Groom Wore White

Taylor Manning

Description

Texas rancher Winnie Davis had a husband and doesn't want another one. She keeps men at arm's length with wolf whistles, dragging them to the dance floor, and calling out her appreciation of the "stock." But her sassy behavior is only a wall to keep men away and protect the secret she has kept from everyone, even her very best friends. Winnie's great aunt, Miss Daisy Hemphill and the ladies of the Ophelia, Texas, Prayer Circle seek heavenly assistance in finding husbands for the town's single women. When they take on Winnie's case, she's not glad for the attention.Ophelia's new doctor, Will Barker, is fascinated by the sexy lady rancher, and intrigued by her brash sassiness. He's not looking for anything permanent while he establishes himself in his new hometown, but Winnie's charms are too much to ignore.To send the Prayer Circle ladies on to another victim, Winnie agrees to Will's plan for a pretend romance...until it becomes more.

Informations

• Publié par: Uncial Press
• Date de parution: 01 janvier 0001
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781601741301
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Groom Wore White
 
By
Taylor Manning
 
 
Uncial Press       Aloha, Oregon 2012
 
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events described herein areproducts of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real.Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirelycoincidental.
ISBN 13: 978-1-60174-130-1 ISBN 10: 1-60174-130-8
The Groom Wore White Copyright © 2012 by BettyKasischke and Kathryn Overton
Cover art and design Copyright © 2012 by Judith B. Glad
All rights reserved. Except for use in review, the reproduction or utilization of this workin whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known orhereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the author or publisher.
Published by Uncial Press, an imprint of GCT, Inc.
Visit us at http://www.uncialpress.com
Chapter One
Winnie Davis floored the gas pedal of her candy-apple red Dodge Ram pickup, sprayinggravel from the rough Texas back road behind the spinning wheels. Pooch leaned hard againstthe back of the passenger seat.
"What are you looking at me for? You know they're up there right now praying."
The lemon-spotted Lab whined.
"Man up, girl. We'll be there in a minute."
Pooch didn't look convinced.
Winnie fishtailed the pickup in Aunt Daisy's front yard and just missed clipping thefender of Jonabelle Kaufmann's 1986 Ford F-150. If Jonabelle was here, Mattie Clarke would betoo. Good. She could handle all three at one time.
"Woman ought to stop driving that thing." She clutched the steering wheel and dug herfreshly manicured nails into her palms. "Pooch, they're not going to get away with this. Not thistime. Not this girl. Come on."
She threw open her door. Pooch obviously knew her mood, because the dog sat, stillplastered against the seat.
"I said, come on ." She stepped down on the running board and jumped to thedusty ground. Pooch reluctantly followed. Winnie slammed the door. "I'm coming, Aunt Daisy. Ihope you're ready."
She'd thought about a silent invasion. Sneak up on them and listen to what they were upto. Maybe they weren't working on her this time. It would be a shame to scare them. Their tickersmight not be able to handle the shock.
When she'd been in the nail salon an hour ago she'd had to sit through one heck of a lotof teasing. Every woman in the place except her had known that the Ophelia Marriage PrayerCircle had taken her on as their next project.
She'd almost jumped right up and come out here then. But priorities were priorities.Now her nails were fresh and she was ready for a fight. The heck with a silent invasion. It wastime for a frontal assault. Her future was at stake.
She marched up the steps and onto the porch, ready to kick down the door if she neededto.
The white lace curtain fluttered at the front window. A smushed white furry face peeredat her.
"You better warn her, Napoleon."
The cat stared, as if to say leave me out of this .
"Coward." With a twist of the knob, she opened Aunt Daisy's front door and steppedinside. Her boots thunked on the century-old polished wood floor as she headed for the kitchenand her three septuagenarian adversaries. Pooch trailed behind, head low.
Winnie stepped into the kitchen, hands on her hips. Daisy Hemphill, Ophelia's seniorspinster lady, looked up from the paper in her hand. Oh dear. She'd worried this might happen,that Winnie would find out before she got caught up in zing with the man God wouldbring for her. She laid the paper on the table and sent a silent warning to Jonabelle and Mattie tolet her handle this.
"Well, dear. How nice to see you."
"Don't try to sweet-talk me. I'm here to stop y'all from ruining my life."
"I don't know what you're talking about, dear." Daisy turned toward her grand-niece."And don't you look lovely this morning? Did you get your nails done? Let me see." She reachedfor Winnie's hand.
Winnie jerked away. "Don't distract me. It won't work. You three are praying for me andI want it stopped right now."
Daisy widened her eyes. "Winnie. What a thing to say. Who wouldn't want people topray for her?"
"I wouldn't, at least not about what you're praying about. I don't want a man, don't needa man, won't take a man."
Daisy had heard that before. The protestations always got blown away when the rightman showed up. Winnie had already had the right man and cast him aside, thoughheaven only knew why.
"Would you like some sweet tea, dear?" Daisy went to her cupboard and pulled out aglass.
"I said, don't try to distract me, Aunt Daisy. I'm serious. I've been married and I didn'tlike it. I just want you to leave me alone. Why don't you work on somebody who's looking for ahusband instead of trying to force one on somebody who isn't?"
Daisy poured the tea and set the glass on the table. "Here, dear. Sit down. Does Poochneed some water?"
"Will you answer me?" Winnie jerked the chair out and sat down.
Daisy squashed her smile.
Winnie leaned on the table. "Miss Jonabelle, Miss Mattie, help me out here, please? Iknow this is Aunt Daisy's idea. It's a waste of your time. I don't care if you brought Clark Gableback from the dead, I wouldn't marry him."
"Of course not, Winnie," Mattie said. "He'd be over a hundred by now. Way too old foryou."
"Not to mention he'd have been dead for almost fifty years," Jonabelle chimed in.
Winnie's shoulders slumped as her point was completely missed. Daisy knew thefeeling, as she frequently experienced the same thing with Mattie and Jonabelle.
Sitting down beside Winnie, Daisy laid her hand over her niece's. "Why are youworried? If you don't want to marry, you'll just ignore it all and go about your way."
Winnie shot Daisy a withering look with her amethyst eyes, flashing fire. They reallywere the prettiest eyes Daisy had ever seen.
"Men are more trouble than they're worth. The only reason to get one is to have childrenand I'm not the maternal kind."
"I suppose Bollweevil is not your baby."
"That's different."
"When he got sick last year, you sat in the barn with him, what was it, three nights? Thevet told you to put him down, but you wouldn't."
Winnie squeezed her eyes shut. "That's different. Bollweevil is a valuable bull."
"Second place bull in the National Final Rodeo two years ago." Jonabelle, a rancherherself, always could spot a good animal.
"But your feelings were not that of a rancher, dear." Daisy patted Winnie's hand. "Youwould have moved heaven and earth to save him no matter how he performed in the rodeo. I'mjust pointing out that you were less a rancher than a mother. So you can protest all you want thatyou have no maternal feelings in you, but we know better. However, if you don't want children,there are other needs that a man could assist you with--"
Winnie jerked. "Aunt Daisy!"
"We're all grown-ups here, dear."
"Maybe so, but I don't want to talk to you all about...needs and...stuff." Winnie got up. "Ihope I've made myself clear about this."
"Oh, yes, dear. You have."
Winnie squinted distrust-filled eyes at her. "So, you're all agreed that you'll stop prayingfor me to find a husband?"
Drat. She would have to be specific. Daisy parsed Winnie's question for any loopholethat would allow her to agree, but not agree. And found one.
"Of course, dear. If that's what you want."
"What! Daisy, we never stop once we've started. What kind of precedent is that?"Jonabelle huffed. "I won't agree to any such nonsense."
Winnie crossed her arms over her chest. "Miss Jonabelle, you know I love you and MissMattie like family, but if you don't agree, I will..."
Daisy waited with delicious anticipation to hear Winnie's threat. She made the bestthreats, especially the ones which involved the Indian tortures of her ancestors.
"Maybe I'll just start my own Prayer Circle to get you all hitched up."
Daisy felt her eyes go wide. "What?"
"You heard me. You think marriage is such a good thing, maybe the Lord should bringyou a husband."
Her tongue couldn't form a word.
"Thank you, Winnie, but I've got a husband and I'm fairly happy with him." Jonabellenudged Mattie. "Finally got him trained after fifty years."
The silly women laughed. They couldn't see that Winnie was perfectly serious.
"I wasn't talking about you and Miss Mattie. I was talking about your fearlessleader."
"Daisy? A husband for Daisy?"
Why did Jonabelle sound so incredulous?
"Dear--"
"What's the matter, Aunt Daisy? You can dish it out but you can't take it?" Winniecrossed her arms and fixed Daisy with a combative stare.
How to answer? She'd never told Winnie about Frederick. She'd have to sit the girldown and disabuse her of a few notions about her Aunt Daisy... Soon.
For now, though, Winnie waited for an answer.
"Clearly, dear, we're all past our prime. Jonabelle and Mattie have been happily married,and I have gotten by just fine without--"
Too late, Daisy saw the trap she'd stepped into as a triumphant smile broke out overWinnie's face.
Dang it!
She had to regain control over this situation. "Winnie, dear, this is our charge. Youngwomen should not be alone."
"I'm not alone, Aunt Daisy. I have you and Hannah and Livvy."
"You know perfectly well that's not what I'm talking about."
Winnie rolled her eyes. "Right. My needs ."
"That's right, dear. It's perfectly natural and good to find a man who can give you zing ."
" Zing ?" She shook her head. "I don't believe in zing , or tingle or any ofthat stuff. Remember, you're not talking to a silly virgin. I've been married. That should cross meoff your list."
"Why?" Daisy picked up the worn paper from the table. "Look at this, dear."
Winnie took the paper and scanned the words. She handed it back. "So? A poor widowwith a bunch of kids in the 1800's was the first? Sure, in those days, a woman needed a husbandjust to survive. Things have changed, Aunt Daisy. Thanks to modern technology, a woman canprovide her own zing. "
Dais