Autumn. The worry in his gut cinched one knot tighter.
The door flew open before he reached the porch and a younger version of Autumn with serious blue eyes and red-brown hair stepped out to greet him. The college-aged girl had a streak of blood on her pajama top.
Autumn? he choked out, unable to ask the question.
Youre the sheriff? You made good time from town. The girl spun on her heels, gestured to him and led the way toward the brightly lit back door. Justin and my sister are out there, and they havent come back.
His knees felt half-jelly as he forced his feet to carry him up the walk. Usually he was invincible, but the thought of Autumn out there facing armed thieves made him weak. He glanced around. Nothing but miles of rangeland and cattle. The paramedics were volunteers from town who were at least twenty minutes away. And a hospital? He had no idea where the closest trauma center would be.
This was a sign. He cared more about Autumn than hed realized.
JILLIAN HART
grew up on her familys homestead, where she helped raise cattle, rode horses and scribbled stories in her spare time. After earning her English degree from Whitman College, she worked in travel and advertising before selling her first novel. When Jillian isnt working on her next story, she can be found puttering in her rose garden, curled up with a good book or spending quiet evenings at home with her family.
His Holiday Bride
Jillian Hart
My times are in Your hand.
Psalms 31:15
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Letter to Reader
Questions for Discussion
Chapter One
Autumn Granger knew trouble when she saw it, even if she was on the back of a horse riding the crest of a rocky ridge at the tail end of a hard, cold day. She wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck, ignored the wintry bite of wind and focused her binoculars on the cluster of breakaway cattle swarming like flies in the field below.
Hard to tell one cow from another at this distance. Could be Granger stock, but it was impossible to read the brand with the sun slanting low in her eyes. She fished her cell from her pocket and hit speed dial. She was number three man around the ranch. Her older brother Justin would know the scoop.
Yeah? he answered, sounding out of breath. He wasnt having an easy afternoon, either.
Do you have visual on the north Hereford herd? She swung her binoculars aroundnope, still couldnt get a good viewand swept the length of the fence line. Maybe downed barbed wire would tell a better story.
Dad, Scotty and I are feeding them now. Where are you?
The ridge north of the ranch house. Cattle are out. Major bummer.
I suppose theres a chance they could belong to the Parnells. Justin pondered. If they turn out to be ours, will you have time to run them in?
Already on it. So much for getting off early. Thats the way it was when you worked a ranch. The animals came first. She pocketed the phone and dropped the binocs, winding them around her saddle horn. When she drew her Stetson brim down a bit to better shade her face, her bay quarter horse twisted her neck to give an incredulous look.
I promised you a warm rubdown and a bucket of grain, but weve got to do this. She patted Aggies nut-brown coat. Duty calls. Are you with me, girl?
Aggie nickered a bit reluctantly and started the treacherous descent. Rocks and earth crumbled, speeding ahead of them down the steep slope. Autumn stood in her stirrups, leaning back to balance her weight for Aggie. Winter birds scattered, and in the brush up ahead a coyote skedaddled out of sight. The Grand Tetons marched along the horizon, majestic and purple-blue against the amber crispness of the late November plains. Something in the fields below reflected a blinding streak of light. Strange. She grabbed her binocs and looked again. She focused in until the image came clear. A police vehicle sat sideways in the road as if it had turned a corner, saw the cattle and hit the brakes just in time. Interesting.
That couldnt be the new sheriff, could it? Lord, please let him know what hes doing. We need a good lawman around here. The town had brought someone in from out of state, but rumor had it the city slicker hired for the job wouldnt be on until mid-December. Rumors couldnt always be counted on, and maybe this was proof positive. She gave Aggie more rein as the horse slid the last yard to the buffeting clumps of bunch grass below.
Good girl, she praised, patting her mares neck. Aggie gave a snort because she knew they would be heading back home the way they came, likely as not. The mare could not be looking forward to climbing up the slope.
Aggied had a long day, too. Sympathetic, Autumn lifted her binocs again. This time, she was interested in the cattle. She was close enough to make out the brand.
Hey, there. A man in a brand new Stetson, black T, Levis and polished riding boots held up a hand in greeting. He stepped away from his four-wheel drive with Sheriff in black on the doors and waded through the fallow grasses. The cows wouldnt happen to be yours, would they?
No, sir. She pulled up Aggie, straining to see every last cow flank. These bear the Parnells brand.
Parnell? Sorry, Im new around here.
No kidding. When you lived in a small town, strangers stuck out like a sore thumb. Im Autumn Granger.
Good to meet you, Miss Granger. Im Ford Sherman. He knuckled back his hat to get a better look at her, revealing just about the most handsome face shed ever set eyes on. Big blue eyes were striking against his suntanned complexion. His nose was straight and strong but not too big for his face, a complement to the slashing cheekbones and a jaw that would make most male models cry. A days growth clung to his jawline, a rough texture on a man who was rumored to be city bred.
He was definitely out of place on a Wyoming section road. She wondered how long he would last in these parts. Two weeks, a month before he headed back to urban life?
Im trying to find Mustang Road. All I know is that this isnt it. He had a nice grin, friendly and unguarded, but it didnt reach his eyes. Probably a story there, but she didnt care to know it. Likely as not he wouldnt be around long enough, and besides, whatever it was, it was personal.
She wasnt exactly the type of girl any guy went for. Its Mustang Lane, and you are about as lost as a soul can get, Sheriff. You need to backtrack to the main county road. Stay on the pavement until you hit the other side of our spread.
And I would know that how?
Its the first intersecting road you come to. You have a dazed look on your face. Where are you from?
Chicago.
Im guessing you havent seen so much open land except in an old Western?
I noticed it on the plane when I flew out to interview, but I kept close to town. Didnt get a chance to wander off the main street.
Out here its mostly ranches, rangeland and cattle. Youve got to keep on eye on cows, or dont you know? Theyre going to tear your vehicle apart.
What? He whipped around. Sure enough, the mammoth black-and-white creatures had abandoned their grazing to gnaw on his four-wheel drive. They clustered around it like a mob, mouths and tongues and teeth bent on destruction. One cow tried to pry the wiper off the windshield, another chewed on the side-view mirror. Several leaned through the open window licking the seats. Another pulled a clean T-shirt out of his duffel and waved it in the wind like a prize.
Shoo! He didnt know the first thing about cattle in real life, but hed read plenty of Westerns where they were easy to scare into a stampedenot that he wanted a stampede, but this was a dire situation. He was responsible for that vehicle. How was he going to explain teeth marks to the town council? Get up. Move along, little dogie.
The entire herd swiveled their heads in unison to study him curiously. Not one of them was the least bit scared. Not a single hoof shifted. The animals returned to chewing, licking and digging through his possessions as if he were no threat at all.
Move along, little dogie? The woman on the horse laughed, a warm and wonderful sound. She dropped her reins, her hands at her stomach, watching him as if he was the funniest thing shed ever seen. That was a good one. I needed that.
Glad to help out. He might be inexperienced with cows, but he understood hard work. Tough day?
Tough and long. She swiped her eyes. Sorry, didnt mean to poke fun at you. Do you know anything about cattle?
Not in real life. There was a lot he could tell her, but he didnt. He rather liked the way she watched him with a crook of a grin and a look as if to say she had seen this before. Let her think what she wanted. He gave his hat a tug and turned his attention to her. I read a lot of Westerns. Or, I did when my granddad was alive. He got me hooked on them. We would sit and read side by side for hours at a time.
You must miss him.
He passed on about eight years back, and yeah, I still miss him.
I know how that is. Shed lost her mom when shed been in high school, and then her grandparents died one by one. It was the cycle of lifebirth and death, love and griefturning like the seasons, unable to be stopped. Next time you come across cows in the road, you have to consider what youre dealing with. Range cattle are used to being herded. Pets are not.
And what Ive got here are pets?
Parnell has four daughters and 4-H animals galore. Watch and learn. She reined her horse toward the herd.
A cutting horse, he realized, a beautiful creature with a dark brown coat and a long silky black mane and tail. An American quarter horse, pedigreed, by the looks of those fine lines. Considering the dishpan profile, the wide, intelligent eyes and the impeccable conformation, his guess was a very well-pedigreed mare. Even more beautiful was the woman in command, sitting straight in the saddle as if shed been born to ride. Woman and horse sliced through the middle of the swarm. Autumn Granger pulled something out of the pack tied behind her saddle.
Look what I have, guys. Cookies. Wintry sunshine burnished her strawberry-blond hair as she held up a sandwich bag and rattled it.
Cows swung in her direction, abandoning the mirrors, the bumpers and his luggage. Dozens of liquid brown eyes brightened with excitement as she opened the bag and shook it again. The enticing scent of homemade snickerdoodles carried on the wind, and even his stomach growled.
Follow me. She circled around the car. The cattle bounded after her, and the earth shook with the force of their powerful hooves.
It was nice meeting you, Sheriff. She tipped her hat. She looked awesome and powerful on the back of that horse, but up close it surprised him to see that she was petite and fragile. For all her presence, she was a bit of a thing with a heart-shaped face and delicate features, big, hazel eyes and a sugar-sweet smile. Slim and graceful, she leaned closer. Dont worry, theyll go around you. This isnt a rampaging stampede.
Where are you taking them?
Back to the Parnells. Easiest route is the road. She glanced over her shoulder. You had best stop off at the feed store and tell Kit at the counter you need molasses treats to keep in your rig. Next time youll be on your own, city boy.
The enormous creatures broke around him, their heads upraised, sniffing the air, their eyes bright with cookie hopes. They dashed around him, shaking the ground and jarring his teeth, and then they were gone, obscured by the rising cloud of dust like something out of an old cowboy movie. But it wasnt the cows he missed. The cowgirl stayed on his mind, the sweetest thing he had ever seen. He pulled the keys from his pocket, rescued two shirts from the ground and stalked over to his rig.
Autumn ended the call and tucked her cell into her pocket. Parnell would send someone over. The cattle would be taken care of soon. If there wasnt a single problem getting home and she sped through Aggies care and a super-fast shower, she might make it into town to meet her friends on time. Maybe. She could only hope at this point. The work day wasnt done yet, and who knew what would happen next?
A cows sharp moo broke into her thoughts. What was wrong now? She twisted in her saddle. The bulk of the cattle were following her, straining for the cookie bag, but the ones in the back glanced behind them nervously. Another heifer took to lowing in protest. And could she blame them?
Not one bit. The new sheriff had caught up with them. He trailed behind the herd in his Jeep, strobes flashing. What was the man thinking?
You are going to wear out those lights, she called above the plod of three dozen cattle.
Miss Granger, you and the cows are a traffic hazard. He leaned out the window, his dark hair tousled by the wind. I dont want anyone to get hurt, so Im escorting you.
Turn the lights off. They are giving me a headache and the cows arent liking it.
Sorry, no can do. Its procedure.
I can keep this herd together if they bolt, but Id rather not work Aggie that hard. Shes had a long day, too.
I dont want to get fired. The lights stay on.
Dont you know better than to argue with a woman whos packing? Not that she would shoot him or anyonethe Colt .45 she carried was strictly for frightening off wildlife and the occasional rattlerbut it was fun to see the question pass across his face.
Youve got a permit for that?
A permit? Autumn found herself grinning wider. He wasnt too bad for an outsider, especially when he cut the lights. Nope, not a bad guy at all. The big question was how long he would last before he went the way of three out of the last four lawmen whod held his job. Theyd run back to city life as fast as they could bolt.
She rode along, attention on the cattle. The animals closest to her held their heads up and their tongues out, trying to hook the cookie bag. When she hit the main road, she leaned right and led the herd along the pavement. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the sheriffs SUV ambling the wrong way in the oncoming lane, headlights bright to warn any approaching traffic.