Patty's Gamble Read online

  “Meddles?” Patty gasped, trying her hardest not to give into the urge to laugh.

  “Just look at how happy he is with Jill,” Marv said, ignoring her.

  Patty had already seen Archie and Jill dancing earlier that evening. The two newlyweds were very well matched. But she couldn’t resist looking at them as they danced in their square. “I can’t take credit for that one. They fell in love all by themselves.”

  “Maybe, but you were the one who gathered all the women in the area for him to dance with,” Marv said.

  “While that’s true, Greg said it was fine to do this every month,” she countered.

  “I’m not going to take any credit for making people fall in love,” Greg said. “I do good enough to manage the ranch. The love matches are all your doing, sweetheart.” He kissed her cheek, and her face flushed with pleasure. “Maybe next month, you’ll be up to dancing.”

  She hoped so. She loved to dance. It was one of her favorite pastimes, but she was still a little sore from giving birth and knew it was best to wait. If she pushed herself too hard, she’d never get back on the horse as soon as she wanted.

  “Speaking of dancing,” Marv said, “I believe it’s my turn to play the fiddle so poor Herb can get a break.”

  As he hurried over to Herb, Mitch turned to Heather. “Want to dance?”

  “I’d love to.” Heather glanced at Patty. “You mind holding your future son-in-law while we dance?”

  “I’d love to,” Patty replied and took the boy in her arms.

  “You really think Ian and Angie will end up together?” Greg asked, chuckling.

  “Well,” she said as Mitch and Heather went to one of the squares, “it’s too soon to tell, but if he offers to walk her home when she’s sixteen, I’m going to say it’s a sure thing.”

  “Once you set your mind to something, you don’t stop until you get it.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “And you know what?”

  “What?”

  He smiled at her and gave her waist a light squeeze. “That’s what I love most about you.”

  Pleased, she returned his smile. She leaned into him and scanned the couples who got ready for the next dance. This was everything she wanted all those years ago when she was sixteen. She wanted to marry Greg, to have his children, and to enjoy moments like this with their friends. Now that it all had come to pass, it was even better than she imagined. And she couldn’t help but think the best was yet to come.

  Coming Soon in the Montana Collection:

  Book 4

  Shane’s Deal

  Madeline Thompson, the woman the outlaws were looking for at the beginning of Boaz’s Wager (Book 2 in the Montana Collection), has finally been caught. And they are holding her until the man who’s after her money comes to get her.

  The only man who can save her is Marshal Shane Taft. After a quick marriage, he assumes the worst he has to look forward to is teaching his new bride how to adjust to living without the comforts she’s used to back East. But when it comes to money, nothing is ever so simple.

  Other books you might enjoy by Parchment & Plume, LLC

  Montana Collection

  by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Mitch’s Win: When Mitch Grady goes to a saloon to take his wayward brother home, he finds that his brother’s horse isn’t the only thing being offered in a poker game. Heather Curtiss’ brother has bet her as well. But Mitch might find that keeping her is going to take more than a poker game.

  Boaz’s Wager: What Boaz Grady wants more than anything is to have his children back. But he needs a wife to make that happen. When he buys one in an auction, he figures all his worries are over…until he starts to fall in love with her.

  Bride by Arrangement: A two-part anthology

  by Ruth Ann Nordin and Janet Syas Nitsick

  In Ruth Ann Nordin’s story The Purchased Bride:

  Ada Wilcox never thought her brother would answer a mail-order bride ad on her behalf. And more than that, the man she’s been sent to marry is not at all what she expects.

  In Janet Syas Nitsick’s story She Came by Train:

  She Came by Train to leave behind her life of finery and be a governess, but soon has two men vying for her attention-one of which has offered to take her back to her home. Alex cannot imagine his life without Miss Preston, the governess he’s hired for his children and looks for a way to convince her to stay.

  Fort Gibson Officer Series

  by USA Today Bestselling Author Rose Gordon

  American-set historical romance series that takes place in Indian Territory in the mid-1840s.

  The Officer and the Bostoner –- While on her way to meet her intended, Allison Pearson was abandoned by her traveling party at a desolate Army fort in the middle of Indian Territory. It’s a good thing there is a handsome, smooth talking officer named Captain Wes Tucker who will temporarily marry her until her intended can reclaim her.

  The Officer and the Southerner –- Lieutenant Jack Walker sent off for a mail-order bride. Ella Davis answered the ad. Jack forgot to mention a few living details, and Ella’s about to let him know it!

  The Officer and the Traveler –- Captain Grayson Montgomery’s mouth has landed him in trouble again! And this time it’s not something a cleverly worded sentence and a handsome smile can fix. Having been informed he’ll either have to marry or be demoted and sentenced to hard labor for the remainder of his tour, he proposes, only to discover those years of hard labor may have been the easier choice for his heart.