WESTERN ROMANCE: A Ranch to Call Home (Texas Romance, Mail Order Bride Romance, Clean Romance, Christian Romance) (Clean and Wholesome Romance) by Grace Warren
Authors: Grace Warren
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dinner
parties and act like a normal couple. Usually, Alton didn’t care about what
made the old man happy, but after Mary Anne tattled on him—literally tattled on
him to his mother—he asked Mr. Ellison to get himself and Mary Anne invited to
the next dinner party that occurred.
Unfortunately for pious Mary Anne, the next dinner party that occurred was that
weekend. Her father’s good friend, a former lawyer, was throwing it for the
sake of throwing a dinner party. Rich people were like that, Alton soon
realized.
The mansion where the party took place was on the other side of town. It was
big and lavish, and it was full of people and loud classical music being played
by the orchestra.
“This is fun, isn’t it?” Alton asked Mary Anne, who was clutching his arm for
dear life. It wasn’t hard to see that she disliked crowds—perhaps people in
general.
Mary Anne continued to glare at him. She had been glaring at him for the past
week now, knowing that he had somehow arranged for this to happen to her.
“Let’s go talk to some rich snobs,” he said cheerfully, moving himself forward
and dragging her along in the process.
“Do not embarrass my father,” she gritted out.
“Of course not, of course not. Don’t worry.” He walked up to the first few
people he saw. They were at the buffet with partially full plates. They were
laughing about something, so Alton laughed with him as he approached. “That’s
hilarious!” he cried out to them. “That reminds me of the time Mary Anne
urinated on the hem of her dress!”
He didn’t know where that comment had come from, but he was proud that he had
made it up on the spot.
The people he was basically shouting at laughed along with him while staring
judgmentally at Mary Anne.
“He’s joking,” she said.
“No, I’m not,” he said. “I remember because—”
Mary Anne tugged him back and gave an apologetic smile to the rich snobs. “I’m
terribly sorry, but if you’ll excuse us—”
She led Alton away. He had no idea where she thought she was leading him
though, for they walked about in random directions for a long while. There were
people everywhere, and every once in a while, they would stop Mary Anne to
greet her. Alton then would go on to tell the fake story of how Mary Anne
urinated on her dress.
Finally, Mary Anne shoved him in the closet, and the two were alone.
“Your job is to fix my father’s reputation,” she whispered to him, her voice
wrought with hatred. “But you’re just making it worse.”
“You’re right,” he whispered back. “And I’ll keep making it worse if you keep getting
in the way of me living my life.”
“Get in the way? I’ve left you alone for the most part.”
“Yeah, up until you took my booze away.”
“You can’t be anywhere near that stuff. It’ll ruin—”
“I know, I know, you don’t have to keep repeating yourself.” He took a deep
breath and back away. “Look, if this is going to work out, you’re going to let
me be who I am. Understand?”
She stared at him in silence for a long while. It was actually a little
unnerving.
“No,” she said.
He cocked an eyebrow challengingly. “No?”
“No,” she repeated louder. “If you want a war, you have one.” And with that,
she stormed out of the closet.
Alton twisted his mouth into a frown. “That didn’t sound good.” Hesitantly, he
walked out of the closet, just
parties and act like a normal couple. Usually, Alton didn’t care about what
made the old man happy, but after Mary Anne tattled on him—literally tattled on
him to his mother—he asked Mr. Ellison to get himself and Mary Anne invited to
the next dinner party that occurred.
Unfortunately for pious Mary Anne, the next dinner party that occurred was that
weekend. Her father’s good friend, a former lawyer, was throwing it for the
sake of throwing a dinner party. Rich people were like that, Alton soon
realized.
The mansion where the party took place was on the other side of town. It was
big and lavish, and it was full of people and loud classical music being played
by the orchestra.
“This is fun, isn’t it?” Alton asked Mary Anne, who was clutching his arm for
dear life. It wasn’t hard to see that she disliked crowds—perhaps people in
general.
Mary Anne continued to glare at him. She had been glaring at him for the past
week now, knowing that he had somehow arranged for this to happen to her.
“Let’s go talk to some rich snobs,” he said cheerfully, moving himself forward
and dragging her along in the process.
“Do not embarrass my father,” she gritted out.
“Of course not, of course not. Don’t worry.” He walked up to the first few
people he saw. They were at the buffet with partially full plates. They were
laughing about something, so Alton laughed with him as he approached. “That’s
hilarious!” he cried out to them. “That reminds me of the time Mary Anne
urinated on the hem of her dress!”
He didn’t know where that comment had come from, but he was proud that he had
made it up on the spot.
The people he was basically shouting at laughed along with him while staring
judgmentally at Mary Anne.
“He’s joking,” she said.
“No, I’m not,” he said. “I remember because—”
Mary Anne tugged him back and gave an apologetic smile to the rich snobs. “I’m
terribly sorry, but if you’ll excuse us—”
She led Alton away. He had no idea where she thought she was leading him
though, for they walked about in random directions for a long while. There were
people everywhere, and every once in a while, they would stop Mary Anne to
greet her. Alton then would go on to tell the fake story of how Mary Anne
urinated on her dress.
Finally, Mary Anne shoved him in the closet, and the two were alone.
“Your job is to fix my father’s reputation,” she whispered to him, her voice
wrought with hatred. “But you’re just making it worse.”
“You’re right,” he whispered back. “And I’ll keep making it worse if you keep getting
in the way of me living my life.”
“Get in the way? I’ve left you alone for the most part.”
“Yeah, up until you took my booze away.”
“You can’t be anywhere near that stuff. It’ll ruin—”
“I know, I know, you don’t have to keep repeating yourself.” He took a deep
breath and back away. “Look, if this is going to work out, you’re going to let
me be who I am. Understand?”
She stared at him in silence for a long while. It was actually a little
unnerving.
“No,” she said.
He cocked an eyebrow challengingly. “No?”
“No,” she repeated louder. “If you want a war, you have one.” And with that,
she stormed out of the closet.
Alton twisted his mouth into a frown. “That didn’t sound good.” Hesitantly, he
walked out of the closet, just
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