Page 89 of Wrangling the Orc Cowboy

Movement at the barn’s side door caught my eye, though it was a challenge to see in the moonlight.

A woman dressed in very familiar white fabric tumbled out of the window on the right side of the barn, landing on her ass on the ground. She rose and stepped out of the shadows, her gown bundled awkwardly in her arms. With a quick glance over her shoulder, she crept along the path weaving beside the barn, only pausing at the end. Looking back again. This time, the moonlight lit up her pretty face—and highlighted the despair in her eyes.

I blinked. “Uh… Is the bride going for a pre-wedding walk?” Even as I said it, I knew that couldn’t be true. She’d bailed out the bathroom window.

“Why would she?”

“Because if she’s not taking a stroll in the moonlight, she’s ditching her own wedding.”

Tark followed my gaze. “That would be foolish. This is a very large wedding. The male is wealthy. Important.”

I squinted. “Tark, that’s totally her. She’s running away. Should we call out or go after her?”

He frowned. “That isn't our concern. The human female should have planned better. If she didn't want to be mated, she should've spoken before now.”

I snorted, shaking my head. “You make it sound simple.”

He lifted a shoulder. “It is.”

Before I could argue, another movement followed in the bride’s wake. A massive orc stepped away from the barn. He stood in place for a moment, watching her slip down the alley before hurrying after her.

I froze.

Tark’s frown deepened.

We exchanged a slow, loaded look.

“Please tell me that’s not one of your brothers,” I whispered, my stomach twisting.

Tark squinted. “It’s Ruugar if I’m not mistaken.”

I groaned when the moonlight hit him. “Is he stealing the bride?”

“He looks more like he's chasing her than stealing her.” We watched as both the bride and the orc disappeared behind the barn. “Orc relationships can be complicated.”

I shook my head. “I don’t even want to know what’s going on. Not today.”

Silence fell between us as we both continued to stare at the empty space where the bride and Ruugar had vanished. Even Podar and Sharga gazed in that direction.

Finally, I tilted my head to look up at Tark. “Should we say something to the groom?”

“No.”

“He might want to know.”

“I believe he'll soon find out on his own.”

We stood there, unmoving. Then we both started laughing.

Tark’s deep, rumbling chuckles filled the air, wrapping around me like a warm embrace. Torn between amusement and disbelief, I pressed a palm to my forehead. Even Sharga released a meow that was echoed by Podar.

“Only in Lonesome Creek could something like this happen,” I said, still laughing, shaking my head in disbelief.

“Only here.” Tark's lips quirked with a grin that made my heart flutter.

He released my hand to wrap his arm around my waist, pulling me fully against him. I leaned into his solid presence, relishing the warmth radiating from his body. The noise of the crowd faded into the background as we turned and started to make our way toward the ranch house we now shared with Podar padding beside us.

“I can't believe I was thinking about how romantic the wedding would be.” I glanced over my shoulder at the barn.“Now it feels like a scene from a romcom. She's Lonesome Creek's first runaway bride.”

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