Read Online Worth The Price (Hart's Fall, Montana) by Delilah Hunt - Free Book Online

once as a young girl had she pictured it without him by her side. Danika blew out a breath and shifted her thoughts as the vehicle slowed to a polished stop.
    After exiting, she literally felt the breath she had been holding lodge inside her throat. This was the Bar S, as sure as the cattle she had seen grazing off on the distant prairie. The bends and turns the driver had taken were never a part of her route when driving past the ranch. It was no wonder this vibrant secluded meadow had yet to grace her eyesight. The field, in full bloom, was a kaleidoscope of colors. Glacier lilies reflecting the sunlight tumbled onto patches of pink-tipped larkspur and geranium, the same shade of purple as the sunset she knew would arrive within hours above the blue, snowcapped Rocky Mountains that bordered the meadow.
    Her chest rose on a deep breath at the sight of the makeshift chapel situated a few yards ahead. Her hands trembled as she took in every detail of the simple yet heavenly scene. Even the sight of the ranch hands seated in the folding chairs made her heart flip. Brandon did care about this day as much as she did.
    Brandon. His name alone infused her blood with warmth. Danika turned to look at the enigmatic man she had chosen to become involved with. The one person she’d made it a point to avoid making eye contact with upon her arrival. He was wearing a stylish pair of relaxed black jeans with boots that looked like they were newly bought. On top, he wore a long-sleeved white shirt, smoothed over with a russet colored button-down vest. Deep in conversation with a thin gray-haired man she had seen in town a few times before, Brandon’s eyes held hers in a lingering gaze. Danika flushed. She realized he had been watching her all along. He stopped in mid-sentence of speaking with his companion and advanced toward her.
    “And that’s my cue to leave.”
    Danika nodded although Zoe’s words barely registered in her head. Of their own accord, her feet began to eat away the distance between her and Brandon. Dear God, she couldn’t take her eyes off him.
    “Hey.” His pitch was low and velvety, yet tethered with uncertainty.
    She ironed out an invisible wrinkle at the front of her dress. “I’m probably the only bride who’s relieved to see her groom isn’t wearing a tuxedo.”
    “I’ll give you a better wedding one day.”
    Better? Instead of the simple recitation of vows she had expected at the courthouse, he had gifted her with a serene outdoors ceremony.
    Danika pressed her lips to the chiseled frame of his cheek. “It’s perfect. More than I ever expected. Thank you.”
    Beneath the gleam of his fixed stare, Danika felt her breath quicken in response to his proximity.
    “I’m glad you approve.” His thumb brushed the spot she had kissed.
    She took a step back and darted her gaze elsewhere. Anywhere but Brandon who was making her entire body thrum and her heart pulse at what had to be a dangerous rate for an inexperience woman. Danika craned her neck, recognizing the local pastor of the Baptist church she’d attended as a child, before her mother’s death.
    “I promised to go to church every Sunday,” Brandon said, tilting his head in the direction of the pastor.
    Her eyes widened. “You did?”
    “No,” he confessed on a grin. “I asked him. Didn’t think he’d agree, but said he was more than happy to do it.”
    “And I meant every word of it, too,” a voice, heavy with a West Indian accent intruded.
    She turned to see Pastor Jones with a Bible in hand and eyebrows arched toward his temples. He gave them a knowing stare and rested his hand on Brandon’s shoulder. “How about we save that for later. After you’re wed in the Lord’s eyes.”
    Her heart pounded as the pastor shepherd her and Brandon to the chapel, where Zoe stood behind her. The lanky man she had seen from earlier also did the same in support of Brandon.
    The seconds ticked by. Her heartbeat, after slowing to a steady trot,