by Kit Morgan
“Hubert Pifpop … Paffp … never mind. I’ll explain later.” She brought her hands up, put them on either side of his face and kissed him.
Justin’s eyes popped wide, but then he pulled her tightly to him and kissed her right back.
Marcus groaned on the floor at their feet and started to rise.
Justin broke the kiss. “Uh-oh. Hang on, darlin’,” he told her. He got up, walked over to where Marcus was trying to push himself up, punched him in the jaw to send him back into his seat – and back to unconsciousness. “There. Now where were we?”
Millie smiled. “Justin Weaver. I love you.”
He smiled and walked back. “Well, now, ain’t that a coincidence? ‘Cause I love you too.” And he kissed her again.
Epilogue
Nowhere, Washington, July 1896
“And this is Granny Mary,” Justin said as he waved to the tiny woman in the rocking chair. They were in the main farmhouse of the Weaver farm, and Justin was trying to introduce Millie to the whole clan. “Trying” being the operative word – there was a lot of clan to introduce, and they kept blowing in and out of the room. “And this is my ma and pa, Arlan and Samijo Weaver.”
“Pleasure to meet ya,” Arlan Weaver said as he took Millie’s hand and shook it.
“It’s more than a pleasure,” Samijo said. “It’s a plumb miracle! We prayed and prayed Justin would come home and now here you are! We couldn’t ask for anything better than for our boy to come home with a good wife.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Weaver,” Millie said as she blushed. “The pleasure is all mine. I’ve heard so much about this place and your family.”
Arlan’s eyebrows rose in question as he stared at his son. “Have ya, now? I can only imagine what he told ya.”
Justin smiled as his ears turned pink. “I didn’t tell her nothin’ bad, honest!”
Now his mother eyed him. “Really? Well, we’ll find out, I’m sure. Now why don’t you come meet the rest of the family?”
Millie went pale. “There are more?” Justin had already pointed out fourteen … fifteen? Oh dear, how will I keep their names straight?
“Ah yes – the youngsters are in the kitchen I bet!” Granny Mary said as she hobbled to the hall. Justin, Millie, and the rest, followed her.
When they reached the kitchen, Millie stared into the faces of not one, but three sets of twins, each of a different age. Two weren’t much younger than Justin’s father, and another set, this one girls, looked to be a little younger than herself. The third, another set of boys, were younger still. “Oh my …”
Someone else entered the room through a back door, stopped and stared at Justin. “It’s true,” he whispered. “Ya done come home!” The man launched himself at Justin and knocked him into the wall. “I’ve missed ya, brother!”
“Ohhhh …” Millie said, her voice quavering. It was another Justin – his twin, presumably.
“Yep, twins run in this family like water,” Arlan said, finally joining them. “Ya’d best brace yerself. You and Justin could end up with yer own set one day.”
“I think that would be wonderful.” She stared at the four sets of identical twins. “Are there any more ‘sets’?”
“Oh yeah,” Granny Mary laughed. “These are only half of ‘em.”
Millie swallowed hard. “Only half?”
“Yep. The two older ones are Arlan’s brothers, Benjamin and Calvin. The girls there are Arlan’s and Samijo’s other younguns. The two younger boys belong to my youngest, Daniel. By the way, where is Daniel?”
Benjamin and Calvin began to slowly back toward the door.
“Ya didn’t!” Arlan scolded. “Not today – ya knew Justin and his wife were comin’!”
“But it’s Daniel’s birthday!” Calvin said defensively.
“It’s tradition,” Benjamin added.
And then, all hell broke loose.
Millie watched in fascination as Justin’s father launched himself at Calvin and Benjamin, who ran out the door. They were followed by Justin’s twin and the other two pairs, who appeared to be elated at whatever was going on.
“Not again,” Granny Mary groaned. “Consarnit …” She went to the kitchen’s small closet, opened it, pulled out a shotgun and marched outside after the rest.
“Good grief!” Millie said. “What is she going to do with that? What’s happening?”
Justin sighed. “Uncle Cal and Uncle Ben throw Daniel down the well, er … every year on his birthday.”
Millie gulped. “I’d hate to see what they do to him on Christmas.”
“Oh, it ain’t as bad, trust me. Did I ever tell ya ‘bout the time they did it when my ma and pa first got hitched?”
“No, but I’m not sure I want you to.”
“Ah, it ain’t half as bad as …” A shot rang out, followed by the sound of Granny Mary yelling. “… that.”
Millie grabbed a nearby chair, sat down and began to fan herself.
“Ya ain’t sorry ya married me, are ya?” Justin asked as he sat in the chair next to hers. “I mean, obviously ya wouldn’t rather be in the poorhouse married to that Hubert fella. Too bad ‘bout his business goin’ belly-up. Glad your folks are okay, though.”
“I still can’t get over the fact our own bookkeeper was in cahoots with Hubert,” Millie said as she continued to fan herself. “To think he’d been stealing from us all this time just so Hubert could come up with a business deal to buy us out for as little money as possible and save his own skin.”
“Down right dastardly if ya ask me. Like that Whitbey fella. That guy’s plumb loco.”
“As are the men he worked for. I’m sure his confession will put a stop to all that nasty business.”
“I’m sure it will. Last I heard a couple of United States Marshals were headin’ out to arrest that Slade or whatever his name is, bein’ as how ol’ Mr. Whitbey told ‘em right where to find him. Only a matter of time before he’s behind bars.”
“Perhaps dear Mr. Whitbey and Mr. Slade will get to share a prison cell.”
“I suppose that could happen,” he said with a chuckle and then gave her a sheepish look. “So, ya ain’t sorry?”
“About marrying you? No, not at all. I just didn’t believe … I mean, how could all those stories about your family be true? But I see …” Another shot, followed by more yelling. “… that they are.”
“Ah, ya get used to it. If’n my ma could take it, so can you. Did ya know I’m the first of my generation to get hitched?”
“Really? How nice. How many more of you are there?”
“Ohhh, lemme see … twelve, I believe.”
“Twelve! Good heavens!” She’d never get all their names straight, she was sure of it.
“Now, don’t fret. Besides, how many families do ya know of other than the Daltons and the Blues that get along as good as we do? Considerin’ there’s so many of us.”
Millie gave him a lopsided smile. “Gee, what’s your secret?” she asked sarcastically.
He was about to comment when they both realized all had gone silent. “There now, ya hear? Granny Mary’s got the matter settled, just like she always does. Ya ain’t got nothin’ to worry ‘bout, Millie. You’ll fit right in.”
“If you say so.”
“I do.” To prove it, he pulled her toward him and kissed her soundly.
And then, another shot rang out.
He smiled as he broke the kiss and rested his forehead against her own. “Welcome to the family, darlin’.”
The End
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading Justin’s Runaway Bride, the eighth book in the Dalton Brides series by Kit Morgan, Kirsten Osbourne and Cassie Hayes. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the rest of the books in the series:
Book 1, The Prologue (Free; also included in books 2-4)
Book 2, The Rancher’s Mail-Order Bride by Kirsten Osbourne
Book 3, The Cowboy’s Mail-Order Bride by Kit Morgan
Book 4, The Drifter’s Ma
il-Order Bride by Cassie Hayes
Book 5, Hank’s Rescued Bride by Cassie Hayes
Book 6, Benedict’s Bargain Bride by Kirsten Osbourne
Book 7, Percy’s Unexpected Bride by Kit Morgan
Don’t forget our hero’s contemporaries! Read what their descendants are up to in:
The Nanny (The Fabulous Dalton Boys Book 1) by Kirsten Osbourne
Ashley feels like she's in limbo. Realizing she doesn't want to be a teacher after getting her degree in lower elementary education, she moves from Montana to New York City to live with her crazy aunt. When the opportunity to be a nanny in Texas comes up, she jumps at it. It's not until she's flown there does she understand that she'll be living with the child and his very sexy single father. Not looking for romance, she tries to keep her thoughts off the father and on her young charge.
Barrett Dalton is at a loss for what to do when he finds his newborn child on his doorstep. Calling a nanny agency seems to be the only logical solution. The nanny causes his blood to boil in a completely unexpected way. Telling himself over and over that she's there to take care of his child isn't enough. Will Barrett be able to convince Ashley that she's not only the perfect mother for his son, but that she's also the perfect wife for him? Or will she continue to see only his bad boy image and not the caring man he really is?
The Maid (The Fabulous Dalton Boys Book 2) by Ava Catori
Cage Dalton’s reputation crashed to the floor and crumpled at his feet. The tabloids and media frenzy couldn’t get enough of the Dalton brothers. Scandals and mishaps made the billionaire brothers popular headline material. In a bid to turn things around, the triplets hired a PR Adviser to do damage control. Can they stay out of trouble long enough to make a difference? Or will their family’s legacy go down in shambles like it had in the past? When three very different women enter their lives, the triplet brothers find themselves challenged in ways they hadn’t imagined.
Brooklyn Rivera’s world shattered. Forced to pick up the pieces of her life, she needed to crawl before she could walk again. Desperate and alone, Brooklyn must learn to stand on her own two feet. Her lavish lifestyle was no more. The cars, the mansion, and the money were all gone. With her father sitting in a federal penitentiary, and all their family assets seized, Brooklyn Rivera was in a bind.
When Cage offered her a position as the new Dalton maid, she grudgingly pushed her inner diva aside. With her dignity on the floor, Brooklyn takes the job. Through friendship, laughter, and pain, Cage and Brooklyn travel a bumpy road in search of something more. Can they find love, or will they only end up hurting each other?
The Advisor (The Fabulous Dalton Boys Book 3) by Merry Farmer
The Dalton boys are no strangers to trouble, but when a baby is dropped on their doorstep, the resulting scandal has the potential to turn into a PR nightmare. In order to nip disaster in the bud, Archer Dalton hires PR advisor Kalee Hathaway to polish up the family image.
But Archer and Kalee both get more than they bargained for. Between mixed signals, sizzling misunderstandings, vicious bosses, and a makeover that leads to shenanigans, what starts out as business gets personal in a hurry.
Will Kalee be able to turn things around for Archer and his family, or will her “hands-on” involvement with him cause an even bigger mess?
PLEASE BE ADVISED: Steam Level - HOT
Find Kit’s full collection of stories HERE
About the Author
Kit Morgan, aka Geralyn Beauchamp, loves a good Western. Her father loved them as well and they watched their fair share together over the years. You can keep up-to-date on future books, fun contests and more at www.authorkitmorgan.com
