Along Came a Ranger

by Debra Holt

  “I thought I was, too. Unfortunately, even though I left central Texas for the border, you were there also. I came to the bookstore today because I’m tired of having you in my mind at least fifty-five minutes of every hour of each day. You’re a hard woman to forget. I’m thinking you just might be impossible in that regard.”

  She didn’t know how to respond to what he said. His words gave her hope and despair at the same time. “You scare me, McKenna.” She hadn’t planned to say that out loud. It just needed to come out. It was clear by the look on his face, that she had stunned him with her confession.

  “How do I do that?”

  “Because you never tried to break down my defenses. You never belittled my feelings about the cowboy issue. You never showed any pity for the way I grew up. You didn’t follow the pattern of the men I had grown up around. You brought me into your life and let me meet your family and friends and, before I realized it, I had let you get closer to me than anyone else. And you did it by being you… no one else. The fact that could happen so easily scared me. It made me spend a good deal of time reevaluating some of my preconceived ideas. I was standing on shaky ground with you.”

  “I won’t apologize.” He definitely gave her a soft smile at that point. That smile had a thousand possibilities behind it.

  “I didn’t think you would.”

  He set his hat down on the seat beside him. His hand reached for one of hers that lay in her lap. His fingers were warm and she immediately felt a calming comfort as they closed around hers even as every nerve in her body became supercharged.

  “So, can we agree that by laying aside your issue with cowboys, you also realize that has nothing to do with the future any longer?” Davis searched her gaze with his.

  “I do know that… thanks to you. But I still don’t want to date them.”

  Several seconds went by. The look on his face told her she had shaken him up with that last sentence.

  Stacy hastened to clarify. “I only want to date one cowboy. That is, if he’s still interested. Are you?”

  “I’m who I am, Stacy. I’m proud to be that person. I work in the city but my life and heart is in the country. You were right that night we danced. I can put on a tux and look like someone else. But, underneath, I’m the same man I always have been. What you see is what you get with me.”

  His gaze grew warm and those little crinkle lines appeared beside those amazing blue eyes that lured her into their depths and held her there. His thumb made a lazy circle in her palm as he turned it over in his hand. Her midsection had a reaction to that touch.

  “And there’s another problem. I’m not interested in dating you.”

  Did she not hear correctly? Maybe it was because her heart suddenly began hammering in her chest. He was turning her down… telling her there was no future for them.

  Davis stood and pulled her up to stand in front of him. He let go of her hands and slid his hands around her waist, gently tugging her closer. Stacy did not resist. She was determined to hold her head up and take no matter what he was about to say with as much dignity as she could. One hand left her waist then and moved upward to allow two long fingers to capture her slightly trembling chin.

  “I know when I’ve found what I want. I’ve known for a long time now. I don’t need to waste any more time with dating. I made up my mind about five minutes after I looked into your eyes the first time. I knew you were a future worth fighting for. Now it’s time for you to make up your mind. What is it you want?” Davis bent his head and his fingers held her chin steady as his mouth claimed hers in a deep, heartrending kiss.

  Stacy rose on tiptoes, leaned into him, her fingers splayed across his chest. Incredible happiness blossomed inside her at the touch of his lips. She couldn’t get close enough to him. He brought the life back into her with his gentlest of touches. It was a shock when he broke off the kiss much too soon. Her eyes blinked at the sudden withdrawal. A bit unsteady in her return to reality, she still grasped at his shirtfront. Only it wasn’t in front of her very long before he moved away from her touch.

  “What’s wrong?” Her eyes widened in concern. “Are you all—” Stacy shut her mouth and her hands flew across it with a smothered gasp.

  Davis knelt down on one knee. He hadn’t passed out or anything else along those lines as she first thought when he sank toward the ground. This had nothing to do with his health at all. However, it did involve his heart. And that heart was on full display in his blue eyes that captured hers.

  “I admit I did study this part of your books before I came here. In case I had the opportunity, I didn’t want to get it wrong. It’s the first time I’ve ever proposed and I know it will be the last. It needs to be perfect. Because you deserve nothing less.” His tone was serious even though he tried to inject a slight bit of humor in the moment.

  Stacy slowly lowered her hands to her sides, but he soon captured her left one in his.

  “After that kiss just now, I know without a doubt what the future is that I want. I love you, Stacy Smith. You’re the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. I want to love you, laugh with you, have a family with you, and sit in that porch swing and work on research for more of your books with you. I make no apology for being a cowboy. But I’m one that won’t let you down and won’t break the heart I hope you entrust me with. Will you leave that tower of yours and marry this cowboy?”

  This is the real thing. Those words ran through her mind along with a riot of other thoughts and sensations. She had written such a scene dozens of times. Only this time it was for real. It was her time. And there was only one reply she could make. It was the easiest decision she would ever have to make. Her heart spoke it for her.

  “Yes,” she replied in a voice little more than a whisper. There was moisture in her eyes and her smile trembled on her lips. “Yes, you are the only cowboy for me. Today and forever. I love you and do give you my heart.” Her voice rose at the last as she was suddenly lifted off her feet in a tight bear hug. She laughed in sheer delight as Davis swung her around, her arms tightly wound around his neck. Stacy felt light as a feather and the invisible chains that had held her to the ground for so long had been broken forever by the love of the cowboy who had opened her heart to his.

  Epilogue

  “Lizzie! Please stop fidgeting. I can’t get your bow tied properly if you don’t.” Tricia Wellman admonished her daughter for the second time. “There,” she pronounced with a final pat on the bouffant bow a moment later. “Now, be a good girl and sit in that chair over there for me.” The little girl did as she was told, careful to make sure that her mound of pink satin skirts was splayed nicely around her. Her little legs, clad in their white stockings, dangled off the edge of the seat. She smiled proudly down at the pink sparkly flats on her feet. Today was an important day and she got to walk down a long aisle and look like a real princess.

  “I have the flowers.” Darcy breezed into the room at that moment. One hand carried a white wicker basket filled with rose petals in varied colors, which she placed beside Lizzie. “When it’s time, you’ll carry this basket. Just like we practiced, okay?”

  Lizzie nodded her head in the affirmative.

  “I’ll give this box to Stacy and then it will be almost time to begin. We’ll be down in a few minutes,” she informed Tricia before taking the stairs quickly. Her own pink and white checked gingham skirts made swooshing sounds along the banister rails. Her white chiffon sash fell from a graceful bow at the back of her skirt. Pink flowers were sprinkled in her hair that was caught up on top of her head. Dainty white lace gloves covered her hands.

  Every nuance of the day had been the bride’s planning. Stacy, who had lived in the city and shunned the cowboy way, had come a long way in revising her attitudes. She stated that she wanted a “countrified city girl wedding” and that was what they were having. The ceremony was being held in the gazebo on the back lawn of Davis’s home. White chairs framed an aisle that had white wicker baskets full o
f pink, yellow, white, and lavender flowers at each end. Soft wind chimes echoed in the light breeze of the late afternoon. The white gazebo itself had been covered in flowers and greenery. A harpist sat on a small dais to the side, ready to provide the music for the ceremony.

  The front lawn and porches of the McKenna home held the long tables of food and smaller tables for the many guests who had happily responded to the invitations. Another dais sat in the far corner under a large pecan tree and that was where the band was setting up for the dancing that would come later on the dance floor that had been especially laid for that purpose. Copper lanterns surrounded by fresh flowers glowed on each table. The table linens were cream and complimented the bright floral arrangements. Country elegant… that was what Stacy had hoped to achieve and she had.

  The men—the groom and best man—wore black western-cut suits, with white shirts and silver and turquoise-clad black bolo ties. Black hats and boots were nonnegotiable and brand new. They had been relegated to the back porch and told to wait and stay out of things by Tricia. Davis used the time to pace back and forth, now and then glancing at his watch.

  “Relax, there’s nothing to this wedding business,” his best man and fellow ranger, Chaz Parker, spoke as he pushed the brim of his hat back on his forehead and leaned a shoulder against a porch pillar. His eyes took in the pacing groom with amusement in their jade depths.

  Davis threw him a look, but he did stop pacing. “You’re a confirmed bachelor,” he responded. “What would you know about ‘this wedding business’?”

  “I know enough to not get caught by it,” he tossed back, with a grin.

  Chaz Parker and Davis McKenna had worked together on many cases over the years. They trusted each other with their lives. Davis tried to recall times when they actually discussed their personal lives with each other and found he could count them on one hand. Chaz didn’t talk about himself and Davis respected that. Although, he had heard enough from the office grapevines to know that Chaz Parker was something of a lone wolf when it came to matters of the heart. He preferred his freedom. Many females had tried to change his mind, but none had managed to do that. There was a trail of broken hearts to prove it, Davis had been told.

  “Your time is coming,” Davis warned. “When you least expect it… the right female will walk up to you and you won’t even put up a fight. You’ll fall hard and fast.”

  “I wouldn’t bet on that. You’d lose. Besides, I’m going to be a bit busy. I’m heading down south tomorrow now that the feds have all they need and have the Harringtons spilling what they know about the Excalibur Group. I’m just sorry you won’t be around to join me for the trip south.”

  Davis shot him a look. “You’re going down to the border again? The Ramirez group?”

  “Yep. This time, we aren’t coming back without Paco himself. But don’t worry yourself about it… while you’re on that Caribbean beach with your gorgeous wife.”

  “I can promise you that nothing but my gorgeous wife will be on my mind… period.”

  *

  “You look amazing,” Darcy whispered as she took in the vision standing at the top of the stairs awaiting their cue. Stacy had chosen an off the shoulder, white chiffon wedding gown with a full skirt below a fitted waist. A bright pink satin sash wrapped the small waist and the bow’s ends fell to the back edge of the skirt. Her hair was upswept and pink and white gerbera daisies held it in place at the back. Her bouquet was a cascade of the same daisies and greenery.

  The pearl necklace at her throat and the pearl studs in her ears had been worn by Davis and Darcy’s mother on her wedding day. It was a lovely and sentimental gesture on such an important day. There had been tears in Davis’s mother’s eyes when she had handed them to her before the rehearsal dinner the previous evening. They had been tears of joy in the fact that Davis had found the perfect woman for his partner she had told Stacy. Stacy fingered them lovingly as she viewed herself in the mirror… enjoying how they made her feel even more welcomed into her new family.

  “Do you think my hair is okay? Should I have worn my hair down? Davis does prefer it that way.” Stacy was nervous, although she hadn’t been up until a few minutes ago.

  Then she had stood in front of the mirror and realized that this whole day was real… that she was a real bride. It wasn’t a scene from a book. Her hero was real and waiting downstairs for her. She hoped he was.

  “Have you seen Davis? He’s here, right?”

  “Relax,” Darcy replied, and gave her a slight hug… careful not to muss her makeup or dress. “He’s here. The minister is here. The guests are here. Everyone is just waiting on you to make your grand entrance. So, how about it? You want to go downstairs and marry my brother?”

  “More than anything.” She flashed a broad smile. More than ready.

  Right on cue, Lizzie made her way slowly down the aisle… taking a step and then dropping a few rose petals… then another step… so forth and so on. She concentrated on her job as evidenced by the solemn biting of her lower lip as she did her best to cover the duties of flower girl/princess. She stole the show.

  Darcy entered next and floated down the aisle to the soft strains of Pachelbel’s “Canon in D”. She smiled at the many friends seated on each side of the aisle. Her blue eyes twinkled with happiness as she caught those of her brother as he stood at the end of the aisle. Then she realized that a welling of moisture was beginning to blur her vision. Quickly, she blinked it away as best she could. She blew him a soft kiss and gave a wink as she took her place on the bottom step of the gazebo.

  All eyes swept to the bride. As the strains of the traditional “Here Comes the Bride” drifted softly across the afternoon breeze, Stacy took the aisle. She had no idea who sat in the chairs as she walked the petal strewn aisle between them. Her eyes had never left Davis’s as she approached his side. There were no more nerves, no more questions, just the rightness of time and place. Her cowboy stood straight and tall waiting for her.

  With hands clasped together, they repeated their vows… Davis in his deep tones and she in her softer ones. Yet each held a lifetime commitment in their depths. A loud chorus of cheers erupted after the minister pronounced them husband and wife and Davis swept her up in his arms for a kiss that raised the heat index a few degrees. Then, laughing, hand-in-hand, they took their first walk together as a married couple up the aisle.

  Much laughter and tears mixed together with young and old. Barbecue brisket shared the table with filet mignon. Longneck beers were iced in buckets alongside Dom Perignon champagne. Broadway tunes and Cotton-Eyed Joes mixed on the dance floor. Just after the cake was cut and toasts made to the couple, Stacy found her hand snagged by Davis’s and, with a secretive wink for her, he pulled her after him, around the corner of the house, and inside through the back door. She grinned at the way he was trying to not be seen by anyone. They reached the stairs and he drew her up them. It dawned on her then what he might be up to.

  “Davis, not now,” she whispered in mock protest. “We have too many guests outside and they’ll miss us soon.”

  He hesitated for only a second or two. “This will only take a minute,” he smiled at her. Then he noted the look on her face. “What do you think we’re doing?”

  “You’re heading to the bedroom, so…” she began and then stopped.

  He still could make her blush. A wicked grin replaced his previous smile.

  “I love how your mind works, my love, but even I need longer than a minute for that. I’m not taking you to the bedroom. We’re going to see your wedding present.” He continued past the bedroom door and then up to the third floor. He stopped in front of the closed door.

  “My present is in the attic?”

  “It is the present.” He opened the door and stepped back to allow her to enter ahead of him.

  Stacy picked up her skirts and moved up the final two stairs, passing in front of Davis, and then she took two more steps inside the room that she had only seen once before�
�� a few weeks before the wedding… when she had stuck her head in briefly when she asked Davis what it was and he gave the offhanded reply that it was the attic junk room.

  It was anything but a junk room now. Her eyes widened as she slowly turned, taking in the transformation. The windows allowed in soft light from the outside facing both the front and back yards. Bookshelves had been built into the walls on the opposite sides from the windows. A soft, deep cream carpet had been placed over the bare wood flooring, and one alcove held two comfy-looking reading chairs, a table, and a taller reading lamp.

  Her desk had been moved from the city and now stood in the other alcove, her chair behind it. Computer, printer, fax, and all her other machines and work needs had been moved in as well. A mini fridge sat in a corner and a stereo sound system was on a credenza nearby.

  “I hope I didn’t forget anything,” Davis spoke up. “If I did, it will be here before we get back from the honeymoon.”

  Stacy turned to look up into his gaze. “What is all this?”

  “You wrote in an ivory tower in the city. I figured I would make a tower for you to write in here… in our home. It may not be as fancy as the other one or have the great views—”

  She did not let him finish.

  She stepped into his arms and let her arms slide around his waist as she gazed adoringly into the eyes of the man who had become her whole world. “It’s perfect. It’s the most perfect wedding gift ever, because it has something that the other one never had.”

  “What would that be?”

  Her eyes softened and all the love she felt for this tall ranger shone from them. Her hands moved to rest on his shoulders. “You… it was always missing you.”

  The kiss they shared was a promise of so much more. She was a little disappointed when he released her and stepped back, her hand still locked in one of his. “There is one more surprise.”