A Cowboy's Hope by Mary Anne Wilson

Author:Mary Anne Wilson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-07-15T21:06:39+00:00

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WHEN BURR AND ANNA drove onto the ranch on the day of the wedding, cars and trucks crowded the cement parking area in front of the sprawling log house. Burr drove his huge dual-wheel pickup over to the edge of the space and stopped on the dirt. Dwight, in a pressed white shirt, leather vest and jeans, jogged over to them as Burr opened the driver’s door.

“Hey, Burr,” he said and then saw Anna. “Welcome, Anna.”

“How’s Punch doing?” she asked.

“He knew you weren’t there yesterday, but I tried to explain to him that you’d be back. So, you two go on up and around to the back deck. It’s warm there. Those heaters are amazing. I hear the food is going to be killer, too.”

While Dwight hurried off as another truck approached, Burr turned to Anna. “Why not leave our jackets here so we don’t have to carry them around or throw them in a pile on a bed somewhere?” He smiled encouragingly at her. “We’ll survive if we keep moving until we get to the heat.”

“Okay, let’s get moving,” Anna said as she slipped off her jacket, tossed it on the seat and got out into the cold.

Anna had found an outfit that she loved, a simple, midthigh, lightweight suede dress in a soft green with a scooped neckline and three-quarter-length sleeves. Her calf-high Western boots were a deep brown leather with two-inch heels and a simple flower design around the top. After settling on leaving her hair down in loose ringlets, she’d braided two side pieces and caught them together at the nape of her neck with a gold clip.

She met Burr at the front of the truck then headed quickly to the porch and up the stairs. She thought Burr was looking sharp in a light blue shirt, bolo tie, jeans and polished boots. As the inviting scent of barbecue and woodsmoke hung in the cold air, both hurried around the side of the house to get to the deck and the promised heat.

The mixture of music, laughter and voices got louder as they rounded the corner of the house. There were people milling around everywhere. A plethora of lavender flowers adorned the deck, and waves of blessedly warm air flowed through the space. Rows of white chairs faced a latticed arch, which she guessed was holding some of the purple flowers that Ben had helped weave through it. It sat on a large platform jutting out on the north side of the deck. With the backdrop of the land, the mountains and the big sky, the setting was stunning. Music seemed to come from all directions, the way the warmth did.

People approached Anna and Burr, some she knew, some she didn’t, but everyone greeted her as if she truly belonged there. She spotted Sarge, who was all but surrounded by a group of people near the fireplace chimney on the back wall of the house. Some were crouched by his chair to get to eye level as they spoke, and some were standing.

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