So I Tamed a Texan (3 page)

I mustered up all of my courag
e and saw Ronnie roaring past me in the car. I whirled my lasso and sent my horse plunging down toward him. "Stop Ronnie," I shouted, "Stop or I'll pull out of that car!" I heard Ronnie scream "Mary! They'll never get me now."

Too bad Ronnie was in a con
vertible. I threw my lasso and got him. He was pulled out of the car as it sped away. He screamed in surprise. "There you ornery coyote! Ought to teach you a lesson" I said in satisfaction. "Listen to me, will you", I thought to myself, "Don't sound like that fancy Eastern school now." I jumped down from my horse and hog tied him. I found a handkerchief in his pocket and stuffed it into his mouth. I looked up and noticed that his convertible had crashed into a nearby tree. I looped my lasso around him again and drug him to his car. There I helped him up and set him the passenger seat. He wasn't going anywhere that night but to jail. I looked up and saw Randy galloping toward me on his horse. When he saw that I had the situation under control, he rode away to get the sheriff. He came back a few minutes later with his arm in a sling and let me know the sheriff was getting some people together to come get Ronnie and the car.

While we waited he filled me in on everything. "I caught him coming back to the house
late the other night... when he got nasty and I gave him the black eye. After you fired me, I hung around and followed him tonight. They were smuggling drugs across the border. He was sending it back east by mail. The rustling up north was to keep us busy and away from this part of the range." I was hurt all over again. "He must have had this planned all along. That's why he was so nice to me in New York. And I thought he was a gentleman! Randy, can you ever forgive me for being such a stupid fool! I almost turned down a man for..that! Oh, if you'll only have me Randy!"

"Reckon I'll never give you up Mary. All of us go a little loco once in a while. I guess when your dad comes home. I'll ask him if it's all right if his foreman marries his daughter." Randy
said with a smile. With that he gave me one of the biggest kisses ever. The sheriff showed up a few minutes later and took Ronnie and the car away. Ronnie got 20 years for drug smuggling and I'm told they have caught all of his accomplices.

Dad came out
of the hospital a few weeks later. He was itching to get back to work and worried that Randy and I had somehow burned the ranch down. Randy went to town and brought him back home. During the ride he told him everything and asked for my hand in marriage. Of course, dad approved and we set the date for the wedding that spring. It was a beautiful wedding at the ranch. All of the ranch hands were there along with some of my best friends from school. As soon as the minister said the words I was longing to hear, everyone let out a big yell and started shooting their guns in the air. As we were walking down the aisle, Randy leaned over and whispered in my ear "Looks like the boys are near happy as I am"

I just smiled up at him and thought "I'm the lucky one! I had
the right man all the time and almost let him get away"