Wrangled by the Watchful Cowboy Page 14
“We’re just glad your boss is letting you work in Sage Valley. Finn is such a nice young man. We’d love to have him come stay at the ranch.” Sharon gave an exaggerated wink. “I assume you’ll invite him to the wedding.”
“You know, Nanna,” Jess said, “Cord might decide to go back to New York City just to get away from my meddling grandmother.”
“I prefer the term helpful over meddling.” Her mischievous grin showed no remorse.
Cord grabbed Jessica’s hand, folding their fingers together. “I had to stay here once Jess said she wanted to teach at Sage Valley High School.”
“Hey!” An adorable frown line appeared between her eyes. “I told you I could handle New York, if that’s what you wanted.”
“But I didn’t think New York could handle you. And besides…” He tapped the heels of his cowboy boots. “They wouldn’t let me wear these with my silk suits.”
She grinned up at him, smoky eyes filled with humor. Discovering they both wanted to stay in Sage Valley had been such a relief. After that, nothing stood in the way of them being together. Nothing but her finishing her degree.
Tomorrow was her graduation. He’d waited patiently for that to happen, but now his patience had worn thin… very thin… practically nonexistent. He wanted to marry this woman. The sooner, the better. But he still had to pop the question. And part of him worried she might find some reason to turn him down. It was only a tiny part, but it made his insides twist into a tangled mess.
Jess had planned to enjoy a romantic stroll to the stables, but Cord was practically dragging her along by the hand.
“What’s the rush?”
He flinched and slowed his pace, a rush of red zooming into his face. “I figured you’d be in a hurry to see Shadow.”
“I did miss him a lot.”
“More than me?” He blinked his starry eyes in a classic fishing-for-compliments move.
“Hmm… He is handsome. And he listens to me and never gives away my secrets.”
“Shadow’s told me a secret or two.” Cord’s dimples winked at her.
“Like what?”
He flung the stable doors open and swept his hand to the interior with a grand gesture. “See for yourself.”
Jess took a tentative step inside, spying nothing out of the ordinary. But as she approached Shadow’s stall she noticed a saddle displayed on the stand outside his door. Within seconds, she recognized the beautiful tooled leather and hand stitching.
“You got my saddle! It’s the one I’ve been wanting forever.” She threw her arms around Cord’s neck and kissed him, knocking both of their hats to the stable floor. “How did you know?”
“I told you, Shadow tells me all sorts of things.” In his stall, Shadow whinnied his agreement, and Cord chuckled. “And I might’ve gotten a little help from Laurel. I called her to ask what to get you for graduation.”
“Thank you so much.” She pressed close and hugged him tight, breathing his clean scent. “I can’t believe it’s only been a year since you strutted into the kitchen and pretended you knew who I was. My whole life, before that day, seems dull and monotone. I call it B.C.—before Cord.”
His lips pressed against the top of her head as his hands stroked her back, rippling pleasure up her spine. “When I’m with you, all my senses are more acute. I can see better, hear better, feel better, taste better.”
“Can you smell better? Because that’s not necessarily a good thing when you’re mucking a stall.”
His chuckle rumbled in her ear. “Are you sure you like your saddle?”
“I love it,” she said, without bothering to look at it again. She’d stared at pictures for hours at a time, so she had every inch of it memorized. “And I love the guy who gave it to me.”
“But I want you to check it closely before we use it. I want to make sure it’s perfect.”
Reluctantly, she pulled away from the warmth of his embrace. “I’m sure it’s perfect, but I’ll check it over.”
Her fingers traced the intricate stitching on the edge of the seat jockey and fender. Every part of the saddle had a hand-tooled pattern, including the seat and the pommel. Then she noticed the saddle horn. It had a beautiful, engraved cap with her initials. At first, she only noticed the first and last letters, J and P. But then she noticed the middle initial, larger than the other two… an ornate D.
Her breath caught in her throat. She turned around to find Cord on one knee, with a small black velvet box in his outstretched hand. She pressed her hand against her chest, trying to stop her heart from bursting out.
“Jessica Jolene Powell, I love you. More than life. More than anything. I love you so much my chest aches. If you’ll let me, I’ll spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you. So, what do you say? Will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the world?”
The rare glistening of his sapphire eyes told her the depth of his feelings. A sting in her eyes announced her tears before they pooled and tumbled down her cheeks. Frozen, she stared as he flipped the box open and slid the sparkling diamond ring onto her trembling finger.
At last, as he stood and wrapped his strong arms around her and she huddled in the security of his embrace, she gave him the answer he sought.
“Yes.”
And he kissed her in a wordless promise of forever.
Thank you so much for reading Wrangled by the Watchful Cowboy. I hope you’ll consider leaving a review. Ready for another Sage Valley Romance? Grab the next book in the series, Charmed by the Daring Cowboy by Melanie D. Snitker.
She's a landscaper on a deadline. He's a cowboy assigned to help. Will their growing attraction get in the way, or blossom into true love?
Pick up your copy of Charmed by the Daring Cowboy today!
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If you enjoyed Cord’s story, you’ll love reading about his boss, Finn, in the Limitless Clean Billionaire Romance Series. Check out Finn’s story, The Billionaire’s Reckless Marriage.
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Excerpt from The Billionaire’s Reckless Marriage
…Then the tip of Laurie’s tongue darted out to wet her lips, and Finn’s self-control flew out the window and crashed to the ground in a heap.
Before he knew what was happening, his hand was under her chin, tilting her face toward him. Her lips parted, breaths coming quickly. He searched the depths of her bottomless brown eyes, looking for an answer to his unasked question. He saw nervousness… indecision… passion…
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he murmured, as his fingers drifted along her jawline, down to her neck, and behind her head to tangle in her hair. His other hand stroked the soft skin on the side of her face, while her lids drooped as if he’d drained her essence with his touch. When her palm came up to rest on his chest, his heart pounded, attempting to leap into her hand. He leaned in slowly, drawing out the moment. Her lips were so close he could feel their heat.
Then a loud thump sounded behind him, and Laurie sprang away, smoothing her hair, as she stared with rounded eyes over his shoulder.
“Cole!” Her voice was a squeak. “What are you doing here?”
Read The Billionaire’s Reckless Marriage now!
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Sage Valley Ranch Series
Romancing the Conflicted Cowboy
By Crystal Walton
Falling for the Younger Cowboy
By Liwen Y. Ho
Wrangled by the Watchful Cowboy
By Tamie Dearen
Charmed by the Daring Cowboy
By Melanie D. Snitker
Inspired by the Creative Cowboy
By Bree Livingston
Acknowledgments
Thanks to my great team of ARC and beta readers, especially Tamie Dearen’s Remarkable Romance Readers! You are awesome! Thank you: Wanda Liendro, Dana McCall Michael, Nadine Peterse-Vrijhof, Trudy Dapprich, Jessica Dismukes, Margie Shoemaker Harris, Clare Rauch Drexel, Loriann Peterson Merritt, Rennae McIntosh, Patti Ferrin, Misty Geaglone Goan, and Meliss
a Ann Medell Hayford.
Thank you to the Sage Vally Ranch authors, Bree Livingston, Melanie Snitker, Liwen Ho, and Crystal Walton! You are amazing authors and so wonderful to work with.
Undying thanks to my editor, Laurie Penner, and my proofreader, Tabitha Kocsis.
Thanks to my family and friends who put up with my stress and crazy schedule.
And last, but not least, thank you, sweet hubby, for taking care of me and providing endless romantic inspiration. Without you, I would have nothing to write!
Also by Tamie Dearen
Sweet Romance
The Best Girls Series:
The Best is Yet to Come (Free)
Her Best Match (Free)
Best Dating Rules
Best Foot Forward
Best Laid Plans
Best Intentions
Sweet Romance
A Rose in Bloom
Restoring Romance
Sweet Adventure (June 13, 2019)
Sweet Inspirational Romance
The Billionaire’s Secret Marriage
The Billionaire’s Reckless Marriage
The Billionaire’s Wayward Marriage (July 2019)
Christian Romance
Noelle’s Golden Christmas
Haley’s Hangdog Holiday
Shara’s Happy New-foundland Year
Holiday, Inc. Boxed Set
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