WESTERN ROMANCE: A Ranch to Call Home (Texas Romance, Mail Order Bride Romance, Clean Romance, Christian Romance) (Clean and Wholesome Romance) by Grace Warren Page A
Authors: Grace Warren
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the marble steps and into the foyer of the county building. She
double checked the office number and conferred with a laminated map of the building
before proceeding through security and up another flight of stairs to the
second floor. Sitting outside the office, on a bench that looked less than
accommodating, was a man. Lucy stood still for a moment and took in his form.
His feet were clad in weathered cowboy boots, dark jeans that looked brand new
covered his long legs, finishing off with a light blue button up shirt and a
black Stetson that was tilted so far down on his head she was not able to see
his face. Lucy had to bite her lip to stifle a giggle. She knew she was in
Texas, but she didn’t expect the stereotypical cowboy look so soon. It threw
her off guard and his image, mixed with her travel weary emotions, and brought
laughter that she could not hold back.
Hearing her
twitter of amusement, the man looked up, a look of recognition washed over his
shadowed features and his sea foam green eyes shown bright when he removed his
hat, holding it against his chest. “Are you Lucy Carson?”
Lucy covered her
mouth to stop the giggles from coming out and appearing rude. She nodded,
unable to speak. The man took a few steps forward and offered his hand.
“Nash McCain.”
His large hand engulfed hers, but his touch was gentle. “It’s a pleasure to
meet you face to face, Ma’am.”
The couple walked
into the office together, Nash carrying her single piece of luggage. The clerk
welcomed them and asked how she could help.
Nash cleared his
throat. “We’d like to get a marriage license.”
Chapter TWO
“Well that didn’t
take long.” Lucy commented as she sat in the passenger seat of Nash’s Ford
pick-up truck starring at the marriage affidavit in her fingertips. “I don’t
know why, but I assumed it would be a long drawn out process, not a quick ten
minutes.” She looked up at him. Nash was concentrating on the road. “Was your
first marriage that quick?”
His face flinched
then went stoic. Lucy bit her bottom lip.
“I’m sorry, that
was a bad choice of words. Never mind, I was just rambling.” Lucy wanted to
take all the words back. She wished she could still be on the train, or maybe
even back in New York. Her eyes darted back over the affidavit. How could she
have been so inconsiderate? The previous marriage section under the groom’s
side stated that Nash had been married before and that marriage had ended in
the death of his wife. Lucy knew this already, but as she figured the dates in
her head she realized that they had only been married for six years before his
wife’s untimely passing. “Quick” was the word that earmarked his first
marriage. Lucy felt ill.
The truck pulled
up a long dirt driveway several minutes later. Lucy took in the large two
storied country home that sat in the middle of a wide open, well manicured
lawn. There was a front porch that traveled along the full width of the front
of the house and disappeared around the far side. It boasted a few rocking
chairs and a wooden swing. Small tables with gorgeous potted plants dotted the
spaces in between. A beautiful golden retriever sprinted out from a large barn
that was easily visible behind the house. The imagery before Lucy’s eyes was
everything she had imagined. She could not help but smile and feel that
regardless of her misgivings in the taxi earlier, she had been right to choose
this path for her future.
As they walked
the stone pathway to the front porch steps, Lucy envisioned herself sitting on
that wooden swing gazing off into the clear midnight sky. A curtain in an
upstairs window fluttered. Lucy squinted against the morning sun to see beyond
the green shutters and through the pane of glass. The sun was too bright and
before she could ask anything a small boy burst from the front door and flung
himself into Nash’s arms.
“Daddy, you’re
home! I missed you. Livia made me eat bananas and Rufus spilled the
double checked the office number and conferred with a laminated map of the building
before proceeding through security and up another flight of stairs to the
second floor. Sitting outside the office, on a bench that looked less than
accommodating, was a man. Lucy stood still for a moment and took in his form.
His feet were clad in weathered cowboy boots, dark jeans that looked brand new
covered his long legs, finishing off with a light blue button up shirt and a
black Stetson that was tilted so far down on his head she was not able to see
his face. Lucy had to bite her lip to stifle a giggle. She knew she was in
Texas, but she didn’t expect the stereotypical cowboy look so soon. It threw
her off guard and his image, mixed with her travel weary emotions, and brought
laughter that she could not hold back.
Hearing her
twitter of amusement, the man looked up, a look of recognition washed over his
shadowed features and his sea foam green eyes shown bright when he removed his
hat, holding it against his chest. “Are you Lucy Carson?”
Lucy covered her
mouth to stop the giggles from coming out and appearing rude. She nodded,
unable to speak. The man took a few steps forward and offered his hand.
“Nash McCain.”
His large hand engulfed hers, but his touch was gentle. “It’s a pleasure to
meet you face to face, Ma’am.”
The couple walked
into the office together, Nash carrying her single piece of luggage. The clerk
welcomed them and asked how she could help.
Nash cleared his
throat. “We’d like to get a marriage license.”
Chapter TWO
“Well that didn’t
take long.” Lucy commented as she sat in the passenger seat of Nash’s Ford
pick-up truck starring at the marriage affidavit in her fingertips. “I don’t
know why, but I assumed it would be a long drawn out process, not a quick ten
minutes.” She looked up at him. Nash was concentrating on the road. “Was your
first marriage that quick?”
His face flinched
then went stoic. Lucy bit her bottom lip.
“I’m sorry, that
was a bad choice of words. Never mind, I was just rambling.” Lucy wanted to
take all the words back. She wished she could still be on the train, or maybe
even back in New York. Her eyes darted back over the affidavit. How could she
have been so inconsiderate? The previous marriage section under the groom’s
side stated that Nash had been married before and that marriage had ended in
the death of his wife. Lucy knew this already, but as she figured the dates in
her head she realized that they had only been married for six years before his
wife’s untimely passing. “Quick” was the word that earmarked his first
marriage. Lucy felt ill.
The truck pulled
up a long dirt driveway several minutes later. Lucy took in the large two
storied country home that sat in the middle of a wide open, well manicured
lawn. There was a front porch that traveled along the full width of the front
of the house and disappeared around the far side. It boasted a few rocking
chairs and a wooden swing. Small tables with gorgeous potted plants dotted the
spaces in between. A beautiful golden retriever sprinted out from a large barn
that was easily visible behind the house. The imagery before Lucy’s eyes was
everything she had imagined. She could not help but smile and feel that
regardless of her misgivings in the taxi earlier, she had been right to choose
this path for her future.
As they walked
the stone pathway to the front porch steps, Lucy envisioned herself sitting on
that wooden swing gazing off into the clear midnight sky. A curtain in an
upstairs window fluttered. Lucy squinted against the morning sun to see beyond
the green shutters and through the pane of glass. The sun was too bright and
before she could ask anything a small boy burst from the front door and flung
himself into Nash’s arms.
“Daddy, you’re
home! I missed you. Livia made me eat bananas and Rufus spilled the
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