Heart of Texas Series Volume 1: Lonesome Cowboy\Texas Two-Step\Caroline's Child (57 page)
Read Heart of Texas Series Volume 1: Lonesome Cowboy\Texas Two-Step\Caroline's Child Online
Authors: Debbie Macomber
“Yes,” Grady barked.
Caroline nodded.
Nell, who'd been married to a man as stubborn and lovable as the one standing there in front of her, smiled. “Yes, I can see that everything is coming along nicely.” Then she and her children left.
“What'd she mean by that?” Grady demanded.
Caroline shrugged. “You'll have to ask her.”
“Well?”
The gruff question caught her by surprise. “Well, what?”
“Are you going to change your mind about marrying me or not?”
“Iâ”
“You're a fool if you turn me down.”
“Honestly, Gradyâ”
“You aren't likely to get a better offer.”
This last comment irked her no end. “What makes you so sure?” she snapped. “Look, Grady,” she began before he could answer, “let me ask you a question. Do you love me?”
“You know I do.”
“You might have said so.”
“I did,” he insisted.
“When?”
“The first time I proposed.”
“Oh.” Well, that
was
true. But everything hinged on how
much
he loved her. “I'm afraid we'd be a burden to you.”
“How?”
Caroline swallowed. “Every time you look at Maggieâand meâyou'll be reminded of Richard. That's what I'm afraid of. We'd be just another problem Richard left for you to fix.”
“That's not the way I see it, Caroline. I told you, remember? I won't let Richard take another thing away from me. And you know what? For the first time in his life, my brother has given me something wonderful. He's hurt me, true, but he's also blessed meâin you. In Maggie.”
“Butâ”
“Obviously the question is, do
you
love
me?
” he said. “You seem to be the one having trouble making up your mind.”
“I love you so damn much,” she confessed.
No sooner had the words left her lips than Grady reached across the counter for her. Their positions, the obstacle between them, made the kiss awkward. It hardly mattered. They'd kissed countless times by now, but no kiss had ever meant this much.
It was a meeting of their hearts.
His mouth was warm and urgent against hers.
“We're getting married,” he whispered.
“Yes,” she whispered back. She whimpered when he deepened the kiss, then wrapped her arms around his neck and invited the exploration of his tongue.
The sound of someone entering the post office broke them apart. Caroline looked up guiltily, feeling a little shy.
Dovie Boyd stood in the foyer. She nodded toward them. “Hello, Grady. Caroline.”
“Hi, Dovie,” Caroline said, grateful Dovie wasn't a gossip. She shuddered to think of the consequences if someone like Louise or Tammy Lee had happened upon them in each other's arms.
“You're the first to hear our good news,” Grady said, taking Caroline's hand. He grasped it firmly in his own, then raised it to his lips. “Caroline has agreed to be my wife.”
Dovie's eyes grew wide. “Congratulations! I couldn't be happier.” She opened her purse and took out a linen handkerchief. “I reallyâ¦couldn'tâ¦beâ¦happier,” she said, sniffling and dabbing at her eyes. “You're a wonderful couple andâ¦and I think it's just wonderful, really I do.” She turned abruptly and walked out, apparently forgetting what had brought her to the post office in the first place.
* * *
G
RADY
, C
AROLINE
and Maggie sat on the front-porch swing. “Will I call you daddy?” Maggie asked Grady.
“Of course. If you want to.”
She nodded. “Then I'll have a daddy.”
“Yes, princess, you'll have a daddy.”
“And Mommy will have a husband.”
“And Grady'll have a family.” He tucked his arm around Caroline's shoulder, loving her so much.
“Us,” Maggie said and tossed her arms in the air. “Your family is us.”
“What do you think of that?” Caroline asked her daughter.
Maggie considered the question a moment, looked up at Grady and slowly grinned. “You don't do magic tricks,” she said, “but I like you better 'cause you love me and Mommy.”
“That,” Grady said, “is very true. You're both very easy to love.”
“I'm glad you think so,” Caroline whispered and leaned her head against his shoulder, utterly content.
* * * * *
#1
New York Times
Bestselling Author
DEBBIE MACOMBER
Her grandfather wants her to come home, and Molly thinks she just might. His ranch will be a good place for her sons to grow up, a place to escape bigcity influences. Then she learnsâfrom a stranger named Samâthat her grandfather is ill. Possibly dying. Molly packs up the kids without a second thought and makes the long drive to Sweetgrass, Montana.
She immediately has questions about Sam Dakota. Why is he working on her grandfather's ranch? Why doesn't the sheriff trust him? Just who is he? But despite everything, Molly can't deny her attraction to Samâuntil her ailing grandfather tries to push them into marriage.
Some borders aren't so easy to crossâ¦.
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Debbie Macomber
is a number one
New York Times
and
USA TODAY
bestselling author. Her books include
1225 Christmas Tree Lane, 1105 Yakima Street, A Turn in the Road, Hannah's List
and
Debbie Macomber's Christmas Cookbook,
as well as
Twenty Wishes, Summer on Blossom Street
and
Call Me Mrs. Miracle.
She has become a leading voice in women's fiction worldwide and her work has appeared on every major bestseller list, including those of the
New York Times, USA TODAY, Publishers Weekly
and
Entertainment Weekly.
She is a multiple award winner, and won the 2005 Quill Award for Best Romance. There are more than 100 million copies of her books in print. Two of her MIRA Christmas titles have been made into Hallmark Channel Original Movies, and the Hallmark Channel has recently launched a series based on her bestselling Cedar Cove series. For more information on Debbie and her books, visit her website,
www.DebbieMacomber.com
ISBN: 978-1-4603-1444-9
Caroline's Child
Copyright © 1998 by Debbie Macomber
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ⢠are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
ISBN-13: 9781460345443
Heart of Texas Series Volume 1
Copyright © 2014 by Harlequin Books S.A.
The publisher acknowledges the copyright holder of the individual works as follows:
Lonesome Cowboy
Copyright © 1998 by Debbie Macomber
Texas Two-Step
Copyright © 1998 by Debbie Macomber
Caroline's Child
Copyright © 1998 by Debbie Macomber
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ⢠are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.