Austin smiled and nodded to his brothers. Travis and Crockett shared a look, and Hays grinned. Bowie sat like a statue, hands fisted against his lips, waiting.
“Now, before you all start turning handsprings, there’s a condition to you receiving your share.” GW tapped the envelopes into a pile. Harley smoothed his hand over his vest, pursing his lips and narrowing his eyes. The lawyer had laughed loud and long when GW had proposed his condition, but now that the time had come to unveil it, he looked as nervous as GW felt.
GW caught himself raising his hand toward his chest and stopped. None of the boys needed to know about the heart condition that prompted his decision, nor how little time he might have left.
“I have decided to parcel out your inheritance, the land, the cattle, the assets of the ranch, to each of you equally, provided…” He paused for breath. “Provided each of you marries before the end of this calendar year and lives on his property.”
Stunned silence greeted him as his words hung in the air.
Then everything broke loose.
“You can’t be serious.” Crockett shot up, skidding his heavy chair backward. “None of us is even courting anyone, unless you count Hays, who is courting pretty much every woman he sees.”
“Forget it. I am not marrying to order.” Austin smacked his hand on the table. “I’ll get around to finding a wife when I get around to finding a wife, and not a minute before.”
Travis stroked his chin, questions in his eyes that made GW skittish. His observant and thoughtful doctor son might just guess at GW’s motivation, and that was something he’d rather keep to himself. The last thing he wanted was his sons coddling him like some fragile baby. Or watching him like a ticking clock, waiting for the hands to reach midnight.
Bowie said nothing, but he turned his head slightly to take in each of his brothers with his one good eye.
“What about Houston? He isn’t even here. Chisholm, either,” Travis said. Travis and Houston had always been close, and GW knew they communicated frequently.
“So write or send telegrams. Maybe this is what Houston needs to get him back here from California.” GW took his seat once more. There, the gauntlet had been thrown down. Now it was up to the boys to pick it up, if they had the guts.
Hays plucked an apple out of the fruit bowl in the center of the table. He bit into it, grinning as he chewed. “I don’t know why you’re all in such a flap. A whole year to find a wife? How hard can it be?”
First Comes Love
by Gabrielle Meyer
Dedication
To my brothers and their beautiful brides.
Chris & Sarah VanRisseghem
Brent & Angie VanRisseghem
Acknowledgments
My heartfelt appreciation goes out to my agent Mary Keeley from Books & Such Literary Management who diligently champions my work; to the editors at Barbour Publishing who have fulfilled a lifelong dream; to my amazing writing friends Alena Tauriainen, Lindsay Harrel, Melissa Tagg, and Susan May Warren who encourage me to be the best writer I can be; to my kindred spirit Erica Vetsch for inviting me to participate in this incredible collection; to my priceless Street Team members who spread the word, write reviews, and plan special events; to my parents George & Cathy VanRisseghem, and my husband’s parents, Virgil & Carol Meyer, for their unwavering support and free babysitting services; to my sister Andrea Skoglund who is my sounding board for all things writing and life; and to our friends Jeremy & Jessica Janski, and Tony & Jamie Schmidt, for coming alongside our family in friendship and faith. A very special thank you is reserved for my husband, David, and our four children, Ellis, Maryn, Judah, and Asher. Thank you for being my biggest fans and my greatest joy. I’m grateful God placed this dream in my heart and is allowing me to see it come true.
Chapter One
January 2, 1874
Hartville, Texas
John Coffee Hays Hart grinned as he looked at the stack of WANTED posters he had just picked up from the Hartville Herald. They draped over his forearm, still warm from the press.
“What do you think?” Hays held up a poster to show his friend, Gage O’Reilly. WANTED: A BRIDE FOR HAYS HART. Hays’s grin turned into a chuckle. “For once in my life, I’ll be the first to accomplish something before my brothers.”
Gage looked over the poster, his blue eyes shaded by the rim of his Stetson. “Do you think it’ll work?”
Hays wiggled his eyebrows. “We won’t know unless we try.”
With Pa’s ultimatum still ringing in his ears, Hays no longer had the luxury of waiting to find the perfect mate. He either married by the end of this year or he lost his inheritance: a beautiful portion of land along the Sabinal River.