Page 50 of The Rancher's Wedding

“Fine,” she agreed. “But once more, please?”

He kissed her again and, at that moment, her brain gave in and listened to what her heart had been trying to tell her for weeks.

***

Being in love frightened Estelle. She rode the way back both elated and nervous. This had once just been an escape from her old life and a way to get out of an inevitable marriage to a man she hated. If things didn’t work out, she could always leave because she didn’t have anything to lose.

That was no longer the case. Her eyes kept drifting to Michael without her thinking about it, and her heart would skip a beat. She knew when she left that she could never return to Philadelphia. Now she knew that she couldn’t leave Grafton Town, either.

Things were too good here, and her father and Ethan were threatening to take it all away from her.

She had to tell Michael the truth—and time was running out. It was just never the right time. And she feared it might never be.

Chapter Twenty

Michael couldn’t have hoped for a better afternoon. As he rode back with Estelle, the only disappointment was that it had to end. However, with this day ending, the next one could begin anew—and he sensed that things would be different between him and his wife from then on out. It was incredible what a single kiss could do.

And it had happened right on the Jefferson Cliffs, no doubt the prettiest place in all of Utah—if not the world, so far as Michael was concerned. He’d always gone riding there as a teenager, once his parents trusted him to go off on his own, and now it had an even more special place in his heart. It wasn’t the first place he’d kissed his wife, but it was the first place he’d kissed her on her own and not just as part of a silly little ceremony.

Did she mean the kiss as much as he did? It sure felt like she did. He knew she’d enjoyed spending time with him, but always wondered if it was really him that she was enjoying. She had a secret or two in her heart, still, and it made her difficult for him to read. Of course, sometimes it could take a lifetime to truly know somebody and, even then, they might go off and surprise you. That was the case with Jacob. No matter how Michael tried, he couldn’t understand his own brother. It seemed like Estelle knew him better than he did sometimes. Things had been shaky the night before, but she had helped bridge the gap that existed between the two brothers.

Was this what he had expected from married life? Yes and no. And both in the best of ways. Yes, he no longer felt lonely every day and had someone to talk to, though they weren’t talking on the way back to the ranch. There was the slightest hint of tension, as if saying a word could break the spell and ruin what was already perfection. Just being around Estelle made Michael feel more complete.

And, in that sense, married life was not what Michael had expected. It was better. Estelle wasn’t just a person to spend the day with—she was the person he wanted to spend every day with.

Michael wondered if he should be the one to break the silence. He wanted to keep talking to her and know what was on her mind, but it scared him. She was thinking right now, and maybe she was thinking that the kiss was a mistake.

He thought he should say something, but he didn’t know what. As he was thinking, Estelle broke the silence for him.

“Snake!” she said.

And Orion took off, running through the plains at top speed, spooked by the sight.

Michael kicked Buttercup’s sides so she would chase after him. He looked back and saw the rattler slithering through the sand away from the horses. It wasn’t a threat. The fear was the threat.

Estelle screamed a horrifying yell that brought a tear to Michael’s eye. He couldn’t stand to see her in fear, and he couldn’t tell her what to do. She needed to stay calm and relax while holding on tight. The problem, however, was that people tended to tense up when they’re frightened, which made it harder for them to stay on the horse.

Add to that the fact that Buttercup just wasn’t as fast a horse as Orion and wasn’t filled with the fear that pushed Orion faster and faster, which was another concern of Michael’s. It wasn’t unheard of for scared horses to run until their hearts gave out.

“I’m coming!” Michael shouted, though he doubted Estelle could hear him.

He saw, up ahead, something that could either be good fortune or terrible luck: a herd of wild cattle, dark and peaceful, grazing while minding their own business. It was likely that, unable to get through the cattle, Orion would slow down and realize that he was far from the original threat.

It was equally likely, though, that Orion would frighten the cattle, who could stampede. Cattle were, after all, easily spooked. At that point, if Estelle fell off, she’d be trampled.

“Come on, Buttercup,” Michael said. “Top speed.”

He leaned forward and kept on urging her faster, but it was clear she was at her limit and tiring out quickly, as her dwindling pace made clear. Still, Estelle was in sight, still very visible to Michael, though it didn’t look like Orion was easing up as he approached the cattle.

Take your own advice, Michael thought.Stay calm.

He was worried, because he wasn’t a hero. The fire proved that. Yes, he had managed to save his brother, but at the cost of his parents. He hadn’t been brave enough to go back in the house and get them. And his parents had suffered for it.

Now he only needed to save one person. And he didn’t know what would happen if he failed. Not after Jefferson Cliff. Not after the sunset kiss.

Michael and Buttercup closed in on Estelle. She was still a good quarter mile away.

Orion made it to the front of the cattle herd and bucked, essentially standing on his hind legs.

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