Page 39 of The Cowboy Takes A Bride

He nudged her shoulder and whispered, “Hey.” Instant heat to his body just from the one touch.

She rolled away from him.

Jace laughed. “Want to see the sun come up over the plains? It’s stunning.”

She stretched and buried her face in her pillow.

“Come on. Wake up.” He used his palm to give two quick prods.

“Are you serious?” She looked at him with one eye open. “What time is it?”

Jace chuckled. “Well, using my skills of deduction and seeing as how I asked if you wanted to watch the sun rise, I’d say it’s about thirty minutes until sunrise.”

She swiped at him. “It feels earlier.”

“Come on, get your lazy ass outta bed, and get dressed. Not much else prettier than a spring sunrise other than a sunset.”

She made like she wasn’t happy about it, but sprung from bed and shooed him out of the room so she could dress, but not before he got an eyeful of her long legs in the fancy silky shorts she slept in. He hadn't made it to the bottom of the stair before he heard her come out. Wow, she'd been quick about dressing, and he was impressed. His sister, Willow, took what seemed like hours to do any part of grooming. He'd assumed a city girl like Meredith would be no different, if not worse. In the kitchen, they worked as a team to get the coffee going and pack a few snacks. Jace took a coat from the hall closet and handed it to her.

“Here, use this when you’re working on the ranch. That pretty cream thing won’t last a day.” The coat, a heavy Carhartt, was one of his favorites, but he liked seeing it on her more than he wanted to wear it.

They drove in silence to the side pasture and parked so the bed faced the direction of the sunrise. They sat in the back with wool blankets across them as they sipped coffee and waited.

When the fading night moved away to allow for the multiple shades of blue and yellow to crest over the earth, Meredith sat up and set her coffee aside.

Dark blue became bright, light blue became white, and yellows burst around the edges.

“What do you think?” Jace asked from behind her.

“I’ve seen pictures in magazines,” she whispered but hated to disrupt the moment. As the minutes passed, the world came alive. Birds began to sing. In the distance, a cow lowed. “But they don’t capture this. This is…” She shook her head, unable to find the words.

“Worth getting out of bed?” He chuckled.

As the sun broke over the horizon, Meredith closed her eyes, leaned forward into the beams of sunlight, and soaked up their warmth as it fell over her. She pulled energy from this new dawn. She could do this every day. Here she could breathe. After feeling the sunrise deep into her bones, she sat back and opened her eyes. Color exploded around her.

“You are so lucky to have grown up with this.”

“Yeah, I think so, too. That’s why I won’t leave.”

She turned her attention to him. “Why would anyone?”

Jace’s laugh was more a cynical bark than amusement. “You’d be surprised.”

“No wonder your parents want to come back.”

“I think it would be good for Pops.” Jace poured her more coffee.

“Have you thought about what I suggested? The manager’s cabin.” Meredith sipped at the delicious brew thatshe made.Only her second pot, and it was perfect, if she did say so herself. Maybe slightly weak, but completely palatable. How luckyMarjory told her how many scoops to add per cup of water or she’d likely be drinking brown water or black sludge. Probably brown water since she had the tendency to under-do everything, thanks to her father.

“Let’s go take a look at it,” Jace said. “Ready to leave?”

She glanced back at the sunrise, which was seconds from ending. “I’d like to do this again.”

“We should make a point of doing sunrises in each season. They’re all incredible.”

“Deal, now let’s go to the cabin.” She slid from the truck bed, taking the blanket with her.

The drive back was quick, and she waited with eager anticipation as Jace walked through the cabin, pulling open closet doors and staring for far longer than she thought necessary at the bathroom. He came to stand before her, his hands on his hips, and shook his head.

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