His blood boiled just thinking about it. “They’d pay a heavy price if they did.”
“Then I don’t see the problem.”
“It’s not a place for a woman. It’s rough and vulgar.”
“I know. I’ve been working there for several months. I’m used to it and it doesn’t offend me.”
She dismissed his arguments with troubling ease, and by the growing confidence in her expression she knew it. Did he want her at the mine? When he thought about it logically, it made sense. She already knew the job and she was good at it, and she’d be in the office where he could keep an eye on her. She also had a point that as the boss’s wife, the men would be obligated to treat her with respect, or risk their jobs.
On the other hand, he didn’t want to have to worry about her or watch over her all day.
“I don’t like the idea,” he said. Disappointment clouded her expression, but he added, “But I’ll agree to try it for a while and see how it goes.”
Her face lit up and she threw herself across the space between them, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Thank you.”
He closed his arms around her, nuzzling her neck. She smelled faintly of lavender—fresh and feminine. He pulled back enough to kiss her sweet, soft cheek, and thanked his lucky stars for her.
“What will we tell the men about Ray?” she asked, shifting to sit on the settee next to him.
“We’ll tell them what you told me—that Ray went back east. You’ll take over his position as my wife and as Ray’s sister. That should be enough for them to treat you with esteem.”
She scooted closer to him, twined her fingers with his, and leaned her head on his shoulder.
“Thank you, Miles. For listening to me. For forgiving me.” She sat up and looked him in the eye. The sincerity he saw there took his breath away. “For giving me a chance. I’m sorry I hurt you, but I love you and I promise to always be honest with you.”
“I hurt you, too,” Miles said. He gave into the urge he’d had for ages and reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear, caressing her cheek as he did. “I promise I’ll never do that again.”
The ghost of a smile twitched at her lips, but before it could fully form she closed the space between them and placed her lips on his. The kiss surprised him, but he recovered himself and slipped his fingers around the back of her neck, pulling her to him for a proper kiss. The kind a husband gave a wife he loved.
Sharing his life with another person would take adjustment. Evaluation of his beliefs. But when he thought about what his life had been, or might be again if he lost Ruby, he didn’t want to go back to that. Despite Ray and her deception, Ruby had still managed to civilize him like waking up from a long sleep to a clear, fresh day, and he couldn’t be happier.
Epilogue
April 1884
Ruby stood in the garden of Miles’ home on the outskirts of Virginia City. She still wore her wedding dress. They’d only just been married, and now their guests had come to Miles’ home—her home now, too—to celebrate.
She had a hard time believing this was her life now. It was too much to hope for.
Clusters of family and friends chatted and laughed and celebrated in the warm spring afternoon. She'd insisted on inviting Della Kinney and her girls, and although Miles had balked, Ruby had insisted. As she watched now, they got along just fine with Miles’ family and especially with the men they’d invited from the mine, bringing a smile to Ruby’s face.
Her mother crept quietly beside her, lacing her fingers with Ruby’s. “This is such a beautiful home, Ruby.”
She turned and hugged her mother. “It is. I can’t believe I’m going to live here.”
“You found yourself a good man.”
“I did. I almost lost him, you know.”
Her mother pulled back and caught her eye. “Oh?”
“It’s a long story, and not terribly important now. But I should tell you. You’ll be scandalized, but I hope you’ll understand. It’s almost funny when I think about it now; though not quite.”
Her mother’s expression asked her to elaborate, but Ruby just patted her mother’s hand and watched Hannah and Henry making friends with Ruby’s new nieces and nephews. They looked so shy and happy, her heart nearly burst.
A male voice clearing his throat behind them startled them apart, but it was only Miles.
“Mrs. Jackson,” Miles said. “Welcome to our home.”
Mother glanced down, a quiet smile on her face. “Thank you, sir.”
“You don’t need to call him sir, Mother. He’s family. Call him Miles.”
Miles smiled. “Please do.”
Mother looked up at Miles. “I was just telling Ruby how lucky she is. You’ll take good care of her.”
Ruby heard the anxious question in her mother’s statement—what does this mean for us?—and it broke her heart. Her mother’s marriage had been good, but too short, and full of difficulty. Still, she’d loved her husband.
“You have my word, Mrs. Jackson. And you and your children, too. I won’t have my family struggling.”
Grateful tears stung Ruby’s eyes as her mother’s chin quivered and she nodded her thanks. If Ruby didn’t already love Miles, his gesture would have made her fall in love with him. They’d discussed it before the wedding, that the income she earned while working at the mine would go to her family. She insisted they were her responsibility. Miles had agreed, but accepting her mother and siblings as family meant the world to her, and she knew his offer to take care of them had nothing to do with her work at the mine. He’d do it even if she didn’t earn a cent.
“Mother, you know Daisy is Miles’ sister-in-law. She’s a modiste. She made my wedding dress. You should go talk to her.”
Her mother’s eyes lit up, and a shy smile started at the corners of her mouth. “Maybe I will,” she said, taking a few steps in the direction of the effusive redhead. Daisy was never difficult to find in a crowd. “Thank you again Mr….Miles.”
After her mother headed in Daisy’s direction, Ruby said, “Mother has always loved clothes and hats. We never had enough money for her to have a fashionable wardrobe, but I can remember her gazing in the windows of dress shops when we’d go to Carson City.”
“I’m sure Daisy will be happy to bend her ear on the subject of fashion.”
Ruby tucked her hand around Miles’ elbow. “Speaking of which, you look very handsome today, Mr. Collins.”
“I’m naught next to you, Mrs. Collins. You’re nothing short of radiant.” He tucked a finger under her chin and lifted her head to kiss her. She savored the warmth of his lips on hers, looking forward to a lifetime with him.
She broke the kiss, but he pressed his forehead to hers, an intimate tete-a-tete of husband and wife.
“I love you,” she said.
“I love you, too. Thank you for becoming mine. I promise to spend our lives proving myself worthy.”
THE END
Acknowledgements
To Debra Holland – Thank you so much for welcoming me (and the characters of the Nevada Bounty series) into your Kindle World. I’m grateful to be part of this wonderful community!
To Wren: Thank you for your patience and encouragement, and enduring friendship!
To LeTeisha: Thank you for the fabulous cover. You’re amazing!
To my family: As always, thank you for being there for me. I love you.
To my readers: Thank you for your support and for your enthusiasm for my books. I’d be nowhere without you!
Other Books by Margaret
If you enjoyed BECOMING MINE, don’t forget to read GAMBLING ON THE OUTLAW and DEPENDING ON THE DOCTOR, the first two books in the Nevada Bounty Series.
NOTE: Although Becoming Mine is a sweet romance, Gambling on the Outlaw and Depending on the Doctor are higher on the heat scale. If Becoming Mine is a 1 on a 1-to-10 scale, Gambling and Depending are in the 6 to 7 range.
I’ve also written in the Special Forces: Ope
ration Alpha Kindle World. If you enjoy contemporary military romance, check out the first three books in the Sealed With A Kiss series:
BANG FOR THE BUCK
BUCK THE SYSTEM
JUNGLE BUCK
For more sexy alphas, you’ll love the Caine Brothers series:
HUNTER
XANDER
DAMIAN
JAXON
BISHOP
Forever Faerie Series
FAERIE FATE
Tales from Beyond the End
HERO FOR HIRE
About Margaret
I write historical romance for Entangled Publishing and paranormal romance for Evernight Publishing. I write contemporary romance, historical romance, and science fiction through M&M Publishing, and have written in several of Amazon’s Kindle Worlds. I'm an Oregon Ducks fan. I'm a donut and pastry addict (pretty much any carbs, really). I like cats. I'm terrified of balloons. When I'm not writing you'll find me in a classroom teaching English, or working as a literary agent for an amazing agency...and of course, wrangling my family.
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For the Readers
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Montana Sky: Becoming Mine (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Nevada Bounty Book 3) Page 9
