Page 85 of A Jilted Bride for the Cowboy

Wide-eyed, the family from Kansas and the other riders clung to their horses with clenched hands as they tore past on either side. Hopefully, the horses would slow as they returned to the corral. There wasn’t anything Cadence could do about them now. Not while Graham lay unmoving on the hard dirt, his glasses lying at the edge of the trail.

Cadence slid off Enchantment as Tyler skidded to a stop. He grabbed her reins along with his as they both crouched beside Graham. “Is he okay? What happened?”

“Ranger happened.” Cadence touched Graham’s carotid artery and felt his strong pulse. “Graham, can you hear me?”

He groaned and shifted slightly. “What hit me?”

Tyler leaned in.“The ground, buddy. Falling knocked the wind out of you.”

“I can’t believe… I fell off.”

“Not your fault. Ranger’s got a thing about skunks since he got sprayed in the face last year. We haven’t seen one around here since spring, though.”

Cadence picked up Graham’s eyeglasses. Amazingly, they didn’t seem damaged. “You okay, sweetie?”

If Tyler gave her a strange look at the endearment, she could ignore him.

“Help me… sit up.”

“You don’t think anything’s broken?” Tyler asked. “Wiggle your fingers and toes. Make sure.”

Graham’s fingers fluttered against the dirt. “Just winded, I think.”

“We should call 9-1-1,” Tyler went on. “I don’t think you should move.”

“I’m okay.” Graham lifted himself to one elbow then both. “Nothing broken. I’m tougher than I look.”

Tyler‘s arms hovered behind Graham’s back as both men rose to their feet. “Don’t sue the ranch if you’re hurt. Or me.”

“I won’t.” Graham flexed his shoulders slightly and winced. “Ranger bolted.”

“He did.” Tyler looked down the trail. “I should make sure everyone else made it safely back. Find out if anyone got hit directly with that spray. Ugh. There’s not enough tomato juice in Montana to remove that stench.”

“Go ahead,” Cadence urged. “I’ll stick with Graham. It’s not far back.”

“If you’re sure.” Tyler fingered the two horses’ reins. “I’ll take Enchantment back and send the wagon up?”

“Good idea,” she said at the same time as Graham said, “No.”

Tyler looked between them, sprang on his horse’s back, and cantered down the trail, Enchantment following.

Graham wobbled on his feet, and Cadence wrapped both arms around him to keep him upright. He didn’t need to meet the ground a second time in minutes.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she whispered against his chest.

“I am now.” His arms came around her, his hands splayed across her back. “Where were we when we were so rudely interrupted?”

Cadence managed a chuckle, but it was going to take a long time before her heart rate came back to normal. “I told you I loved you, and it was so astounding that you fell off your horse.”

“That’s not exactly how I remember it.”

“Oh? How’s that?”

Graham tipped her chin back and looked deeply into her eyes through his smudged lenses. “I was going to stop the horse and get off so I could do this.” He brushed his lips across hers.

Cadence didn’t care about exploring the nuances anymore. Not when she stood in the arms of her beloved, and they both had kissing on their minds.

“Kiss me, Graham,” she whispered. “I love you.”

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