Read Online The Rancher And The Runaway Bride: Part 3 by Susan Mallery - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Susan Mallery
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level.
“Come on, boss man. You go first. Hit me. Hit me hard, because maybe then you can
forget you were stupid and cowardly enough to let her go.”
“Is that what this is about?” Brady asked, furious the other man dared to bring up
Randi. “You wanted her for yourself and you lost her. Is that it?” He assumed a fighting
stance.
Ty shook his head. “I never loved her, but if I had I would have kept her here instead
of abandoning her in a place that never once made her happy. So hit me, dammit, because
I’m looking forward to beating some sense into you.”
Brady circled the cowboy. “I didn’t abandon her. She belongs there.”
“Then, why was she crying over you?”
“Over me?” He made the fatal error of dropping his hands. The blow came sharp and
fast, clipping his chin and sending him staggering across the yard. The pain was unexpected
and sharp. He’d forgotten that fighting hurt like a son of a bitch.
The other men spilled out of the bunkhouse. “W-what are you d-doing?” Ziggy demanded.
“Getting his attention,” Ty said grimly. He glared at Brady. “You ready to listen
now?”
Brady touched his split lower lip and felt blood. His chin throbbed, and he was going
to have a bad case of whiplash.
“There’s nothing to listen to. You’re not making any sense, Ty. I did the right thing.”
He realized all the men were staring at him, their expressions accusing. “I did,”
he said defensively. “You should have seen her mother’s big house. The family has
money.”
“And you don’t?” Quinn asked.
“That wouldn’t m-matter to her,” Ziggy said.
“She loves you,” Ty yelled.
“I love her, too,” Brady yelled back.
“Then, why the hell were you stupid enough to leave her behind?”
Brady stared at his men. Their concern touched him. All they wanted was for him to
be happy. They thought Randi was the woman to make that happen. They were right.
“Damned if I know,” he said, and knew it was true. Because he was afraid, maybe? Because
he hadn’t wanted to take another chance? He’d played it safe and now he was paying
the price. He was going to have to learn to live without her.
Impossible, he thought, knowing he would rather risk rejection than spend the rest
of his life wondering what could have been.
He looked at the men in the yard, at Ty willing to quit to make him see reason. They
were his friends. He’d started out rescuing them, but somehow it had changed. Now
he was the one in need of rescuing.
“So I just go ask her to come back?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “What if she says
no?”
Ty exhaled impatiently. “She won’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“She loves you,” Ziggy said. “Don’t blow it.”
Brady touched his still-bleeding lip. “Fine. I’ll drive to Grand Springs and tell
her I want her to come back. We all want her to come back. But I’m the one who’s going
to marry her. Got that?”
A cheer erupted from the men. Ty stepped forward and slapped him on the back. Brady
faked a glare. “Didn’t you just quit?”
“Nope.”
“I didn’t think so. I’m going to leave right away. While I’m gone—” A familiar barking
cut through his conversation. Brady groaned. “Not another cat. I refuse to accept
even one more.” He turned toward the sound. “Princess, you take whatever you found
and—”
But the figure following his dog wasn’t a stray cat. Brady thought his brain might
be playing a trick on him, punishing him for acting so stupidly. But she wasn’t an
illusion brought on by no sleep or food. She was heartbreakingly real. He wanted to
say or do something, but he found he couldn’t move.
Randi paused by the barn and smiled tentatively. “Hi.”
The men mumbled greetings. There was an awkward pause. Ty gave Brady a shove in her
general direction, then said, “Good to see you back. We’ve got work to do. We’ll see
you
“Come on, boss man. You go first. Hit me. Hit me hard, because maybe then you can
forget you were stupid and cowardly enough to let her go.”
“Is that what this is about?” Brady asked, furious the other man dared to bring up
Randi. “You wanted her for yourself and you lost her. Is that it?” He assumed a fighting
stance.
Ty shook his head. “I never loved her, but if I had I would have kept her here instead
of abandoning her in a place that never once made her happy. So hit me, dammit, because
I’m looking forward to beating some sense into you.”
Brady circled the cowboy. “I didn’t abandon her. She belongs there.”
“Then, why was she crying over you?”
“Over me?” He made the fatal error of dropping his hands. The blow came sharp and
fast, clipping his chin and sending him staggering across the yard. The pain was unexpected
and sharp. He’d forgotten that fighting hurt like a son of a bitch.
The other men spilled out of the bunkhouse. “W-what are you d-doing?” Ziggy demanded.
“Getting his attention,” Ty said grimly. He glared at Brady. “You ready to listen
now?”
Brady touched his split lower lip and felt blood. His chin throbbed, and he was going
to have a bad case of whiplash.
“There’s nothing to listen to. You’re not making any sense, Ty. I did the right thing.”
He realized all the men were staring at him, their expressions accusing. “I did,”
he said defensively. “You should have seen her mother’s big house. The family has
money.”
“And you don’t?” Quinn asked.
“That wouldn’t m-matter to her,” Ziggy said.
“She loves you,” Ty yelled.
“I love her, too,” Brady yelled back.
“Then, why the hell were you stupid enough to leave her behind?”
Brady stared at his men. Their concern touched him. All they wanted was for him to
be happy. They thought Randi was the woman to make that happen. They were right.
“Damned if I know,” he said, and knew it was true. Because he was afraid, maybe? Because
he hadn’t wanted to take another chance? He’d played it safe and now he was paying
the price. He was going to have to learn to live without her.
Impossible, he thought, knowing he would rather risk rejection than spend the rest
of his life wondering what could have been.
He looked at the men in the yard, at Ty willing to quit to make him see reason. They
were his friends. He’d started out rescuing them, but somehow it had changed. Now
he was the one in need of rescuing.
“So I just go ask her to come back?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “What if she says
no?”
Ty exhaled impatiently. “She won’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“She loves you,” Ziggy said. “Don’t blow it.”
Brady touched his still-bleeding lip. “Fine. I’ll drive to Grand Springs and tell
her I want her to come back. We all want her to come back. But I’m the one who’s going
to marry her. Got that?”
A cheer erupted from the men. Ty stepped forward and slapped him on the back. Brady
faked a glare. “Didn’t you just quit?”
“Nope.”
“I didn’t think so. I’m going to leave right away. While I’m gone—” A familiar barking
cut through his conversation. Brady groaned. “Not another cat. I refuse to accept
even one more.” He turned toward the sound. “Princess, you take whatever you found
and—”
But the figure following his dog wasn’t a stray cat. Brady thought his brain might
be playing a trick on him, punishing him for acting so stupidly. But she wasn’t an
illusion brought on by no sleep or food. She was heartbreakingly real. He wanted to
say or do something, but he found he couldn’t move.
Randi paused by the barn and smiled tentatively. “Hi.”
The men mumbled greetings. There was an awkward pause. Ty gave Brady a shove in her
general direction, then said, “Good to see you back. We’ve got work to do. We’ll see
you
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