A Bride By Summer: The Texas Ranger's Bride / From Best Friend to Bride / Once Upon a Bride

At one in the morning, she took some ibuprofen for a headache and went upstairs to bed. The painkiller helped her to fall asleep, but when she awakened Saturday morning, she realized she’d been crying. She’d had nightmares.

Because of her ordeal, her parents had worried she wouldn’t sleep well and might have bad dreams. But oddly enough, it wasn’t the stalkers who had filled her mind. Throughout the night she’d wandered endlessly in her search for Cy, unable to find him anywhere.

Thankful to be awake, she got out of bed to shower and wash her hair. If Cy came over this morning, she wanted to be ready for him. After putting on a clean pair of jeans and a plaid Western shirt, she applied some makeup and pulled on her cowboy boots before going downstairs.

While she was in the kitchen pouring herself a glass of orange juice, her phone rang. Fighting her disappointment that it wasn’t Cy, she reached for it. “Mom?”

“Honey? Turn on the news. We’ll talk after it’s over.”

Taking her juice with her, she hurried into the living room and turned on the TV to one of the local stations. Between swallows she watched the breaking news.

“For those of you who’ve just joined us, last evening our own Texas Rangers finished up a sting that ended in the arrest of two killers on the FBI’s most wanted list. Three brutal unsolved murders stretching from Illinois to Tennessee and South Carolina might have turned into four if it hadn’t been for our state’s bravest. We’re standing by for a message from the governor.”

Kellie sank down on the couch to listen.

“Today is one of the finest days for the Rangers, who prevented the murder of one of our celebrated Austin citizens, Kellie Parrish. She’s the twenty-five-year-old barrel racer who will be competing in the National Finals in Las Vegas in December. She has been stalked by identical twin brothers whose killing spree started four years ago.

“The same rangers who brought down the drug cartel here six months ago took the lead in the capture of these predators. The criminals’ names are being withheld as FBI agents in Illinois, Tennessee and South Carolina are putting all the facts together and notifying family members of the women they’d targeted.”

A shiver ran through Kellie. The thought of the poor parents and families of the three women who’d been terrorized and killed brought stabbing pain to her heart. Because of Cy, they could now be provided with answers. But those poor women hadn’t been blessed to have Cy protecting them.

Without wasting a breath, she phoned her mother. The minute she heard her voice, she broke down sobbing. “Oh, Mom. Cy is so wonderful.” She tried to hold back the sobs, but it was pointless. “I don’t want to think what would have happened if he hadn’t taken my case.”

“Then don’t, darling. Have you talked to him since last night?”

“No. He had to go to the hospital last night. Maybe he’s still there. I have no idea how serious his injuries were. Even if he’s been released, I’m sure he has so much to do.”

“I don’t wonder. How soon are you coming?”

She wiped her eyes with her other arm and took a fortifying breath. “I—I don’t know yet.”

“Sitting around waiting to hear from him isn’t the answer.”

Kellie jumped to her feet, hurt by her comment. “What do you mean?”

“The two of you have been living in close quarters throughout your ordeal, pretending to be married. Now that the threat has gone, I’m not at all surprised you miss having him at your side on a constant basis. He’s the stuff heroes are made of. Heavens, I’m a little in love with him myself. Please don’t tell your father.”

“Oh, Mom.” She let out a half laugh because her mother knew her so well.

“I’m not surprised you’ve lost your head, but you’ve got a championship to win, remember? Ranger Vance isn’t going anywhere. Give it time.”

Kellie hated it when her mother was right.

“Thanks for the talk. I should be at the ranch within the hour.”

After she got off the phone, her mood was completely different. She rushed upstairs for her purse and came back down to write a note at the kitchen table.

Dear Cy,

Words can’t express what I’m feeling, so I’m not going to try. I forgive you if you let yourself in to get the rest of your things while I’m not here. The governor gave you a ringing endorsement today. Congratulations. Just know that you will always have my undying gratitude. You saved my life. What greater service can one human do for another?

Kellie

She read it over several times, wondering if she needed to change anything. But no, it said what she wanted to say. Unlike the piece she’d written on the blog about their marriage, this one wasn’t over-the-top. Viewing it objectively, she felt she’d hit just the right tone.

Without giving herself a chance to change her mind, she removed the rings and left them on top of the note. After grabbing the extra garage-door opener from the drawer, she hurried out to the garage and climbed in her car.

When she backed out, she saw no sign of the crime scene from last night. But it was out here that the stalker had fired on Cy. Another shudder left her weak before she pulled herself together and started for the ranch.

During the drive, half a dozen messages were left on her phone. She knew she would be inundated by good wishes and concern from her friends for a while, but she wasn’t ready to talk to anyone about this except her parents. Then she would take separate rides on Trixie and Starburst, exactly what she needed to sort out her head.

Her left hand gripped the steering wheel. It looked bare without the rings. How do they feel, Mrs. Vance? he’d asked, staring at her with his gorgeous dark blue eyes.

They’d felt natural.

Without them, without him, nothing felt natural.

Another two miles and she pulled up in front of the ranch house. Her phone rang again. She glanced at the caller ID and rushed to answer it. “Cy?”

If he hadn’t known how she really felt about him, he did now.

“Good morning, Kellie.”

He sounded wonderfully alive. She gripped the phone tighter. “Are you still in the hospital?”

“I’m at headquarters. Last night I was only there for a few minutes to have a couple of tiny cuts treated before going home.”

“I’m so thankful you weren’t seriously injured.” Her voice shook. “I heard three shots.”

“It’s over now.” It was obvious he didn’t want to talk about it. “If you’re still at your town house, I’d like to come over and get my stuff. Vic’s coming with me. We’ll take out the hide-a-bed so you can have your house back.”

Kellie moaned. If she hadn’t left so soon...

“I’m sorry, Cy. I’m out at my parents’ house. You still have a door key, right?”

“Yes.”

“I can imagine how busy you must be, so feel free to drive over and let yourself in.”

After a slight pause, he said, “Sounds good. I’ll leave the key and your garage-door opener on the table.”

Her eyes closed tightly. She’d purposely left the rings and the note in case something like this happened. “Cy? I want to see you again to thank you. Is there a night you could come over and I’ll cook dinner for you?”

“You don’t need to do that.”

“There’s every need. You saved my life.”

“Tell you what. The captain has a new case for me. I need to take a look at it. When I know my schedule, I’ll call to let you know what night would be good.”