Page 13 of Her Grumpy Cowboy (Courage County Standalones #1)
Mallory
It’s almost closing time when River comes stomping into the feed store.
Lily isn’t with him which is unusual. His glare is more pronounced too.
The moment he sees me helping Michael, the ranch hand from the Caldwell place, he gives him a lethal stare.
He marches up to the two of us and growls at the man. “Out. Now.”
Michael abandons the shovel he’s been thinking about buying for the last two weeks and quickly tucks tail out of the store.
“You can’t run off my other customers,” I tell him in a scolding tone. I don’t know what he’s so angry about. He always gets good customer service here.
“You signed up to be a mail order bride,” he spits out the words. I think it’s the most he’s ever said to me at one time.
The tiniest bit of excitement builds in my chest. He heard about that and he’s here. Does that mean he cares about me too?
Still, I can’t be the one to put my cards on the table first. That would be too humiliating if I were wrong. I lift my chin and answer, “I just finished submitting the forms to Laney this morning.”
“You’re not getting married, Mallory.”
He’s never said my name before, and I love the sound of it on his lips. He says it softly, like it’s a sweet taste that he’s savoring.
I give myself a little shake. I can’t afford to get caught up in my feelings for this handsome cowboy.
I have to stay focused and determine if he’s attracted to me.
“Probably not right away. Laney says that it can take some time to get my match. Then I might have to travel to meet him and that’s before we even get into the wedding preparations. ”
“It’s. Not. Happening.” The muscles in his jaw are locked tightly, and I’ve never seen that look in his eyes before. It’s something primal and possessive and it creates an answering ache in my body. It’s more than just want or lust. It’s need. I need this man to claim me as his.
He pauses and seems to think something over for a moment before nodding to himself. Whatever it was, he’s come to a decision. “We’re going to the courthouse now.”
I feel like my head is spinning at his sudden topic change. Weren’t we just arguing about me becoming a mail order bride? I manage to say, “I’m not going to the courthouse with you. Why would I?”
He straightens to his full height. He already towers over me in my wheelchair, but I always feel safe when I’m next to this big, strong man.
I don’t know how I know it but something in me says he’d shield me from anything that life tried to throw at me.
“We’re going to the courthouse. If you want a cowboy, I’ll be your cowboy. No one else can have you.”
My mouth goes dry at the words. I knew I was pushing at River. I just didn’t expect him to claim me like this. In a way that’s so primal and demanding. I can feel the masculine energy radiating off of him as he stands there with his eyes blazing.
I cross my arms over my chest to hide my body’s reaction to him. Something tells me that River is the kind of man that needs to work for what he wants. He doesn’t like to be handed a thing, so I can’t make this too easy for him. “Ask me nicely.”
He grunts. “Marry me.”
I fight the urge to smile. It’s exactly the type of marriage proposal that River would make. “That’s not asking.”
His scowl deepens. He gets frustrated around me a lot. I’m not sure if that’s a good sign for our future. “Dammit, woman. One more minute and I’m just going to throw you over my shoulder anyway.”
I use a scowl of my own. “River Landon Scott, you ask me nicely, so I have a pretty story to tell our children when they grow up.”
He removes his Stetson, a slight smile playing at his lips. He likes it when I’m feisty with him. I file that nugget away to use later.
Despite the almost smile, his voice rings with sincerity when he says, “You’re the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen. Your smile lights up a room. You’re strong and spunky and I’d be the luckiest cowboy on earth to call you his. I’ll do everything I can to make you happy. Will you marry me, Mallory?”
Click to read The Cowboy’s Angel