The Rancher And The RunawayBride: Part 2

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Authors: Susan Mallery
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but she felt him pull back all the same. “Are
     you still engaged?” Ice sharpened the edges of his tone.
    “No.” Surely Hal would consider the engagement broken when she’d run off. If he didn’t,
     she would tell him, just as soon as she got back to town. “The thing is, I never loved
     him. I’m not sure I liked him.” She drew in a deep breath and met Brady’s unreadable
     gaze. “That’s one of the reasons I’m here. To figure things out. You know, find out
     a purpose and all that.”
    “You’re young,” he said easily. “That comes with time.”
    “Brady!” She put her hands on her hips. “Haven’t we had this conversation already?
     I’m not a child. Why do you insist on thinking that I am?” Hadn’t their time together
     convinced him she was very much a woman?
    Before he could answer, McGregor came up. “Well, lass, they’re playing a two-step.”
     The older man winked. “I suppose you could say it’s our song.”
    She glanced at Brady, trying to figure out if she should refuse the farrier’s invitation
     so they could finish their conversation. He nodded at the Scotsman. “Don’t wear her
     out. She still has chores in the morning.”
    “Oh, I’ll be testin’ her a little, but I promise to return her in nearly the same
     condition I found her. Come, lassie. Time’s a wastin’.”
    She was pulled into McGregor’s enthusiastic embrace and swept around the room. At
     the end of the dance, a man she didn’t know asked her to dance, then another. Thirty
     minutes later, when the band took a break, there was no sign of Brady. Randi excused
     herself and made her way over to the tables and chairs set up in a side room. A buffet
     line formed. She ignored it, detouring the crowd to collect a soda from the bar in
     the corner.
    Ziggy and Quinn spotted her and called her over. She smiled and waved but kept on
     walking until she saw Tex sitting alone. She tapped the chair across from him. “May
     I?”
    “Help yourself.”
    She sank onto the wooden seat. “I’m exhausted. All that dancing. I should have taken
     a longer nap today.”
    “You’re having fun. You can sleep when you’re old like me.”
    She rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to talk about age differences right now.”
    “What do you want to talk about?” Tex took a sip of his beer.
    Randi rubbed the sides of her soda can. “Why isn’t Brady married?”
    “You’re going to have to discuss that with him.”
    “He won’t tell me.”
    “Have you asked him?”
    She shook her head. “There’s no polite way to bring that up. At least not with the
     person involved.”
    “I don’t think he’d mind.”
    She glanced at Tex. “You could hint about his past.”
    “Why do you want to know?”
    Her gaze skittered away. “See, this is that awkward part I was talking about.”
    The older man chuckled. “I won’t give you specific information, but I might be convinced
     to whisper a hint or two.”
    “Great. I promise to feed Princess and the cats every day for a week.”
    “You’re doing that, anyway.”
    She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. “Then, I promise not to stop.”
    “Deal.” He thought for a minute. “Brady’s not that complicated a guy. He grew up in
     a secure home with great parents. Living out on the ranch, he had lots of freedom
     to roam around. What with ranch chores and all, he learned about responsibility early.”
    Randi wondered if she should hum “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” for background
     music. Talk about the all-American boy.
    “His parents were happy together. They’re still very much in love.” Tex glanced around
     the room. “Not a lot of people can say that.”
    She thought about her parents’ strained marriage and agreed. “It’s rare.”
    “It’s also a tough act to follow. Brady wants what his folks have. He believes in
     love, he’s a good man. Even so, mistakes are made.”
    What mistakes? But she didn’t ask. There was no point.

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