and 3
by Elizabeth August

Father and Child Reunion: Parts 1, 2 and 3
by Christine Flynn

The Rancher and the Runaway Bride: Parts 1, 2 and 3
by Susan Mallery

Marriage by Contract: Parts 1, 2 and 3
by Sandra Steffen

Partners in Crime: Parts 1, 2 and 3
by Alicia Scott (April 2014)

Nine Months: Parts 1, 2 and 3
by Beverly Barton (April 2014)

The Parent Plan: Parts 1, 2 and 3
by Paula Detmer Riggs (April 2014)