Rebekah smiled. If he was willing to give up the land he loved for her, his feelings must be strong. “I care for you, too. And I have something to show you.” She pulled the crumpled letter from her handbag and handed it to him.
He smoothed it against his leg, read it, then glanced up, his expression sober. “The man is a fool. You’re not at fault for the choices your sister made.”
“That’s true.” She knew he was right. “Maybe in this instance, I’ll benefit from her bad choice.”
A wide grin spread across his handsome face. “That is my wish, too.” His sober expression returned. “Although, if I had loved Jenny the way a woman deserves to be loved, maybe I could have made her happy.”
Rebekah touched his cheek. “I’ve spent a lifetime trying to make my sister happy and failed most of the time. It’s not your fault. You did all that you could to make Jenny comfortable, but she wanted something you couldn’t give her.”
“What about you? What do you want, Rebekah?”
It wasn’t a woman’s place to mention marriage before the man did, but she wasn’t about to let her one chance at love and happiness slip away. “I want to stay here and be your wife and spend the rest of my life making you happy.”
Austin’s grin returned, and he tugged her into his arms. His mouth pressed against hers, igniting her whole body with sensations. She wrapped her arms around his neck, returning his delicious kisses.
Someone cleared his throat. They jerked away from one another and stared at Fred. Rebekah hadn’t even realized that the stage had stopped. The driver leaned in the open door, grinning. “I take it that another Hart brother is about to get married.”
“Close the door and drive.” Austin sounded gruff, but the smile on his face belied his tone.
“Drive to where? Back to Hartville?”
“No. Take us to San Antonio.”
“What about your horse?”
Austin leaned out the window and whistled. His black gelding trotted up to him. “Tie him to the back.”
Fred nodded and closed the door.
Austin sat back in the seat and looked at her. Rebekah’s heart still thumped a frantic beat. He took hold of her hand, brushing his fingers over hers.
“Why are we going to San Antonio?”
“I want a place where I can woo my bride without an audience.”
“You don’t need to woo me. I already told you how I feel.”
He studied her for a long moment. “How would you feel about a quiet wedding with just the two of us?”
She could understand him not wanting all his siblings and their wives making a big fuss about him getting married. “If that’s what you want, it’s fine with me.”
He nodded. “So, Rebekah Evans, will you marry me? Be my wife and the mother of my children?”
Her cheeks warmed at his pointed questions, but she couldn’t help smiling. “I would love to.”
The stage lurched as it started forward. Austin gave her a quick kiss then wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.
She sat back and closed her eyes. Could this really be happening? She’d come to Texas to attend her sister’s wedding, but God had other plans for her. A verse from Jeremiah came to mind. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
God had given her the happy ending she’d dreamed of but dared not hope for. Not the ending she expected, but rather, an unexpected one. At least in her mind. Perhaps her coming here had been part of God’s expected ending all along. And if that were true, she could entrust her sister to God’s hands. God would watch over them both.
She smiled at that thought and rested in the arms of the man she loved. After a few wonderful moments, she pushed up and looked Austin in the eye. She nibbled her lip, hating to ask for something so soon. “Could I ask one favor of you?”
His dark eyes sparkled with love. “Of course. What is it?”
“Could we perhaps stop at a store in San Antonio so I can buy fabric to make Emma’s baby some gowns?”
He stared at her for a long moment, his gaze lovingly roaming her face. Then he smiled and said, “Yes, dear.”
Bestselling author Vickie McDonough grew up wanting to marry a rancher, but instead married a computer geek who is scared of horses. She now lives out her dreams in her fictional stories about ranchers, cowboys, lawmen, and others living in the Old West. Vickie is the award-winning author of more than forty published books and novellas. Her novels include the fun and feisty Texas Boardinghouse Brides series and the Land Rush Dreams series. Vickie has been married forty-one years to Robert. They have four grown sons, one of whom is married, and a precocious ten-year-old granddaughter. When she’s not writing, Vickie enjoys reading, antiquing, watching movies, and traveling. To learn more about Vickie’s books or to sign up for her newsletter, visit her website: www.vickiemcdonough.com.
Love at Last
by Erica Vetsch
Dedication
To all the lovely ladies who joined me in this collection. Working with you has been a wonderful experience. Thank you so much for making these Hart boys come alive. And as always, to my husband Peter, the hero of my story.
Chapter One