Unable to speak, Cade nodded his thanks and cradled his bride closer for the slow ride home.
~
He carried her through the doorway to one of the wingback chairs before the hearth. Her face was pale as new canvas, and his heart threatened to break from his chest at the deep blue mark now staining her cheek. He knelt beside her and smoothed loose hair from her face, momentarily regretting that he hadn’t shot the scoundrels and buried them behind Henry’s barn.
When her eyes fluttered open and she raised a hand to her temple, he nearly cried out in relief.
“Mae Ann.” His graveled whisper drew her focus to his face.
Her lips curved up and her expression warmed.
He took her hand and pressed it against his lips, gratitude overwhelming his ability to breathe. “I love you.”
The words set him free, and he marveled at the rush. He should have said them weeks ago, for he’d known early on that she’d not just moved into his house. She’d moved into his soul.
She laid her hand against his cheek. “I love you too.”
Her clear and simple declaration was all he needed to go on. To keep ranching, to keep living. “I’ll be right back. Don’t move.”
She huffed and fingered her cheekbone. “You say that a lot.”
He returned with a pillow for her head and eased it behind her.
She frowned. “Cougar. Have you seen Cougar?”
He took her left hand. “He’s fine. A bullet grazed his shoulder, but I’ll clean him up after I take care of you.”
Her brows peaked and she winced. “He really made it home? He really did what I told him to do?”
Cade fought the urge to suggest she practice what she preached. Instead, he knelt again, pulled the ring from his finger, and dropped it in his open hand.
Her lips parted with a small gasp and her eyes glistened.
“This isn’t a proper proposal because you’re already my bride, Mae Ann Parker. But I’m asking you if you’ll be my wife.”
Such somberness filled her expression that fear jammed his throat at her hesitation.
“I have one question.”
He swallowed around the mass. “What is it?”
“What were you about to tell me on our way home when lightning spooked the mare?”
He’d never met a more disconcerting woman, or one who could so easily tie a knot in his liver and leave him dangling. As gently and as calmly as he could manage, he pushed her hair back from her face. “I said, ‘I’ll give you that and more if—’”
“Home and security.”
“Yes. And what I was about to say was”—he kissed the palm of her hand—“I’ll give you that and more if you let me love you forever.”
Her face lit with a smile that brightened the room as he slipped the ring on her finger and his arms around her, meeting her warm lips in a nuptial kiss. “Now that I’ve got you, Mrs. Parker, I’m not letting you go.”
Her smile deepened. “That’s perfectly fine with me, Mr. Parker. There’s nowhere I’d rather be than here in your arms.”
~~~
Acknowledgments
My heartfelt thanks goes to all who aided and supported me in telling Mae Ann and Cade’s story, particularly readers Jill Maple and Amanda, editor Christy Distler, and Old West experts Paul and Linda Scholtz.
Thank you for reading this mail order bride, sweet Historical Western Romance.
If you enjoyed An Improper Proposal, I’d appreciate your review on
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Bestselling author and winner of the Will Rogers Gold Medallion for Inspirational Western Fiction, Davalynn Spencer writes heart-tugging romance with a Western flair. Learn more about Davalynn and her books and sign up for her free newsletter at www.davalynnspencer.com.
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