Page 1 of Runaway Bride For The Rancher

CHAPTER 1

Olivia

The sound of raindrops against my wedding dress drowned out the noise around me.

My hair was plastered to my face from the rain—not the perfect hairstyle for a wedding, but when one went as wrong as mine just did, I believed I was allowed a few imperfections.

I didn’t bother raising my wedding gown to avoid the dirt that coated the tarred road, I was too tired for that. The tiredness I felt, coupled with how badly the makeup washed down my face was too disturbing to pay attention to something as minuscule as my ruined wedding dress.

Should it even be called a wedding dress? I’d loved that dress from the first time I saw it, and the way it clung to my body was one reason I felt comfortable wearing it all the way here. It wasn’t like there was any wedding and now, the path to Aunt Nelly’s place seemed longer than ever today.

This was funny because when I was younger it always felt like I was floating through the trees and shrubs. I’ll even go past the little houses with gardens and picket fences right to Aunt Nelly’s yard.

Maybe it’s because I wasn’t in a car right now, I’m trekking the distance. The rains had probably chased away the cabs that ran the road anyway.

Also, some minutes ago after I alighted the only bus that brought me here, I thought I needed the walk. But now, my feet were killing me.

The ache in my chest was too painful to ignore, but I was trying my best.

At this point, I wasn’t sure if my soiled makeup was from the rain or the never-ending tears spilling down my face.

From afar, I noticed the lights in the grocery store which Aunt Nelly occasionally had me visit a thousand times. Then my eyes catch a movement.

It was a man.

His hair was hidden beneath his hat. His broad back was encased in a checkered shirt. I couldn’t make out more than the silhouette of him but what I could see looked good.

My eyes watched him till he stepped outside with his goods. His back muscles contracted as he heaved some plastic bags into the trunk of his car.

I couldn’t make out the color of the car and I didn’t want to, but something about the man was making me very curious.

He slammed the trunk shut. His biceps contracted again from the act. He entered back into the grocery store and I still stood, affixed to a spot.

It was like my legs were stuck on the coal tar of the narrow pathway. For some reason I couldn’t explain, I wanted another peek at him, but I couldn’t go closer. It wasn’t an option for him to see me like this, or for anyone at all.

I was glad it rained today. I was too glad the darkness covered where I was.

The scratchy material of my wedding dress clung to my form and my head itched beneath the veil. The veil had been on myhead since I left the church, and ran for the bus station. Anyone who saw me this afternoon would have called me raving mad, and spontaneous with the way I ran.

My heels were clutched to my right hand, and my left supported my gown from scraping the floors. I could still feel the weight of the silver Zara customized steeped heels on my right hand. It dawned on me that I’d been looking that way for the two hours I transited down here.

I whipped the veil off my head and let it drop from my hands to the ground.

He returned, his steps quick and long. I stared at the length of his legs, just noticing his height. I didn’t want to know what I’d look like standing beside him, yet I watched.

It was like he felt my gaze boring into his back with the way he looked back suddenly. His eyes searched the darkness that hid me properly. I saw his face. I was never going to forget it.

After a couple of seconds, he drove past and I watched the car ride off into the night before I continued my journey. Continuing my journey, I expertly avoided the paths that lit up from the grocery store down to the house. The truth was no one could see me like this.

Aunt Nelly’s hasn’t changed a bit. The yard was still filled with herbs and lavender, the picket fence missing some parts and the house brown from dirt. But of course, the entire building felt more like home than my parent's home did.

I saw the walkway that led to the door. I thought of walking down, but that squeaky old metal gate was going to attract neighboring eyes from the windows. I took to the short fence that barricaded the flowers.

I tried to cross over, lifting a leg above the fence. The gown’s hem got caught, tripping me as I tried to cross the other. I fell, sustaining a slight bruise on my knee from the wet hard ground.

I wanted to cry and pull my hair at the same time, but I bit my lip instead to avoid making a sound.

I couldn’t have anybody seeing me, I just had to get in gently.

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