Free Bridled and Branded by Natalie Acres Page B

decide to marry me?”
    “Hmm,” he said thoughtfully. “Would you believe six years ago?”
    “No.”
    “Would you believe ten years ago?”
    “Absolutely not.”
    “Would you believe three and a half years ago?” he asked softly, his voice changing drastically.
    The light in his eyes dimmed, and they filled with a dozen tears. When the first one dropped, he quickly swiped it away from his cheek by using the back of his hand. Reaching into his shirt pocket with one hand and digging into his pants with the other, he said, “Your mother made me promise to give you this letter when I proposed.”
    “Mom?”
    “She helped me pick out the ring three months before she died, Lynlee. I know I haven’t acted like a man who wanted to tie the knot with anyone, and I’m not going to make apologies. I was waiting for you to grow up. Your mother asked me to let you finish school first, and if we get married, you have to promise to finish your education. I did right by her as much as possible. I waited until you had some college courses behind you. I can’t wait any longer. I want you to marry me. Make an honest man out of me.”
    He retrieved and then opened a small box. A dazzling, two-carat, round-cut diamond winked back at her. “Blaine,” she gasped.
    “It’s a good stone,” he said as if there were any doubt. “Perfect color and grade, not that I know much about diamonds, and your mother thought it would look mighty fine on that hand of yours.”
    She couldn’t help herself. She snatched it from the red velvet case and shoved it on her ring finger, but before she took the time to inspect how well the ring flashed from her hand, she threw her arms around his neck and exclaimed, “Yes! I’ll marry you! Your timing may suck a little, but any time is the perfect time to say I do!”
    “I’m glad you think so,” he said. “Because I was thinking about the day after tomorrow.”

    * * * *

    Lynlee was floating on cloud nine. She’d all but forgotten about the roadster pony class she missed and the two hundred dollars paid in entry fees. She was engaged. Everything she’d ever wanted seemed to fall in her lap and nothing—no one—would take away the joy she felt.
    She’d never been happier. She held her hand out and looked at the ring twinkling back at her. “Ah, Momma,” she said aloud. “I wish you were here.”
    Thinking about her mother made her realize the obvious. She’d been so busy planning her future with Blaine that she’d shoved the letter in her pocket right after Blaine gave her the ring.
    Retrieving the envelope, she hopped up on her kitchen counter and began reading.

    Dear Lynlee,
    Congratulations on your engagement. I’m so happy for you right now that I know this will be the greatest secret—the only secret—I will ever keep from you. I’ve convinced myself that I shouldn’t tell you of Blaine’s plans. That boy is such a wild little buck that as sure as I tell you of his intentions, he’ll go and get himself killed by one of those dang steers he tries to rope.
    I hope not. I’ve told him I’m counting on him to make my daughter happy, and there’s a reason for that. Blaine is the only man that will ever be able to make you happy. But you may have to overlook some of his flaws in order to live a life you can enjoy.
    I know about those flaws, Lynlee. Believe me, I should’ve looked over one or two of them in my lifetime, too. See, your father wasn’t the first man in my life. Casey McCain was the first man I ever loved.
    Thank goodness I didn’t marry him, right?
    The McCain men have a few issues with their women, and the women who have remained loyal to their men have done things to ensure their happiness. You work on those, and you’ll have a solid relationship with Blaine. He’ll treat you like a princess, and you deserve a fairy-tale ending.
    Just remember, a woman can’t find her happily ever after if she spends too much time thinking about the pain in her past.
    I