Saving Grace by Unknown (romance book recommendations txt) 📗

singing again, right at that moment, in time with the rhythm of my own pounding heart. I felt my hands start to shake slightly. Was I really about to get engaged to two men I'd just met the day before? I didn't know anything about these men, save for what they told me and who even knew how true that was? But instinct is a difficult thing to fight and there was something in my body that told me this was the right thing to do.

"We'll settle here," Cole said quietly, "help you get the ranch back on its feet."

Austin nodded as his friend spoke. I took a few deep breaths and calmed myself. The slow plodded of hooves on the road stole my attention.

Slowly, lazily, Destiny's shape emerged from beyond the ridge, up over it and towards us. My eyes grew wide. With all the excitement I'd completely forgotten about that horse.

"Well I'll be," I whispered, watching the stallion plod along, past the house and towards the barn. Austin and Cole both looked at the horse, their faces puzzled. "That's my horse. That's the only horse they didn't steal," I said, jumping off the porch and running towards the giant animal. It stopped before the barn and whinnied.

"Grace!" I heard Austin yell out from behind me, but I didn't care. I ran towards Destiny, feeling like that horse was the only thing left of my old life. But right as I got close, he reared like he was terrified of something, pawing at the air with his hooves. The sudden movement scared me and I lost my footing on the gravely path and fell straight onto my backside, the wind knocked out of me.

Destiny came back down to the earth with a thud, his massive hooves landing just inches away from my feet. I felt myself being swept up into Austin's arms, then slung over his arm, my sore backside protruding up into the air over his shoulder. The shock at being picked up like that didn't last long and was quickly replaced by a fury for being manhandled so.

"Hey! You let me go!" I cried, beating my fists on his muscular back. Once we'd reached the porch, he bent over and put me down, then took a step back and looked me in the eye.

"Grace, if you're going to be my wife," Austin said, his voice almost a growl, "you can't be jumping under horses like that."

I felt my temper start to rise.

"I'll be doing whatever the hell I please, wife of yours or not!" I snapped, bracing my fists against my hips, ready for a fight. Austin raised an eyebrow. Slowly, he turned to look at Cole who'd been standing there, watching the whole thing. Cole looked at him for a spell then, gave a shrug, stuck his hands in his pockets, kicked a rock and started walking towards the barn.

"I'll go get the horses," he said, walking right past Destiny who was eyeing him warily. When Austin turned back to look at me, my face was still tense with rage. I hadn't had a man tell me how to act my whole life and I wasn't about to start now.

"Why don't you go find something nice to wear. There a preacher in town?"

"Yes there is. Preacher Amos," I replied through my fury.

"Good. Go change into your Sunday best. We'll ride down when you're ready." My temper flared at his calmly spoken commands. No man was going to talk to me like that!

"I'll wear what I please and if this is what I please to wear, then this is what you're going to get!" I heard the bark in my voice but couldn't do anything to control it. But Austin just smiled and let out a chuckle.

"Alright then, I suppose it is your choice what you wear to your own wedding," he mumbled, still chuckling. Cole emerged with their two horses all saddled up and ready to go. I took a deep breath and let out a huff. I was going to teach these two a thing or two about what it was like to marry a Colorado cowgirl.

***

Chapter 7: Shotgun wedding

"You've done what?!?" Doc gasped as I stood over his bed looking down at him. He'd taken a turn for the worse even since I'd seen him the day before and even though it was still midday, he was lying in bed looking a might feverish.

"I've been married," I said, nodding my head in emphasis at the last word.

"Married...but to who?!?" he spluttered, erupting into a fit of cough into the kerchief he was holding. I waited for the coughing to subside then held my head high with pride.

"Austin Owens. A gentleman who's been courting me by post for some time now."

Austin, Cole and I had spoken about the peculiar Ironwood tradition on the ride to town and decided it might not be understood here in Dalton. In fact, I didn't quite understand it myself and found it somewhat unnatural but each time I considered it, there awoke in me an arousal that trumped any sense of modesty I may have had.

"My dear Grace, who is this man and why haven't you told me a single thing about him?" The Doc's tone had changed from shock to a certain sadness at having not been told about any of this. I certainly didn't want to let him know that I had just met my new husband, or husbands, as they were shooting at the sheriff on the road out of town last night. Now that I thought of it that way, the whole thing did seem quite outrageous and I wondered if I had made a mistake.

"Well," I began, but quickly started searching the ceiling for answers to the Doc's question as I realized that I myself didn't know a single thing about either of the cowboys. "Well, he's right outside," I said cheerfully, would you like to meet him?"

"Well, alright then. Go ahead